What to Do During Down Times Instead of Staring at Your Phone

Downtime. Or, in same cases, dead times: waiting rooms, lines, traffic, the moments in between appointments. Those places where you get nowhere quickly, but live in effective purgatory, embracing neither productivity or relaxation. To the overly ambitious (or those suffering from some form of adult ADHD), these are the times that try your soul in that special kind of slow-drip water torture way.

Sure, you could kill your dead time by scrolling through Instagram. You may even decide to do something useful with your phone, like one-liner email replies or clearing out your old voicemail. But what if you want to occasionally limit your exposure to the little blue screen that wasn’t a crucial part of human existence before 2007?

In lieu of time-killers, here are four suggestions for time-fillers that you can perform with absolutely no equipment other than your mind and your body (as well as one that requires a simple piece of string). These are especially helpful if you’re stuck in a situation where you really shouldn’t be using your phone, like stop-and-go traffic.

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How to: Make DIY Rustic Masculine Candles

Can't get into the floral smells and garish artwork of storebought candles? Nope, us either. So  we came up with our very own DIY version to make a reusable rustic candle that any guy can be proud to burn in his home. (Or log cabin?)

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Father's Day Idea: DIY Leather Coaster Gift Kit

Giving a handmade gift is always better than a mass manufactured one. Whether you make it yourself or support a local artisan, craftsman or favorite Etsy shop, giving something that can't be found in a big box store not only shares an element of care, but of legit surprise.

But do you know what we love even more than giving something handmade? Empowering the recipient to make something themselves. So, this Father's Day, give the gift of DIY with this simple and stylish leather coaster gift kit.    

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Make This: A DIY Sophisticated Leather Mouse Pad for Your Office

If you’re looking to make your leather work look a little classier, one of the easiest ways to do it is by adding padding.

Think of the watches you own or have seen that have a leather strap. Those straps will either be flat and made up of two pieces of leather glued together, or padded made up of two pieces of leather stitched around a thinner piece of leather, creating a raised looked in the middle. Almost always, the padded strap will look more refined.

This leather mouse pad is an excellent way to figure out how to add padding for the first time. And, what’s more, you’ll end up with a classy leather mouse pad to keep or give

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The Masculine Home: 5 Ideas to Create Simple Vignettes

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A vignette is a visual focus point that identifies the character of a room. These intentional areas are often the shots you'll see published in magazines, and you can achieve 'em at home, using mostly items you already have. Here are 5 ideas to get you started.

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How to: Make DIY Industrial Mason Jar Pendant Lights

I find lighting to be one of the more difficult parts of creating a masculine or industrial interior, especially when it comes to DIY projects. While you can

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How to: Make Your Own DIY Leather Belt from Scratch

Mr. Lentz - the "modern cowboy of the creative revolution" - has created a very cool DIY project with very detailed steps to make a customized leather belt.

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Weekend Project: How to Build a Rustic Headboard with Built-In Hidden Storage

Weekend project? On a Thursday? Yep, and for two reasons: one, I'll be out of town tomorrow, doing a weekend intensive course and dive program to get my SCUBA certification. But two, and most importantly, this storage headboard project is exactly the sort of thing you could put together in a weekend. 

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Masculine Bedroom Design Inspiration: Shades of Gray

Sometimes we forget that our bedroom is one of the key areas of our living space - if not the most important. If you're still sporting an 1998 edition IKEA duvet and mismatched pillows that were hand-me-downs from your previous roommates, then it's time to upgrade. 

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Restoring a Classic Desk Fan with New Leather Blades

When Sean came across this model 94646-E “Northwind” oscillating electric fan by Emerson Electric, dated to about 1955, he knew it'd be a stylish, character-filled replacement to his recently busted cheap plastic box fan. So, he got it home, plugged it in, and it whirred "like a cheetah." 

And within ten minutes, he totally cut himself on the sharp, spinning metal blades. Yikes.    

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Upgrade Your Headboard with Peel-and-Stick Wood Boards

It's always a great deal when you not only stumble on a great project to tackle, you learn about new products at the same time. I recently found this amazing IKEA hack that featured a new product called Stikwood. I simply cannot wait to get my hand on some boxes of this product.

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How to: Hack an Old Cigar Box Into a Vintage-Inspired Charging Station

I got this idea soon after some friends visited and forgot their charger cords for their phones. Since I had my own to use overnight, we had to fish around for other solutions. One day, in my shop I was reflecting on this dilemma when I remembered there were these new USB wall sockets that would be perfect to turn into a portable charging station whenever I need it. 

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Father's Day Done Right: How to Make Your Own "Manly" Gift Crate

Skip that wrapping paper and put together a memorable gift crate for Father's Day. Here's a hot sauce filled wooden crate that will make you his favorite kid for yet another year.  

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Awesome Photo Tour of an Eclectic + Masculine British Apartment

A little loft can go a long way. Just ask Richard Dewhurst, the interior architect who designed this unique British apartment.   

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Weekend Project: Make a DIY Army Canvas Headboard

This DIY headboard project makes a very fine way to add a little rustic texture to your sleep space. It uses a 5x7' canvas tarp (twenty bucks!) and, the best part, no sewing. Just some 2x4s, a bit of plywood, and some staples and screws to hold it all together.   

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Tiny House Tour: Evan's Rustic, Timber-Filled Shelter

The tiny house movement has been gaining so much steam in the last decade that it's easy to parody, but I'm continually blown away by the innovative and stylish decor people come up with.   

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How to: Make a DIY Typographic Advent Calendar

As a kid, I loved making those paper ring garlands to help count down the days to Christmas. They weren't much, just strips of red and green construction paper, one looped inside another and held together with a swipe of glue stick, but, buddy, I loved the ritual of ripping those suckers off as soon as I woke up every morning.

So, for this holiday season, I wanted to embrace the idea of a countdown craft, but update it to something a bit more adult, a bit more masculine, and reusable season after season.  

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How to Be a Gentleman in the 21st Century

Chivalry isn't dead in 2014. It's just, you know, different. In the era of smart phones at dinner and social networking breakups and Google glass and streaming media and cigarettes that aren't really cigarettes but still kinda are, the be-a-good-guy rules still apply, they just need to be updated a bit.    

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Make These: Ron Swanson-Inspired Maple Bacon and "Egg" Cupcakes

These Ron Swanson-inspired treats are an attempt to make "masculine" cupcakes. Which could end up badly, but these went far enough past the point of stereotype into humorous fun. 

This recipe combines salty bacon, sweet white chocolate, silky cream cheese, and oaky maple syrup in one delicious baked treat. Extra added points for the Ron Swanson toppers, which you can print and stick on a skewer.

If baking is not your thing, this is the perfect excuse to get your food geek friends over and make it a party. Why not? Some beers, some butter, and some cupcakes at the end? That sounds like an evening well-spent. 

For the full recipe

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Roundup: 10 Favorite iPhone Cases for the Stylish Guy

In the era when everyone's phone looks basically the same, it's time to reskin your digital sidekick with a new suit.

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