JM LaSalle
Shaula EvansWhat are some of the small, functional things in your life that give you joy?
I'm asking because I've been noting lately that many of the things in my life that give me joy are small and functional. 1/n
*I don't give holiday gifts -- in my isolated life, I have no one to give them to -- but it did occur to me that replies to this question might be helpful for people looking for small last minute gifts, too.
The Sleight Doctor ๐๐@ShaulaEvans Our selection of novelty mugs, only a couple of which are actually mine! It's particularly fun when we have guests to decide which one will be a talking point. ๐คญ
As you say, sometimes it's the little things that matter.
@ApostateEnglishman This sounds wonderfully delightful!
AspiringLudditeMy metal ice cube tray.
@AspiringLuddite Very nice!
Sin Vega@ShaulaEvans long hot water bottle <3
(acknowledging they can be hazardous
@ShaulaEvans oh also my homosexual little trolley. it's cheap and flimsy but it's cute and very portable and v handy for moving things around when I often only have one hand free
wedge pillow. Haven't woken up with a fucked back since I got it
little folding bed tray for my keyboard / plate. It even has a little slot for a tablet (with cable holes) to stand in, although obv I don't have one
my stick! More of a precaution for long walks (and fending off dog) now, but still reassuring
@sinvega What a great collection!
@ShaulaEvans ... these are all not that small in size but they are simple and cheap and I still enjoy them :D
๐๐ฉท๐โทโกโโฃโฃ๐ก๐๐งstovetop coffee percolator
"Mediocre Bunny" Evelyn@ShaulaEvans
I have an egg separator that works very well at separating eggs. If you've ever separated a lot of eggs, you will know that this is a rare & wonderful thing in an egg separator.
It comes from Germany, it cost $35 or so ten years ago (darned pricey for an egg separator), and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.
I have an egg separator that works very well at separating eggs. If you've ever separated a lot of eggs, you will know that this is a rare & wonderful thing in an egg separator.
It comes from Germany, it cost $35 or so ten years ago (darned pricey for an egg separator), and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.
@Gorfram I love that you have this! The right tool for the job is such a wonderful thing.
ใชใใฅใผ (stop colonialism ๐ต๐ธ)@ShaulaEvans
1- a sharp knife (I sharpen myself at last)
2- a tool-belt in leather ? Great to carry stuff when we go graft trees walking a lot.
3- plants ! Most plant and trees on my garden were gifted to me by someone. Whenever I see a flower, fruit, leaf... I think of them.
4- (not that smol) a rss feed reader. Sadly QuiteRSS is not supported anymore and no other RSS feed has similar capabilities :(
(...Ah. I guess I'm not much eligible for the christmas present route >_>)
@otyugh I think a sharp knife, a tool belt in leather, and plants would all make make wonderful gifts for the right person!
P.D. Magnus@otyugh @ShaulaEvans Not sure what functionality youโre looking for, but Iโm pretty happy with theoldreader.com for RSS
@News4wombats @ShaulaEvans is that fee software ? (that's level 0 for working with it)
Anke@ShaulaEvans
- 30ml stainless steel coffee scoop, which I use for laundry detergent
- smol victorinox pocket knife with blade, scissors, and nailfile/screwdriver
- Troika patent keyring. Lets me group keys and quickly add or remove groups
- A silicone makeup brush cleaner, which I use for cleaning ink and paint out of normal brushes.
- 30ml stainless steel coffee scoop, which I use for laundry detergent
- smol victorinox pocket knife with blade, scissors, and nailfile/screwdriver
- Troika patent keyring. Lets me group keys and quickly add or remove groups
- A silicone makeup brush cleaner, which I use for cleaning ink and paint out of normal brushes.
@Anke These all sound so useful!
I don't think I've come across a make-up brush cleaner before. I'm going to look into this myself (for cleaning other kinds of brushes). Thank you!
