Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them

Spectacular specimens in Sharon Beals' new book - Nests: Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them.

via WonderHowTo

Collective Paper Aesthetics - Confusions Candle Holders

Pretty candle holders by Collective Paper Aesthetics. The Confusions series comes in aluminum, stainless steel, and painted metal, and you fold them to create the candle shape that you want. The photos don't really give a sense of the scale of the candle holders - wouldn't they also make a really cool large-scale sculpture, or outdoor light fixtures?

Basil Bangs Beach Umbrellas

How fun are these beach umbrellas by Basil Bangs? Gorgeous detailing and colors. The Le Pixel (was that redundant?) is my favorite, but some of the other designs are awesome, too. You'd definitely be easy to spot on a crowded beach with one of these.

The Fly-13 by Arc'teryx is a similar silhouette to the Arro series of packs. I had always wanted an Arro, but thought they were a little overbuilt and too heavy for my taste (but it's too good-looking not to love). The Fly is my solution - a smaller, lighter weight version of its bigger sibling.

Thomas Bernstrand - Four Seasons parasol

Thomas Bernstrand's Four Seasons parasol is a sturdy, year-round piece of outdoor furniture made from sheet steel edged with silicon. Designed to withstand the elements, the Four Seasons will "shade you in summer, shelter you on rainy autumn days and protect you from snow in winter."

Soto Pocket Torch

The Soto Pocket Torch is smart adapter for a standard disposable lighter to turn it into a mini butane torch. It makes it windproof and extends the lifespan of the lighter too. And it's enough of a tool to win a few 2010 editor's choice awards from outdoor gear magazines.

Sub-Studio 2010 Gift Guide: Purple

Sub-Studio 2010 Gift Guide: Green

Sub-Studio 2010 Gift Guide: Black

Are you sick of these yet? We're back with our holiday gift guide, which will be coming out over the next few weeks sorted by color. We're still compiling the gift guide, so please feel free to send us submissions. Just like last year, click on the item to get more product information. Most of the gifts are under $100, and those that are more are noted with an asterisk. Enjoy!

Rietveld Landscape - Bunker 599

How beautiful is this intervention into an old bunker? The bunker is part of a system of 700 bunkers that made up the New Dutch Waterline - a Dutch military defense system that was in use from 1815-1940. The NDW protected the cities of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk and Gorinchem through intentional flooding, transforming the economic heartland of the Dutch Republic into an island, if needed.

Rietveld Landscape, in collaboration with Atelier de Lyon, transformed bunker 599 into a public space by slicing into the concrete and providing passage through the bunker to the water and the footpaths of the nearby natural reserve.

Via designboom.

Eungi Kim - Horsey

How awesome is this bike? This would be so great for a kid...Horsey, by Eungi Kim is an attachable bicycle accessory which turns your bicycle into a horse. It was one of the shortlisted design entries in a recent Designboom competition.

Jansport Heritage Series

I think Anna's dad has an original of the Off-Trail (left). He pulled it out of the garage for a stowaway pack for a backpacking trip last year. Nice to know that he can replace it with one of the Jansport Heritage Series if he needs to.

Kenneth Cobonpue - Hagia furniture

I'm not particularly one for patio furniture, but there's something really beautiful about Kenneth Cobonpue's Hagia series. Each piece is hand-woven on a steel frame, and I love the patterns that the weavings make. Lovely!

Paddy Art

How cool is this? Farmers in Inakadate, Japan, create artwork in their fields using different kinds of rice plants. Lovely!

Via the NYTimes. Photos by Shiho Fukada for The New York Times.

Manolo Bossi - Fuora DogHouse

Admiring the Fuora DogHouse by Manolo Bossi for Nochicima. It assembles with no glue or nails, and the roof can be easily removed for cleaning. Comes in S, M, and L for all of your doggy needs.

Stanley Outdoor Containers

Thinking about camping/backpacking/treks around town and I took a peek at Stanley, who expanded their tools line into outdoor stuff too. Left to right are the stainless steel 32 oz. bottle, vaccuum food jar, and mug w/ clip handle. Nice simple silhouettes, straight-forward colors and sturdiness to last a good long time. Probably not for ultralight fanatics, but not everyone cares about cutting the ends off their toothbrushes.

Sub-Studio 2009 Gift Guide: Orange

Sub-Studio 2009 Gift Guide: White

The Bumper Issue by Crumpler

I came across one of these Bumper Issue bags from Crumpler yesterday and I was really impressed by the build quality. It feels like a nice balance between durable and lightweight. It carries about 450 cubes and has an spot for a hydration bladder and the tube comes straight through the shoulder strap. The back is mesh padded for sweat evaporation. And even though it's small, it's still got compression straps in case you don't have anything to pack with you but don't want the shape flapping around. It's hard to see in the pictures, but there are even reflector tabs stitched behind the clips for the compression straps. The bag is full of these very well-thought details.

CRKT Ritter RSK Mk5

CRKT's mini survival knife Ritter RSK Mk5 is a super-lightweight, versatile and durable blade for mini survival kits for hiking, car, travel, etc. It weighs less than an ounce and fits (with sheath) in an altoids tin.