I love my morning coffee. And I mean it when I say that I love "coffee": old fashioned, American-style brewed coffee, produced by an electric coffee pot. I've used about a dozen machines over the years to brew my sweet elixir. The Capresso MT500 has my vote hands down for producing the best tasting, most consistent quality coffee ever.

If you're a zealot about filtration, grind technique, water temps, and bean quality you are likely milking some sweet brews from whatever pot you use now. I certainly thought I was before upgrading to the MT500 a little more than a year ago. But, like all things creative, the right tools make all the difference.

Capresso was born in 1994 to fill the coffee-pot gap left by espresso machine manufacturers. Since then, they have been acquired by Jura, a master in brewing technology since the 30's. My thanks to Capresso for building a machine for Americans. I was starting to get used to buying coffee pots made by hair dryer manufacturers

Here's a short list of why the MT500 works so well:
 

1. Stainless Carafe- easy to clean, doesn't drip, doesn't burn coffee post-brew
2. The stylish polished body holds up well and doesn't scratch
3. Brews a full pot quickly, and has a mode to allow longer steeping for smaller quantities
4. Internal Filter that reminds you when it's time to change
5. Filter basket can be taken to the sink with the filter to keep both clean and taste free
6. Programmable, Auto-shut off, clock, etc.
7. stable brew temperature of 201 degrees F- I've measured my basket at 200 on the nose
8. Stainless lined heater element (no aluminum in your coffee)

For an enthusiast, the most important dynamic is the perfect and stable brew temp. The right combo of temp/time makes all the difference in flavor and aroma extraction. With the Capresso MT500, you'll be so well equipped at home you may start skipping the drive-thru at your local coffee shop, saving time, gas, and money - a perfect trifecta. 

Is the Capresso MT500 the perfect coffee maker? Quite possibly.

Full specs can be found at Capresso. You can get it from Williams Sonoma, or buy one online for ~$180 from Amazon.

For someone who doesn't cook, I sure do love good bowls.  I buy a lot of them for serving food my husband makes, holding fruit and veggies, and for basic organizing. If you think a bowl is hardly ideal for organization, think again. When the bowl is made from durable recycled melamine, and it's super good looking you'll find yourself using it everywhere.

Meet the Zak Confetti Bowls.  With many shapes and sizes, and a great price you will find a place for one of these in every area of your life.  I have them all over my studio holding anything from paperclips to side release buckles.  They make the room a little bit brighter and leave me feeling a bit more eco-friendly.
You can find them on Amazon for around $32 or at Urban Outfitters, Target and every hip little shop in your town. Yes, the Zak bowl is catching on.

A long time dog owner, I was a pathetically late adopter of the Chuckit! by Canine Hardware.
Apparently, a frugal-block prevented me from seeing the utility of spending ten or more dollars on a "plastic stick" to hurl tennis balls across the park. In hindsight, it's one of those forehead slapping "duh" moments.

My dog loves fetch. I take him almost every day. For years I threw unaided, with a slobbery hand and a tender shoulder. Now, the thought of scooping up that slobbery ball by hand sounds akin to skipping the bag on a poop run. And both my shoulder and dog thank me for the longer, easier fetch sessions.

The only remaining inconvenience was lugging my 27" full sized Chuckit! to the park. Problem solved: thanks to the ultra portable Chuckit! Pocket (at 12.25") I'll never be without my plastic stick again. It's truly pocket-able size is perfect for everyday use, and my dog hasn't noticed the reduced throwing leverage.

Chuckit! Pocket is an excellent buy, and they make great gifts for under $10

Tips: I bring an extra bag to wrap the slobbery ball for the walk home. If your dog chews  "extra hard" tennis balls in half, try buying some "practice" tennis balls at a sporting goods store. They are even softer than regular tennis balls so they give more while being chewed. My pup hasn't split one since I switched over.

City water isn't all its cracked up to be, no matter what city you live in. And while you may have a filter on your kitchen sink, it's really a worthwhile investment to put a filter on your shower as well. After all, your skin can absorb as many pollutants as your digestive system given the circumstance. New Wave Enviro's filter is an unobtrusive unit with a replaceable filter that we've been using at home for some time. And now that my kids are getting to the age where they take their own showers, I feel great about giving them cleaner water to bathe in.

