Nothing beats a home cooked meal (except for a home cooked meal that has no dirty dishes), but unfortunately it is not always possible to have one. While homemade taste may not always be possible, a taste of home can.

Freshly ground black pepper may or may not remind you of home, but the Chef’n Create-a-Grind Pepper Grinder certainly can. Featuring a hollow perimeter designed to allow a 4×6 photo to be slid in, the clear grinder allows for memories to be nestled in amongst the peppercorns. Complete with a steel rasp and a mechanism for an adjustable grind, the grinder adds a little touch of home at any table.

Food-inspired jewelry will never go out of style (as long as we keep eating, that is). However, it’s usually not the lowest rung on the food chain that gets the gold. Usually. In this case, it does get the gold. Literally. The un-fanciest of crackers, the lowly saltine, has now become elevated in status with the Golden Saltine Necklace. The 14 karat gold-plated brass cracker, handmade in New York by Emily Elizabeth Jewelry is stylish, unexpected and fun. I wonder if there is a real saltine under all that gold?

Click on the link and also check out two other food-related items, a turkey wishbone, and a gold-plated fortune cookie. Yes, that’s right: a gold-plated fortune cookie.

Having a small, dedicated fridge for the garage (or office, as the case may be) is a beer-drinkers luxury that offers much-appreciated convenience. However, the same small size that can be such a convenience can also be a hindrance, as it constantly needs to be refilled. Luckily, some appliances are prepared. The Haier 1.7-Cubic-Ft. HNSEW02 Dry-Erase Write Fridge tells you when it’s empty (assuming you remember to jot it down, that is). Complete with non-permanent markers and eraser, the mini-fridge not only keeps cold items always within reach, but also provides for that all-important artistic outlet that inevitably occurs while emptying out the fridge.

One of the dangers of ordering things off the internet sight unseen is you never really know exactly what is going to be in that package when it arrives on your doorstep. Sometimes you open the box only to be sorely disappointed. It could be because of size or construction quality, or the worst one, where we end up saying, ‘well, I could have just made that myself.’

In the case of the Dishware Wind Chime you know exactly what you’re going to get. It’s a buncha dishes tied together made to rattle around in the wind. Sure you could make this one yourself, but then you’d be hung out to dry (literally) at dinnertime. Besides, who wants to raid their cupboard for a mismatched place setting when you could just order one? (Item #32264)

A kitchen appliance that plays tricks with your eyes isn’t necessarily the first thing you want to see in the morning. However, stunning design is always appreciated. With these two appliances you get both.

[Read more →]

Just when it was thought the pinnacle of videogame-themed drinkware was achieved, along comes a new player to the arcade. Featuring Pac-Man Pac Boy and Space Invader Space Intruder graphics, the Heat Changing Arcade Mugs make a game out of drinking coffee.

Revealing themselves in all their retro-styled graphical glory when filled with a hot beverage, the mugs transform from an empty game field to one filled with attacking aliens and pesky ghosts. It won’t take a pocketful of quarters to defeat these enemies: a few quick gulps of your morning brew and these baddies disappear. Which is a whole lot cheaper than pumping quarter after quarter in the machine to fight the good fight. So, in a way, these mugs actually pay for themselves.