By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I found this product at one of the trade shows that I visited recently. Innocuous little packaging, but the product name made me do a double-take: Quickshine Pure Silver Plating Spray, it’s called.
I have been going through my jewelry drawer, sadly lamenting the state of previous favorite pieces, now unworn for cause of being tarnished and silver-less beyond repair. Or so I thought.  I had been thinking that I needed something like the Quickshine plating spray, but I never knew something like this existed.
Here’s how the Quickshine website describes it: “It plates worn areas of silverware, [...]

We love Quirky. We love their “why-didn’t-I think-of-that” inventions. Like this Portion spoon, a combo of measuring spoons, measuring cup and mixing spoon. Because, why have 5 different kitchen tools when you can have just one?
That’s right. The Portion incorporates a graduated spoon that let’s one measure half teaspoon, teaspoon, and tablespoon measurements (3 tools right there). Then, the clear hollow handle measures up to 1/4 cup of wet or dry ingredients (4th tool) and the whole is, as you can see, also a mixing spoon (5th!), made of heat resistant silicone.
The Portion spoon is perfect for people in tiny [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Okay, I know this is going to sound vain but I want to look my best for my upcoming high school reunion. It is like Facebook – we want to be seen in the most positive light.
It will be 32 years since I have seen most of my high school buddies and I am really looking forward to this reunion of us all turning 50. Part of me wants to reconnect with some of my long lost friends and part of me is just curious to see what people look like and to know what [...]

With the mild winter we have had in most of the country this year, it doesn’t augur well for those of us who are not so crazy about insect life. Mosquitoes? Great way to ruin an evening.
And, we’ve all tried the ol’ citronella candles, but only with inconsistent and poor to moderate success. And no, we wouldn’t even dream of using toxic products just to products ourselves against… mosquitoes. But ha!, here’s something new and natural to keep those biters away, and like me, you had probably never heard about this: Andiroba oil!
The Andiroba is a tall Amazonian rainforest tree [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I am in love with Jo Malone fragrances but the size of any of the bottles makes it almost impossible to take along with me. Traveling anywhere with large bottles of perfume is just not convenient. I can’t take them in my carry-on without losing the bottle to TSA. And most definitely can’t fit a large perfume bottle in my evening clutch!
I have tried other travel-sized perfume bottles but I seem to always spill more perfume out of the funnel than I can get in the other bottle. Way too costly! And anyhoo, if the [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I love discovering products that make my life easier in the kitchen and with my small kitchen it is imperative that these clever finds take little or no space in my cupboards or drawers. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a quick meal staple in our home and to find something that allows my six year old daughter the ability to make one herself is pure genius.
The Toastabags allows you to make grilled cheese sandwiches in a regular toaster. Just stick the sandwich in the bag and toast to your liking. The grilled cheese comes out perfectly [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I must admit, our winter here in Chicago has not been unbearable this year. I might even have been easier to manage than our coming spring season. I’m fearing rain, lots of heavy, cold rain. And soggy dogs. And doggy footprints all over the just-cleaned floor.
I have, you guessed it, a clever find to the rescue. It’s called the Dirty Dog Doormat (I’m sure they mean “dirty” in a nice way).
The DDD (let’s call it that for short) is made of microfiber which, as you know, is the greatest dirt catcher in existence. As the company [...]

Picture it. You’re at the gym, cell phone tucked in your waistband because your yoga pants don’t have a pocket. Your car’s GPS just wants to send you on the freeway so you need your phone’s GPS to get the right surface street directions but you’re stuck with the wheel in one hand and a phone in the other. Altogether, not so smart.
Until this cute, colorful, bendable and flexible little gadget made an appearance: the Bondi. It’s a cell phone holder, propper, safekeeper…

 
There are dozens of ways to use this cute little gadget. In fact, the Bondi comes with 50 [...]

Ahhhh. Oftentimes it’s the simple things in life that make us happiest. Even in the kitchen. A little dose of happy just came in with this Snapi single handed server that I just discovered. What an adorable and practical little invention. One of those things where you wonder why it didn’t exist before…
The Snapi is a clamshell-like spring-loaded claw that makes picking up, well, practically anything easy, with a single hand, a whole serving with just one scoop.
I first tried it on all the items below (and then some) and am now using it as my favorite server. Sure, it’s [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Okay, I admit it. I am a closet potato chip eater. I have no cravings for sweet treats but hand me a bag of something crunchy and salty and the contents of said bag are gone. Ugh! This has been my nemesis for my entire life. I just cannot have chips in my home. And, you know as well as me that the “healthy” baked chips are just not the same.
Gone are the days when I could cut back on eating so that I could indulge my craving. As they say, “Once on the lips, [...]