Best Buys

Best Vinyl Placemats for Indoors & Outdoors in 2024

Easy-clean vinyl placemats have come a long way in terms of style in recent years. Nowadays, you’ll even find these eye-catching placemats adorning tables in

The 5 Best Hard Floor Mops for Quick & Effective Cleaning in 2024

A pad-style hard floor mop makes it easy to get that satisfying squeaky-clean finish in just minutes. Here’s a quick look at the top pad

Dos and Don’ts to Avoid Electric Shocks at Home

Let’s talk about something we all use every day: electricity. It’s like the superstar of modern life, powering everything from our gadgets to our coffee

The Best Drinking Glasses For Everyday Use in 2024

It’s a tall order to name the best drinking glasses sets out of the thousands of options out there. Luckily, I spent nearly two decades

5 Easy Ways to Child Proof Blind Cords & Windowcoverings in 2024

Modern products like cordless blinds deliver an array of stylish solutions without the worry of dangerous dangling blind cords. Or, you can easily childproof existing

Tritan Plastic Glasses: 10 Top Brands for 2024

Tritan plastic glasses are the latest innovation in plastic drinkware, offering a perfect combination of clarity and elegance with superior durability and easy care. Along

Best Plastic Wine Glasses for Everyday Use in 2024

With so many choices of plastic wine glasses, picking the best line can be hard, and believe me, I know! I’ve worked with restaurant-quality plastic

The Ultimate Plastic Dinnerware Shopping Guide for 2024

Every year, a new round of plastic dinnerware and tableware sets hits the market. But to shop smart, you need to know which types of

Unbreakable Plastic Drinking Glasses: 5 Best Types to Buy in 2024

Unbreakable plastic glasses that truly live up to the name “unbreakable” are made from only three types of plastic – polycarbonate, Tritan, or polypropylene. Plastic

Ultimate Guide To The Best Plastic Dinnerware 2024

Plastic tableware is an outdoor dining staple in most homes, and its popularity as everyday dinnerware is on the rise. Nowadays, plastic dishes come in

Best Unbreakable Glassware for Home and Bar in 2024

Virtually unbreakable glassware is made in one of three ways: tempering, annealing, or infusion–which combines glass with a metal such as titanium at the molecular

3 Tips for Fitting Sofa Slipcovers with Loose Cushions

Finding and fitting slipcovers for sofas with loose cushions or pillows on the back can be challenging, but we found an easy way to get

How To Make S’mores In The Microwave in Just 30 Seconds

Just when I thought it was safe to pull out my size 6 jeans, I find a microwave S’mores maker. S’mores, at home, without flaming

5 Reasons to Switch to a Smart Door Lock in 2024

If you still use a traditional key and lock system on your doors, it’s time to upgrade. Smart door locks offer many advantages over traditional

Keep Fright Night Fun With These 10 Halloween Safety Tips

Spooky decorations, creepy costumes and candy-filled visions spur kids – and often the entire family – into a fun-filled frenzy on Halloween. But don’t let

Scare Up Some Fun With the Best Halloween Cake Pans for 2024

No fright-night get-together is complete without a spooktacular Halloween cake. Shopping for skull, ghost, or jack-o’ lantern-shaped cakes? How about a tasty 3D haunted mansion

5 Best Margarita Blenders for 2024

The best margarita blenders have powerful motors and strong blades that get the ice texture just right. You simply can’t have a great frozen margarita

Best Bundt Pans & Bundt Cake Keepers for 2024

The best bundt cake pans cook evenly, release cakes cleanly and keep the fine details intact. Bundt cake pans come — quite literally — in

Best Glass and Plastic Stemless Wine Glasses for 2024

Multi-use stemless wine glasses are fast becoming a mainstay in homes, restaurants and bars. With the growing popularity of this drinkware shape, shoppers can now

Best-Selling Bundt Cake Pans – Bundt You Want Me, Baby?

Yes, it’s a shameful nod to an 80’s song, bundt I hope you will forgive me. That’s how much I love a good bundt cake

Fave! Michley Unbreakable Plastic Tumblers & Wine Glasses

The Michley collection is one of my personal favorites. It’s crafted from restaurant-grade BPA-free Tritan plastic and made to withstand the bumps, bonks and splats

Tips for Picking the Best Wall Paints for Kids

Over the years, we’ve been asked about the best paint for children’s bedrooms, nurseries, and busy family spaces. While we’re not professional painters, we seem

Make-A-Plate Kit by Makit: Make Your Own Artwork Plates, Bowls & More

Make-a-Plate, the same company that made those draw-it-yourself plate kits eons ago when we were young, is still cranking out priceless keepsakes. If you’ve never

DIY Budget-Friendly Holiday Gift Bag Ideas

Here are some super easy DIY fun holiday gift bag ideas. They’re fun ways to go green – and even save a little green –

Fave! Star Wars Mania Craft Book by Amanda Formaro

My online buddy Amanda Formaro (author of the fabulous CraftsbyAmanda.com blog) just published her latest, and perhaps greatest, craft MANIA book — STAR WARS MANIA!

