Man Made DIY

To celebrate the harvest season and all things Thanksgiving, Abstract Sunday artist Christoph Niemann created "Squash Modern," a collection of modern design classics reinterpretted with, well, squash.   … read more

Hello, hello, friends. I'm happy to wish all a Happy Thanksgiving. This year, I'm struck by how thankful I am to have a job that I love, exploring the handmade and design scene, making cool stuff, and sharing them with the ManMade and Curbly audiences.  I was able to make my dream come true before I even hit thirty, and I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful.

So, thanks to all of you for reading our sites, and for allowing me to do this full time. 

Here's an old favorite of mine; enjoy it, and be grateful that all of your friends and family aren't so negative. (Hopefully!)

I've gone on record on ManMade (multiple times...too many to link) about my love of pickling. Not just kosher dills from a jar, but the act of changing the entire experience of fruits and veggies by treating them with salty, acidic solutions. I especially love "quick pickles" and "fridge pickles," which have all the flavor and brightness, but don't require the dance of sterilization and preservation of process canning.

Over the summer, I pickle everything from peaches to beans and peas, and in the fall, pumpkin, apples, and squash. So, during this unique time of year...why not pickle its seasonal signature - the cranberry?   

Yeah, the grocery stores and commercials are full of standards for that other upcoming holiday, but this week, if you're not quite ready to jump to sleigh bells and mentions of misteltoe, try rocking out to NPR's "Songs for Stuffing," a collection of jams for Thanksgiving. … read more

There's a somewhat famous pumpkin festival about an hour from my house, which came very highly recommended when I first moved to the city six years ago. It's standard fair and festival stuff: touring food trailers and games, local non-profits and faith communities fundraisers, student art, etc. It's kinda crazy and kitschy and pretty awesome, and certainly worth a visit. But, after a few years, my attendance slowed: mostly 'cause all we'd do is stand around and eat mediocre food that's really bad for you, look at the cloggers, get stuck behind the parade, and stand in line for forty-five minutes for some seriously tasty, piping hot fresh pumpkin doughnuts, the highlight of the festival if you ask anyone.

So, this year, we decided to skip the drive and the parking fiasco and the food-on-sticks, and just make pumpkin doughnuts at home.

And they were incredible. … read more