To date, I have broken four of the glass beakers from my Bodum French Press. Well, I've broken one and my wife broke three, but same/same. It's beautiful glass, but it's thin, and with daily use and cleaning, these things break. And cost at least $20 to replace.

The makers of the Portland Press know exactly what that's like, and seek to remedy it, by creating a new design of French Press that uses a standard (and very affordable) Mason jaras the main carafe for brewing coffee. 

The designers say, 

Home coffee-making equipment has come a long way, but the typical french press is still assembled from plastic and delicate glass in an overseas factory. We want to improve your coffee making experience with quality and materials that you can relate to. The Portland Press is a french press for a Mason jar, made in the state of Oregon, out of materials sourced in the USA. It’s a simple, clean, practical design made out of fundamental materials: glass, wool, steel, wood. Most importantly, the Mason jar is easy to replace if it breaks, and the rest of the Portland Press is backed with a lifetime warranty. 

The product is currently up for funding on Crowd Supply, with several levels of commitment. Check out their pitch video with lots of cool process footage:

There's something about the drinking of coffee from a mason jar that's a little much...but brewing in one of these beautiful things intrigues me quite a bit. I've never done one of these crowd funding projects yet, but I'm seriously, seriously considering backing this guy. You should too.

The Portland Press by Bucket 

These aren’t set pieces from the latest action/sci-fi flick... they're stunning pieces of Soviet modern architecture, abandoned since the fall of the Easten Bloc.

Photographer Jan Kempenaers, takes us through a journey through time with these images of former Yugoslavia monuments. It’s hard to believe that such amazing structures have been sitting dormant for so long! The design is incredible and worthy of documenting.

These avant-garde monuments are a mix of architecture and art.  Built as a Socialist beacon of strength, they no longer have the same significance they once did. Regardless of the social movement they may have represented, they serve now as inspiration for forward thinking design in modern buildings.

Can you imagine being there, alone, staring at them? So powerful.

Abandoned Yugoslavian Monuments

The clever hackers at Makezine came up with the cool, yet surprisingly easy, method for creating a Swiss Army Knife-style key ring as a much more efficient way to stash your keys in your pocket.    I've seen a few of these for sale about, but all were crafted from aluminum and therefore limiting to the average DIYer. I especially like this design cause it uses easy-to-find hardware, and requirers no modification to the keys in order to make it work. Grabbing some really nice hardwood and spending some time with the finishing would turn this in a really clever and sturdy piece for everyday use. 

Watch the video below, and check out the text tutorial at Instructables 

Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web.

 New York creative studio Vault 49 came up with these incredible typographic designs hand-painted onto vintage handsaws.     

Each boats a little adage about work ethic. See more at Share Some Candy. 

This site allows you to "play" an accordion by resizing your browser window. Enough said.

Laughing Squid shares this "incredible photo of a tree that had its bark blown off by lightning" 

Jessica from How About Orange reports on the New York Times haiku generator. "The New York Times has developed an algorithm that automatically detects poetry hidden in the paper's front page articles. Using a syllable dictionary, a computer scans each article in search of haikus." 

True. 

Drinking wine has never looked this good...at least not before the second glass and we get all starry-eyed (Get it? And I'm sorry).

This design by WORK Labs caught my eye because of its simplicity. As you must know, the wine industry is quite saturated (lucky us!), so creating an original product is quintessential for survival. A winery that has been around for a long time probably has a loyal customer base, so they may not have to worry too much about their labels, since they’re already famous for their product - but what about new ones? Beautiful design can be the difference between picking up their bottle or going for your usual red. 

The process involved in the creation of these bottles for Meteor Merlot creates a “starry night” effect that is different in for each bottle. WORK Labs used the cosmos as their inspiration and they did a great job bringing their concept to life.

So tell us, when you’re searching for a new wine at the liquor store, do labels play a big role in your choice?

