When Ethan Allen just isn’t quite the Americana vibe you’re looking for, the aptly named American Furnishings can get you squared away. Their rustic, industrial (and pre-industrial) craftsmanship is evident in pieces like a cement table stamped “Cincinnati Lithograph Co.” or a steel bar cabinet that, 60 years ago, may have been part of the assembly line at General Motors. Owners Dennis and Denise Blankemeyer proudly declare their furniture to be “Made in Middle America,” with ten workshops set up all over Ohio (the main store is located in Columbus). So, if you’re tired of Gothic Cabinet ripping you off for a piece of knotty pine in the shape of an armoire, sink some money into genuine American craftsmanship. It’s what Grandpa would have wanted.

Whether it’s t-shirts, paintings, or prints, UK-based Lowercase Industries shies away from mass production in favor of a more personal touch. Artist Michael Latimer, whom you may know from his Enjin skateboard decks designs (kooky oblong animals that look like a Murakami nightmare), has designed these limited edition Surrogate prints with a creative use of mixed-media; the background of each piece is first hand-painted, a few unique sketches are added, and then screen printed with a collage of Latimer’s characters. If you want a more wearable version, head over to Threadless and check out some of Latimer’s shirt designs.

Your iPod is a vital organ. It contains the music and video essential to your everyday existence and sits comfortably in the palm of your hand or wherever you keep it. While your other vital organs are protected by at least your epidermal layer, your iPod isn't quite as safe. If you've chosen to protect it at all there's a chance you're doing so with a flimsy cloth pouch provided by the manufacturer. Could you imagine protecting your spleen that way? To help you protect your vital technological organ we recommend The Tinbot. These iPod cases are made of impact resistant tin of the highest quality and have padding lined insides, not to mention headphone and charging ports. While your iPod is snug and safe inside, it's always stylish on the outside as these cases are adorned with designs from art world luminaries like toy designers MAD, SKET-ONE, and Christopher Lee; DC Comics master JOCK, as well as Urban Artists Parra, Kurt Ketchum and 7Sleepr. If that doesn't add enough flava for your eyes, there's also a white matte Tinbot case that you can customize yourself. Paint it like an Altoids case to confuse potential thieves.

For more years than you can count on one hand, heads have been turning the pages of the Wax Poetics music magazine to read about lost heroes and found classics in hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz written by the most talented authoritarians on the subjects. It’s a magazine — a journal, really, considering the depth of the subjects and articles that you’d spend as much time with as Harper’s — that filled a gap in a market and has a following that you bet will never let such a precious resource die now that it’s been established. This week Powerhouse Books threw a shindig to celebrate its partnership with Wax Poetics Books, a division of the magazine dedicated to the book format. For you this means you’ll be seeing the magazine’s Anthology Volume 1, a tome packed full of Wax Poetic’s choicest stories from previous issues; and the more recently published Cover Story, musings from the publication’s VIPs on their fave record album covers (some pictured above), at a bookstore near you. We want to wish our friends at Powerhouse Books on a great coupling!