It installs with just a couple of tools and is ready to go in minutes. Be sure to pick up some teflon tape at the hardware store on your way home to seal the threads from the filter to your current shower head and you'll be that much happier with the improvement. The filter starts at $34.49 with replacement cartridges only an additional $20.

Some people will tell you that the hardest thing to come by is a good man. Sorry ladies, I am going to have to diverge and say that the hardest thing to come by is a good pre-made website.

Most are screaming "I'm a template!" from the moment the first image loads on your screen. And that scream usually sends prospective readers / viewers / buyers running away scared.

 I have searched high and low for a template that is:

1. easy to use
2. original looking
3. customizable
4. links easily to your blog

And, I've have had little to no luck.  Recently, a good friend of mine pointed out a gleaming diamond in the rough, BluDomain: Websites for the Creative Professional.


This proves that the things you hear at the water cooler aren't always crap. This website service has more good looking, well designed templates than I can even count. They do everything on my list and way more, all for about $100. 

People will be shocked when you tell them that your BluDomain website is a template; so keep your mouth shut and let 'em think you are a coding genius. 

Our house can sometimes feel like a jungle. With entire food chains lost amidst the diverse and growing population of household plants, it's no wonder that we see occasional pest infestations. If you got a house full of plants AND pets, you'll appreciate Green Light Home and Garden Insect Spray the next time that unwanted pests invade your flora.

It's OMRI certified organic, safe for kids and pets, smells great, and is useful on your most delicate plants and vegetables (including jade). In fact, the oils used in Green Light's Home and Garden Insect Spray are FDA approved for consumption. While you may not want to use it as a salad spritzer, you can rest assured knowing that trace amounts on your produce aren't going to harm you.

I've used it on mealybugs, scale, and weevils with great results. The concentrated clove, thyme, and sesame oils in this spray should eliminate dozens of other species of plant eating marauders. For a complete list of the insects it'll control, visit Green Light.

Buy it from ~$12 at Amazon

Marshmallows may be today's culinary equivalent of designer denim. If that's true, Muth's Modjeskas are the Levi's of Mallow. Louisville's oldest candy maker, the recipe for this remarkably unique and heavenly nugget of gooey-caramel-covered mallow dates to the 1800's. Like the jeans, these treats have stood the test of time, and will continue to long after the trend passes.
 

Made from the original recipe of Anton Busath, then passed to the Muth family, four generations of care and excellence echo through the understated waxed paper packaging. The texture is somewhere between sponge cake and summer rain cloud, and the caramel coating will blow you away.

Originally named for a polish actress, Helena Modjeska, the candy's exact origins are debated (many confectioners claim the recipe as their own). I can't be certain, but I have it on good authority that Muth's is the real deal. And, I've had some of the imitators. Muth's Modjeskas are second to none.

Modjeskas should be on everyone's list of "foods you should eat before you die." If you are passing through Kentucky, be sure to stop in and pick up a box or six.  Or, get them from Muth's directly.  $11.75 for 15 of the most perfect mouthfuls of artisan candy you'll ever taste.

The Alien DX 27 updates the original Alien (the Grandfather of all commuter ultra-tools). With 27 functions, it includes everything you need to make almost any repair to just about any kind of bicycle. From derailleur and brake adjustments to snapped chains, all are quickly addressed, allowing you to get back on the road to your destination faster than AAA.
There are plenty of imitators out there, but the Alien DX 27 shatters the laws of physics to pack in more tools than the closest competition. My personal favorite feature is the tool's ability to come apart into two pieces that can be used as tire levers. Even the plastic tool carrier joins the action, turning would be extra weight into extra utility. It's genius.

With an extra tube and the Alien and in your bag you can be sure you'll get home in time for dinner. When you get there, break it out one more time and use the included bottle opener to celebrate your preparedness.

The Topeak Alien DX 27 is available online for $36.59.

It feels good to max out a sketchbook. For me, it's the mark of a consistent workload. When I hit the last folio, I'm sure to go back through the pages and see what I came up with in the weeks before. Those forgotten scrawlings remind me of countless possibilities and options missed in the shuffle.  

