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I received my Chicago flag patch today and decided to sew it onto my winter coat (which I sewed a fur trim onto its hood a month ago). Gotta represent The Windy City in NYC.

DIY Hanging Containers.

So I’ve been recycling tin cans and using them as containers for my art and writing supplies. Now in order to save more space on my new work area, I decided to hang them on my wall. Of course, I wanted each container to be completely detachable and portable; for instance, if I wanted to use only Micron pens in the living room, I can just remove that can and take it with me.

At first I was going to use magnets or one of those magnetic knife racks, but after prototyping with some heavy duty magnets lying around my apartment, I realized stuff like that couldn’t support the weight of, say, 20 Sharpies or the rounded surface area of the can.

Instead, I figured a system of hooks and loops would work.

Using small nuts and bolts, I attached D-Ring Strap Hangers (you know, the ones drilled in the back of wooden picture frames) to the cans. The D-Ring would latch onto a screw on the wall. In order to keep the cans balanced and not topple over if the weight shifted, I hammered two nails below each screw. Again, this keeps the can from shifting and its contents falling (a can full of X-acto blades would be the worst thing to fall on you).

I decided to do a little circuitry work last night on a bunch of framed drawings of mine. Using white LEDs, 9V batteries, a few resistors, wires, and a soldering iron, I backlit each frame to create a relatively soft glow around the picture.