Penelope Loves Lists » Penelope’s Favorite Products

Genius Idea for the new mom: Sticky Bellies

Meredith — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:50:19 +0000

True confession time: I’m not so great at taking photos. In fact, I suck. Horribly. There are entire years of my childrens’ lives that have gone mostly unphotographed. I know. It’s truly terrible.

It’s like I was born without the proper photo-taking gene. I believe my sister got every last ounce of that gene in our family, unfairly leaving me with zero. (Which is odd, because I’m older, but who am I to question the way these things work?)

But, I do very much want to document the first year of my son’s life by taking a photo of him every month in roughly the same place and position. We’ve all been inspired by Nicole at Making It Lovely, right? She’s done this for both her kids and it’s a wonderful way to watch them grow.

Today, I found this product, which I think will make the project easier for me. It’s called Sticky Bellies. It’s a pack of 12 stickers that you can stick on the front of your baby’s onesie or shirt each month. They’re adorable. They’re designed to look sewn on, for that handmade vibe we’re going for with these photos. They make it easy to tell how old baby is in each photo.

And, at just $15 for the pack, they are a great shower gift for any new mom.

I hope Sticky Bellies makes a million dollars on this product, because it’s such a genius idea.

New obsession: Girl of All Work

Meredith — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:07 +0000

Very few things make my heart skip a beat faster than a new online retailer of pretty office supplies. Maybe a shirtless David Beckham. No…I’m actually more excited by this new find.

Have you seen Girl of All Work? Penelopes, you must.

Their site isn’t huge, yet. It’s focused and well-curated. It’s no See Jane Work – yet – but it’s got tremendous potential.

I love every item they’re offering. The designs are exquisitely cute and the prices are reasonable compared with similar retailers.

Here’s a glance at what went into my shopping cart at Girl of All Work today:

Classic Tiles Page Flags

Peel and Stick Tabs

More Peel and Stick Tabs

Birdie Notebook with both lined and blank pages

A Teapot Journal for jotting down recipe ideas

My only two suggestions for the awesome people at Girl of All Work? More and larger images, especially showing the inside of notebooks, tablets and pads and more inventory. I know they’ll get there soon. They’ve got so much potential here.

Have you found any great new online retailers lately to help you find pretty office products? Let us know!

A Really Juicy Giveaway of Knock Knock Organization Products

Meredith — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:00:21 +0000

I love the line of products offered by Knock Knock Products. They’re so useful and witty, just like Penelopes. Their tagline is “we put the fun in functional.” Isn’t that perfect?

So imagine my happiness when the great folks at Knock Knock asked me to do a giveaway for all of you. Score!

Here’s what we have to offer in this fantastic giveaway package. One super lucky winner will receive ALL these items:

I’m most excited that my absolute favorite Knock Knock product is part of the gift pack. It’s the What To Eat Fridge Notepad. I use it for menu planning every week and find it indispensable. My family loves that they can easily glance at the pad and know exactly what we’ll be having that week. I like that it keeps things super organized and has cute little boxes to check. Hey, I get my kicks where I can!

One thing of note, I use the right side of the What To Eat Pad as my shopping list for the following week, rather than for the things they assign to those spaces. But I figure they’ll be ok with my creativity.

To enter the giveaway:

1) leave a comment here telling me which Knock Knock product knocks your socks off
2) leave a comment saying that you’ve tweeted this post
3) or, you can do both and double your chance to win.

All comments must be in by Sunday, January 16th, 2010 at midnight. A winner will be selected randomly and announced soon after on the blog and via email.

Good luck!

I bet no other blog is going to post about battery organization

Meredith — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:00:39 +0000

Isn’t it true? All the other blogs out there are doing these fantastic posts with great holiday shopping guides (here and here to name just two), or clever ways to wrap your Christmas gifts. Really cool stuff. And here I am, blogging about battery organization. The excitement is dizzying, I know.

Buuuuut, as we get ready for the holiday, we really need to get totally stocked up on batteries. The WORST thing is to get stuck on Christmas morning not being able to get your toys and gadgets up and running because you’re out of batteries. Buzz kill!

I’ve long had a place in my supply closet where my batteries lived, but I’m considering upgrading to this battery organizer from The Container Store.

Nifty, right? I said nifty, not sexy. It’s not sexy. You’re not getting this out and putting it on your dining room table when your mother-in-law comes to Christmas Dinner. But, it’s useful!

It gives you lots of space for all the different battery sizes you need to have in stock, and offers a handy place to test the battery life left in each one.

For me, having sections for each size battery helps me instantly recognize which ones I’m running low on and need to replish.

There’s also this cute, cheaper number from Organize.com. That’ll do, too.

So, whether or not you want a specific product for organizing your batteries, remember to stock up this week for the holidays. Don’t forget to buy some of those weird, little, flat, round lithium batteries, too. More and more things are requiring those. You’ll be your kids’ hero when they get that favorite toy and you can jump up and hand them just the batteries they need to get it up and running.

I realize batteries and their organization is mind-numbingly boring for most people. But I’m curious, and I bet other Penelopes are, too: how do YOU keep your batteries organized? Where do they live in your home?

