Blog Posts by Daily Grommet

Let's get this party started. No matter the menu, we've got the home entertaining products to make your soiree a success. Clever products can help streamline prep work, spice up table settings, decorate the halls and make your time together more joyful.

Film Festival in a Box

Indieflix - Film Festival in a Box

Instead of a book club, why not host a film festival in your home? IndieFlix makes it easy to screen short, superb independent films. Buy the Indieflix film festival in a box game here.
.

TRU Eco - Induction Burner

Induction Burner

The Tru Eco induction cooker is powerful and fast, it also won't put a dent in your wallet or the environment. Buy the TRU portable induction cooktop burner here.
.

Turkey, Duck and Chicken Roll

Turducken - Turkey, Duck and Chicken Roll

Concocted in Cajun country, the Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck that's stuffed with a chicken. It's a layered poultry feast of epic proportions. Buy Cajun Stuff's Turducken here.
.

Read More »from Holiday entertaining guide: Deck the halls, ’cause company’s coming

2

Inspire your inner scribe with a beautiful journal that won't make you feel guilty about the impact of your paper use on the environment.

Blank Writing Journals made from Recycled MaterialsThese modern, colorful notebooks from ecosystem are made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper. They come lined or blank, perfect for jotting down thoughts or sketching a quick picture. Pen or pencil, crayon, or charcoal - the acid- and chlorine-free paper loves them all. Tiny perforations make it easy to remove a page when you want to, and the flexible covers can be wiped clean with a damp cloth so they keep looking new even after months of use. Plus the size is just right: big enough to capture ideas and small enough to carry everywhere.

The ecosystem journals (which we first learned about from TreeHugger)Blank Writing Journals made from Recycled Materials are produced entirely in the U.S. Each comes with a unique ID number, which lets you learn more about the origins of the eco-friendly materials used in your particular book, the workers who made it, and how to recycle the journal

Read More »from Recycled paper journals keep creative juices flowing

Jason Kibbey and Jeff Denby, PACT FoundersJason Kibbey and Jeff Denby have big plans. They want to change the world, with underwear. The two young entrepreneurs met in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, where they hatched the idea for PACT, an organic underwear company that supports social and environmental causes.

The duo partnered with industrial designer Yves Behar to create bold, colorful designs that live up to the progressive vibe of the IDEA 2010 company - and earned PACT two IDEA awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America. From start to finish, PACT underwear is designed to be earth-friendly. Jason and Jeff chose a manufacturing facility in Turkey with high environmental standards and responsible labor practices, and they source the raw materials within a 100-mile radius of the factory. They use vegetable inks and dyes that add vibrant colors without harmful heavy metals. Instead of plastic bags, each pair of underwear is packaged in a reusable cloth bag, often made from leftover scraps

Read More »from Can your underwear save the world? These skivvies support conservation efforts worldwide.

Here's your chance to pour like a fish and drink like a queen… the Queen of England that is!

Prince CharlesThe Gluggle Jug is a fish-shaped water jug that gurgles delightfully when it pours, making it both fun and functional. It's a great conversation piece with a rich history. Gluggle jugs were first produced in the late 1800s in Staffordshire, England, and the merry glugging sound has made these a favorite among collectors for more than 100 years. And would you believe they're even fit for royalty? Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip have a pair of bespoke Gluggles that date back to 1958, and it's rumored that Prince Charles still uses one to pour water into his scotch.

The Gluggle Jug, Fish Shaped Gurgling JugOur Gluggle Jugs are from U.K.-based Wade Ceramics. The jugs are fully glazed, dishwasher safe, and hold up to 40 ounces. The fish-shaped vessels also exhibit beautifully as decorative vases or containers. There are five gorgeous colors to choose from, and they make wonderful hostess or thank you gifts. Even better,

Read More »from Have you heard the one about the gurgling fish jug?