@ShaulaEvans Here's an example of the kind like mine - I cut off teh handle and put ot in the bottom of my water jar: https://www.prettynailshop24.de/Jolifin-Silikon-Reinigungsmatte-fuer-Pinsel/19565
Jolifin Silikon-Reinigungsmatte fรผr Pinsel | 19565
Jolifin Silikon-Reinigungsmatte fรผr Pinsel zur hygienischen und grรผndlichen Reinigung Ihrer Pinsel Jolifin Silikon-Reinigungsmatte fรผr Pinsel entfernt ganz einfach und im Handumdrehen Rรผckstรคnde von Ihren Pinseln. Dazu wird die Reinigungsmatte am bestenโฆ
@Anke I didn't know that's what they're called! I have one I use to scrub my skin in the bath. Marvelous little gadgets!
GinevraCat@ShaulaEvans Mugs and socks.
Really.
Really.
epicdemiologist@ShaulaEvans hand-knit woolen fingerless gloves. My hands get cold when using the computer.
cwicseolfor@epicdemiologist @ShaulaEvans Yes yes yes this yes.
@epicdemiologist an incredibly thoughtful gift!
Hedders@ShaulaEvans My reMarkable Paper Pro Move electronic notepad. It's small, responsive, does one thing incredibly well and doesn't try to do anything else.
@hedders I love single purpose tools. They tend to work!
@ShaulaEvans When it was 54 indoors I was really especially appreciative of my slippers, which are comfortable but also have Rosa Scribeโs beadwork featured and the pearl-gray and glacier-green really stun me as a poetic color choice on a snowflakey hex-star motif. Iโm not great with color so much as linework and seeing people get it right is like a special effect or magic trick.
@cwicseolfor These sound stunning.
Chertridge@ShaulaEvans We love our small, cheap silicone kitchen spatulas and wonder why we did without them for so long. Not cheap or that small, but our Microplane box grater is one of the best tools in our kitchen and far superior to others we've owned.
@chertridge I love a microplane for zesting citrus!
@ShaulaEvans We also have a small on that is great for that.
Sini Tuulia@ShaulaEvans It's not exactly very small, but it collapses up beautifully... A cheap lighter version of those little transport trolleys that movers and men on trucks use to move washing machines and big boxes. Mine only withstands 40kg but there are not very many things a tiny woman needs to move that weighs more than 40kg, and it's nice to be able to slip that under a big box or a lot of shopping to move it instead of hurting myself to move it!
I think it cost a grand 29โฌ at the time and it weighs very little, being aluminium tubes. ๐
I think it cost a grand 29โฌ at the time and it weighs very little, being aluminium tubes. ๐
@sinituulia I know that kind of device by the name of "dollies" and there are two in my home right now that I love, too.
@ShaulaEvans A dolly! Yes. It has like three different names in Finnish that people don't very much agree on, you'll just know what it is when you see one, so I struggled to find a translation.
RolloTreadway@ShaulaEvans Bright, pretty crockery. For most of my life I just had plain, dull plates and bowls. Then a few years ago, I asked myself: why?
Now my collection of bold tableware is steadily growing and it's lovely.
@RolloTreadway I love this for you!
I deliberately buy mismatched things so I don't feel trapped by a single color or style.
Gulleko@ShaulaEvans
My antique embroidery scissors, perfect size for snipping threads and pointy enough to unpick seams with.
The enameled metal scoop I use in our big bag of cat food, it's the perfect size for one portion. The scoop is supposed to be for serving glรถgg, which is a kind of mulled wine. ๐
@Gulleko Perfectly-sized scoops, especially metal ones, give me a lot of joy, too!
Phil Dennis-Jordan@ShaulaEvans The combination of Thermos food jar + Wildo Camp-A-Box + Optimus titanium cutlery. Great for eating hot, yummy meals in otherwise inhospitable places, without overdoing the amount I have to carry on my back. (They aren't 100% perfect; the Wildo boxes aren't sealed so can leak after they've been used. And you'd better not use the titanium cutlery on porcelain/ceramic plates. But at least all of it goes in the dishwasher.)