Good question: how to organize your knitting

Meredith — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:00:08 +0000

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from Penelopes asking me how I handle certain organization dilemmas. (Though, I gotta say, I’m not a professional organizer, I just have my own way of doing things, so, fair warning.) Any time I get the same question several times, I think it’s time to make a post of it. That’s the case here.

The most recent email was from a Knitter/Penelope named Mary who read my post praising knitting as a great hobby, and asked how I keep my knitting-related gear organized.

My method isn’t groundbreaking at all, but I’ll share it with you:

I keep my “stash” of yarn, which, honestly, is teeny tiny compared to most knitters, in a large canvas tote like this one:

I don’t let my stash get bigger than what will fit in that tote. It’s a slippery slope, the stash, and I’ve had to force myself to stick to that space. My house just isn’t big enough for all the yarn I’d like to own.

I keep my UFOs (that’s knit-speak for “unfinished objects” or projects in process) just sitting on top of that tote, where I can quickly reach grab whatever project tickles my fancy at the moment. I keep the corresponding patterns for those UFO’s in clear plastic sleeves slipped into the side of the tote, again, making them easy to grab when I need them.

I keep my needle collection in an expandable file like this one. Each pocket is, of course, labeled according to needle size. This keeps all my needles readily accessible, even those hard-to-wrangle circular ones. I keep labels from yarn I’ve used, each one noted with the color and project name, in the back of this folder. That way, I can refer back and order more of a specific yarn and lot number if I need to do that.

Finally, I keep my “notions”, (scissors, measuring tape, pen, stitch markers, embroidery needles, etc.) on the table next to my knitting chair, in a medium-sized felted bowl that I made from a pattern in Leigh Radford’s One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit or Crochet" target="_blank">One Skein book.

That’s my system. I warned you it wasn’t earth-shaking. It does work well for me, though.

Are there any other Knitter Penelopes out there want to weigh in with theirs? We’d love to hear from you.

It’s the little things: a scarf organization tool that makes me smile

Meredith — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:00:26 +0000

I’m a scarf girl.

Maybe it’s because I hate coats (we rarely need them in the SF Bay Area), maybe it’s because I’m a knitter, but either way, scarves are my favorite accessory.

I’d struggled, though, with a nice way to keep my scarves organized. Seemed like any way I did it they either got lost in my closet or felt so cramped that I couldn’t really see all my scarves. I’d forget about some of them entirely.

And then, one day, while idly perusing the aisles in my local Container Store, I found the perfect solution: the Classico Chrome Accessory Rack.

These suckers are cheap for how large and sturdy they are. At just $2.99, I decided to spring for two.

I came home and put them to work, hanging these chrome s-hooks on two hooks installed on my closet wall (though they could also easily go on the regular hanger rod). They’re a perfect fit and they are super easily accessible. Now I can get dressed, grab my Scarf o’ the Day and get myself on the road.

Three cheers to small things that give me a happy, little Penelope moment every single morning.

Have you found a solution to a (relatively) small organizing problem that brings you happiness each day? Share, share!

Back in Action with Bailey Doesn’t Bark

Meredith — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:00:02 +0000

Hello Penelopes! I’ve missed you! My little break has done exactly what I’d hope it would: left me energized and ready to hop back into the saddle.

Today I wanted to share a short post about this sweet, personalized notebook from Bailey Doesn’t Bark. It’s the perfect place for your To Do List or as a notebook to keep in your purse to capture those random thoughts you get throughout the day.

I love the idea of having a notebook that says “The Book Belongs to Meredith” on the cover. Brings out the 3rd grader in me. (Back then, I always wanted things with my name on it. I couldn’t find them, however. They never, EVER made things with “Meredith” printed on it. Miss Nancy from The Romper Room never “saw” me, either. I’m still bitter about it.)

You could also put a classic To Do List on the cover.

At $16, this 5×7, lined notebook, made in the USA (yah!), is a great treat for you or for your Penelope friends.

I also love the personalized Postcard Cup they offer. They send you a special pen, you fill in your own message and then bake it to permanence. So fun.

And finally, I’m coveting the slightly edgy “Ant on My Necklace”. I think people would be surprised if I wore this.

Check out the Bailey Doesn’t Bark shop. I think you’ll find a new favorite place for unique gifts. And, by the way, Bailey is the owner’s apparently quiet dog. That was bugging you a little bit, wasn’t it?

Oh, and one more thing: I’ve had to enable Comment Moderation on the site, not because of comments from real people, but because of a barrage of spam commenters. All their IP addresses are different, so my spam filter isn’t catching them. So, when you leave a comment, it’ll be held just until I can get in and approve it. I’ll check regularly, so, no worries. Darn those spammers!

I’ve got a thing for Mr. Clean

Meredith — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:00:39 +0000

Seriously, I think my first crush was the Mr. Clean man on the Procter & Gamble logo when I was about 11. He was so big and brawny and…tidy. I thought he’d make the perfect husband. Granted, he was quickly replaced by Tom Cruise in “Top Gun”, but for a second there, Mr. Clean was my man.