You're a true juggler, coordinating travel plans, work deadlines, gym schedules, doctor appointments, and more. But you can't do it alone. When you need to keep track of personal, work, and school plans that inevitably overlap, you need a day planner that multitasks as well as you do. A calendar that's designed for one person's schedule just isn't going to cut it.

We like Joan Goldner's approach. Joan started keeping track of her business projects, Joan Goldner, BusyBodyBooks childcare schedules, and family events using different columns for each type of activity. The idea caught on, and Joan started publishing her handy gridded planners. The column layout shows side-by-side schedules for different areas of your life - and easily highlights where overlapping events could get sticky. Plus, on the left side of every spread, there's oodles of room for lists or doodles.

Amanda Carrick We heard about Joan's BusyBodyBook organizers from Amanda Carrick. "I bought this deceptively simple planner because, yes, I still

Read More »from Too often double-booked? This family day planner can multitask

Yantra Mat acupressure matThe ancient Chinese practice of acupressure goes back thousands of years, so stimulating points on the body to improve circulation and promote the release of endorphins is hardly a new idea. But most people aren't keen to use the original home acupressure method - a bed of nails!

Acupressure mats offer the perfect modern solution to at-home health and relaxation. Kristina Fine, Yantra They're portable, comfortable and affordable, and with the even distribution of "spike flowers," there's plenty of stimulation without discomfort. The Yantra Mat is the most popular model in Europe, because it has the most "spikes" available (210 flowers with 42 points apiece). Kristina Fine, a Swede living on Cape Cod, loved the Yantra Mat she received as a gift so much, she bought the U.S. distribution rights and launched the business to bring these mats to a broader American audience.

Carol O'Loughlin
Daily Grommet heard about it from Carol O'Loughlin, who runs a real estate business and tried the acupressure mat to

Read More »from Would you lie on this spiky mat -- even if it eased your aches and pains?

After finally buying a smartphone, I obsessed about scratching the screen of my favorite new (and expensive) toy, or finding it smeared with my 3-year-old's fingerprints. If only there were some sort of protection without sacrificing clarity….presto, the invisibleSHIELD from ZAGG.

Robert PedersenThis tough-as-nails, crystal-clear cover is available for all your favorite devices, from smartphones and PDAs to laptops, tablet PCs, and digital cameras. Go ahead: Scratch it, scrape it, drop stuff on it. Your device is protected, thanks to invisibleSHIELD. The technology is derived from a thin film that was originally made to protect U.S. military helicopter blades from high-speed damage. ZAGG co-founders Robert Pedersen (right) and Phillip Chipping adopted this virtually invisible and indestructible protective covering for consumer use - and smartphone lovers everywhere breathed sighs of relief.

ZAGG didn't ignore the rest of your device, either. The company's ZAGGskins combine high-res Zagg's InvisibleSHIELD screen protectors

Read More »from A force field for your phone

The fall sports season is about to kick off. Are you ready to enjoy it?

Buy Cooled or Heated Stadium Seats and Cooler Chair here. We've found spectator seats that make it easy to kick back and enjoy the action in total comfort. PolarHeat's portable seats have built-in coolers for carrying drinks and snacks. Plus, there's a compartment under the seat surface that holds a hot pack or a cold pack, so you can heat your seat on chilly days and cool down on hot days.

Buy Cooled or Heated Stadium Seats and Cooler Chair here. The Oversized Quad Chair is a freestanding chair with two insulated cup holders. Soft-sided coolers are built into the removable armrests and can hold up to 24 cans plus ice. After the event, it folds up for carrying in a backpack-style bag. The Metal Frame Stadium Seat is a folding chair that you can set up on top of a bench seat, bleachers or the ground. You can adjust the hinged backrest if you want to sit upright or recline. It has a fabric storage pouch, plus a soft-sided cooler compartment with room for 10 cans plus ice.

Imagine heading to a kid's game,

Read More »from Are you tired of sitting in a crappy chair at your kid's soccer games?