@pmdj I used to travel a lot in my road trip years, and I had a great similar set up. Weight wasn't an issue but space was, so it included a set of stainless steel cookware with removable handles that stacked inside each other, designed for boats and motor homes.
vulgalour - Free Range Queer@ShaulaEvans Recently I remade my old dressing robe into a fuller floor length version so it could be a proper house coat. This was particularly useful a couple of days ago when our boiler stopped working for 48 hours and kept me nice and warm.
Minky Blanket Repurpose - Dressing Gown Housecoat Remake
Ciara@ShaulaEvans This a lovely question and observation. My bookmark with a wee bell on it brings me joy. Reminding me where I was in a book with a cheerful little tinkle.
econads
Edward L Platt@ShaulaEvans
* A broom and dustpan combo that snap together and have a built-in comb to get hair out of the broom
* Polycaprolactone low-temp nontoxic bioplastic pellets, surprisingly useful
* A storage tower for clear lidded bins
* silicone cover for microwave foods
* Rechargeable long-neck plasma lighter (although it makes a high pitch noise my kid and cats hate)
* Lumbar pillows
* Thera Cane massage cane
* A broom and dustpan combo that snap together and have a built-in comb to get hair out of the broom
* Polycaprolactone low-temp nontoxic bioplastic pellets, surprisingly useful
* A storage tower for clear lidded bins
* silicone cover for microwave foods
* Rechargeable long-neck plasma lighter (although it makes a high pitch noise my kid and cats hate)
* Lumbar pillows
* Thera Cane massage cane
@elplatt
> A broom and dustpan combo that snap together and have a built-in comb to get hair out of the broom
I have a set like this, with a long handle on the dustpan. It makes it so easy to sweep when I'm too tired to be rambunctious about it.
> Polycaprolactone low-temp nontoxic bioplastic pellets, surprisingly useful
I have never heard of these and I am fascinated! What are some of the ways your use them?
@ShaulaEvans I just used some to replace the missing caps on the bolts for my xmas tree stand. I also make cat toys out of it. It's soft enough they won't hurt their teeth and after it gets full of bite marks I just melt it and remake it
kimu@ShaulaEvans retractable measuring tapes with silly/cute designs and small scissors. Theyโre both things I use frequently in crafting, but also come in handy at all kinds of other times.
@kimu I love retractable anything! I have a retractable USB cord and it is a true joy of my life. (No idea where it came from, it's been around for a while.)
Rob ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ Rartsy Humanist@ShaulaEvans as I pack up for my big move from decade-long stretches in roomy homes to an itinerant life I have felt joy in identifying items to keep, grouping by purpose, and finding the best fitting container for them among the many cases and bags that I have already. Order out of chaos. Home-making feels especially satisfying considering the added challenge I now face to make my home portable.
Paul Griffin (he/him)I am in love with this hand made bowl I bought from a local artist. It has become my go-to bowl for any food that you might put into a bowl. My partner is thankfully not jealous of it, because the artist only had this one.
And despite the french press in the picture (I was making cafรฉ de olla), I would also say that my aeropress and hand grinder fall into this category as well. Having my little coffee ritual in the morning is very grounding.
EliJ quilting cataloguer@ShaulaEvans My boysenberry crop is ripening well and they make breakfast a special treat.
Paolo Amoroso@ShaulaEvans This folding magnifying glass. It's compact and invaluable when you need to ready tiny text at the limit of your unaided sight. Especially with poor lighting, in a hurry, or under stress.
๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ณๅผ ๆฎฟๆ๐จ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ@amoroso @ShaulaEvans I've got some pocket Fresnel lenses for the same reason.
Climate Jenny 2.1@ShaulaEvans Woolen socks.