Awesome Living

Lifelike goldfish illustrations by artist Kim Rody adorn the three compartments in her porcelain Golden Trio serving dish, keeping things like olives, nuts, and Goldfish crackers in their place. Microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe. Amusingly, Rody’s various goldfish platters come with a month’s supply of fish food.

This compact grill is great for cooking small portions of meats, veggies, and even grilled cheese sandwiches. Its butane fuel canister hides inside and can burn at a full flame for up to 90 minutes. Plus, its ceramic grates have a smooth, nonstick surface for easy flipping.

Tactica’s unusual-looking multitool packs 17 tools for fixing bicycles. It fits snugly in your hand, and its tools include tire levers, wrenches, allen keys, hex sockets, and a Phillips driver bit. It also has useful everyday tools like a bottle opener and package opener. Available in bright orange or stealthy black.

Carry your computer and organize your everyday work essentials in this military-style messenger bag from Mercury Tactical Gear. Its main compartment is padded and includes a removable laptop case with its own handle, while its exterior features MOLLE webbing and three detachable accessory pouches.

This high brightness tactical flashlight cranks out up to 3200 lumens with a beam distance of 324 meters (appx. 1062 feet). It has a substantial aluminum alloy body with a 1″ grip diameter and is IPX8 waterproof. It comes with a 5000 mAh high capacity 21700 rechargeable battery.

Made in Japan by Puebco, this borosilicate glass pitcher makes perfect popcorn in your microwave. Just add popcorn, place butter in the top melter, and nuke until popped. Holds appx. 1 liter of popped corn or 30g of kernels. Just be sure to keep an eye on it, because there’s nothing worse than the smell of burnt popcorn.

Kitchen Knife Skills 101 teaches that the proper grip is to pinch the blade for maximum control instead of the natural habit of using a straight forefinger. Fiskars’ stainless steel Summit Knives make the optimum grip automatic by moving the pinch-zone up and away from the blade to the handle. Sold in a four-piece set.

Barr Hill Gin is getting buzz for going beehive-to-bottle with its honey-enhanced spirit. The premium American gin uses 150,000 lb. of raw honey each year, sourced in close proximity to the solar-powered Vermont distillery. They’re planting 500,000 sq. ft. of bee habitat, yielding enough honey for 50,000 Bee’s Knees cocktails.

Up your kitchen skills with this series of online cooking courses. In all, there are 10 classes, ranging from healthy and wholesome salads and veggie dishes to the ins and outs of baking delicious bread and pastry treats. There’s even a class on cooking Thai food at home.

Whether served fresh from a handmade noodle shop, or cooked up quick from a package of the instant stuff, Ramen is one of the world’s favorite dishes. Mental Floss digs into the origins of the dish, as a specific kind of noodle made its way from China to Japan, and eventually led us to the delicious meal we enjoy today.

Fountain pen nibs have a specific shape for a reason. But the Drillog takes a unique approach, capturing ink in a series of spiraling channels which lead to to a precision straight tip which produces incredibly sharp lines. Price shown is for a set with the barrel and either a 0.5mm or 0.8mm nib. Pen rest sold separately.

The black bottle hints that this small-batch vodka from a “small ass facility” in Oregon is pretty badass. Confirming that are Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka’s rescue pittie, Mr. Pickles, and heavily tatted owner/distiller, Ben Green, a self-taught renegade who sources Pacific Northwest wheat for BST’s slow-distilled, freeze-filtered vodka.

This unique keychain multitool features a design that looks like some kind of alien technology. The triangular, stainless steel tool packs a sharp utility tip, a scraper, Phillips and flat screwdrivers, and a bottle opener. You can also use its backside for emergency signaling with the included SOLAS reflective sticker.

Smart & Savior’s compact tool features a main module with a flashlight at one end and a sharp hobby knife at the other. It’s made from stainless steel with a titanium surface and holds closed firmly with magnets. Plus, it has a cutout on its cap so that you can hang it from a keychain or lanyard.

Go back to the 1990s and pucker up for Artisanal Brew Works‘ Warheads-inspired adult beverages. They come in extreme sour flavors like black cherry, watermelon, blue raspberry, and lemon. They’re available at Artisanal’s Saratoga Springs, NY taproom and from select retailers in NY, MA, NJ, southern CA, and eastern PA.

As part of its 2021 Art Event, IKEA is selling this playful flashlight which pays tribute to the humble Allen wrench, the tiny tool required to assemble much the company’s furniture. The flashlight measures 7-3/4″ long and comes in either shiny silver or blue finishes.

Keep your campsite running with this powerful and portable battery pack. With a capacity of 288Wh, it charges gadgets quickly, and its three AC outlets can power tools and household appliances. It has three USB-A ports, including one with fast charge, one USB-C 100W port, a 12VDC port, and built-in emergency light.

STKR’s Magnetic Light Mines pack a dozen rare-earth magnets that allow you to easily position and aim their 15-lumen wide-angle LED in tight spaces. They also double as a pickup tool for screws and nails. The 3-pack is the best deal, dropping the price to less than $7 a piece. They also make a 250-lumen Light Mine Pro.

Craving some new gear for your pocket? Everyday Carry presents their monthly recap of the 10 products their readers loved the most. This month’s list includes an assortment of great knives, multitools, a zipper wallet, a retro calculator watch, and a tiny heavy-duty flashlight.

Keep your pens, pencils, erasers, and other office supplies organized and out of sight inside this miniature of Volkswagen’s iconic Type 1 camper van. It’s also great for storing cookies and candies if you get a case of the munchies between Zoom calls – it makes a great gift for VW fans and hippies of all ages.

The Valley is a versatile backpack designed to keep you organized on the go. It has more than 20 pockets and compartments, plus a removable laptop sleeve with accessory organizers. You can also upgrade it with modules including an insulated cooler cube, a padded cameras cube, and a travel cube for clothing.

There are so many multi-functional pocket tools out there it’s hard to decide which one to buy. Fortunately, our pals at Everyday Carry have done the hard work and whittled that list down to the top 20 multitools. Whether you want something you can hang from your keychain or a full-featured folding tool, it’s on their list.

Artist Susan Kare is known for her design of the system icons used on the original Apple Macintosh. In addition, she created the Cairo “dingbats” typeface, which can now be enjoyed on one of Areaware’s woven 50″ x 70″ blankets, crafted from 100% organic cotton. Available in black/white, green/pink, or grey/yellow.