Via: Lovely Package

Those of us in the U.S. will be celebrating the three-day Memorial Day weekend this week, the cultural beginning of summer: the swimming pools open, people are allowed to wear white (that's a thing, right?), and most importantly, the grilling season is officially underway.   If you haven't touched yours since the fall, it's likely in need of a bit of sprucing up. I wrote a post on cleaning your grill and getting it back to shape for the GMC Trade Secrets blog and shared a few ideas for giving either a gas or charcoal grill a quick once-over, in only fifteen minutes.

 So, grab a fresh bag of charcoal or get that propane tank refilled, and embrace the most wonderful time of the (culinary) year. 

How to Clean Your Grill in 15 Minutes [GMCTradeSecrets.AOL.com]  

Italian designer and stylist Elena Mora and photographer  Karsten Wegenerto created this playful series of still life images featuring meal ingredients arranged into carefully balanced structures.    

There's likely some photo trickery going on here, but they're still pretty awesome. Can you guess which dishes they've arranged?

See more (and learn about the meals presented at My Modern Met: An Artist's Creative Interpretation of Well-Balanced Meals 

Caitlin from The Merry Thought shares this awesome tutorial for turning very small pieces or scraps of hardwood into natural wooden rings. She uses a few specialized tools like a belt sander and scroll saw, but you could recreate this project with a coping saw and some sandpaper. The only necessary tool is a Forstner bit to drill out the hole for your finger, which you'll do as the first step before cutting and shaping the ring to size. The cool part is you can make the actual shape of the ring whatever you like: a simple band for yourself, or a more decorative shape for a lady in your life.

If you're looking for hardwood scraps, contact a wood flooring company or local cabinet shop. They have all kinds of small pieces in a variety of species that they'll be happy to give you for free. 

Get the full how-to at The Merry Thought: Simple Wooden Rings  [via Craftzine]

By now, I'm sure you've seen several products being funded through the popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, and perhaps even bought a few. Here are five of my favorite food and drink related projects that are live this month:
grow your own food, feast on Kobe Beef Jerky, enjoy the bliss of Old Fashioned Ice Cream, and learn new recipes! 

1. Let's Patch is a self-watering planter that allows you to grow herbs and any other greens in the comfort of your house. Yep: self-watering! That means you only have to put water in the little container and the planter does the work for you. Easy! 

2. Short Stack Editions is a publication packed with wisdom from the world's greatest chefs. It's the perfect mix between a magazine and cooking book! Plus the cover illustrations and bright pages are a beautiful addition to your foodie shelf. The first three editions - eggs, tomatoes, and strawberries - are perfect to start planning all of your summer dinner parties.

3. Organic Cold Fusion Ice Cream. This one is for both: foodies and science lovers! The project aims at bringing back the good ol' fashion way of doing things - with a touch of modern technology. Their ice cream is organic and vegan - which totally adds a few extra awesome points for healthy living - and will be served out of a 50 year old ice cream truck. It's like traveling in time to your childhood memories!

4. The world's firstKobe Beef Jerky. If you're a meat lover, you'll be all over this project. As you know, Japanese Kobe Beef is one of the finest proteins available. Now you can enjoy the same deliciousness in the shape of jerky - a.k.a. snack like a classy champ! If you go to their Kickstarter page you can read some comments from people mentioning how mouth-watering this jerky is - including a comment from a couple saying they were licking each other's fingers! Wow. That good, huh?

5. Chefs Feed Restaurant Guidebook will be your ultimate food guide with hundreds of recommendations from kitchen pros. This printed guide will definitely take you on a culinary journey for which you must prepare you belly in advance - I mean how could you say no to a foodie adventure across the country? 

A note to self - May 24, 2013:    
Take a break!

Then this minimal wooden box is a great (and pretty good looking) project for organizing all of those knickknacks on your desk, workbench, or kitchen counter

Made with a wood box that costs around $3 at Target (or any other dollar/hardware store), this project is a personal favorite because A: it's super affordable and B: It takes a few minutes to make it.