DIY Homemade Recipe In a Jar Gifts

Homemade recipe in a jar gifts with beautifully layered ingredients topped with a flourish are a thoughtful and economical way to treat friends, coworkers, neighbors

Faves! Ten Easy Home Storage Solutions for Busy Families

Whether you’re chasing a busy toddler or are an empty-nester, homes can sometimes feel ready to burst at the seams. But a little creativity and

Slipcover Shopping Guide

We’ve helped thousands of customers choose the right slipcover solution for their home, and have made or installed countless slipcovers ourselves. Though we no longer

Childproofing Checklist: Safe Trekking with Toddlers

As any parent knows, taking young children for visits away from their childproofed, kid-friendly home can be stressful – sometimes downright unnerving. New surroundings inspire

Beyond Babyproofing: Fireplace Safety Tips and Hearth Safety

Fall winds and rustling leaves foretell of cozy family evenings around a crackling fire. A warm hearth is a welcoming spot in any home and

Beyond Babyproofing: Candle Safety & Worry-Free Flameless Options

If you enjoy the ambiance and great scents that candles add to a home, you’re not alone. Candle sales are up and they’re more popular

Beyond Babyproofing: Surprise New Grandparents with a Baby-Ready Gift Basket

Give new grandparents the tools they need for keeping busy grandkids! New grandparents play a special role in the lives of children, but they sometimes

Faves! Bar Tools & Wine Accessories

I have one rule when it comes to testing a bar or wine tool. I should be able to use it after a drink or

Faves! Battery-Operated Candles & Lighting

Safe, smart, worry-free, and smoke-free — battery-operated candles are a great way to enjoy candlelight wherever and whenever, without the danger of an open flame.

Faves! Kitchen Tools

I love to cook, and since I’m often rushing home from work to feed the family I gravitate toward tools that make prep and cleanup

strahl unbreakable plastic tumblers and drinkware

Fave! Strahl Unbreakable Plastic Drinkware

Strahl plastic glassware is a Top Tableware Fave in my book for style, quality and durability. I know the line very well since we stocked and sold it for over

Faves! Plastic Drinkware: Cups, Glasses & Tumblers

If you’re in the market for plastic glasses or tumblers of any sort you’re in luck. Plastic drinkware is no longer a seasonal line. We

Faves! Serving Essentials

Who doesn’t love a good party? That’s an easy one — the party host who doesn’t have the right serving tools! Talk about misery —

Faves! Recipe Organizers

Ask any cook what they love to collect and recipes are sure to be a top answer. From magazine clippings to computer printouts to well-loved

Fave! Forever & Grand Plastic Drinkware by Prodyne

We stocked Prodyne brand kitchenware for many years and their Forever & Grand unbreakable plastic drinkware lines are tops in my drinkware Top Faves. We no

Fave! Napa BPA-Free Plastic Wine Glasses & Stemware

The plastic stemware collection we once sold under the Napa brand now goes by many names — Sonoma, Leadingware, even Wine Enthusiast on occasion. But

Fave! Clarus Brand Plastic Drinkware

The Clarus plastic drinkware collection is a Top Tableware Fave in my book for style, quality and durability – and I know it well since

Faves! NordicWare Plastic Microwave Cookware & Dishes

NordicWare Plastic Microwave Cookware is amazingly versatile, offering many specialty pieces that take full advantage of microwave cooking patterns. We stocked most of the line

Fave! Cakepops Made Easy with the Cake Pops Baking Pan

If you’re a fan of cakepops (and really, who isn’t?), then you’ll love this kitchen fave. It’s the Cake pops Baking Pan, proudly made in

Video DIY: Easy to Make Wine Glass Charms

Help party guests keep track of wine glasses and other stemware with these easy-to-make wine glass charms. A pair of needlenose pliers and a quick

Faves! Disposable Partyware

As if you don’t have enough to worry about when planning a party! Have you SEEN the vast array of disposable tableware options online? Not

Faves! Plastic Stemware & Specialty Glasses

If you’re in the market for plastic martini or margarita glasses, champagne flutes, or specialty stemware like hurricanes or dessert dishes, you’re in luck. Once

Faves! Durable Plastic Mugs for Beer, Coffee & More

If you’re in the market for plastic mugs that look great and hold up to years of use, check out my reviews and top picks

