I’ve never been much of a napper. I’m one of those people that has a hard enough time trying to get to sleep at night, let alone for only an hour or two in the middle of the day. It’s not to say that I haven’t tried. Oh, how I’ve tried! I usually just end up laying there, thinking about all the other things I should probably be doing instead of attempting this fruitless nap. I’ll admit, it’s somewhat of a self-defeating strategy.
I think the biggest problem I have when it comes to napping is that I’m so focused on how long I have to sleep that I can’t clear my mind. The Napper (Amazon, $14.99) understands the stresses of everyday life and the need to take a relaxing snooze. Well, at least the person who created this charming alarm clock understands that because they’ve added a delightful feature to the traditional alarm: preset snooze buttons! Instead of having to hit the snooze button over and over or reset your perpetual alarm, simply hit the snooze time of your choice. You can choose from 15, 30, or even 60 minutes of uninterrupted snooze time by barely lifting a finger.
You know that expression, “You snooze, you lose?” Well, I think it should be, “You snooze, you win.”
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Preset snooze timers
-Includes time and standard alarm clock settings
-Snooze for 15, 30, or 60 minutes
I drink a lot of tea and I have to agree with the notion that loose tea is better. There’s no need to start arguing about it; I’ve done the necessary research and it’s simply the truth. The problem with loose tea versus tea bags is that tea bags are just so darn convenient. I mean, you can reach for a tea bag and you’re in business whereas loose tea involves measurements and contraptions. It can be a bit daunting at first.
My least favorite thing about loose tea is cleaning out my infuser afterwards. No matter what, tiny specs of tea leaves always get stuck inside it and it seems like I spend an eternity trying to get them out. Meanwhile, my tea has gone cold. The Paper Tea Filters (Not On The High Street, £4.50) allow you the luxury of loose tea living without the hassle of fine mesh infuser cleaning. Because these paper filters are disposable, all you need to do is fill one with your tea of choice (I’m currently into oolong), slide the wood stick through the notches, and place the whole thing in your cup. The wood stick keeps the filter upright and provides a burn-free extraction. Each set of 40 even comes packaged in its own reusable cotton bag!
Tea: the other breakfast beverage.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Set of 40 filters and wood sticks
-Loose leaf tea infusers
-Disposable
-Made of non chlorine bleached pulp fibers
My place is looking kinda sad as of late. There are a quite a few imperfections on my walls that need fixing but I simply don’t have the time/energy/money/experience to deal with them at the moment. Luckily I have an easy solution for this: cover them up. Now, I’m not gonna go all college dorm room and throw a bunch of tapestries on the walls, but something has to be done.
Because I’m just as much a sucker for a good deal as I am for a quirky product, the Instantly Antique Wall Decals (Plasticland, $24.95) are my kind of wall art. As part of an exceptionally priced package, you get 35 full-color removable and restickable decals. A lot of these sticker frames are starting to show up lately, but this set has more than just a few frames – you also get hand-drawn wall art to supplement the set. So what if your flimsy walls won’t support a proper shelf? You can look arty with one of these decals instead! Also, while a lot of sticker frame sets include merely different sizes of the same type of frame, here you get varying sizes, shapes, and even colors.
I don’t know why anyone hires decorators, this is totes easy.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 12″ x 12″ portfolio
-Hand drawn accessories and frames
-Includes 4 sheets of full color decals
-35 decals total
-Removable and restickable
-Child safe polysheeve
-Made of phthalate free vinyl
It has been argued that being a woman is a lot harder than being a man. I mean, obviously there’s that whole childbearing thing, but there are also an outstanding number of appearance maintenance issues. Clearly one of the most time consuming issues is hair removal – whether it’s shaving, plucking, waxing, or tweezing. And as if the time spent undertaking this task wasn’t enough, just think about the cost! But what choice do women have? It’s either hair removal or Amazonian status.
While you probably won’t be using this to get rid of your leg or under arm hair, the Natural Hair Removing Threader (Hammacher Schlemmer, $124.95) brings the latest trend in facial hair removal right into your home. You’ve seen those eyebrow threading booths everywhere (even in the mail) and as tempting as it would be to try it out, I don’t think I’d want strangers staring at me. Regardless if you’re new to the process or a seasoned veteran who’s tired of paying someone else to do this simple task, you can use this device to remove hair right at the follicle. What’s so great about that? Well since hair is removed from the root, the skin stays smoother longer than shaving or waxing. This kit includes a numbing lotion, rice powder (to absorb skin oils), and an after threading moisturizing lotion as well as nine months of hair removal threads.
The one big bummer about this set? It’ll take a long time before your purchase becomes cost effective.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ x 7.5″ x 2.75″
-Easily removed unwanted hair
-Includes threader, 24 thread sets, emollient lotion, rice powder, and lotion
-Removes hair from the root
-Lasts longer than waxing or tweezing
-Up to 9 months of hair removal
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve ruined dinner because I had something to do that would “only take a minute” – it always takes longer than that, and by the time I’d get back to the kitchen it’d almost be on fire. Setting a timer seems like it would work except when I’m running around different parts of my house I can’t exactly see the stove, if you know what I mean. I need a quick and easy visual cue to keep myself on track…
…which is exactly what the Color Alert Kitchen Timers (Vat19, $9.99 – $14.99) do. Instead of relying solely on a faint beeping noise, each of these timers uses color codes to signal how much time is left before your kitchen bursts into flames (or, dinner is done). Whether you choose analog or digital, the method is the same: simply twist the timer clockwise to add time or counterclockwise to deduct it. The timer has a 60 minute set time maximum and will glow green when there are more than 10 minutes remaining. Once you hit that 10 minute mark, the color switches to yellow and will stay that way until you whittle your way down to a minute. At this point the timer will glow red, sounding an alarm to signal the end of the allotted time and continue to glow red for another full minute. Basically as long as you can remember to look at the timer, you and your food should be fine.
“Danger, Will Robinson! Your souffle is burning!”
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 2.5″
-Color changing timer alert:
-Green: 10+ minutes remaining
-Yellow: 1-10 minutes remaining
-Red: 0-60 seconds remaining
-Turn clockwise to set time
-Available in analog or digital
-60 minute maximum timer duration
-Digital timer can be paused or restarted
-Digital timer features 12 hour clock
-Batteries included