Granted, you could just buy a plastic organizer, but those usually look like they belong in a regular office and not in your awesome studio/workspace. Also, the leather handle and plain wood add a great rustic feeling to it. Quite artsy I must say.

A few ideas to try with this project:

• Waterproofing the box to make planters - add a few cactus or succulents and it'll look great.
• Glue a couple extra pieces of wood inside the box to make compartments for things like pens and pencils.
• Add stenciled letters to mark the contents of the box. If you're a cool cat - use your own hand written type!

Seriously, other than waiting for the paint to dry, this project can be done in no time - so here, visit the Whimsey Box blog, gather your materials and get workin'.

DIY Leather Handle Box

Anyone familiar with comedian, musician, and performance artist Reggie Watts knows that his act depends on his  absurdist, postmodern sense of humor, amazing musical chops, and a unique microphone and gadget set up that allow him to create full arrangements using just his voice.

Gizmodo visited with Reggie during a soundcheck last year to learn about how he creates his on-the-fly compositions. The setup is surprisingly simple - just two effects pedals and a looping machine - which just demonstrates that the trick is not in the gear, but in Reggie's creativity...and the fact that he knows how to use it really, really well. 

The video isn't embeddedable, so head to Gizmodo to check it out. And if you haven't seen Reggie's infamous Ted Talk, which parodies and pays homage to the format in all kinds of awesome ways. 

Watch the video on The Gadgets of Reggie Watts [Gizmodo]

I feel like I start every post that deals with an awesome DIY lighting project by confessing how much of a sucker I am for awesome DIY lighting projects, but, for goodness' sake, I'm a suck for an awesome DIY lighting project.    This one comes from online shop One King's Lane, and the finished product is one of the better I've seen recently: 

Not bad, huh? I love the brass and the exposed bulbs, and you could easily take a similar approach to customize your design to fit your style. Check it out: 

A Stylish Solution: Brass Chandelier DIY [One King's Lane; photos by Jason Hamilton] 

Each Wednesday, I post some of my favorite can't-miss links, images, and otherwise mindblowing goodies from across the web. 

Just to be clear, what you're looking at right there is an actual 1953 Volkswagen Beetle that's been morphed into a perfect sphere. (!!!)    

The piece is by Jakatara-based sculptor Ichwan Noor and is on display at the first ever Art Basel Hong Kong, happening right now. See more at Colossal. 

Men's Journal magazine has a whole Pinterest board dedicated to whiskey. And I like it. 

An unconventional ad for a funeral services company in Japan: a human skeleton made from pressed flowers. Get it? You get it. 

And lastly, a lizard that looks like Spiderman. This better be real.

With the television season winding down and the theaters full of mostly superheroes, summer is the time for going back into the archives, and catching a quality series or some films you may have missed. These days, that's easier than ever with online media streaming services, but with algorithms making recommendations, there are likely things that you'll totally love that have never showed up in your "Recommended" section.   In order to help figure out what to watch, check out this flowchart graphic that'll help you fill out your queue. Or, if you're anything like me, you spend more time adding items than actually watch them (just in case!), and your queue is plenty full already, and you might need some help selecting from the overwhelming options.   

It comes from, of all places, an online casino called SilverOak, who are clearly just trying to capitalize on the viral infographic craze. That said, though the design leaves a lot to be desired, it definitely does it's job. My recommendations? Miller's Crossing and Midnight Cowboy, both of which I've seen, but would be happy to take another look.

What to Watch on Netflix 

Pesto is a mighty Mediterranean-style sauce and condiment that’s super versatile and easy to make. It's amazing all warm weather season long, when the fresh ingredients are bountiful, and tastes fantastic on anything from the grill, on pizza or fresh pasta, or, as many will confess,  a spoon.

