Got Books? Get Bookends!

I love books; most of my clients love books; and many of you, my readers, love your books. So even though I wrote about bookends not all that long ago, I wanted to share my most recent discoveries — because these Yeti bookends from Sinki Industry were too wonderful not to share, right away. You can get them at MochiThings — or, if you read Korean, at 10x10. Both MochiThings and 10x10 also sell other Sinki bookends, including the Eiffel Tower and the cat.




NC Rustic sells a number of bookends made by Ironwood Industries, but these Zuni Fetish Bear bookends were the ones that first caught my eye. They're made from recycled sheets of steel.





Next, let's give thanks to Etsy for bringing us the bookends made by Lena and Dmitry of Design Atelier Article of Ukraine. The lemon and orange bookends are what first caught my eye, but the angel wings are pretty special, too.




And finally, here are some pretty amazing vintage roller skate bookends, sold by Uncommon Goods.

Related Posts:
Nice Bookends Don't Have to Cost $685
Treat Your Books to Some Nice Bookends: The Elephant Edition
Bookends for Those Who Haven't Totally Converted to the Kindle, Nook or iPad
5 Bodacious Bookends
For Book Lovers: Fun and Functional Bookends
A Bookend Menagerie — and More

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How to Hold the Rubber Bands

Photo by Michael Basial, found on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

No one needs a product specifically intended to hold rubber bands. Any little basket, bin or box will do — or you can use the approach that Michael Basial's relatives did, and just use the doorknob to hold them. (That's what I do, personally, with the few rubber bands I keep.) But if you'd like a fun way to store them, read on!




The newest product, available for preorder, is the Rafael rubber band holder from J-Me. There are three color choices, and each one ships with three rubber bands to start you out. [via Book of Joe]




Oomy makes this one: the Fitness Addict, which you can see on the company's Facebook page. This one comes with a few rubber bands, too. You can buy the Fitness Addict at Perpetual Kid. Oomy says it can also make these as branded products — that's a promotional product that would grab some attention!




The Rubber Bando comes from India, and you can order it shipped from there. If you're in Australia, you can get it from Roaring Hippo.

You can also go see the Metaphys desk organizer, with a container designed specifically for rubber bands, mentioned in my February 2009 newsletter.




And finally, let me mention some special rubber bands, which come to us from Switzerland: the Plattfuss rubber bands by tät-tat, made from recycled bicycle tubes. Each package has 70 rubber bands, in various sizes. You can buy them from tät-tat or Pico Bollo or Pigr. In the U.S., you can get them through Spitfire Girl.

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7 Creative Ways to Store Your Shoes

Shoe racks, shoe boxes, shoe pocket organizers — are those all too boring for you? Then you just might like these shoe tree tulips, designed by Anna Fankhaenel and sold by Freundliche Übernahme and Design-3000. [via Book of Joe]




Looking for a cute way to store some children's shoes? Then look at the bunny, elephant and frog shoe racks at My Sweet Muffin. You can adjust the height between the tiers. [via Apartment Therapy]





Just want an easy way to make better use of your shoe storage space? The men's and women's shoe organizers from Vinçon might be exactly what you need.




But if you're looking for a really fun storage piece, take a look at the Shoe Tree Z and Shoe Tree T at Fashion for Home — and give thanks to Dutch designer Mark Hark. The shoe tree itself comes in white or black; the 12 boxes that fit into it come in white, black, red, turquoise and violet. (However, I'm only seeing the black and white boxes on the U.S. site; the Netherlands site has all five colors.)




Fashion for Home also sells a modular shoe cabinet, available in three sizes (Set I, Set IV and Set VI); the shoe boxes are optional. The smallest version will hold 12 shoe boxes; the largest will hold 44.




And Fashion for Home has yet another option: this space-saving cabinet called Spinn. However, I don't see it on the U.S. site.




Finally, while shoe cubbies aren't all that unusual, having them made from redwood certainly is. These are Mia's Shoe Cubbies from Forever Redwood; they come in five different sizes. (Custom sizes are available, too.) And you can get them with three rows, all the same height — or two rows, where the bottom row is twice as tall as the upper one, to accommodate boots. Three grades of redwood are available, including one that's all reclaimed wood — and two other woods are also available, including another reclaimed-wood option.

Related Posts:
The Definitive Guide: 15 Ways to Store the Shoes
Stashing the Shoes: Yet More Options
Fancy-Schmancy Shoe Storage for Your Closet
Storing Shoes of All Shapes and Sizes

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Using the Alphabet: Hooks with Letters

Hooks are such wonderful organizing tools — and I have so many cool ones to share — that I decided to turn this into a series. And today I'm focusing on hooks with individual letters — which could be used to spell out something, to distinguish what each hook is used for, or simply to look cool. The iron letter hooks above come from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.




Wrought Iron Haven is another source for iron letter hooks, in a somewhat different style.




And Penelope Tom has alphabet letter hooks in "shabby vintage style" made from white-painted metal.




Anthropolgie's alphabet hooks provide a totally different look.