Faves! Easy-Clean Pillows for Kid-Friendly Style

As one of the easiest, quickest and least expensive home decorating solutions, throw pillows are a particularly easy way for parents to add a dash

Faves! Washable Area Rugs Perfect for Busy Family Life

Have an area in your home that needs a style refresher or a pop of color to liven things up? Area rugs offer a quick

The Miracleware Microwave Rice Cooker: Easy Cooking Instructions

If you’ve lost your MiracleWare or PrepSolutions Microwave Cookware Instructions and need a replacement copy, you can find them below. The PrepSolutions (formerly called MiracleWare) plastic microwave cookware

Fave! Lead Test Kits Make it Easy to Prevent Lead Exposure

Lead-contaminated childrens’ products have topped the recent news stories… and for good reason. Lead exposure can have a very profound and long-term negative affect on

Fave! Wire Storage Cubes for Quick, Cheap Home Organization

From kids’ rooms and family areas to closets and bathrooms, I’ve been using these versatile wire-sided storage cube units with great satisfaction for years. Decades

Baby Gate Reviews: Stairway Banister Installation Kit How-to’s

A professional babyproofer gave us the inside scoop on how to turn Cardinal Gates’ No-Holes Banister Clamps into a versatile kit that lets you install

Baby Gate Installation Kit Reviews & Where to Buy: Metal Stairway Railing Installation Kit by Cardinal

For informational purposes only. If you’re unsure of your skills installing baby gates or other childproofing items, hiring a licensed installer is the smart choice!

A Truly Tea-Riffic Tea Infuser for You Tea Lovers (and Me, Too!)

I love tea. Truth be told I love coffee too, but that’s a morning love affair. A nice cup of tea is what I crave

Faves! 3 Fun Ways to Teach Kids Greener Habits

Green Living… Eco-friendly… Earth-Wise… You really can’t open a magazine, blog or browser these days without hearing about new ways to save the Earth. I

Fave! TV Straps Protect Children From a Deadly Home Hazard

It’s a tragedy that’s surprisingly common. A child reaching for something as mundane as a juice box pulls a heavy television over, is caught underneath,

Video DIY: DIY Recipe Binders Make a Great Mom’s Day Gift

If you have a Mom who loves to cook, collect recipes and try new dishes, then a customized recipe binder or recipe box might be a

Fave! Countertop Composters – An Easy First Step in Cutting Household Waste

I admit I’m not likely to be the greenest gal in the crowd, but I try to do my part. So I’m always thrilled to find products that make “doing

Faves! Plastic Dishes and Glasses Made in the USA

In the age of endless imports filling store shelves, it may surprise (even shock?) you to know that yes, there are still a few things being

Quick Tips for Keeping Kid’s Rooms Organized and Looking Good

If you have more than one child sharing a bedroom — or are just plain short on space (and who isn’t these days?) — here

Video DIY: How to Make Custom Recipe Binders & Card Boxes

Recipe binders are a great way to organize all of those clipped recipes from magazines, recipe printouts, and cards all in one convenient go-to cookbook. Customized recipe binders

Safe Holiday Home Decorating Ideas for Busy Families

Armed with a few safety precautions, decorating alternatives, and a dash of creativity, parents can create fun, worry and hazard-free holiday homes for all to

Fave! Collapsible Bowls and Carriers Make the Most of Kitchen Storage

Cooks everywhere, especially those of you navigating tight kitchens, prepare to rejoice! A new generation of space-saving collapsible kitchen tools has arrived to make even

Fave! Organized Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning for the Free-Spirited

Believe me, if I can create a manageable method for grocery shopping, and stick to it, there’s hope for all freestyle grocery shoppers out there!

Tips to Keep Dishwasher-Safe Plastic Glasses Looking Good

Oh, the promise a plastic glass labeled “top rack dishwasher-safe” holds! Carefree kitchens with drinkware that’s not only unbreakable, but dishwasher-friendly. But anyone with a

Stay on Budget with a Babyproofing Plan

From diapers to formula, not to mention all the other “stuff,” parents can quickly find themselves spending a good amount of money on little ones’

Childproofing Checklist: Baby Safety “Gotta-Do” Areas

Shop Smart! Print the DIY Childproofing Checklist before you hit the stores. Visited a baby superstore lately? You’ll agree there are ALOT of childproofing products

Childproofing Checklist: Baby Safety Gates 101

Baby safety gates are effective barriers in many areas of the home and come in a variety of designs to meet different needs. Selecting the

Five Easy – Even Effortless – Ways to Reduce Household Waste

As I begin this entry — a look at five easy ways to reduce household waste without even realizing it — I wonder if readers

Storage Strategies for Busy Family Homes

It’s just common sense — and for parents, common knowledge — that storage needs multiply rapidly when children arrive. So what’s a style-sensitive parent to

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