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A stripped down, links-only HouseHacker.com.

HouseHacker is sort of dedicated to bringing you the goods on home improvement, household gadgetry, DIY, cool furniture, yada, yada...




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Funny home cut out stickers.

Those salt and pepper shakers you've had your eye on are on sale. They've knocked $800 off!

iTable. These guys have made a touch-screen table that attaches to an iPhone (basically, the table becomes a giant iPhone).

Hungry, but not sure what to make? Check out photograzing! Browse a boatload of quality food pics to find the perfect meal.

Sandwich coasters that you can set your Brass knuckles coffee mug on.

Cold + Pillow = Chillow. Chillow is fun to say. Chillow.

A lightbulb storage solution to a problem we didn't know we had!

Nice magnetic doorstops Via KK's Cool Tools

Do I really need this thing? Ask yourself these questions while attempting to de-clutter the house.

NY Times articles on the tools you really need to maintain your home.

Pumpkin launchers should enjoy this collection of trebuchet/catapult designs.

NOTICE: Large moosehead wall lights have finally been invented.

360 Modern is a real estate firm in the Pacific Northwest U.S. that specializes in modern homes. Beautiful stuff.

Handy way to skip all the intro crap on DVDs that is usually forced on you when you throw a disc in your player. Apparently the chapters on DVDs that you can't skip (FBI warnings, copyright stuff, etc.) are flagged, on the disc, as UOP, or User Operation Prohibited. This site lists some of the techniques you can try to skip the ennui.

This colour coordinated bookshelf looks cool, but you might have a hard time finding a particular title.

For chewie edge lovers or corner brownie fans - it's the Edge Brownie Pan. All edges, all the time. Via BoingBoing

Puzzle carpet.

This to That is a handy site that will tell you what adhesive to use when attempting to glue various objects together.

Super creative bathroom tiles.

Skinny house in Brazil.

Apparently there are many LED lightbulbs available already. Via TreeHugger

WiiRoomba. YouTube of a guy controlling his Roomba with a Wii remote.

Hardcore Lost fans have a party and repackage the snacks and beer as Dharma Initiative rations. Make your own with the PDFs that they've so generously shared.

Here's a nice set of home improvement videos with the energetic and snappy Eric Stromer.

Faucet Fountain turns your regular faucet into a drinking fountain.

Kids and the Home Office. Here's a list of tips for the parent that works from home.

Save the Internet.

Great Pac-Man bathroom tile work.

Crazy toaster from the future TODAY!

Here is a nice napkin folding howto site with clean pictures and straightforward instructions. I think the shirt's my favourite.

DIY T-Shirt Rack via Instructables.

Stainless steel paint.

Onion goggles.

Batman-esque underground garage with hydraulic lift.

Microsoft to unveil a home server at CES this week in Vegas? This article at Arstechnica discusses the possibility of a machine focused on home automation and entertainment centralization.

Here's a blog full of interesting gifts for under 10 bucks.

WikiHow has a DriCore installation howto available for your edification.

Here is an energy saving tips post from last winter.

The USB humping dog you asked for is in.

Unique DIY photo ornaments.

A table that walks. Finally!

Twist and grow table. Amazing.

Roller toaster.

Make a nice 3D paper snowflake.

Tiny houses from the Tumbleweed Tiny House company.

Post-it note wallpaper made up of four different grey tones which, over time, reveals a usage driven design.

Sweet mug that comes with convenient built-in cookie chamber. Here's a great review of the mug in use.

Great unique gift idea and store thread on Ask Metafilter.

This is one massive bed that measures 12 feet by 10 feet.

Build your very own bottomless pit with this howto (heads up: there is some embedded audio on the site).

Laundry chute turned Cat chute.

PacMan arcade cabinet Halloween costume.

Crazy awesome self assembling robotic chair. Amazing.

DIY Bean bag sofa and/or bed from Instructables.

Another site on transforming household items into other useful (??) household items. Thanks for the tip Paul!