Pesto has been around for a while, pretty much since ancient Rome, although back then they likely used herbs other than basil. The word comes from the same word as "[mortar and] pestle," and references that fact that it's a ground or pounded paste. Nowadays, you can certainly purchase pesto at any grocery store, but like most things, the flavors pale in comparison to a homemade version. 

THE BASICS

There are a few basic ingredients required to make a classic basil pesto:

Traditional Basil Pesto Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of basil (about 4 cups)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

THE METHOD

1. Wash the herbs.Pat dry.
2. In your food processor, pulse the greens with the grated cheese, nuts and garlic. It's better if you make it in batches.
3. Drizzle olive oil as you go until you form a chunky paste (don't puree it!)
4. Serve and enjoy

In short: you need something as your base (in this case the herbs), some nuts for texture, and seasonings. Easy!

Now the classic version is delicious, but is heavy on basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese, both of which are quite pricey in your local supermarket. You can (and should!) grow your own herbs, but it's an investment, for sure. (Though worth it!) Thankfully, this classic recipe has lots of options and now there are plenty varieties with different flavors, textures, and price-points. 

THE RECIPES

Here are a few variations using different ingredients as a base. As you can see, as long as you stick to a base, a nut, and a binder (like cheese or oil), you can be as creative as you want. Have fresh mint on hand? Go for it? Pumpkin seeds? Sure. Just make some.

Spinach Pesto

This is one of my favorites; it's more subtle than the original one. For this recipe you'll need:

• 5oz (a medium pre-washed bag) of spinach
• Half a bunch of basil
• A few sprigs of parsley
• 1/4 of a cup of toasted walnuts (way more affordable than pine nuts)
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmersan cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Follow the same steps mentioned above and you're good to go. You can even add kale and collard greens to make it extra green and nutritious!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients needed:

• 5 oz of sun-dried tomatoes
• Half a bunch of basil
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (adds richness)
• 1/4 cup of roasted walnuts or pine nuts
• 1/4 of freshly grated grana padano (similar to parmersan, but more buttery)
• Pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper

This recipe is awesome when you pair it with a hearty cold pasta salad and a glass of red wine. Yum! 

Dairy Free Pesto

This is a healthy alternative that contains no cheese, but still has lots of flavour. You'll need:

• 5 oz of base of your choice (greens, tomatoes, basil, etc)
• 1/4 cup of walnuts or pine nuts
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast (this is your cheese!)
• Hemp or flax seed oil
• Salt and pepper

The nutritional yeast will add a boost to your pesto as it is rich in vitamin B12. This recipe is totally worthy of Popeye's approval!

Pesto Tips:

• Pesto tends to turn brown if left at room temperature, for this reason, you should use it right away.
• When storing it in the fridge, cover with plastic wrap and drizzle a bit of olive oil on the top to prevent it from browning.
• Want to keep it for longer? Place the pesto in ice trays and freeze it. Once it's frozen, pop the pesto cubes out and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. Whenever you need a quick meal, place a few cubes of pesto in a pan with pasta and you're good to go!

So, what's your favorite kind of pesto?

The Kunsthaus Graz is the perfect example that modern design and heritage buildings can coexist in the same area.

This architectural landmark is located in Graz, Austria and was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 - it is a hub for all sorts of events and art exhibitions. Its 1,288 semi transparent acrylic glass panels are shaped in an ameba-like bubble that could well fit a movie from The Space Channel.

It’s amazing how it stands out as a landmark of its own, but at the same time it’s perfectly snuggled in between the existing heritage structures. On one side you have beautiful historic buildings with iconic brick roofs, and on the other you have an ultra-modern space; one that can generate part of its energy with built-in photovoltaic units.

To see more of the Kunsthaus Graz - or to plan a visit, head to The Kunsthaus Graz [via iGnant]

 This weekend, why not toast with a little regional flair?    Cambria from The Kitchn shares this great list of "outstanding drinks from all 50 states" published by New York magazine's Grub Street blog. They call it "a 'cocktail terroir' or as close as one can get to such a thing: original, innovative recipes often made with local spirits and homemade infusions, syrups, and ingredients. If you get tired of one drink, there are 49 others to try." 

