HOME/GARDEN

There are no flies on him, our British Uncle Rupert used to say about our cousin Roger. That’s because Roger never went anywhere without a colorful plastic fly swatter like this one, 6” x 7” and hand-shaped, which was perfect for him because he also loved bidding at estate auctions in the Cotswolds. Handle is about 6-1/2” long, so the whole thing is 13-1/2”, but it telescopes out to a staggering 30” for hard-to-reach flies and antiques you absolutely can’t leave without! We’ll pick one in red, blue or chartreuse.

We’re fascinated by this thing. It’s a collapsible Red-Riding-Hoodish dispan/basket for your sink and beyond, with solid gray plastic rim, base and folding picnic-basket style handles, plus silicone sides in fashionable chartreuse. Measures 15" x 11" x 5-5/8" when open but collapses down to just 1-1/2” high for storage. Could also be a very nostalgic shopping basket, dandy for collecting garden vegetables. Hose-off-able and pretty much niftiness itself. Holds water like a champ and is great for camping.

We dare you to try and find something cuter than our small-fist-sized white porcelain hedgehog planter. “Prickles,” they call it, but you can call it anything you want. We call ours Jarvis, because we like the name. Just so we’re clear, this litter critter won’t come when you call it. It’s porcelain, and made by Kikkerland to host a cute little plant of your choosing. Measures 3-1/2” x 2.5" x 2" with nice facial and fur details and the cutest pointy nose of any planter we’ve ever seen. From Kikkerland®.

For when you just can't drag yours around anymore? No, for out-of-sight cigarette butt and ash disposal. This mini-bucket, sans handle, is a 3-1/4" dia x 3-7/8" tall black-composition ashtray that can sit on a desk or table, or fit neatly into a car's cup holder. Its removable lid has (3) slots to hold lit cigarettes and a small, cigarette-diameter hole so the butts slide out of sight and go out for lack of oxygen. Cuts down ambient dead-butt odors, too.

Or are you just an inaccurate swatter? Either way, this humongous fly swatter is what you need. The swatter end is 7-1/2” long by 6-1/2” wide and is on a telescopic handle that extends to 39” long, which means the buggers can’t escape to the tall ceilings anymore. Contracts to 16” long for storage and has a rubber grip. In neon green so you won’t misplace it.

One of our all-time favorite items, back in neon colors. These surprisingly sturdy fly-swatters have plastic grip-handles, mesh heads and extendability. Measure 10-1/4” long when compressed, but pull the 4-draw handle and they extend to a fly-smacking 28”. Yours will be bright yellow, lime green, fuchsia or orange, but they’re all attractive, and the flies won’t care.

OdorOuters. StinkSuckers. We like those names better than remodeez®, the charcoal remedy that “Outsmarts Smell,” but they work like magic. Activated charcoal is non-toxic, non-chemical, and really does remove odors and moisture. Perfect for the laundry pile, closets, gym lockers, storage bins, cars, boats, camping gear, backpacks—anywhere musty, chemical and all-too-human odors proliferate. You pick the pair of 3-1/2” dia purple circles, the 4” x 5” light-blue oval, or the 4” x 5” dark-blue rectangle.

No one likes drinking tea in the dark, which is why we’re offering this (2)-pack of wax-free, battery-operated, cool-to-the-touch decorative LED tea lights, aka votive candles. This way, you’ll never have to sip in the dark again. Your Earl Grey thanks you. Lights measure 1-3/4" from their plastic bottoms to their flame tips. On-off switch hidden on the bottom. Button cell batteries included.

Or go ahead and sew them on your underwear—it’s none of our business! This very slick (31)-piece sewing kit from Living Solutions™ comes in a hard-plastic travel case, 8” x 2-1/2" x 1-1/2” (like an eyeglasses case), and includes all your favorites: folding scissors, seam ripper, super glue, measuring tape, (4) buttons, (6) pre-threaded needles, (6) straight pins, (10) safety pins and…a thimble. Duh.