Environmentally friendly home cleaning service. I hadn't realized that there were companies that will clean your home using only animal and environmentally friendly products. This particular company is in the UK, but a quick googling pulls up similar companies in North America as well.

Here are some very unique hand made leaded glass doors, produced using the lead came method, a method in use since the middle ages.

Pumpkin carving. This site has some seriously impressive pumpkin carvings as well as a tutorial, which, although informative, still looks like it requires a lot of artistic ability. Worth a shot though - it's just pumpkin.

Another declutter your home tip page. This one's by FlyLady.net.

USB twister hub with Rubik's cube-like rotating ports.

An outdoor pizza oven party would be a cool alternative to summer barbeques.

Skeeter Bag is a bag that attaches to box fans to catch mosquitos by the thousands.

Lego ice cube tray.

Turn maple leaves into roses with the help of this photo tutorial. Very autumn/thanksgiving.

Interesting Alton Brown video on knife sharpening and maintenance. Instructables also has a step-by-step sharpening howto.

CNN Money article: Middle-class families in worse shape than ever.

Nice and clean magnetic tool rack from Instructables. The nice thing about this organizer is that the actual tool holders can be positioned and rearranged (on the fly) on the metallic backboard.

Designer wood computers handmade in Canada.

Humanoid shaped shelves. Kind of looks like James the doorstop.

How to find a good neighbourhood. MSN article, via Lifehacker.

How to make clear ice cubes.

Use your PC and webcam as a motion activated security camera.

This Old House has made available a very large fall home inspection checklist for your downloading pleasure.

Mike Jagger of Provident security has been on the scene of thousands of residential burglaries and has put together this interesting walkthrough of a typical break-in.

Concrete countertops on Flickr.

This is pretty damn clever. Sizeasy is an online tool that helps you visualize the size of something you're reading about or considering buying online. Punch in your dimensions and see your widget along side things like a deck of cards or a piece of paper.

Here's the skinny on upgrading your home network to Gigabit ethernet. It's probably worth doing simply because "gigabit ethernet" just sounds cool and not at all nerdly.

Greenpeace is getting on Apple's case about their use of certain hazardous chemicals in iPods, iBooks and the like. Greenpeace claims that other manufacturers have discontinued the use of some of the chemicals that are still found in Apple products.

De-Clutter your home to sell it faster. Here's a page with a lot of ways to do just that.

Consumer Reports: 20 Free Ways to Save Energy is a nice list of things you can do, mostly around the house, to save energy and of course, as the two go hand in hand, cash.







Househacker/tags/art

Super Creative Skateboard Furniture

Here's what clever people can do with old skateboards. Apparently, given enough skill and creativity, clocks, tables, lamps and sofas can all be fashioned from old boards and wheels.

About the pic above, from the site:

Wrapped by neoprene which is the wetsuit material for surfers, this piece is created to the indoor/outdoor lifestyle and fits perfectly on a patio or waterfront deck. The Jet Set Lounge Chair is made of 8 decks with neoprene cushions on a metal frame. Dimensions: 32"x32"x65"

Nice stuff...

Festive Lighted Glass Block Howto

This was posted late last year, but since few people actually saw it at the time, it probably doesn't hurt to repost it. If you've got a drill, some mini lights and a glass block lying around then free up about 4 minutes and you can make this happen.
       



Nice Handmade Wooden Baths by Driftwood

Driftwood produces these beautiful wooden baths that are handcrafted by experienced boat builders. From the site:

Skills and materials honed and tested in the demanding boatbuilding industry mean you don't have to worry about your bath ever springing a leak. Indeed, keep the stopper firmly in and you could probably paddle your bath quite safely. And because our baths rely on marine technology they are designed for a far more ravaging environment then your bathroom.

Furthermore:

Each wall is built using a strip building technique where narrow wooden strips are locked one to the next using a boat building technique called cove and beading. This technique means the walls behave as single sheets of wood. Each strip is individually cut, placed and bent to perfectly shape and seal your bath. The floors of each bath are built from over 25mm (1 inch) of wood. This might sound excessive but it prevents any possibility of creep and sagging with age, ensuring your bath floor will always remain sound and true.

