Hope everyone is staying warm and lifting with their knees when they shovel, it's crazy out there lately. I drove down to New York last Friday to attend NYNOW, formerly NYIGF, the gift show at the Javits Center. In two and a half days—and 2700+ pictures later—I walked every single aisle of the show and saw some great products. 

Mostly, I was really excited to be back in New York and to see a lot of the vendors I haven't seen in a while, since I missed the last three shows (not sure how that time flew so quickly). It was great to catch up with people and this was my first time experiencing the show since they changed the format and rebranded. I think it worked out well to have all the home companies under one roof, though as I walked the show, I realized there were several brands that I didn't see. I'm hoping they'll be there in August. 

At any rate, I'm looking forward to sharing the things that I saw over the next weeks and months. In addition to new and interesting products, the booths themselves are often styled creatively. Here are just a few fun things I noticed: 

Today's regular dental checkup (cavity-free, hooray!) reminded me of a product I learned about a few months ago. I think we can all agree, toothbrushes aren't especially attractive. A few years back, one of the major toothbrush manufacturers had a designer line that was fairly cute and they had several write-ups in magazines, and probably online. That fizzled out but there are alternatives. 

I love these designer toothbrushes at AlmandersAlley. They're slightly more expensive than the regular type available at the drug store, but there are so many styles available, so you can find a design that matches your personality. 

The marble design above, and the animal print, below, are my two favorite styles.

I have a stash of toiletries on hand in my guest bathroom in case visiting friends and family ever forget something. It would be fun to have a handful of these available for those situations, and I like the idea of having something a little different that would make my guests smile.

There are also abstract, floral, plaid, striped, and tropical styles among others. 

images via almandersalley

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I'm not sure why this week has felt so long, but I'm glad it's Friday! I've decided to publish the Under $50 Friday posts once a month, instead of weekly, and see how that goes, though I will always try to have a balance between inexpensive items and splurges/investment pieces in my everyday posts.

I don't put a lot of stock in horoscopes, but I do like zodiac imagery. Thomas Paul's iteration: traditional zodiac motifs on dishwasher-safe melamine coasters, shown here alphabetically ($48, Home Remedy). I'm a Sag, all the way, in case you were wondering.

As hard as I try, I'm more of a piler than a filer, so I need to make sure my papers are well-organized within those towering stacks. Large (2-inch) glasses-frame-shaped Specs paper clips ($7 for 10, Umbra) will get the job done in a noticeable, funny way.

My cramped 1950s kitchen was able to fit very few of the things from our old house. Anything from medium-sized small appliances to all the decorative items are still packed away. But we have two empty walls (literally, no cabinets or anything) next to which my grandparents used to have their kitchen table. We have a table there for extra counter space, but eat in the dining room. 

As they're some of the only walls in the house not wood-paneled, I'd love to hang art like Australian artist Belinda Marshall's Possibility print ($44, Leif) to bring some life into the room. This is supposed to represent a calm meditative space. My kitchen and I both could benefit from that!

I just felt like sharing my favorite clear lip balm, which is Mor Cosmetics' Lip Macaron in passion flower ($10, beauty.com). I wear it all the time, especially now that the weather is getting chilly. It's light (not sticky), I love the fruity scent, and the little tin feels more special than a regular stick of balm.

This quirky plastic Kipik hedgehog toothpick holder made me smile; it can either perch on the edge of a bowl or be used freestanding. The little guy comes with 22 picks ($25, MoMA Store).

Truth time: I'm phoning this one in. For the last few weeks I've been working on two stories at once, with a third starting this weekend. For the first, I was interviewing experts, drafting a sidebar, and sourcing dozens of products. The second, a local interiors story, involved an interview which I took care of with plenty of time. My product pitches for story one were due just ahead of when I had to turn in my copy for story two, so I prioritized the first story. 

So, there was more work involved, yada yada yada, finished the first part of story one, but started story two late. Plus I started this blog, and I'm trying hard to produce something interesting (and coherent) daily. Because I refuse to miss a deadline, I was up until 4am yesterday and up until 6am this morning finishing the article and trying to trim down the word count. 

I promise I'm not horrific at time management, but on top of these, I work from home while watching my 10-month old full time. My sweet smiley Sunshine who is generally delightful during the day, but requires pesky things like feeding, changing, and attention. Between her needs, dinner, and the extremely drawn out bedtime routines of an insomniac preschooler and the Hyde-baby that comes out at night (and twice in the middle of the night), I don't get much time to work or sleep. I welcome advice from anyone who's been there!

Sadly, I do my best work in the wee hours of the night and under deadline pressure. More sadly, last night was the first night in months (months!) that Sunshine actually slept through the night. From around 10p until 7a this morning. It was sad that I couldn't also enjoy some uninterrupted sleep, though it was good to have uninterrupted work. So no heavy machinery for me today, needless to say. If you would, cross your fingers for me tonight. 

This bedroom is in the Woodlands Cottage at deluxe Winvian Resort in CT. I've actually been lucky enough to stay in that cottage, in that very bed. It was for an overnight press trip and I was so relaxed that my husband thought I was drunk when I called him. Plus, the sunken tub, my lord. My dream would be to go back, but it's pricey!

image via winvian resort

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This lovely little product is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say I want even my utilitarian items to be interesting. Funny, functional, and adorable, the u-lens contact case from CB2 does the job with style. I've been wearing contacts since 8th grade, so I always need a case or two handy for traveling, or if my eyes get tired and I have to switch to glasses. This baby is under $5 and has the added bonus of getting Corey Hart's classic "Sunglasses at Night" stuck in my head. And now, yours, too. You're welcome.

contact case image via CB2

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