Product Appreciation: Folle 26 Stapler

I recently had the pleasure of using the Folle 26 stapler and I can't say enough good things about it! It's a nice weight, the brushed metal feels nice, and it's the most reliable stapler I've ever met. One day I'd like to have one on my desk but the $74 price tag makes it an aspirational stapler...sigh... maybe one day.

It's also part of the MoMA's collection.

Product Appreciation: Plant Mister

I don't love the idea of houseplants but I do love the idea of using a plant mister. I'm not sure that I've ever seen one being used in real life but I know I've most certainly seen them in movies. The scenes are usually in lavish homes with greenhouses full of rare plants and a white-gloved butler is misting away. Get one here.

Product Appreciation: Sharpie Extra Fine Marker

Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers are too big. (These are the standard Sharpie size, don't be fooled by the name they're actually quite large)

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Markers are too small.

Sharpie's Extra Fine Permanent Markers are juuuuuuuust right.

...however, they are the hardest ones to find (and they only come in 4 colors but you probably don't need a Valley Girl Violet or Banana Clip Yellow Sharpie anyway). So, should you come across a fleet of Extra Fines I would like to encourage you to give one a test drive. I think you'll find they handle with greater maneuverability than the Fine Point and offer a smoother ride than the flimsy Ultra Fine.

Product Appreciation: Smart Wool Socks

My love affair with Smart Wool socks began when I was living in cold country. However, now that I'm back in the tropics they're still in heavy rotation. They're just so comfortable. Seriously, if you've never tried these socks you'll be shocked that you've been living your entire life wearing socks that come in a plastic bag with a litter of their siblings. Yes, they're about $20 a pair but they also last longer than any pair of socks I've ever owned.

Product Appreciation: Ab Ex Stamps

These stamps are my favorite stamps to be released in quite a while. The images are great, of course, but I love how enormous they are! The really help to make letters look livelier.

Product Appreciation: Rose Water

Ever since I read this article I've been putting rose water on everything. It's especially good with strawberries.

Happy 1st Birthday Order of Things!

Product Appreciation: String Dispensers

I'm rather fond of the idea of having a string dispenser but I'm afraid I don't use string enough to justify getting one. However, if I were to get one I'd want this cast iron one from Cast in Style. While researching these dispensers online, I also came across someone using a diner-style sugar dispenser for string, quite clever.

Product Appreciation: Sanford Giant Pencil Mountable Sharpener

My heart really goes out to the Sanford Giant Manual Pencil Sharpener. It may not be the flashiest or prettiest sharpener out there but its simple and sturdy design makes the electrical sharpeners that light up when the pencil is sharpened look like some real brown-nosers. The Sanford Giant is ready to work with you, not for you even in the worst power outages.

Product Appreciation: Kork-Ease Sandals

I recently watched The Runaways...and then I watched it four more times. It's a pretty silly movie and I'm still unsure why I enjoyed it so much but I think it has something to do with the film's mid-to-late 1970s So-Cal aesthetic. In fact, I was so taken with the cars, interiors and clothes that I purchased a pair of Kork-Ease wedges. They're surprisingly comfortable and make me feel like Cherie Currie.

Product Appreciation: Cotton Clouds

I never gave much thought to cotton balls until I tried Cotton Clouds, now I wouldn't dream of using anything else. Sure, I was pretty certain I would like them before I even used them because 1. their graphics remind me of Peanuts cartoons and 2. they come in a "rainbow pack" with a variety of pastel colors (the colors of the Clouds in the picture don't quite do them justice), which feels very fancy, even better, they get their color from natural vegetable dyes (white is also available for more serious individuals). Once I actually tried them I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually liked the product. They're absorbent, soft and don't leave little cotton whisps all over the place when they're damp. An added bonus is that because of the weave of the cotton, it is possible to separate them in half lengthwise for thinner Clouds.

Product Appreciation: Sonicare Toothbrush

I was once told this story of someone going to the dentist: the dentist looked briefly at her teeth and said to her "Your teeth are pristine, I don't have to do anything, you must have a Sonicare." And she did.

After hearing that story a few years ago I was sold on getting a super-duper Sonicare electric toothbrushe in theory but never got one because I thought they were far too expensive. After some uncomfortable gum recession from brushing too hard (yes, I'm the kind of person that brushes their teeth too hard) I decided it was time and opted for the HX6710 model. It's wonderful! My teeth have never been so clean.

Part of me thinks this feeling of cleanliness could be because the timer on the toothbrush encourages you to brush for a full 2 minutes, something I wasn't doing before, and not because the bristles of the brush are really that advanced. Then the another part of me thinks it's best not to think to much about it because at least I'm brushing for 2 minutes

Product Appreciation: Chemex Coffee Maker

When I first started The Order of Things, I made a list (big surprise, huh?) of classic products I think are beautifully and thoughtfully designed that wanted to write about. The Chemex coffee maker was the first product that came to my mind. I love that the design is so simple and yet so effective.

Here's what my beloved New York Times T Blog recently said about it.

Product Appreciation: Baggu

I became aware of Baggu bags when a dear friend of mine started working for the company. Since that day, I have seen them all over the place. I like to think they're so popular because they are so incredibly functional as reusable shopping bags. They can hold an incredible number of things and fold into nothing.

The bags pictured above are the classic but they also have a wide variety of other bags and in just as many colors.

Product Appreciation: Label the Cable

"Cord control" products are a dime a dozen these days however, I am confident that the German company Label the Cable has created the most versatile cord labeling/managing system to date. Label the Cable products use a clever combination velcro, elastic and label all of which allows you to not only keep the slack of a cable under control but also strap chargers to their designated devices when they're not in use.

It's the cord control system to end all cord control systems (rolls off the tongue doesn't it?)

Product Appreciation: L.L. Bean Rubber Moc Bean Boots

Chances are, if you've seen me since January 1st I've been wearing a pair of Rubber Moc Bean Boots from L.L. Bean. Now, I know that this is not my first post which sings the praises of Mr. Leon Leonwood Bean's products (and I doubt it will be my last) but these shoes have actually made my winter better! I think I resisted buying them for so many long winters because I was concerned that they would be too "ducky," however, I've been pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and downright wearable they are.

Click here to watch a video on how they're made!

Note: the sizing is a bit strange so be sure to read the info on the Bean website.

Product Appreciation: Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats

Bob's Red Mill rolled oats make Quaker oats seem like little flakes of fish food.

Product Appreciation: Folding Stool

I love this folding stool from ThreePotatoFour because it looks like what Katherine Hepburn would sit on to put on her riding boots.

Product Appreciation: Uniball Micro

After my Pilot P-500 post I have had four separate conversations that have gone a little something like this:

Friend: "I read your blog."

Me: "Thank you!"

Friend: "Yeah, I saw the thing about pens. Have you ever tried the Uniball Micro? It's my favorite."

So, although I find the Micro to be a decent pen that's occassionally too scratchy, I thought it deserved some recognition because it has such a devoted following.

Product Appreciation: Incase Double Combo Charger

One day we will live in a world where all electronics use the same charger but until then there's the new Incase Combo Charger for iPods and iPhones. It lets you charge one or two iPhones/iPods at home or in your car!

Product Appreciation: Albert Maysles Glasses

Seeing the world through Albert Maysles' eyes may be the only thing better than rose-colored glasses?