The baths must be quite a hit with people as the site is closed to new orders, according to a notice on the homepage. That or it just takes them years to build one.

Via Trendir

Waterfall Fireplaces by Hearthfalls

You got your fireplace in my waterfall! You got your waterfall in my fireplace!

Sorry.

Hearthfalls manufactures interesting "fireplace waterfalls" that are unlike anything you may have seen before (less, of course, fireplaces and waterfalls). The concept is simple - a waterfall runs within a fireplace immediately in front of the flames to produce a visually interesting piece of art that also offers the soothing sounds of flowing water. Whether or not this will work for people is still to be determined, as the unique design is sure to dichotomize opinion, as any such departure from the traditional would.

Hearthfalls also offers some less expensive "Lightweight " units. The Lightweights are waterfalls made for retrofitting existing fireplaces.

Try to visualize one in your home with the company's interactive fireplace and room designer or just view the existing installations in the gallery here.

Reservoir Dogs Poster Made from Entire Handwritten Script

Like the Scarface poster before it, this Reservoir Dogs poster from L.A. Pop Art is created using the entire, handwritten (and legible) script. Add it to your movie poster collection in your home theatre, or give it as a gift to the Reservoir Dogs fan in your life. We purchased the Scarface poster and had it plaque-mounted as a gift for a serious Scarface fan in our family and it proved to be quite the hit. Sometimes it's fun just searching for the numerous obscenities scattered throughout the thousands of words...

Cool Geeky TIX LED Clock

Geek out your office or basement with the TIX space clock of the future. Once you learn how to read it, telling time is a breeze. Whether or not you choose to tell your friends how to decipher the seemingly random flashing LEDs is up to you. From the site:

  • 3 different brightness levels.
  • 3 different pattern display time settings.
  • Latest LED technology - illuminated squares last indefinitely.
  • Available in black and silver.
  • Can be hung horizontally or vertically (wall-hooks not included).


  • Video clip of the TIX in action here (wmv video file).

    Your DNA as Art

    DNA 11 creates unique pieces of wall art using a sample of your DNA. The company sends you a saliva collection kit and you, in turn, send the company your saliva. DNA 11 extracts the DNA from your saliva and takes an electronic DNA 'snapshot'. All that remains in creating your spittle craft is the photo massaging and tweaking, done by 'digitally enhancing your DNA fingerprint.'. They currently offer an intro special of $390 to the first 1000 customers.

    via Design Sponge

    More Gorgeous In Wall Fireplaces by ThermArt

    More and more, we're seeing modern, beautiful and sleek in-wall fireplaces that look less like fireplaces than art, and Canada's ThermArt is no exception - in fact they make some of the nicest specimens, if you ask us. The company lists five models on their website: the Teardrop (pictured), Quote, Flow, Bouquet and Clarity. Be sure to check out their installation gallery, available for your surfing pleasure.

    If you reside in Europe, Safretti produces similarly stunning units.

    Wired Article on the Coolest Rooms on Earth

    Wired has a nice article up on the coolest, most gadget-filled, automated rooms on the planet, including a home that Michael Douglas had a hand in designing in the 1980s. Apparently people with money dig LCDs rising from bed foot boards quite a bit - and it's hard to blame them, really.


    Softwall Flexible Room Partition

    This dynamic room divider can be easily shaped to adjust to one's unique living space. The softwall can be opened by one person and can be folded and stored when not needed. Velcro ends allow for additional softwall modules to be attached. From the site:

    The paper softwall is a beautiful, lightweight, freestanding wall that can be arranged into almost any shape, or easily compressed into a compact sheaf and stored away. softwall dampens sound and can both absorb and transmit light. The paper softwall is made from 400 layers of honeycombed translucent white, fire-retardant paper, bounded by natural wool felt ends. The thick felt ends fold to create handles when the wall is open, and form a casing when the wall is compressed. paper softwall is modular, as the felt ends have velcro fasteners which can link walls together. The paper softwall is delicate, yet its honeycomb design makes it surprisingly resilient to normal handling.

