Last time we talked tequila, we showed you how to make a Pasado de Moda, an orange-and-tequila infused take on the Old Fashioned. Today, it's time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a fresh and crazy flavorful cocktail, made with Olmeca Altos Reposado.
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.comA food dehydrator is on my list of kitchen appliances I should never buy myself. Like its brother, the deep fat fryer, I know I'd just get carried away, dehydratin' and frying stuff left and right.
But, that doesn't mean I don't wanna create my own tasty and … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Chicago-based artist and designer Artpentry, maker of the "Gentleman's Boombox" - a stereo/speaker combo built inside a vintage suitcase - turns his outfitting skills to another type of popular case: the toolbox. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
These warm spring days are the perfect reason to stay out on that patio a bit longer. Nothing goes as well with late nights and fun friends than cold drinks, and this concrete project is a great way to make it a good night.
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
If you're a serious off-roader or just a generally well-prepared person, this might be the thing for you. It's a portable welding kit that runs off of car batteries and is perfect for getting whatever welding you need done regardless of where you are. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
I've personally been a slow convert to the idea of using fire-starters. As a boy I thought they always burned in a kinda cool way, but as I got older for whatever reason I thought of them as a way of cheating somehow. Like a real man just found a way to light things on fire on the first go-round or something. However, I've come to see the proverbial light and ease of comfort that a fire-starter can bring to adverse conditions... … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
There are some things that just make me stop and stare. If you're like me this video of a CNC lathe crafting a chess piece from a metal blank is about 4 minutes of mesmerizing relaxation. Being a diehard maker at heart, this video makes me happy.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Looking for some new home decor inspiration?
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
In honor of this month's National Grilled Cheese Day, here's a zesty recipe you ought to try out for yourself: The Grilled Cheese Taco! … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
German industrial designer Dieter Rams is best know for his "functionalist" approach: that good design makes a product useful, and allows the design to disappear. (The calculator and podcast app on your iPhone mimics Rams' designs.) Best know for his work with Braun, he's about to celebrate his 84th birthday, and still lives with his wife, Ingeborg Kracht-Rams, in the home he designed in the 1960s, just outside of Frankfurt and it's as awesome as you'd think it would be. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
For our money, this DIY project is a hit. It's handmade, but its technique and process aren't immediately obvious, so it looks like a high-end store bought item. And it's sleek, modern, built-to-last, and pretty practical. Not sure you could ask for much more from a weekend project.
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
This isn't the first multi-person transit vehicle-turned-personal road trip travel home makeover project I've shared, and it probably won't be the last. Why? Cause I always think this is a great idea. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Dads sure do seem to have a love/hate relationship with their yard work. If you find yourself falling further on the 'hate' end of the spectrum with how much effort you're having to put in, check out these 17 Ideas to save you time and keep you enjoying your yard instead of working for it. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
You can buy cold brew coffee at a coffee shop. But, if it happens to be from a certain Seattle-based java-serving monolith named after a Melville character, or an pink and orange East Coast chain known for selling fried rings of dough for, uh, "placing" into your coffee, then what you're actually getting is cold coffee...that is, hot coffee that's been iced down.
Cold brew is an entirely different beast altogether. And with the weather warming up, it's time to cool our coffee down. Or, more accurately, never heat it up to begin with. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Odds are if you're reading this blog, you're already taking good care of your kitchen knives with a home sharpener of some sort. But are you keeping as good an eye on your pocket knife or other daily-carry type knife? I recently realized that I hadn't quite noticed how dull the knife I often carry had become and set out to buy a good whetstone to take care of it. So here's a brief guide on how to give your pocket knife the TLC it desperately needs. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Oh, Summertime. The best time of year for delicious drinks made with fresh ingredients. In doing my research for this piece, I had a hard time not wanting to just make up a drink for each herb!
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
As we start spending more evenings on the porch, it's time to make it a more comfortable place to entertain. Here's a great outdoor coffee table to hold your drinks while enjoying the night. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Welcome to What's Good, ManMade's monthly Show and Tell day, where we let you know what we've been reading, watching, and listening to.
Here's what's good this month ...
Chris:
I recently finished "King Dork" by Frank Portman. It's a… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Right now, the three TV shows that my wife and I are in the midst of - Love, Togetherness S2, and Girls S4 share one (though probably more) thing in common: they all make great use of music. Good scores, yes, but also amazing pop songs that give… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Outdoor recreation activities - camping, backpacking, climbing, and the like - bring with them a fair amount of gear. And while it's built to stand up and protect you from the elements, all that exposure, packing and unpacking, weather, bugs, rocks, trees, etc will eventually bring with them some wear and tear. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
'O let not Time deceive you / You cannot conquer Time,' wrote W. H. Auden, and what better way to feel the constant crushing weight of your impending mortality than watching the gorgeous hands go round on a clock that you spent hours endeavoring to make? Thanks to Clickspring who produced this 16 part YouTube series on How To Make A Clock In The Home Machine Shop you too can have a continual reminder of the ravishes of time in your very own home! [But seriously, it's a magnificent-looking clock] … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
We’re all told today how to act like a man. It’s ingrained in our movies, our music, even our weekly basketball pick-up games. If there's a more meaningless phrase a kid hears growing up than "be a man"... it's news to me as a now adult male.
Cause sometimes, I do feel like I’m losing the battle… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
It's an interesting contrast. Vodka is among the most simple and pure of spirits, distilled many times to show off the basic essence of its grain (or potatoes) and water source. But perhaps there's no other bottle that carries with it such a variety of contexts in which its imbibed. Because of its straight-forward, back-to-basics presentation, you can drink vodka like, say, a college student who wants to mask the taste. Or a James Bond-inspired martini drinker who hasn't learned about gin yet. Or for its, um, less-hangover-y nature and overall lower impact to your systems the next morning. And countless other ways.
