I've never been a morning person. Or rather, I've never been a waking up person. I've recently been trying to work my schedule forward because I've discovered firsthand how immensely more productive I can be when I take advantage of those early hours.   

Jack Archer of Airows recently post these great tips and I'm working on taking them to heart. One thing that his list implies which I never seriously considered until now is getting an actual alarm clock. Most guys I know use their phones as their morning wake-up device which naturally leads us to check out Facebook, email, Instagram, and/or Twitter before even getting out of bed. Not only does this inevitably waste time, but then my precious, recently-cleared headspace is immediately filled up with the impressions, thoughts, demands, and general noise of the people around me. 

I'll be purchasing a simple alarm clock this week and charging my phone outside of my bedroom just to see where that gets me. I'll keep you posted.

Check out the list with all its tips and get a move on your mornings.

These vintage suitcase shelves were created by Ki Naussauer, a designer known for her commitment to flea market pieces and upcycling. This wall is from her actual living room, which means: she made them herself, and you can too. Here's how it'd go:    

1. Scour thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, or Craigslist for a collection of suitcases. Look for options with various widths and colors, and with hardware that looks to be in good shape. They don't need to be functioning, just attractive.

2. Choose a depth, and then wrap a piece of blue tape around the perimeter and draw a line on the tape. Remove any lining or fabric (which could get caught in the blade), and cut the suitcases along the line with a jigsaw, bandsaw, or even rotary tool or reciprocating saw. Just be sure to watch for hardware, and use an old blade or something designed for metal, as you will likely be cutting through a variety of materials: wood, leather or plastic, and metal.

3. Figure out how you'd like to afix them to the wall. If you don't plan to put too much weight on them, some simple angle brackets will work. Or, to make them more robust, create 1/2" plywood panels that will fill out the back and reinforce the shape. Glue and nail them in place along the bottom container. Then, you can simply take off the lid, and attach them to the wall through the plywood panel (screwing into studs or anchors), and lastly, just reattach the lid.

[via Apartment Therapy; photo and styling from Ki Naussauer for Worthpoint] 

As anyone who works with natural materials will tell you, woodworking isn't like other manufacturing practices. Like horseback riding (as opposed to driving a car) there are always little bumps and hiccups that are inherent to the process of churning out a mutual project or end goal with another organic substance. You can't find those problems, you've got to find ways to make them into something, like Frank Howarth did with this wooden bowl...The maple bowl itself took over 3 years to make, and he had to find a way to deal with the knots in bowl that would've kept it from really functioning properly. He opted for a very cool idea: cutting out the knots in unique shapes and fitting a wooden "brick textured" puzzle piece back in the hole.

You can check out his process in the video below. 

Keeping the home bar stocked with the recommended staples takes a bit of planning, but even the best stocked cabinet is useless without the tools to make them right. Here’s our list of 10 essentials to outfit your bar with everything you need to make those drinks right.  

1. Boston Shaker– The shaker is one of the most essential tools in the bar. It mixes, chills, and filters cocktails. This allows for cold drinks without over-watering down with ice. A simple metal shaker is a good pick, but can get frosty and loud so opt for an insulated version if you can find it. Side note: don’t mix carbonated drinks in a shaker, it gets messy when the pressure makes the top pop off, and you want the fizz in the drink, not the shaker.

2. Citrus Press– Many class drinks have citrus juice in them, and a quality press makes it easy to get the fresh juice fast. Keep it simple and make sure it’s big enough to handle medium sized citrus - oranges, lemon, limes, and grapefruit quarters.

3. Quality Ice Cube Tray– Making drinks with frosty ice cubes degrades the quality as the ice melts faster watering down the drink. Look for a flexible tray with large cubes as they melt slower, and are easier to remove from the form. Consider a set of whiskey stones to keep that bourbon cold without any compromise.

4. Cocktail Strainer– Although most shakers have a strainer built in, a dedicated strainer is more effective in removing muddled mint leaves for juleps or other loose ingredient drinks.

