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We’re getting a head start on celebrating Dad with a countdown of our favorite Father’s Day crafts.

The shirt-and-tie theme is a popular one when it comes to Father’s Day crafts, but no one has done it as well as Kristen Magee from PaperCrave. Here, she put a festive spin on the traditional gift bag with paper details that just scream “Dad.” And thanks to her free template, you can quickly whip up your own customized gift bag. For the tutorial and template, visit PaperCrave.

Want more Father’s Day inspiration? Check out…
Father’s Day Crafts Countdown: Shirt Napkin Fold
Father’s Day Gift Guide: Celebrate Your Dad’s Quirks
Martha Stewart’s Father’s Day Cupcakes

And for even more ideas about what to do for Dad, watch this… Read more…

White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn admits he has “reached out a little bit” to Jim Thome, the former Sox DH now with the Twins and owner of 595 home runs.

The two have similar styles: big swingers from the left side who strike out a lot and walk just as much.

As always, Thome was diplomatic when talking about Dunn’s season-long struggles, saying, “For me to comment would be out of line.”

But he does empathize.

“As a player you ride it through,” Thome said. “As a guy who swings and misses and has struck out a ton, it’s hard. When you can have success and are blessed to play a long time and (then go through) those periods, it’s tough.

“The game is like a roller coaster, but it can all change like that. (Former Indians hitting coach) Charlie Manuel used to tell me one swing, one good week, and it can all change.”

So are his bad slumps mostly mental?

“I think so,” he said.

Read more…

a light, minimalist shelf with airy, open curves, “the result of research made in a factory specialized in welded steel wire, on how to generate new curves by optimizing the constraints of the industrial production of storage trolleys.” and Petite Friture. Read more…

Image courtesy of Gary Bernon, USDA APHIS, Bugwood.org

Taking emergency measures, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved two insecticides to control the brown marmorated stink bug, which has caused untold losses to fruit trees and crops in the mid-Atlantic region. An invasive species, the stink bug has no known predator in this country so growers have been seeking ways to rid their crops of the destructive insect. Included in the approval is an insecticide that can be used by organic farmers.

In what it calls an emergency exemption, the EPA approved the insecticide dinotefuran (trade names Venom and Scorpion) for emergency use in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey.

Read more…

• $1.75 per pound
• MexicanTiles.com

What? Broken tiles? Yes, indeed. While the unbroken versions of these handcrafted tiles are lovely , it’s the broken pieces that really caught my eye. Perfect for a mosaic project or garden path, you can buy the pieces dirt cheap by the pound.