With justifiable pride, we offer for your consideration this set of fingernail and toenail clippers shaped like the appendage they're designed for. Keep these in your medicine cabinet and you'll never again suffer the heartbreak of inappropriate clipper application. In carbon steel with precision cutting blades, they measure 2” x 7/8” and 3-1/4” x 3/4”, hand and foot respectively.

So why can't you ever find one? Put a stop to that with this clear plastic storage box with (100) steel safety pins: (50) at 1-1/8"; (25) at 1-1/4"; and (25) at 1-1/2". Your grandmother would be proud of you.

You can do both with this non-functioning, fake electrical outlet that’s actually a small safe. Looks like an ordinary off-white outlet, but has a 7" x 2" x 2-1/4" cavity in back. Swap out a real outlet, or use the teensy drywall saw that’s included and make a new bogus one anywhere you like. This one even takes plugs for further verisimilitude. We suggest putting a burnt-out bulb in the lamp you plug into this outlet to fool the smarter burglars. Always work at least one step ahead.

Our 5” tall Mexican wrester bottle opener is forever in a squatting position with his arms linked in front of him, ready to pop a cap off a beer or soda. Outfitted in a black rubber suit and a matching mask with white highlights, he looks like he came straight from a Lucha Libre match. If a bottle opener could win a championship belt for style, this guy would win every time.

These shower curtains from Riverbend Designs aren’t exactly meteoric, but they’re definitely scientific and spacey! Made of quick-drying polyester, with (10) included hooks, these standard-size curtains, 71” x 71”, feature sharp, high-resolution designs of some of the universe’s coolest science and space images. All are machine- or hand-washable. You pick: the Atom with a dark blue background, orange nucleus and lighter blue orbiting electrons; the Nebula in shimmery purple and silver; the scattered periodic elements; Saturn in many soothing shades of blue with subtle white highlights; the sytlized Periodic Table of Elements on a hazy green background or the World Map, with adorable cartoon renditions of reigonal fauna and flora. Find yourself not needing a shower curtain, each would make a great wall tapestry!

What is everybody standing on? Standing on your feet for several hours for crafts, home repairs, or laundry can be exhausting and strain your lower body. Enter Kera Sota waterproof anti-fatigue mats. These thick 12-mm multi-layered mats provide a cushion between your feet and the hard floor. Our Anti-fatigue mats help improve traction, are stain resistant, reduce slipping, protect your floors from spills, and so much more! Very elegant charcoal gray design. So get your toes off the floor and get them on a cushioned multipurpose Anti-Fatigue Mat today! The kitchen loafers you never knew you needed are here, so don't let achy feet and legs prevent you from making that half trifle and half shepherd's pie. Our each is a super 2-pack, one is 19" x 47" and the other is 19" x 31.

Christmas is coming and it’s been a particularly stressful year, so the LTLKY Blood Pressure Monitor is the ideal gift for that person with everything, including anxiety. It measures 4-1/2" x 5” x 2-1/2" and has large 3/4” digital numbers on an easy-to-read 3-1/2” LCD display, with white backlighting. The approx 8-1/2" x 17-1/4" wide-range cuff fits most people, and (2) users can save up to (99) measurements in the monitor. Costs more than 30 bucks on the site named after a really big river, which is enough to give you high blood pressure if you didn’t have it already.

Life, and needle-threading, is hard enough, so this little tailor's friend has a 3/32" loop with a white LED below it so you can see what you’re doing. Includes a pair of button-cell batteries and the threader has a cover plus a little hook so you can string it on something and find it in your sewing box.

Bamboo and charcoal aren’t just for tiki bars and barbecues anymore. You’ve got smells—we all do—and these odor- and moisture-absorbing bamboo charcoal air purifying bags will eat them up. You’ll get (4) non-toxic, kid- and pet-friendly Hawk-N-Shop bags, approx 5" x 6" x 2" each, plus a bonus plastic refrigerator deodorizer, 5-1/8" x 2-3/4" x 1-1/4" with (2) suction cups. Bags are in tasteful brown/green earthy tones, with eyelets for hanging, and the fridge deodorizer is bright white. Reactivates by putting them in the sun every few months. Check out it's baby brother smaller set. Click