Awesome Living

Teach your old books a new trick with these playful bookends that feature a duo of inflatable doggies showing off. The bubbly and joyful red pups are made from cast resin, while the angle structure is made from sheet metal for weight and stability. Each bookend measures 9.75″ L x 4.75″ W x 7.75″ H.

In our household, if we don’t feed the dogs at exactly the right time, our mongrels protest to let us know how we’ve been depriving them all their lives. But if your dogs aren’t as vocal, you might want this simple wall chart, which reminds you and others in your home if your pups haven’t been fed yet.

You’ve spent your hard-earned cash building a collection of great tools, watches, and other pocketable items. Don’t leave them lying around to get lost. Everyday Carry picked 12 really nice valet trays for organizing your gear at home. We’re suckers for compartments, so the Drop Cache is our fave.

The MagBolt pen features a unique mechanism that uses the power of repelling magnets to engage and retract its pen tip. Each one features a smoothly machined aluminum barrel, along with accents in copper, brass, or aluminum. Accepts a Schmidt 9000 M refill (included).

Looking for the ultimate play place for your board and card games? Look no further than North Dakota builder Krema Designs. They make a variety of table designs, with options like built-in cupholders, personal playing desks, Philips Hue lighting, storage drawers, and more. Our fave is the Algenon Mid, with its beautiful dark wood finish.

This bedside alarm clock uses a matrix of 121 RGB LEDs to display the time. It also works as a Bluetooth speaker, and can display colorful images and animations you program via a smartphone app. Available in white or black plastic, or wood. They also make a mini version.

The Nomodo Trio is one handy desktop device that has three functions. On one side it has a wireless gadget charger, while on the other side it has a combination heater and cooler so you can keep your drinks at the right temperature. Just don’t spill your coffee on your phone.

Dalstrong’s kitchen knives come in a midnight black that covers its blades, handles, and knife block. Their full-tang blades are made from high-carbon steel with a titanium nitride coating, while their handles are G10 and fiber resin for long life. Price shown is for the 5-piece set, but pieces are also sold individually.

Making a basic chair from straight pieces of wood isn’t that hard. But crafting something with a bent wood structure that can hold weight takes a bit more carpentry skill. Lignum shows that he’s up to the challenge, building a modern wooden chair from laminated strips of spruce formed into “U” and “L” shapes.

This hefty folding knife was created by Boker and CountyComm. Its 3.6mm thick titanium plate provides stability, while its chunky, stubby 2.5″ clip-point blade keeps it nice and pocketable. It’s finished off with marbled carbon fiber scales for a great technical look. Pre-order price available through 8.18.20 on Drop.

This military-inspired accessory is great for carrying small items. Its oval shape and bumpy body resemble a hand grenade, while its hanging loop looks like a pin ready to be pulled. Inside, you’ll find a zippered compartment and a place to hang your keys. You can find a similar pouch in more colors over on Amazon.

This teensy titanium flashlight is small enough to carry on a keychain or as a zipper pull, but it’s way more versatile than its size might lead you to believe. In addition to its light, it can open boxes, pry things, split pills, and turn screws. Its LED module is available in white, red, or UV.

While there are some pretty sweet knives out there, they don’t all need to be expensive to be good. Our buddies over at Everyday Carry took some time to pick their favorite inexpensive pocket knives, each priced at under $50, without sacrificing function, durability, or looks.

Keep your desk nice and tidy with Abovus‘ smartly-designed contemporary desk organizer system. Its base modules feature V-shaped ridges which can be used for loose pens and pencils, while modular cork components hold everything from phones to paper clips to tiny plants. Available in individual pieces or complete sets.

Made by UK outfit Direct Wood Co. this wooden workbench packs up flat when not in use. Its cutouts allow it to be set at three different heights, and its lid is covered with 20mm holes that can be used for holding clamps or bench dogs. Remove the top, and its legs can be used as saw horses. Its surface measures appx. 51″ x 28.3″.

A smart alternative to the “bug-out” bags, the R72 vest is a wearable survival pack you can grab in a hurry when disaster strikes. It not only works as a floatation vest, it has lots of gear loops and MOLLE webbing for carrying whatever you need, along with a system of eight modular bags, and an emergency tube tent.

Urban Article’s hanging wall organizer stands out from the crowd thanks to its stitched leather construction. Simply hang via the brass grommet at top, then use it to store pens, pencils, eyeglasses, or other small items. Available in single, double, or triple sizes, as well as a horizontal version for mail and other wider items.

While the white and gold the aesthetics of Robbox’s xDrill aren’t our favorite, we’re definitely intrigued by the technology it offers. The 21-volt cordless drill has a built-in digital level, distance and height laser measurements, angle guidance, and the ability to automatically stop when it reaches a set depth or torque.

The “Glo-Toob” is designed to help spotters find you in an emergency. Its LEDs are visible from every angle, and can be set to high, low, and strobe modes. It’s made from aluminum and polyester resin, and is 100% waterproof. Pre-order price available for a limited time from Drop, and includes a free GTK accessory clip for mounting.

This 5-in-1 pocket knife packs in a partially-serrated 420 stainless steel blade, along with a seatbelt cutter, a glass breaker tool, firestarter rod, and a removable LED flashlight. Save 28% on StatGear’s useful multifunction tool in The Awesomer Shop.

Inspired by climbing carabiners, these metal clips might not hold your body weight from a mountainside, but they’ll do a great job attaching gear to bags, belt loops, hooks, and other spots. Everyday Carry shows off a dozen of their favorite carabiners, including the excellent Heroclip, with its versatile swivel design.

These unique desk lamps have a pair of magnetic spheres which float in their centers. When placed near enough to each other that they attract, the light turns on. Move them apart, and it turns off. The LED light offers ambient illumination, with six different color temperature settings, and runs on a built-in rechargeable battery.

Inspired by classic doctor’s bags, but with the wearability of a backpack, Dr. Wilds’ versatile pack opens from its front instead of its top, and has a padded laptop sleeve, a bottle holder, hidden pockets, and more. Optional accessories like a compression bag, camera bag, and waterproof toiletry bag fit neatly in its main compartment.