Whitehall makes the Cloister Monogram Hook, which you can find at Aspenberry and Greentagged. The filigree monogram hooks at Ballard Designs appear to be the same thing, although they aren't identified as such. Greentagged notes that "being environmental conscious is not a new concept at Whitehall Products. Since 1941, the products have been handcrafted from recycled materials - primarily aluminum." They come in three different finishes.




And finally, there are the lettres from Pêpin Le Malin. [via BabyGadget]

Other posts in the series:
Back to Basics: Organizing with Simple Hooks

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Small Space Organizing: Making the Most of the Walls

Have limited storage space? Using the walls is always something to consider, and these wallpockets from Amerpersand are one interesting way to make use of that space. They're manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, from recycled cardboard. They're for sale at three places in Cincinnati, and retail outlets beyond Cincinnati are planned.




Then there's #topos, from the German company Pulpo. I found this through Shoebox Dwelling, which writes: "The series of powder coated metal sheets can be attached to the wall to create a storage area as big or small as your space requires. All modules have slots into which metal triangular pockets are inserted. And if you need to store something more substantial than paperclips and trinkets, a bigger tray can be placed instead of the triangles, creating a shelf."

I've contacted Pulpo, which informs me there's no shop in the U.S. selling this product — but you can buy it directly from Pulpo. If you let the company know what you want, they'll get you a freight quote.




And if you're crafty at all, you might enjoy making an embroidery hoop wall pocket, using the pattern from Sew Daily. If you want to get really inspired, take a look at the very cool wall pockets shown on Spotted Stones and A Fabric Affair.

Related Posts:
3 Unusual Ways to Use the Walls
Zid Zid Kids - Wall Panels
Cache-pyjama Hippo - Fun Storage from France
Wall Pockets: Not Just Plastic Anymore
Your Mail Needs a Home (see option 4)
Small Space Organizing: Using the Walls
Return of the Wall Organizers

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Donating that Single Sock or Lonely Glove

Photo of Pacific fisher by U.S. Forest Service, Region 5; found on Flickr. Photo is in the public domain.

Got some socks with no mates? Those socks can find a good home with the University of California's Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project. As YubaNet reports:

A University of California wildlife research team working in the Sierra Nevada is asking the public to donate clean, gently used socks for research on a rare weasel called the Pacific fisher. ...

After years of experimentation, the research team has determined that socks are the ideal receptacle for hanging fisher bait in trees. The baited socks are hung in trees in view of motion-activated cameras. As the animal moves, climbing the tree and chewing on the sock, the camera takes photos that allow the scientists to identify the species.

The researchers are going through 250 pairs a month. ... The scientists don't need new socks; they would prefer old, unmatched, non-holey ones, something everyone has cluttering up their sock drawers.

You can read more about this project — including where to send the socks — on the YubaNet site, or on the Sacramento Bee web site. [via Cynthia A. Smith and Avital Binshtock]




And what about those gloves with no mates? Glove Love in London will take them, clean them, pair them up with other single gloves, and sell them to glove lovers. "The money goes to Green Thing, which is a not-for-profit organisation set-up to inspire people to lead greener lives." It seems the single gloves are matched not just by size but also by general type: mittens with other mittens, for example.

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Three More Ways to Make Recycling Easier

Looking for something a bit different to collect your recyclables? I've written about recycling bags and bins before — see Related Posts at the end — but I've now found some more.

Let's start with Husmus, from Muungano. The bags are made from recycled plastics, and are designed to fit under the kitchen sink. [via Better Living Through Design]




Old News from Creatables gives you a nice way to collect newspapers to haul out to the recycling bin. Apartment Therapy explains that Old News is "made from excess felt from the production of indoor tennis courts."




And these recycled recycling bags come from At West End, which explains: "Discarded newspapers from around the world are collected in the Philippines and made into these reusable bins to collect your recyclables. Laminated and durable for easy wipe down."

Related Posts:
Recycling Made Easier: Recycling Bags
Recycling Made Easier: Recycling Bins

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2012 Wall Calendars: Cats and Dogs — and More

I'm always on the prowl for good calendars this time of year — for the blog, of course, but also for my own gift-giving. While I'm personally looking for cat calendars — a cat calendar is my traditional Christmas gift to one friend — I appreciate the other cool calendars I find, such as this one: the 2012 Boston Buddies Rescue Calendar. What's not to like? It's got cute animal photos and nice boxes for writing in, and it benefits dog rescue work.




I found that Boston Buddies calendar through Lili Chin of Boogie's Blog, who has her own calendar: Boogie on Scooters. (Boogie is on the cover of the Boston Buddies calendar.)




Moving on to cats, here's the Cranky Cats calendar by Cindy Schmidt of Indigo Art. You can buy it from Cindy by sending her an email at queenofbugs@yahoo.com, or you can buy it at Cat Alley. (Photo provided by Cindy and used with permission.)




If you'd like a non-animal calendar, here's a 2012 calendar from Rethink Ink Design printed on "post-consumer waste recycled paper stock." The theme of this calendar is fresh, local foods. (Photo used with permission.)