There's much to love about a Moleskine sketchbook: their compact size and excellent binding are reliable favorites; and the quality of the acid-free paper is consistent whether I'm using the thinner weight in the plain model or the ultra plush pages of the drawing notebook. I tend to favor the stiff cover/heavyweight blank page options, but I've enjoyed the lined and gridded models on occasion as well.

Having just finished out my Moleskine today, I am looking forward to picking up another
as soon as I can.



Moleskine notebooks average out between $12-16 dollars, depending on the model and size.

An absolute paragon.That's what we're calling the Grundfos Comfort System Hot Water Recirculation System in my household.  It's hard to imagine, but this simple, low-tech, and well engineered machine just reinvented my daily routine adding more joy to my life than an Apple iPhone.



What is it? In short, it's an efficient little pump that attaches to your water heater, priming the pipe with hot water at times when you need it the most. What does that mean to you? Fast hot water delivery in the areas of your home furthest from the hot water heater. Which translates into more comfort for your household and less wasted water for your community.  

Here's how the Grundfos Comfort System pump works: Our master bathroom is as far from the hot water heater as you can get. We live in a single story home, with the hot water pipe traveling ~80' through our concrete slab to the furthest shower. Heat bleeds off the pipe into the concrete all day and night. So, when I turn on the hot water, I've got to flush all the cold water sitting in that pipe, and warm the pipe itself, before I can enjoy a steaming hot shower.

Some homes are built with a return pipe that continually recirculates the cooling water idling in the pipe back to the water heater, fixing the whole problem. Not mine. It's a 30 yr. old fixer upper built with less foresight than Mister Magoo. So how does the cooling "hot" water get recirculated to the heater? The Grundfos system uses your cold water line to recirculate the hot water to the heater with the addition of a simple valve. It's so simple that anyone with a wrench could install it in 5 minutes. In fact, the entire installation of this system took no more than 25 minutes (and I'm no Maytag repairman). For a nice Flash animation explaining the whole process check out the Grundfos site.

Real world results after the jump:

007 prop? Transformer? Nerd jewelry? Maybe... It's an SD card for your camera / USB flash drive! This card gives you uncompromising flexibility for retrieving and sharing data if you are ever in a situation where you have multiple users of the same piece of equipment. Is it memory card overkill? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the user, I guess. 



Is it cool technology for design people?  Definitely. I just completed a shoot where one camera was used by six different people each wanting to edit the shots they took.
Instead of passing the camera and a cable around, we just passed around the card. The camera stayed fixed in place until everyone was happy. If you've been there, you know this keeps the group motivated and the work flow positive.


The versatile SanDisk Ultra II SD plus Card will set you back $29.65 for 4GB of capacity. That's a lot of files, and a lot of utility in one tiny package. I can already see myself getting another.

Here's another fabulous addition to our growing tea cup collection:

It's hard to read in this photo, but the Sumo Wrestlers are sculpted in a subtle relief around the cup. The tactile effect of dozens of folds of sumo-flesh under your finger pads is something to experience.

These came from Japan, and we found them on eBay for ~ $3 each. Best used with slimming teas.

I haven't found their exact match yet, but I'll update this post when I do. If Sumo is your favorite motif: Uncommon Goods has an emotive Sumo cup you'll like.

As any new homeowner can tell you, sometimes the most rewarding thing you can do to your house is to tear it down. I LOVE the part of my weekend remodel when I get to erase (literally) the previous owner's mistakes and bad taste. Enter my favorite tool: the Stanley FatMax Xtreme FuBar.

Stanley introduced the FuBar in 2006, and has won many accolades since. I was so excited by the press release that I went out and bought the first one I could find. The next day, I volunteered to help tear down walls in a friend's studio remodel. I was making such short work of the drywall and underlying framing that by midday we were both armed with FuBars. 2 years and countless projects later, I won't even consider breaking something down without it.

Why is it great? Design, design, design. Every carefully balanced, gnarly tooth and well articulated angle on this hefty-sized son-of-a-hammer is designed for one purpose alone: destruction.  Billed as a 4-in-1 tool, I am betting you can find dozens of ways to break stuff with its 4 lbs of forged and tempered steel. Pick one up next time you've got a lot of demo to do. It'll save you time and energy, and I promise it will up the fun factor.

