Do you have pets? I do – two cats. I love those little furballs, but they are the main source of my constant need to clean. Maybe if I had carpet instead of hardwood floors it wouldn’t be so obvious that their tumbleweeds of hair blow through my house like it’s a ghost town. I wonder how they cleaned up in the old west?
I bet they wish they had the Broom Groom Broom Cleaning Dustpan (Amazon, $12.99) for occasions such as these. The worst thing about sweeping has got to be the gross stuff that gets stuck between the broom bristles – if you leave it there your floor won’t ever get clean, but who wants to touch that? This dustpan solves that problem by integrating rubber teeth into the back panel so all you have to do is pull the broom through them to clean. A built-in foot pedal on the handle keeps the dustpan in place whilst cleaning to further ensure a hands-free experience.
I could probably make a whole new cat out of the hair I’ve swept up just this week.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 12.2″ x 14.5″ x 3″
-Hands free broom cleaning
-Rubber teeth clean broom bristles
-Foot pedal built into dustpan handle
-Made of plastic with rubber accents
If you really like something, isn’t more always better? People want to tell you that less is more, but that’s just crazy talk. It’s always good to have a backup!
The One Step DVD/CD Duplicator (SkyMall, $249.95) sees your one and makes it two! With this device, you can copy your favorite DVD or CD without the aid of a computer, making it faster and easier than ever before. Duplication takes just over six minutes to complete, due to super-fast drive speeds and a large internal buffer. You can even use the duplicator to create custom compilation CDs by selecting tracks and making a playlist from multiple CDs.
Before you get your hopes up, this device will not duplicate copyrighted or encrypted material. I know, I know, you were totes gonna make a fortune off your new business venture of pirating Red Box movies!
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7″ x 7″ x 10″
-Duplicates DVD/CD without computer
-24X DVD speed
-48X CD speed
-Internal 64MB buffer
-2MB drive buffer
-Copies in just over 6 minutes
-Create custom playlists from multiple CDs
-Supports all DVD platforms
-AC plug
A long time ago, I realized that I needed to have a calendar is plain sight or I would never be able to keep track of the days. Sure, I also use it to write down appointments or birthdays, but it’s mostly there for a quick reference. I find it a lot easier to zero in on the correct date when I’ve marked off all the days gone by. However, I can’t stand doing this to a normal calendar because then it just looks messy and sad.
Instead of defacing your important calendar, why not get one for the express purpose of fun? The Bubble Wrap Calendar (Generate Design, $29.00) joins practicality with an innocent pastime: popping bubble wrap. Seriously, who didn’t love to pop bubble wrap? Now you can actually have an excuse to pop one bubble every day to mark the passage of time. The calendar lays out all twelve months of the year and their respective days on one sheet. Each bubble includes the date and day of the week as well as any applicable holidays, with weekends bolded for quick reference.
Please try to restrain yourself and not pop all the bubbles at once. I know, it is really hard.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 48″ x 17.5″
-Pop a bubble for every day
-Weekends bolded for quick reference
-Type set in Helvetica Neue
-Keep calendar out of sunlight and heat
-Made of thick paper and plastic
I have pretty tiny hands. It’s not something that really bothers me on a daily basis – on the contrary, it’s usually an asset. I can reach into tiny spaces to retrieve lost items or, if need be, slip out of restraints. There is one definite time where I am not a fan of my miniature mitts and that’s usually when I’m having a beer. See, I can stuff a lime in my cerveza of choice no problem, but I can’t turn it over because my fingers are too small to plug the bottle. In short, it’s a mess.
Doll-handed beer drinkers, rejoice! The Corona Lime Bomber (Kegworks, $12.95) allows you to fruitify your beverage with very little effort. Instead of shoving your inadequately small fingers into the bottle, why not let this device do it for you? It has two pieces: a loader that sits on top of the bottle (this is where you place the lime) and a plunger (what you use to propel the lime into your bottle). Place said loader on top of beer bottle, insert lime, and push down plunger. Your lime wedge is not only inserted into your beer with ease, but it’s also squeezed in the process to promote optimum flavor.
You could just go limeless, but that would be CHAOS.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Inserts fruit wedges into bottled drinks
-Includes loader and plunger
-Squeezes fruit for optimum flavor
-Sanitary
I’m all about trying to help out the environment because even though the world probably won’t end this year, global warming is totes here and with impressive force to boot. Don’t believe me? Why don’t you take a walk outside today and enjoy the 70+ degree weather on the first day of SPRING. To quote a friend, it is “lutes redic” how warm it is.
There are numerous ways to cut down on your consumption (many of which we’ve talked about here), but the biggest one is simply to stop using all things disposable. Just think of my how many trees you use every year because you don’t want to wash a dish! The Light Up Neon Blackboard (Things You Never Knew Existed, $19.98) eliminates at least some of your paper waste by functioning as a reusable dry erase board. Not only can you write messages to your heart’s content without worrying about your environmental footprint, you can make them light up! That’s right, this portable blackboard comes equipped with an illuminating marker that will make your messages visible in both the light and dark. It also promotes maximum portability through the use of an integrated leg stand and battery-powered technology.
I know it’s a bit early, but how awesome would this be for a Halloween party?!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9″ x 5″ x 0.5″
-Mini portable neon blackboard
-Includes 1 illuminating marker
-Built in leg stand
-Messages visible in light and dark
-Wipes clean
-Uses 3 AA batteries (not included)
