Manly-Man Lunchboxes

My coworker asked me about Manly-Man Lunchboxes this morning, which prompted me to compile this list.

Cleverly nested and stacked containers with a bottle by Oots.
Servicable aluminium in not entirely unmanly colours by Sigg.

Dollhouses: Collapsible

Brinca Dada may be producing a collapsible dollhouse called The Dylan. You can see and read more over at Call of the Small. This could be just the ticket! and the currently proposed pricepoint is not bad.

PERK Pioneer AdFunture Boys

Image by PERK.
PERK PIONEER AdFunture Boys by PERK: Wang, Keep, Know, Dollar, and Green. Originally, these 9cm/3.5 inch fellows were designed as a much larger sculpture, pictured on ToysREvil's blog.
This post was inspired by a beautiful Ernesto Padro Campos photograph.

Decor: Cable Management

I think about this often. But it is not often that something comes around that is simple, effective, and attractive.

That is why I was thrilled to read about a kitchen countertop idea for cords that fits the bill on all three counts over at Making It Lovely. I have been doing it ever since I read her post and can swear by its working well.

And her idea got me wondering if, say, you had lots and lots of cords, if a nice looking retro breadbox could be hacked so as to work in this way as a hide-a-way charging station. Hmmmmm.

Photography: Tara Gorman

Image by Tara Gorman
Miniatures + humour + mad photography skills.
I have always loved Tara Gorman's (a.k.a., Diastema) images.
You can buy some of them at Imagekind. I wish you could buy more!

Some Candidate Images:
o - orange octopus, green olives on blue ... and a favourite
Untitled - green seahorse candy on green
Untitled - lobsters and shells
Untitled - colourful tentacles
Adaptation - octopus, man, on blue
Untitled - red fish on a hook, on blue and green
Untitled - tentacles and EIGHT

28.i.11 UPDATE: Tara Gorman responded to my inquiry about her work; she plans to update her offerings on Imagekind. How exciting!

Grub: Eggs

Ni-tamago as done by Chubby Hubby - firm marinated whites and runny yolks. Yum.

01/30/11 UPDATE: Dee-lic-ious!!

Grub: Lemony Desserts

And it uses Meyer Lemons,
And it is a pudding,
And it is a cake,
And it came from The Traveler's Lunchbox.

Armchair Gardening

Some lovely bamboo and twig trellising at the Embarcadero Centre.

It is time to start dreaming about planning for the garden.

I have had a request for "something climbing/trailing." The original request was for a pumpkin but maybe runner beans could fit the bill ... or hairy cucumber! Cucumber Carosello Barese Seeds are available here:

Seeds from Italy
Mail Order Garden
Gourmet Seed

Even though the Green Zebras and Black Sea Man tomatoes did really well, Costoluto Genovese are back on the menu.

Purple sage and Rau Ram are still doing well but they may get some dill, thyme, and rosemary for company. I still need to find a basil less prone to bolting.

Theme & Variations: Windsor Chairs

Image by Tapiovaara

I saw this post recently at Shelterrific. It reminded me of how much I like Windsor Chairs and how much (more) my DH likes them.

Shelterrific's alerted us to West Elm's latest offering: the Modern Windsor Accent Chair. For some reason the pairing of "Windsor Chair" and "Accent" makes me snicker. I guess I have always thought of a Windsor Chair as a Windsor Chair. Amen. I like the look of the thing but I would like to see a photo of someone sitting in it. I looks very low in the back ... is it only for perching at the front or for doing back bends? I need photographic, ergonomic reassurance.

Leave it to Shelterrific to have another hearty collection of modern Windsors. I think I am more of a traditionalist than I care to admit, when it comes to windsor chairs. Only the George Ainley version seems compelling.

Another frequent stop on my blogger reading list is Nicole Balch's Making It Lovely. I am not daring enough to match her use of pink but I admire her ability to find a wide assortment of stylish items to feature on her lists and in her collages. See here her post on windsor or windsor-like chairs and her discovery of a lovely interpretation by Tapiovaara Design: the Mademoiselle Chair.