More information from Stanley, available in 15", 18" and 30" sizes. Get the midsized one (55-099) from Amazon for $35.

It seems like the week flies by. Waking the family, readying for work, dressing the kids, packing lunches, knapsacks, messenger bags; finding shoes, car keys, and bike locks....all this before I'm even out the door headed for work. I treasure those one or two slow mornings we seem to squeak in over the weekend. And sometimes, when we're all feeling it (and a parent has gone to market for extra eggs), we bring on the Belgian waffles.

This appliance is one of our well-loved additions to the kitchen. It cooks reliably perfect waffles with its handy timer lights -and pops them out 4-up, every four minutes. (That's 60 per hour for the economy crowd.) We often make extra to store; but I've been known to raid the fridge before they're even cold. Sometimes a daddy has to get a little extra.

The Wafflechef, by Krups. You can find yours for ~$50.

I push pixels and timelines. But, that hasn't always been the case. There are quite a few designers out there whose experience in multimedia runs back before the days when a powerful computer was all you needed for your integrated manufacturing. I started out with stat cameras and analog samplers; and there are rare moments when I look back with some nostalgia on how I learned the ropes. Those moments usually pass quickly. Nowadays, when my work needs that extra oompf that only a heavy beat can provide, I have it covered with my KORG PadKontrol Controller.

KORG has made quality product for
decades.
It's only fitting that their line of USB controllers and keyboards would lead the charge for their innovative technologies and intuitive
product design.

The PadKontrol links flawlessly with most DAW applications, and performs a notch or two above other push-button Midi controllers I've used. The touch-pad technology behind the PadKontrol is second to none. KORG supplies the PadKontrol with its own software so you can recall your settings on the fly; which means you can get up and running quickly when you're multi-tasking and needing to switch gears, apps, and creativity to meet an approaching deadline.

It's priced at around $200.00, but easily outperforms competitors in its range twice over. If your notion of design extends off the screen and includes speakers and headphones, then I have the tool for you: KORG PadKontrol Midi Controller .

Things that bring me extreme anxiety:

1. Not having access to the Internet.
2. Not having my laptop with me at all times.
3. The thought of breaking my laptop because I take it everywhere to avoid having anxiety about not being able to get on the Internet.

If you're an avid backpacker you may be familiar with the Swedish design firm Light My Fire. Their Spork is part of their cleverly designed "Outdoor MealKit". Alone, it's a respectable piece of gear worthy of adventures near and far.

3 tools in one, the Light My Fire Spork is all things cutlery. Dishwasher safe, heat tolerant polycarbonate, the spork won't sratch your teflon pots and pans. At less than half an ounce, it's easy to carry (in your backpack, laptop case, or purse). 

Form, function, and best of all: affordability.

Get your own Light My Fire Spork from Amazon for $3. Set of 4 for under $10.

Looking to splurg or stuff a stocking? Get the NEW indestructible Spork Titanium for ~$20.

Brewing espresso at home is messy business. If you brew "too many shots to count" per day, allow me to introduce you to my favorite hunk of mess-busting plastic: the Grindenstein Knock Box from Dream Farm.

This beautiful little vessel, with it's understated curves and welcoming smile, is destined to become your new favorite waste bin. The illustration explains it's clever simplicity: brew, knock the grounds into the bin, & use them for something other than anchoring your garbage can. (mine go to the garden)

The steel bar hidden under its durable rubber membrane offers a rigid thump, and the plastic is billed as indestructible. At 4" tall, it's discreet enough to fit at any coffee station, and could rest on the drip tray of most home machines. Dishwasher safe, cheap, and durable; I've been using mine for a year and it's exceeded my expectations.

Buy it for $20 from Dream Farm

When was the last time you've had this much fun with cupcakes? Cupcakes baked in (and served from) Silly-Feet silicone baking cups by Wilton will put a smile on the faces of children and adults alike. (just don't eat the googly eyes)

Silly-Feet! cups make a great gift for fun loving bakers: 4 for under $10 from Amazon.

If you can find a goofier use for silicone in your kitchen, please send us the tip; we'd love to see it.