5. Cocktail Stirring Spoon– A long metal stirring spoon makes a lot less mess than the typical kitchen spoon.

6. The Right Glassware – It may seem like that drink will taste the same in just about any glass, but it’s just not a right to pour an old fashioned in a martini glass, and please for the sake of everyone avoid the red solo cup. 

• Rocks Glass– The rocks glass is also known as an Old Fashioned or Lowball. The glass is characterized by a weighted bottom that makes a solid clink when dropping ice (rocks) into it. Use these for whiskey on ice, or drinks like the Old Fashioned which are mixed in the glass.
• Collins Glass– The Collins glass is taller than the rocks glass, but thinner than the highball. This glass is great for light summer carbonated drinks.
• Highball Glass– This glass is a bit wider but shorter than the Collins. It is made for plenty of ice on hot days and when drinks need a bit less kick with more juice or mix.

• Martini/Cocktail Glass– The martini glass is distinctive in it’s shape and design. It is used for mixed drinks like lemon drops or martinis. With a long stem it’s similar to the Margarita coupe, but has more of a flat flute.

7. Large glass pitcher– Sometimes it’s easier to mix up a large helping and set a pitcher on the table for everyone to enjoy. Go for a pitcher with thick walls to stay cold longer.
8. Zester and Peeler– Plenty of drinks get a nice kick from a hint of citrus, and they look great with a twist of peel. These tools may not be essential for a normal drink, but if you want something special pony up for a set.
9. Knife and Cutting Board– I know, you have knives and cutting boards in the kitchen, but grab a small board and knife that is dedicated to bar activities to be sure the drinks aren’t contaminated by common food prep.

1o. Digital Scale and Double Jigger– To get those pours just right, a digital scale takes out all of the guesswork. Another way to make sure your pours are done right is to get a proper jigger. The double cup pours a single or double shot of spirits for a quick pour that will have the drinks done fast.

Do you have anything to add to this list? Any tips on tools you would think is worth the extra coin? Let us know!

It's officially BBQ season and the question now is, "What will you bring?" How will you up the ante and add a special touch to the occasion that will leave an impression? How about some homemade Beer Pretzel Hot Dog Buns?   These Beer Pretzel Hot Dog Buns from Domestic Gothess are at once understated (you didn't go WAY overboard with some crazy souffle or attention-getting desert), they can fly a little under the radar, and yet they show you put some effort and thought into the craft ahead of time. What's more they're go well with beer and hot dogs, can probably go well just on their own, and even look great. 

Click here to check out the full recipe.

Fun fact of the day: a whole heap of National Parks (and National Monuments, Recreation Areas, and the like) each have their own regularly updated Instagram accounts. If you think about it, it makes sense; what these spaces have to offer - nonstop visual inspiration, scenic landscapes, education, and a cure for your wanderlust - work excellently for the format. It's exactly the kind of stuff you want to see for a little midday motivation. 

This year, the US National Park Service is celebrating its 100th anniversary, so we're sharing our favorite National Parks and related accounts to help you find the perfect spot for your next adventure.    

1. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

2. Olympic National Park (Washington)

3. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

4. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

5. National Park Foundation (The official charity of America's magnificent national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service)

 6. Zion National Park (Utah)

7. Yellowstone National Park(Wyoming)

8. Death Valley National Park(California & Nevada)

9. USNationalParksPics(This one doesn't seem to be actually affliated with the NPS, but the photos are great and diverse, so we say follow away)

10. Arches National Park(Utah)

11. Denali National Park (Alaska)

12. Glacier National Park (Montana)

13. National Park Service - The official Instagram for America's Best Idea #FindYourPark

14. Saguaro National Park(Arizona)

15. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

16. Badlands National Park(South Dakota)

17. US Dept. of the Interior

18. Acadia National Park(Maine)

19. Bureau of Land Management

20. Yosemite National Park (California)

21. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

A significant number of my childhood fantasies revolved around tree houses - but this design by Kazakh architect Aibek Almassov just flips the whole idea on its head. Almassov originally designed the cylindrical glass house that entirely surrounds a fir tree in 2013, but his financial backers pulled out leaving the project in suspended animation. But everything is changing now that glass and solar companies are starting the conversation up again...   The one piece of design I don't fully understand is how the bathroom works; or really just I'm just observing that it appears to be totally open to the wood through a glass wall as well.