    Make a Festive Lighted Glass Block

    If you're looking for a personal decoration for the holiday season, check out our Glass Block w/ Mini Lights howto. If you're comfortable drilling into glass and haven't had too much egg nog, then you shouldn't have any trouble with this simple project. This is a beautiful craft that emits a warm, soft glow that is really inviting, creating the perfect festive ambiance.

    Ingenious Candles with Built In Matchbook

    Now this is clever! Never have to search for a lighter or misplaced matchbook again with these matches-included candles. From the site:

    Hygge-lys Paraffin candle with a built-in matchbox. Walton was inspired to create these candles shortly after coming to Denmark. In Scandinavia, cosiness - locally known as hygge - is often associated with the use of candles. Walton quickly perceived the need for a special candle that kept the matches within easy reach. So he cast a little matchbox in the bottom of each candle, and produced a little booklet to explain the genesis of the product.

    via smartstuff.se

    A Few Unique Ceiling Tile Options

    According to their website, 3D "POP" panels (above) are a unique "three dimensional, form pressed plywood element for modern interior decoration with wood."
    The unique 3D style of the panels would look super cool in a recroom or bar. The brochure (PDF) indicates that the panels definitely aren't the most inexpensive ceiling option in the world, however...

    Ceiling Scenes "utilizes state-of-the art technology to print images or patterns directly onto acoustic ceiling tiles, creating truly custom ceilings. Whether you desire bright, colourful scenery or a subtle and serene visual treatment, our capabilities offer limitless potential to create genuinely unique environments." These images seem suitable mostly for a child's bedroom or play area, but an adventurous decorator might be able to work them into other spaces as well.

    These tin ceiling tiles offer a very elegant, sophisticated look that can also be mounted as a backsplash.

    via metafilter

    Cute and Depressing Melting Snowman Canisters by Marcel Dzama

    Would these melting snowmen be used during the winter or would it be more appropriate to wait until the spring thaw? Either way, they're definitely a unique way to store cookies and disturb young children at the same time. Also, Marcel Dzama sure doesn't seem very happy.

    Turn Your Old Laptop into a Digital Picture Frame

    This site collects and posts howtos on turning your old, probably dormant laptop into a digital picture frame. One of the digital frames in the list was even made to respond to voice commands. If you've got an old laptop collecting dust, this may be the project for you.

    Kodak Now Offering Life Poster Service

    Earlier this year, Mike Matas posted a howto on making a life poster. It was a great idea that caught on in a hurry. What was somewhat surprising was that the big online photo shops didn't latch on to the trend and offer an easy web app to capitalize on the poster's popularity. Well, Kodak now offers a product for making life posters (Kodak calls them collages) with their online photo printing service. The app allows you to adjust the whitespace between pictures as well as having a random tilt widget. For people who don't have the software or patience to do it themselves, this is a decent alternative.

    Beautiful Oil Lamp Shadow Projector

    There's just something appealing in the warmth of a candle's flicker, perhaps more so for those of us unfortunate enough to be experiencing the first hit of old man winter. People of all climates, however, can appreciate the beauty of these stainless steel oil lamp shadow projectors, by Adam Frank. The projected shadow size is "adjustable", obviously dependent on the base's distance from the wall. The site claims this to be the first in a series. The fuel cells lasts 17 hours.

    Scarface Poster Created Using Entire 300 Page Script

    Any Scarface fan on your list would be a happy camper after receiving this incredibly creative piece on Christmas morning. Decorate your basement or home theatre with a poster made using the entire 300 page hand-written script from the 1983 Pacino classic.

    Beautiful Wall Mountable Flueless Fireplace

    At only 4" thick, this gorgeous and unique in-wall gas fireplace is the perfect solution for those looking to add the warmth of a fireplace without losing valuable living space. The units are flueless and, according to the manufacturer, 100% efficient. This is due to the Firewall Flueless' lack of a heat-liberating chimney like those found in conventional gas fireplaces. There is also an added environmental benefit in that the warm air the unit exhausts is cleaner than the air it takes in!

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