For the minimalists who'd prefer no illustration at all, here's the 2012 calendar from Redstar Ink, also printed on recycled stock. [via Apartment Therapy]




While all the calendars I've mentioned so far were new finds for me this year, there are a number of calendars I've written about in prior years that now have a 2012 version available. This one is from Nakisha of Blue Dog Rose, but you might also like these:
- Classic Crop Circles
- Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies
- Hawaii Cats
- Kiva calendar
- Multifaith Calendar
- Nantucket Mermaid
- Nice Jewish Guys
- New Zealand photography calendars from Craig Potton
- Seva Calendar

Related Posts with other 2012 calendar finds:
First Look: 2012 Wall Calendars
Helping Dogs and Cats in Need: 2012 Calendars for a Cause
Two Unique 2012 Wall Calendars

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The Holidays Made Simpler: Easy Gift Wrapping with Gift Bags and More

For those of us who never learned to do great gift wrapping — or who simply don't want to spend the time on it — gift bags are a wonderful thing. And while even gift wrap paper can be reused, a good bag is ever more likely to have a second life — or third, fourth or fifth. The gift bags from Quotes & Notes are cotton muslin drawstring bags that have been hand block printed.




Fun Bags For Everyone has a large selection of holiday gift bags, in three sizes. The store owner says: "My mother was a professional seamstress. She taught me how to sew over 35 years ago and bought me my first sewing machine which I’m still using today. My favorite item to make these days is fabric gift bags. ... They are washable and reusable and last for years which eliminates a lot of paper and waste."




Bag The Habit has simple gift bags made from recycled fabric. [via Inhabitat]




The gift bags from Globally Cute are made from recycled Indian English-language newspapers. They may not be as durable as some of the other options, but they sure are interesting!




This "origami fabric gift bag" is just one of the many Christmas holiday bags — including wine bags — from Goose's Bags and Gifts. There are also plenty of bags, in four sizes, that are not specifically for Christmas.




Speaking of wine bags: For those giving wine — a nice consumable gift — there are many cool choices. Diane Sudhoff of South House Boutique makes jute (burlap) wine bottle gift bags with a chalk cloth label you can use instead of a gift tag.




I can't find Reisenthel's bottlebags on the Reisenthel web site, but they are available from Touch of Europe in the U.S., and here for those in Europe.




Wine Wear is another fun way to wrap a wine bottle. There are many designs, not just holiday ones, but I decided to show you the one called Christmas Sweater.




Finally, this wine box from Stil Novo Design may cost as much or more than the wine you are gifting — but it was too gorgeous not to share. It's made from a recycled oak wine barrel. [via Alison Burtt]

Related Posts with more great gifts bags and such:
Simplifying Christmas by Saving Time on Gift Wrapping
Update: Simplifying Christmas by Saving Time on Gift Wrapping
Gift-Wrap Bags and Boxes to Simplify Holiday Gift-Giving
Wrapping Made Easy: Gift Bags for Wine
Simplifying the Holidays with Simpler Gift Wrapping

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Organizing Basics: Wastebaskets You'll Enjoy Using

Trash icon from the Noun Project

Want to make it easy to keep clutter at bay? One strategy is to have plenty of wastebaskets — which can also serve as recycling bins — throughout your home or office, so there's always one handy. And while I've found many delightful wastebaskets in the past — see that list of related posts — I've now found even more.




Let's start out with a splash of color with this wastebasket from Wayborn, available through Bellacor.




These Paperbag wastebaskets, designed by Jos van der Meulen and manufactured by Goods, are made from unused billboard posters. In the U.S., you can find them at Switchmodern and Greener Grass Design.




On a similar note, Kay + Stemmer made some limited edition wastebaskets from recycled fruit boxes.




Ekobo makes bamboo trash bins in two sizes and eight colors. One place to buy them is Matteria.




John Robshaw Textiles has foldable wastebaskets in three patterns.




Camille Love Designs has a number of trash cans, most of which don't appeal to me — but I do like these elephants.




RJ Fine Woodworking has wood wastepaper baskets in two sizes, made from various woods; the one above is made from American walnut burl.




If you have $1,000 or so to spend on a wastebasket, you might like the ones from Fornasetti. You can find them at Palazzetti andUnica Home.




And then there's Dustbin, from Brendan Ravenhill — a wastebasket with a dustpan lid, and a magnetized brush attached to the side. [via Ecosalon]




Finally, for all those who like the Vipp trash bins, you can now get a digital version — a Windows/Mac icon to replace the standard wastebasket icon. [via Mocoloco]


Related Posts:
A Green Wastebasket
Star Wars R2-D2 Trash Can
The Latest Things in Waste Cans
Binvention, from Sprout Design Ltd.
Trashcans with a Green Tinge
6 Wastebaskets You Won't Find Just Anywhere
7 More Wastebaskets You Won't Find Just Anywhere
8 Wastebaskets I Found Today
Wastebaskets and Trashcans, Revisited
Waste Bins and Baskets with Lots of Color
You Say Waste Bin, I Say Wastebasket (or Trash Can)
A World of Wastebaskets

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