He still is, really, especially with his Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads, 8-Count Box" target="_blank">Magic Eraser. You guys have one, right?

When you see the commercials, this white foamy pad seems too good to be true. But I’ve used it for more than a year now and it’s still my “go to” tool when there’s something – anything- in my home that nothing else will get clean. I use it for a scratch on my bathroom tile floor, nail polish on my (crappy, old, got-it-at-Target) dining room table (thanks, 15-year-old daughter) and for the of marks that appear mysteriously on the inside of my refrigerator. And, there are many more uses than I can possibly list.

Really, every time there’s some weird little thing marring the perfection of my (fill in the blank), I grab my Magic Eraser and it’s gone. And they last forever. I’ve used one sponge for 6 months. They just sort of re-puff after they dry and and are ready for the next use. Now, granted, I’m sure there are several things on which you should NOT use the Magic Eraser, so do proceed with care. But I’ve not had anything but success with it, yet.

In fact, I’ve been known to get into cleaning jags and Magic Erase my house for extended periods of times, roaming around just looking for things to use it on.

I realize I need a new hobby.

Let me say that the good folks from Mr. Clean are not paying me for this blog post. In fact, they don’t know I exist, nor, I’m sure, do they care. I, however, love this little wonder so much that I had to make super sure you all had one.

So, what’s your Wonder Tool? And let’s keep it clean, Penelopes.

Loads of Artwork and Not Enough Wall: how to organize your kids artwork

Meredith — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:00:14 +0000

One question I get all the time is how I handle my kids artwork.

Confession: I wish I were more sentimental about my kids artwork, I really do. They work so hard on it and, when they’re little, they’re so cute when they stick out their tongues as they concentrate on that perfect dinosaur drawing.

But, when they’re in that “artwork phase”, and that phase lasts for years, there’s just so darn much of it that piles up. The Penelope in me wouldn’t let me keep all of it, or, even, much of it, but I always ALWAYS felt guilty about throwing anything they made away.

Here are a few tips to keep both the Mommy and Penelope sides of you happy:

Create an Art “Gallery”:

With these cute artwork hangers from The Land of Nod, you can create a rotating “gallery” of your little Monet’s drawings. If you put it low enough on the wall of their rooms, the little ones can even learn to change out the artwork themselves. The art gets its time in the “The Gallery” and then gets recycled as new art takes its place. No guilt, you’ve done your part for the art.

Artwork Banner from The Land of Nod

An easy DIY of this item would be just to hang some yarn and use either cute clips available at Michael’s or Target or just painted and decorated clothespins. Would take just a bit more work, but accomplish the same thing.

You could also deem your refrigerator “The Gallery” and treat the whole family to the Artwork of the Moment.

Create a “Best Of” Album or File:

For those true masterpieces, create either a “Best Of” photo album or an expandable file, with pockets labeled for each of the kids. Or, each child could get an expandable file of her own, with each pocket labeled for a year of her life.

This way, those truly special items can be saved for posterity. Just make sure to “containerize” this (we’ve all read Organizing from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life" target="_blank">Organizing from the Inside Out and know about containerizing, right?) and not let the “Best Of” items grow larger than the space allotted.

Scan the Art and Have A Book Created for You:

Another tip comes from a Penelope named Michelle, who reminds us that you can scan the artwork and save it on your computer. When you’re ready, have it all made into a photo album by a website like Snapfish.com.

Create a Book of Your Child's Artwork

With any of these options, you’ll give your kids the attention their creativity deserves, and do it both stylishly and without a lot of stuff piling up. Perfect.

I’m sure the Penelope community has many more tips for how to control our kids artwork. What works best for you?

Places for Penelope’s Purse : why public restrooms must be designed by men

Meredith — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:00:26 +0000

I went into a McDonald’s the other day (for the sole purpose of going to the bathroom on a road trip) and was annoyed to find that there was no place whatsoever to put my purse while I was in the stall. What do they think we’re going to do with our bags? Put them on the floor? Of a McDonald’s restroom? One shudders.

I ended up managing to do what I needed to do with my bag never touching that floor, but I was so irritated when I left that I forewent a cheeseburger. That’s me taking an intense stand because I love me some McDonald’s cheeseburger. I railed on to my husband for 5 minutes about this afterwards and today, he brought home this handy little item for me:

Over The Door Hooks from The Container Store

So smart! It’s the Over the Door Hook from the Container Store. They come in packs of two so I was able to slip one into my purse and give one to a Penelope friend. Somehow I feel empowered knowing I’m no longer beholden to the designers of bathrooms in restaurants and movie theaters.

This made me remember that my sister-in-law carries The Handbag Hook with her so that she doesn’t have to put her purse on the floor when she’s in a restaurant. Clever.

The Handbag Hook from the Container Store

I’m not usually germ-phobic, but I do care about where I put my purse.

And I’m also weird about shoes. I obsess about what I’ve stepped in while I’m out and about and don’t want to track that into my house. Ick. I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Tell me you feel the same way.