Almassov is hoping to begin construction on the project in early 2017 in Almaty, Kazakstan if all of the financing comes through. 

Read more at PopularMechanics.com.

I recently saw an image of something like this guy on Pinterest and after many minutes of searching, I couldn't find where I could buy it. So, I made my own! It's a roll-up wood tray you can drape over the arm or cushion of your couch to create a flat surface for all kinds of good stuff. The original intent was to make a handy couch-tray, I quickly discovered there were a bunch of uses for this tray. Here's a few I thought of: a travel valet tray, a hot food trivet, or a pad to set your laptop on (I'm using mine as I type this very sentence!)

It couldn't be easier to make. Here's what you need.

• 4 strips of wood - 1.5" wide x 1/4" thick x 36" long.
• I found these oak strips at Home Depot, precut and planed flat. Easy!
• Saw (we used a table saw)
• Thick piece of felt of your choice. Roughly 20 x 15"
• Wood Glue and rotary cutter

I set my fence at 7/16" and the blade at 25 degrees. This gives it just a slight chamfer that will add a great finished looked. After you've cut the chamfer, chop each strip into 12" pieces and lay out in a row to check for uniform lengths. I was totally off in my rough cutting, and I had to hack down a few to make them even. Whoops.

Now my (least) favorite part, sanding. Take some time to sand it down to 300 grit for a nice smooth finish.

Add some wipe-on poly. I love wipe-on poly because it dries quickly and has a great worn-in look.

Lay out your piece of felt, making sure its longer than you need it to be. This can allow you to focus on lining up the wood strips without being precise on the edges. Spread the glue carefully with a brush or your finger. If the glue spreads to the sides, wipe them off so you don't accidentally glue together your wood strips. 

Lay out each strip as you apply glue, placing them as close as you can to one another. This will provide a tension that will add stability on uneven surfaces.

Flipping over the mat was a challenge I had to get a couple of flat trays to flip it over without it falling apart. (Try two cookie sheets!) Use a brayer or rolling pin to press the felt into the glue. Notice the glue seeping through in one part, that's because I put too much glue on that strip. Don't do that! A thin even layer should be good enough. After you've rolled the felt, let it dry overnight.

Run a rolling blade or box cutter along the edges of your tray to cut off excess felt.

Tah-Dah! Now all that's left to do is to put it to work!

 For a final touch, get a nice strip of leather to tie it up when you're not using it. 

Oh, I came up with a few more as I was writing this: a display mat, a decorative display tray, a footstool or coffee table topper...see, so many possibilities!

Love the look of plank flooring but don't have the budget for it? Grab some 1/2" plywood and read on.   

Wood flooring is always going to be in style. It's cool, can be easily cleaned, and looks great. But that expensive planking takes a big bite out of the home improvement budget, and the options can be a bit limiting. That's where the beauty of this project comes in. Cut the boards are wide or thin as you want, and finish to match whatever you current color scheme may be. I know, it's probably not as durable as that spendy custom hardwood stuff, but like any diehard DIYer you'll be updating everything again in a few years so it will be easy to change the finish to match!

Read all about the project here, with a full list of the tools and techniques it will take to make such an impressive project happen. Do you have a room that would benefit from an upgrade like this? We'd love to hear what you plan to do at your place!

I tried "cowboy coffee" exactly one time. That's the method where you simply put the coffee grounds into hot water, and use a combo of careful cup handling and your teeth to keep the grounds out of your mouth. I thought it seemed like an old school method worth trying on a camping trip, and I did. I've packed a small press pot with me ever since....

But this Swedish Coffee method sounds pretty interesting. You use something you likely already have at your camp breakfast - an egg - to harness the grounds and keep them out of your mouth. The process seems to work a bit like a consommé, where the egg proteins capture the impurities and clarify the liquid. 