Or, you could drink vodka like those people who invented it - those from Northeastern Europe, where long, cold winters mean grapes won't really grow, and the best source of sugar to ferment and distill are hardy cereal grains. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
When Scrap Wood City needed a tiny lathe (smaller than a mini-lathe) to turn truly tiny things, he set out to make his own using a Dremel rotary tool and some wood blocks. A lathe this tiny allowed him to create small furniture, miniature models, and other tiny reproductions that would otherwise require numerous man hours carving them by hand. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Now that the days are warming up the thought of a hot latte with milk and cinnamon sure adds a drop of sweat to my brow. It's usually this time of year, I swap my typical addiction to hot coffee to sweet, syrupy iced coffee. I just can't get enough of the stuff!
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
I'm a fan of making some sawdust, and I produce plenty of it in my shop every chance I get. While it might be fun making the mess, breathing those fine particles is a major problem for your health. That's where shop air filters come in. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
This simple wooden box is part of the Crate series by London designer Jasper Morrison. It's made of Douglas fir and, as the designer suggests, "is suited to many applications such as a bedside table, storage or occasional table." … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Regular ManMade readers know we love a good cocktail. Whether it's a simple highball, a classic gin and tonic, a bright and fresh French 75, or a smokey Swedish Flame, we think knowing how to make and enjoy a high-quality drink at home is part and parcel of the ManMade ethos. So when Olmeca Altos Tequila reached out to us to celebrate this awesome time of year — late spring and early summer — we were pretty excited about the chance to team up and create some tasty cocktail and food recipes.… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
We all know charismatic people. The people who have that extra "woo" capability, who you love being around, and who always seem like they're comfortable and having a good time. But what exactly is charisma and how can we be more charismatic? … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
You may not even know you're wearing them, but there is a little piece of style in your closet that needs an upgrade. Those pointed collars have a little backbone in them called a collar stay, and a little bit of work will make them look great again. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
With spring in the air, it's time to start thinking of long nights on the patio with food friends, and a bit of vino. Nothing goes better with that bottle of wine than the cheese plate, and here's a handcrafted cutter that looks as good as it works. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
In the 1990's Craig Bernhardt came across a pamphlet for Rockwater Ltd., a company that specialized in building gorgeous stone walls and benches. He didn't have a need for either of those things, but for some reason he held onto the brochure, and the idea never left his mind. When his back patio and outdoor shower needed a complete overhaul, he decided to start a journey that would take over two years and a half years and 50 tons of hand-placed stone to complete. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
If you're a consistent reader of ManMade, you're probably someone who's investigated a fair number of TED talks. From classics like Do Schools Kill Creativity? and The Psychology of Evil, I'm guessing you've been around the proverbial TED Talk block. So now, here are 10 great ones on to add to your list, and 8 of them are one's I'd never heard of before. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
If you're like me, there is a small stack of books close by. They're piled up on many flat surfaces in my house and slide off with no warning. Here's a simple countertop bookcase to spiff up that well-loved set of books. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
The brand name Levi Strauss is so well known it's practically interchangeable with "jeans." And I'm a huge a fan of jeans in general. They're perhaps the most iconic form of American apparel. They can be classy and dressed up, or rugged and practical. And here's a one of a kind documentary from Levi tracing the brand's history, examining manufacturing techniques, and discussing the relevance of the cut on society. With gorgeous retro cinematography, it's inspirational to watch, and it's narrated by Ramblin' Jack Elliot to boot. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Starting a fire is an essential life skill, for sure, and most of us have our preferred technique: the lean-to, the tepee, the log cabin. But, even though most fires aren't started in emergency, or even in one-match situations, that's part of the fun. Once you've learned how to do it without turning a gas knob or lighting one of those Duralast logs, lighting a fire with one match (or spark from a starter) becomes part of the game, even if you have a whole box at your side. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
In the last few decades, lard has gotten a bad wrap in the U.S. From playground name-calling to the low-fat (and high chemical) diet of the 90s, we became scared of pig fat. We imagined it as a heart attack in a tub, a spoonful of which will immediately clog every artery in your body and you might as well just give up right then and there.
But here's the thing - first off, fresh, naturally rendered pork fat is a completely different product than the whipped, hydrogenated stuff you find in the supermarket. And lard actually contains about half the cholesterol and one-third of the saturated fat of butter. Really.
So, cooking with it once in while will not kill you. What it will do is make all your food taste a lot, a lot better. And… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Here's a great look at how those denim jeans look so just worn enough before you even pull them on. From material cutting all the way to hand pressing the buttons on.Man, I love these process videos.
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
There's no such thing as "too many camping chairs" or outdoor seating. Seriously, the more the merrier, particularly if they fold flat for storage and especially in the summer.
… Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
Chris Lyons is the master craftsman behind Clyons Creations, where he specializes in handcrafted guitars and other DIY woodworking projects. He's also a "technology education instructor" at a local junior high, but he prefers the old school title of "shop teacher." And as such, here are his 10 Tips From Shop Class You Should Never, Ever Forget... … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
What started as a series of drunken emails between two food blogs birthed a sandwich that sounds almost too good to be true. As a non-ironic fan of both PBR and Reuben sandwiches, I've gotta say, I'm very interested. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
We're no sports scientists, but every one of us here at ManMade are athletes - runners, climbers, cyclists, lifters, and hikers. And what those hours on the road, gym, or trail have taught us is: you need energy to keep going, perform high-intensity intervals or bursts, and do the work to get yourself to your destination. And then get yourself home again.
That means that if you're exercising for more than 30-60 minutes, you need to consume more than just water. … Continue reading on ManMadeDIY.com
