Awesome Living

The HoMedics Drift is a production version of those sand drawing machines we’ve seen before. This soothing and meditative gizmo uses a ball bearing to draw endless geometric patterns in the sand. It also has colorful RGB lighting, and its designs can be controlled via a companion mobile app. Available in 16″ and 21″ sizes.

This unique tabletop clock combines retro and modern tech for a cool cyberpunk look. At its core is a vintage IV-18 vacuum-fluorescent display that sits atop a custom circuit board. It can show the time, temperature, and date, complemented by ambient RGB lighting effects. Its modes are controlled by touch sensors.

Frey Ranch Whiskey from comes from a farm in the Sierra Nevada Watershed. There, Colby and Ashley Frey sustainably “slow grow” heirloom grains and distill harvests into non-chill filtered 90-proof bourbon. The mash of non-GMO corn, winter cereal rye, winter wheat, and two-row barley yields a refined award winner.

The makers of the Aleman pocket knife are back with another beautiful knife design. In the interest of sustainability, these knives have blades made from reclaimed antique sawmill blades and handles crafted from whiskey barrel oak and abundant Manitoba maple. Choose from a 13cm long Utility or 18cm Santoku knife.

The X300 is a portable movie theater. It combines a Harmon Kardon audio system with a 1080p LED projector that can output up to a 100″ diagonal image. It can stream content via AirPlay, an HDMI source like a Roku stick, or a Nintendo Switch via USB-C. Its built-in battery can play movies for 3 hours or Bluetooth audio for 6 hours.

This folding canopy turns the spot behind your hatchback, crossover, or SUV into a covered patio. It attaches to the rear liftgate of most vehicles and can provide up to 36 sq. ft. of shelter from the sun and rain with its water-resistant polyester roof. Its design lets you easily access cargo, and when it’s not in use, it packs up small.

Given how soft copper is, it seems like an unlikely material for a sledgehammer. But it sure looks pretty, so that’s probably why Robinson Foundry decided to make one out of the eye-catching metal. To fabricate it, he first created a 3D-printed form for a sand mold, then filled it with molten copper and machined its final shape.

This 14-in-1 tool makes a great campsite and backpack companion. Its main feature is a solid stainless steel hatchet for chopping firewood. It’s also got a saw, a knife, a file, a fire starter, screwdrivers, wrenches, an emergency whistle, a can opener, and a fish scaler. And when you’re ready for a break, it pops bottle caps.

Woodworkers and carpenters, here’s a great addition to your toolbox. These multi-purpose tools include gauges for 8:1 and 6:1 dovetail joints, a saddle square, and a sliding and locking T-bevel blade for transferring and marking angles. The rear of its blade has a notch for marking with a pencil or an awl. Available in two sizes.

With real estate prices like they are today, square footage is at a premium. If you live or work in a small space, this video from Handy Bear shows off a creative way to turn an ordinary desk into a tool and parts organizer, and keeping the desktop free as a work surface. (Thanks, Michel!)

Building on his own his series of dented can sculptures, artist Noah Deledda applied the idea to something you can enjoy every day. The Crushmetric pen changes from a smooth form, to a deeply-faceted pattern with the push of a button. It’s available in a silver or holographic finish. The Action Lab explains how it works.

Soonfire’s 5.5″ aluminum flashlight is built to stand up to the elements. It’s IPX-8 water- and dust-resistant, and kicks out a bright beam thanks to its CREE LED light source. It has five brightness levels: 8-, 60-, 350-, 650-, and 1060-lumen, along with a strobe mode. Choose from gold, black, or silver finishes.

With millions of packages nabbed annually by porch thieves, we dream of revenge with glitter bombs like Mark Rober makes. But it’s simpler (and less messy) to monitor deliveries and scare off thieves with the Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell’s motion detector, emergency siren, and instant video/audio alerts on your phone.

Snow Peak’s packable, portable grill is great for camping and backyard cooking. The five-piece set assembles quickly and easily onto its baseplate, providing a compact cooking surface for deliciously charcoal- or wood-grilled meals. Remove the grill bridge, and enjoy a cozy fire.

We’re pretty sure The Beatles envisioned a much larger ship when they proclaimed “We all live in a yellow submarine.” But as Living Big in a Tiny House shows us, you don’t even need to live beneath the waves to dwell in such a golden vessel. If you happen to be visiting New Zealand, you can even stay there.

Whether you need to carry gear for work or play, the VaultPack is a great way to keep organized on the go. The two-part backpack has a soft outer shell and a waterproof inner bin which keeps gear in separate sections for quick access. Its exterior can be customized with modular pockets and loops for holding various small items.

The one indispensable tool in every pocket, backpack, or gear kit is a quality folding knife. Everyday Carry put together an excellent buying guide with 21 great pocket knives, from traditional wood-handled models to modern, carbon fiber designs. There’s a knife for everyone, with prices ranging from $10 to $310.

Give your creative ideas a fresh new canvas with Uglybooks notebooks. These unruled sketchbooks come in a variety of colors and portrait and landscape versions. The branding is printed on the shrink wrap and not on the notebooks, so you can doodle your own covers. Sold in 3-packs.

This unique lighter from Prometheus Design Werx is precision milled from a 6AL-4V titanium billet. Its deeply-textured body pattern is reminiscent of a grenade, and provides an excellent grip for opening and closing. Its screwtop lid connects with an O-ring seal to keep moisture out, and has a lanyard hole on top.

Add a dry-erase writing surface right on your desktop, glass, or mirrored surface. mcSquares whiteboards have a rigid backing surface for smooth writing, and come with removable, reusable stickers to mount them horizontally or vertically. They come in 12×12″, 12×15″, 20×20″, and 24×18″ rectangles, and 12″ and 20″ circles.

Celebrate special moments or simply class up the joint with splurge-worthy Bisquit & Dubouché VSOP Cognac (Very Superior Old Pale), an exceptional pour from France’s Cognac region. It’s pressed from the most prestigious eaux-de-vie of vines harvested from four main crus: Petite and Grande Champagne, Fin Bois, and Bons Bois.

A one-of-a-kind collection of vintage “Silver Bullet” trailers highlight the Airstream Heritage Center inside the company’s Jackson Center, Ohio HQ. The museum documents 90+ years of innovation with displays, archives, and awesome models including a 1938 Clipper, Wally Byam’s Gold Airstream, and a painted Argosy trailer.

Need a place to put your record player and records? El Paso’s 3ft Furniture makes these nifty wood stands that combine mid-century modern and farmhouse style. They sell a variety of models, each providing countertop space for a turntable and storage underneath for records, a speaker, and other items. This model is our favorite.