Has anyone ever tried this? Check out C. W. “Butch” Welch's recipe on Best Made Projects

Tagging along on an adventure can almost be as good as the time itself. You get to see the highlights without enduring any of the horrible times between. So, tag along with this adventurer in the "Switzerland" of Central Asia.   Old Soviet roads and plenty of open space come together as a guy bikes around in search of a great time. It's never what you expect, but it's always worth the journey. Take a look at it here:   

So, take a bit of time to really think about how large this world can be, and how there's always adventure out there, you just may need to peddle hard to find it.

If your kitchen needs more storage space, and you cupboards are full and can't stand countertop clutter, it's time to hit the walls.    You may have seen plumbing pipe furniture DIY projects floating about the net - table legs, curtain rods, bookshelves, etc. But I like this approach for a couple of reasons. First - the use of copper instead of galvanized or black pipe gives this a totally different look, and would look awesome with everything from stainless steel to dark pans like anodized or cast iron. Secondly, the stacking of shorter pipes, rather than one large one, gives this a finished yet rustic look that makes it look more intentional...like "yeah, I chose to use plumbing fittings" rather than "I got a pipe from the home improvement store cause it was cheap."

To make one, you'd need a length of 1/2" rigid copper tubing, used for water lines. Pick up some 90° elbows and some flange plates, and have your pipe cut to length or snag a pipe cutter. Install the flanges with screws and anchors, then build your rack. If you know how to solder pipe, that's a strong way to go. You could also try compression fittings or a strong metal adhesive to attach.

If you're worried about the pipe getting bent or dinged, you could fill it with an appropriately sized dowel rod to avoid a hollow tube.

See more ideas and photo inspiration for adding a pot rail to your small kitchen at Apartment Therapy. 

Image credit: ballingslov.se

Working in the shop often requires a second set of hands. But what happens when you're working alone? Que the helpful feather board. Here is a simple project to make your own helping hands.

The instructions are written in French and English, but either way it comes out as a nice, wide featherboard that holds stock tight to the fence. This would be considered the traditional featherboard that uses the slot to secure the jig to the top of the table. 

Using scrap wood from around the shop on a project like this is ok, but it's best to stick with hardwoods that don't provide much spring, and certainly aren't prone to cracking. So take a look at the project here to make your own, and let us know how you like your new second set of hands.

Let's face it: hosting a party in your own space is intimidating. Especially if you haven't done a lot of entertaining before, or you don't feel like your space is really suited to it. But there are times in every man's life when it's his turn to host. 

And when it's your turn, you're gonna have to feed people. So, to make it easy on yourself, our vote is to always, always feed people with stuff you made ahead of time. No one wants to be occupied with hot pans, dirty blenders, and dishes once the guests have arrived. But you don't have to serve a whole meal from soup to nuts, either. That's expensive, way too much work, and always unnecessary.

Some simple, tasty snacks will be just fine. This time of year, with warm temps and fresh and bold produce in abundance, go for the party classic: chips and salsa. Do it right with hand-made salsa, and your guests will be singing your praises.

And since nothing goes better with Mexican flavors than Mexico's signature spirit, we teamed up with Olmeca Altos Tequila to bring you three fresh salsa recipes and one tasty tequila cocktail to go with 'em. 

Altos is exclusively produced in the heart of Los Altos highlands, 7,000 feet above sea level in the western state of Jalisco, Mexico. It's one of the only tequila brands in the world still using the 500-year-old traditional Tahona method as part of the process of crushing their roasted agave before distillation in small copper pot stills. 

You can make these salsas a few days ahead, and pre-measure the cocktail ingredients before guests arrive. The salsas work great with chips or fresh tortillas, or you can use them to top grilled fish, meat, or vegetables for an actual meal. When your guests arrive, just open the chips, add the ice, and host the @#&! outta this thing. 

First up, the cocktail. We're calling this one La Chispa, which means "spark" in Spanish. It's bright, bold, and has a little sizzle, and features two (!!) kinds of tequila. What's not to like. Best of all, you can measure out the spirits and the citrus ahead of time in bulk, and then when it's time to hand one to a friend, just pour over ice, add the soda, and you're go.

La Chispa
Serves One

• 1 oz Olmeca Altos Plata Tequila
• 1 oz Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• 4 oz. Mexican Coke

Combine the tequila, Cointreau, citrus, and salt in a tall glass and stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice, then top with the Mexican Coke. Garnish with additional citrus wedges.