Décor: Peacock Chair

I love Hans Wegner chairs ... some more than others. And so I blame Bloesem for reminding me of this most recently with her lovely holiday photo from KL.

Usually, his Ox Chair springs to mind first when I start mooning over Wegner chairs but her shot of the Peacock Chair and its homey cushions has me thinking maybe we need one of these. And it has no upholstery for Big Boy to ruin!

In stock at In Mod.

Grub: Cabbage Rolls

Smitten Kitchen's recipe but with some adjustments:

• replaced 50% of beef with pork (but I might try 100% beef next time since everyone was so pleased)
• added ~ 2 cloves minced garlic to pan prior to onion, sautéed it just till fragrant (I cannot not put some garlic in a recipe)
• used an off the shelf marinara sauce

DH ate three, Big Boy ate a half, slurping the cabbage separately by the fistfuls, and I loved them. In the past, when I have made cabbage rolls, I always asked myself why I bothered since they always seemed so bland. Not this time! And I revisited her post and started to read the comments. Now I am thinking things like, "Sauerkraut! Pickled cabbage! Ham hocks!" Oy. For once, I cannot wait to try making cabbage rolls again.

Storage: Spices

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen.

Smitten Kitten has all the right ingredients: small, vaguely apothecarical looking glass jars, translucent labels, and pretty inspiring photographs.

Smitten Kitchen's Shopping List:
Libbey Vibe 4.5 oz. Jars at Amazon
Avery Easy Peel Clear Return Address Labels also at Amazon. Although, I like the idea of round labels on top like these to put on the lids. Especially, since my version of this might have to place the jars in a drawer.

The Traveller's Lunchbox uses some nice looking tin boxes. I am a little skeptical about scoring the right size printer type tray though.

Dollhouses: Custom (Hollow Frame Construction)

Seen over at One Twelfth Scale Miniatures Blog, stick built construction not only looks like real framing but it has the advantage of being lightweight, allowing for concealed wiring, and needing only small hand, not power, tools.

From Mike's own summary in the comments section of Part 3:

Buy some 1/4" x 3/8" stripwood & use graph paper for your template ... Make a frame for each section ... I space them about 2" apart & also 3" spaces for doors & 2-1/2" for windows or whatever opening you want. I glue a horizontal piece 7" high & another under the windows. And the top & bottom plates (studs) equal the wall lengths.

You'll need matboard to glue on each side of all the frames. I glue the frame on a full sheet of matboard - squaring it into the top left hand corner. Put some weight on it & let it dry, then trim the right & bottom edge, & all the openings. Then flip the frame over & glue it to another sheet of matboard. Put some weight on it & let it dry, then trim the right & bottom edge, & all the openings.

Dry fit, decorate, add doors & windows etc.

Nail, screw, dowel or just clamp & glue all the parts together.

Dollhouses: Custom (3D Modelling and Prototyping)

Sketch Up + Ponoko
Seems like the way to go for a really finished look.
In the interest of a learning curve and frugality, I might try Sketch Up + Gatorboard for now.

Ellipticals vs. Treadmills

Which is better? This article at Self Growth has a good summary of pros and cons. It has me leaning even moreso towards an elliptical.
Ellipticals offer a lower impact, full body workout. You can get a good elliptical for less than a good treadmill.

A good general knowledge article on Treadmills at Runner's World. Here are some rules of thumb from the article:

• "... getting a deck larger than the standard 60" x 20" probably won't matter."
• "... pay attention to the motor's continuous duty rating, rather than its peak duty rating. Runners need 2.5 to 3 horsepower continuous duty, but any more can be overkill."
• "Look for lifetime coverage of the frame, three years on all parts, and at least one year on labor. And since all machines will require some maintenance, be sure there is a certified technician in your area ..."

UPDATE: We went with the Schwinn Elliptical. It is fantastic!