Many of the drinks include local spirits - liqueurs infused with regional flavors - or dominant flavors from an area's cuisine - like a beer syrup from Wisconsin, or a smoked salmon Bloody Mary from Alaska. Even if you can't find the exact ingredients in your area, most of the recipes can be translated to what you can get your hands on. 

Otherwise, it's just fun to see what your local cocktail might be. I happen to have all the necessary ingredients for mine, and I'll be giving it a try come 5:00.

Cocktail Country: Outstanding Drinks From All 50 States [Grub Street; link and image via the Kitchn]

With summer fast approaching comes an age-old predicament; should you upgrade your sunglasses? Chances are: yes, you should. And so, as a solid pair of sunglasses are on our ten things every man should own, here are five ideas to match your personal style. 

Sunglasses are one of those things that can totally complete your look. Just check out this sharp fellow from A Poor Man's Millions look? Quite cool, yes? And just like wearing the perfect tie, selecting the perfect sunglasses is all about scale and shape. If you don't like them all, at least you get an idea of what's hot right now. Check them out:

1. Flatspot Super Flat: With a price tag of $150 (ish) this pair of sunnies are what I would call 'the one fits all' model. They're super sleek and have an 80's edge that make them quite trendy (without looking like a bad blast from the past). They kinda have a sporty feel too, but can definitely be used with more dressy getups.

2. Asos Wayfarer: For around $20 these wayfarers are a no-brainer. Mind you, they do look more casual and you may not be able to use them with something dressy, but they are the perfect pair to take to the beach. If you're looking for something cool and cheap, go for them.

3. Canby Walnut and Oak: I think I'll like to call this pair the unofficial ManMadeDIY sunglasses. Why? They are cool, modern, and crafty! They're styled following the popular Wayfarer line, but are crafted...fromwood.  Did I mentioned they are handmade in Portland? Yup. Pure American talent, right here. ($185)

4. Mr. Porter Bottega Veneta: These aviators remind me of James Bond movies and Ocean's Eleven. They are a bit more pricey than the others at around $320 (looking like 007 ain't easy) - but if you want to own a nice piece of Italian craftsmanship, I say bite the bullet and go for it. Think of it as a long-term investment; they're quite stylish and won't look outdated anytime soon.

5. Super 49er Aviators: Wanna go to funky town? Don't worry, we judge no one in here. These 49ers are for those who seek the thrill of Vegas while listening to Elvis on full blast. For those who like road trips and dream of traveling down Route 66. Vintage, edgy, and cool. Sounds like you? ($260) 

For some more options, or if you need to stay on the less expensive side of things, check out our ManMade Guide to Sunglasses: 5 Stylish Pairs Under $100 

Overheard most during my back patio grilling sessions? "Where'd I put those tongs?" Seriously, I misplace/don't put back/leave in the sink/who knows these things at least five or six times while the charcoal glows.   

The always awesome Kristin Guy - a.k.a. The Cuisinerd - shows us how to build a "manly" BBQ tool belt to carry around all of your gadgets. Sure, it may be a bit of a novelty, but how many times have you dropped your utensils in the dirt while trying to juggle a pair of tongs, a bunch of seasonings, and a spatula to flip yo burgas!

An extra perk of this project: you can make one as a gift for Father's Day. 

The list of materials is quite affordable and you can almost get everything at the hardware store. You can even save a few bucks by using an old shirt as your fabric, and if you can't sew, just use some super strong fabric glue to seal the parts together.

Oh, and if you want to go a step further - make it high tech! Add an extra pocket on the side with a see-thorough window so you can carry your phone around, maybe even poke a few holes so you can blast some tunes? This project is definitely as customizable as you want it to be.

To see the full post, including the list of materials and steps, hop over to the HGTV Blog where Kristin works her magic: How To Make a BBW Tool Belt