Now, let's eat! 

Do you have to make your own chips? Nope. But don't just open a jar of salsa from the grocery store and put it on the table, either. Jarred salsas just can't compare to freshly made ones. The canning process requires adding way too much vinegar and acid, and the ingredients have to be cooked in the jar to make them shelf stable, which turns them mushy and dulls the flavor. You've tasted the salsas at your local taqueria, and know the jarred stuff seems like a different dish altogether. 

The salsas are in order of heat and complexity, but seriously, make them all.

1. Salsa Fresca y Borracha: Fresca means exactly what it sounds like (fresh), and borracha means "drunk," or in this case, just a little tipsy from a splash of tequila. The ingredients are uncooked, but mashed just so to fit perfectly on a crispy chip.

• 5 roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup Olmeca Altos Plata tequila
• 2 serrano chiles - seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped white onion, rinsed under cold water for 30 seconds

Place the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, tequila, and chiles in a mortar and pestle, large work bowl, or food processor. Smash, crush, and chop the ingredients until they've broken down a bit, but still retain some texture. Stir in the onion, and enjoy!

2. Salsa Verde with Avocado: This one combines the bold tang of tomatillos and green chiles, but it mellowed out with avocado for a luxurious flavor and killer texture. 

• 1 ripe avocado
• 5 medium tomatillos
• 1 serrano chile, seeded
• 1 handful of cilantro 
• 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado from the peel and put it in a food processor. Remove stem and husk from the tomatillos. Add them to the avocado along with the seeded serano, cilantro, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pulse to puree. Serve.

 3. Smokey Chipotle Salsa: Intense, roasty, and incredibly satisfying, this one is probably our favorite of the bunch. This is truly the one that will have you leaving that jar on the shelf... for life.

• 8 medium tomatillos, husks and stems removed, and rinsed, then halved
• 1 small white onion
• half cut into 1/2" thick slices
• half diced finely (1/4")
• 6 medium cloves of garlic, paper-y skins intact
• 2 canned chipotles en adobo, seeded 
• Vegetable or canola oil

Spread the halved tomatillos, the thicker onion slices, , and garlic cloves on a sheet pan and toss with a bit of oil. Broil under high until the tomatillos have started to turn black, and the onions a golden brown with brown bits around the edges. You might need to remove the tomatillos and the garlic before the onions are done. Remove the garlic skins, and add the vegetables and the chipotles to a food processor and puree. Pour into a bowl, and add a little salt and water if necessary. Stir in the finely diced onion.

This post is sponsored by Olmeca Altos Tequila, but all opinions are mine alone. Thanks for supporting the brands that support ManMade. 

There's nothing like taking a tour inside the mind of an artistic genius (especially if your tour guide is himself an acclaimed artist) and that's exactly what Sidney Lumet did with his 2006 documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry about one of the most well respected architects of our time. You should absolutely see it if you haven't, but in the meantime, check out the craziness that is Gehry's initial sketches of some of his most famous buildings...   I've always been mesmerized by Gehry's sketches because they look SO MUCH like nonsensical doodles, but then when you compare them to the final architecture you can see that so many of the ideas are actually there in his initial drawings. Was that because they studied his doodles until they saw things he hadn't really intended? Or did Gehry always intend them to be there and his doodle is just his best way of communicating it? I have no idea and I leave it up to you.

Click to see all seven side-by-side comparisons of Frank Gehry Sketches and the Buildings They Inspired.

... and let us know what YOU think.

Here’s a quick shop project that will give you a simple and dedicated way to protect your blades in the workshop. So keep them close but out of the way for a cleaner, more organized place to work with this multi-use storage box.Like many people with a collection of tools. I have steadily collected blades to go with them. This stack of sharp and fragile edges get beat up pretty regularly thanks to the weight and pointed corners. I have tried to stack them with cardboard, tape, and even just strategically stacked them a few times, but I always end up rummaging through them to find the one I need. This means I tear up a hand or precious cutting edges much more often than I should. This simple box can help to keep all your blades easy to find, out of harm’s way, and within reach when you need them. Here are the plans and some simple instructions to easily walk you through the build.

