3 Gifts for Travelers

For the sentimental traveler:  This Compass Necklace from Uncommon Goods is meaningful and really cute.  The detailing makes it feminine and your choice of "Find Your Way" or "Follow Your Heart" makes it personal.  What a cool talisman for the traveler!  Much much cooler looking in person, hand made and sterling silver, this would be a great surprise in the stocking. 

For the practical traveler:  Eagle Creek's new Specter Packing Cubes are fabulous.  They are paper thin, but strong and they hold way more than what it might seem.  They come in white, a bright green (strobe) and orange and they are all opaque so you can see contents.  These will be in our stockings this year, and I will be color coding as well--green for me, orange for my son and maybe some clear for the inflight tote.  For backpacking or camping they would work great because they are so light and the fabric would slip in and out of backpacks with ease.  They come in sets of three and are also sold individually.

These are the type of thing that you didn't realize you needed until you have it, then you can't live without it.  I like them much better than the older style packing cubes because they are lighter, the fabric is very easy to slide in and out and they work kind of like space bags.  Must have for the organizational types and if you happen to be stressed out by holiday travel, pick some of these up and it will likely ease your mind just to have it all so together.

For those who need a way to keep all those gadget cords organized for travel, check out G.U.S's new Cord Roll.  It's made from recycled cotton and has a space for your computer cords, tablet cord and charger, and phone paraphernalia.  I almost wish it didn't have labels--maybe you don't have a tablet for instance--but it works and the lettering does look good.  I'm a little bit obsessed with organization, so stuff like this thrills me and I think it's also useful at home, not just for travel.  

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Fridge Binz: Vegetarian's Best Friend

Do you have expensive organic produce rotting in your refrigerator because you can't find it?  Or you don't use it because you don't see it and then find a shriveled up mystery vegetable a few weeks later and remember that recipe you meant to try.  I do this all the time, I spend a fortune on organic produce only to let it go bad which is expensive and wasteful.   I hate throwing away organic food, don't you?

Well not anymore.  I discovered these amazing refrigerator organizers called Fridge Binz and they completely solved this problem.  My fridge used to contain big clumps of produce jammed in.  It was just a big green pile and I'd have to rummage through it searching for whatever it was while things were going bad at different rates.  Now I have my produce totally organized and NOTHING has gone bad for a good two weeks.  This is huge.

I warn you, these things become addictive for a while until you get all your stuff organized, you'll want several.  I found two locally, then I realized you can also get them online at stores like The Container Store and Amazon.  They come in all different shapes and sizes to fit your needs.

They are fantastic for juice enthusiasts.  I have one for all my juicing produce--this makes an enormous difference in my juicing routine, cutting down time.  I just pull out that bin, draw right from it while I'm juicing, then return it to the fridge when I'm done.  It's so much easier than rooting around for each thing.

My refrigerator is so beautiful and organized now, my obsession migrated to my pantry.  The bins are interchangeable from fridge to pantry, but I like the bins with the lip for the fridge and the bins with the handles for the pantry.  I have really deep shelves in my pantry that are not practical at all.  These bins help so much with keeping things under control and making food accessible when it wasn't before.

If you have children, you can designate bins for them, they would be great in a roommate situation or you can keep special dietary needs separate from other food--gluten free for instance.  There are so many ways to use these.  I wish I could organize everything so easily.

I think these pay for themselves very quickly in terms of conserving food that would have otherwise been thrown out.  You might also eat a lot healthier if your produce is right there in front of you and easy to get at.  They are BPA free and a fabulous invention, find them HERE on Amazon (click on INTERDESIGN under the product title to see more of their stuff).

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Tub Trugs: Colorful Multifunction for Your Organic Garden and Beyond

Tub Trugs are fabulous for the garden.  I use them to weed, to transplant, to temporarily hold starts, to water...and to look beautiful out and about.  The bright colors are cheerful to see and set a fun tone in the back yard and inside.  I love them in the house for laundry, toys, camping gear, car or bicycle washing, arts and crafts, the uses are endless.  You can even drill holes in the bottom and use them as planters.

For me, you can't have too much color when it comes to utilitarian items.  Color affects mood, and when you're trudging round the garden, it's nice to have that bright color to sort of give you a boost.  I'm super tired of the same old boring colors you find--mainly forest green and that horrid beige.  These scream life, action, energy!  They're eye candy.  So they had me at first sight with the color.



But then they sealed the deal with function.  They're food grade plastic, are UV and frost protected so they won't break down in the sun or cold, are flexible but super strong, and come in many gorgeous colors.  They're so well made, you buy them once, but I recommend a variety of sizes for all the different functions you can think of.  They stack nicely and are easy to store when not in use.  Find them HERE.

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Mountainsmith Modular Hauler 3 System

Need a great way to stay organized while car camping or traveling?  Check out this cool Hauler system from Mountainsmith.  These are color coded storage cubes that fit into a larger open case.  This has so many uses--car travel, home storage, kid toys and supplies, pretty much anything you can think of.

The individual cases are well made and will hold some weight.  The color coding is so smart, you can give one to each child and have them pack their stuff, or you can code your gear.  The Haulers come in two, three, and four cube systems to fit your needs.   Cube tops are see through laminated mesh with zipper access.  The hauler portion is made from heavy duty ballistic nylon while the cubes are constructed of durable rip stop nylon.

A big part of making camping fun and keeping things running smoothly, is staying organized.  Things can get stressful if you can't find what you're looking for, especially if you're camping and it's dark.  How wonderful to have a place for everything and everything in its place for easy access.  Find this fabulous system HERE.

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