Nation

Bonsais are a reasonably masculine way to bring tranquility to your bar brawling lifestyle, but, being plants, they can still make you feel like a wuss. Augment your tiny trees with violence and drama, Daniel-san, using these models from Crash Bonsai.

Created by Boston-based artist John Rooney, the CB collection features Matchbox-like cars and trucks that have been smashed and melted to create "little living car crash sculptures." The die-cast wrecks are all 1:18 scale (about 9" long) and feature replicas that span the decades (e.g., 1953 Cadillac El Dorado, 2001 Dodge Minivan). The damage ranges from fenders and grills, to doors, roofs, and other more serious forms of Zen destruction.

Rooney recommends buying a model first and then designing your bonsai around it -- trimming, tilting, and upending roots, for a more realistic, midget-smash-up look. And if you don't feel like getting a tree, the cars do look great elsewhere: crashing into the side of a toaster, or recreate your favorite 12-car pile-up on a coffee table.

But we suggest the tree: the bonsai will bring you peace, while the cars will serve as a subtle reminder to guests that you are no stranger to death.