Follow the link above for the full plan.

Here's a quick article we did on tuning up those blades before you stash them away in this box. Every shop will have a different place to mount the storage box, but keep that in mind when figuring out the dimensions, and how the box will work when reaching down to get your blades. There's always another version with small drawers that looks a bit better here, but it makes it a bit harder to get to the blades with that design. One thing I like about this project, is the ability to have a dedicated place to collect all the blades, wrenches, and other accessories needed to make blade changes fast and much less of a process so we can get back to making sawdust and finishing projects.

Are you planning on building this box? We'd love to see how you customize it for your shop!

I've been on a "big art" kick lately. And when I say "big", I mean gigantic (check out The World's Largest Wood Type for further clarification). There's something about a traditional art or craft done at a mind-blowingly large scale that just tickles my magic beans. So I'm going to file this 15' x 10' solvent transfer sign + tutorial in my enormous folder for all things awesome.

The creative folks at The Mandate Press applied this Beatrice Warde quote to a big ol' sheet of canvas that is, hands down, the largest solvent transfer I have ever seen. If you're not familiar with solvent transfers, the process is actually quite simple:  

1) Print out an image with a toner-based printer (laser printer, not an inkjet) and lay it ink-side down onto a piece of canvas or paper or wood...the list goes on.

2) Coat the back of the paper with acetone and firmly burnish all of the inked areas with a spoon or brayer.

3) Peel the paper off and, assuming you used enough solvent and pressed hard enough, the ink will have transferred from your paper to the canvas.

A coupleimportant things I should mention about solvent transfers: 1) The transfer on the canvas will be a mirror image of what was on the paper, so make sure you reverse your image/text before printing it. 2) Solvents are nasty, toxic stuff. Besides acetone, I know people who use Xylene, as well as wintergreen oil (for real…it's less toxic than a lot of solvents, and it makes your entire house smell like wintergreen). Regardless of what you use, make sure you do this in a well-ventilated room and wear gloves.

Now back to the huge solvent transfer: The tutorial that was written up by The Mandate Press is great, but if you've never tried this before, I'd recommend starting a bit smaller and possibly checking out a more detailed tutorial (like this one).

Double XL Solvent Transfer + Tutorial[The Mandate Press]

Bonus: Even more photos can be seen on Flickr.

Missing the outdoors right now? Here's a bit of eye candy to get you fired up for your next trip outside.   The first few minutes of this video is interesting, the maker talks about how easy it is to get so consumed by the thought of an adventure that you forget to enjoy the experience. I've been in his shoes many times and it's always a good reminder to think about why we get out and explore this wide world - "I have begun to define my life by the adventures I've taken rather than what I do in the day to day. . . But adventures should teach me more about who I am." Here's a great video of a phenomenal adventure into who knows where, but the real take-away is that adventure isn't just about conquering mountaintops, it's more about who you become because of it. So get out there, but don't forget to soak it in along the way.

What is the next adventure you have planned?

Artist and designer Josh Rhodes came up with this quick and easy project: a warm and rustic piece of furniture, made in a single afternoon for less than $30 in easy-to-find materials. Done, done, and done!   

The design is based on pine 1x12s, and requires just six cuts and a few screws. If you have a way to cut wood, you can easily whip up this project in an hour. Josh's tip to use Kreg screws (designed for pocket joints) to avoid having to drill pilot holes is genius. Cut, glue, screw, sand, sit. Repeat as necessary. 

See the full how-to on A Beautiful Mess: Josh's Homemade Bench 

[Photos: Arrow and Apple]

Summer's a great to bust out that bike for everyday travel like going to work, or for longer travel... like the entire East Coast. The East Coast Greenway (ECG) is a one of a kind bike trail that will eventually cover the entire East Coast—all 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. And you can get started now...   The trail was started by a non-profit that has been developing it since 1991 and it's currently completed just about a third of the entire venture. So it may be a while before anyone is able to make the entire journey in one go, but you can get started today with roughly 850 miles of gorgeous scenery.

Read more about the trail hereor check out the promo video below.