After skipping the month of January (I had too many other posts I wanted to write) I’m back with more of my favorite things. I had such a long list of things I wanted to share with you — but I just picked a few and will save the rest for next month! And as always, be sure to check out some of my favorite things from past months.
DISCLOSURE: None of these products are sponsored in any way; however, some of the links below are affiliate links — which means I may get a VERY small percentage of the sale if you make a purchase through my links. However, I hope you know that I’m only promoting the products below because I use them EVERY SINGLE DAY in my own home and life! Read my full disclosure policy for more information.
Mens Slippers
Yes, you read that right!
For my entire adult life, I’ve been buying a new pair of women’s slippers every single fall (not super abnormal, I realize this). However, since I basically wear my slippers all day, every day, starting in September, they were almost always worn out by February. This meant I often had to buy a new pair of slippers mid-winter to last me through the rest of the cold MI winter and cool spring days with our wood floors.
I could almost always get the 2nd pair deeply discounted via the clearance rack — but it still bugged me that one pair of slippers couldn’t make it through an entire season for me.
Then, in the fall of 2012, Dave told me he was in need of a new pair of slippers (probably for the first time in several years) and when I got to the mens’ slipper aisle to scope out potential options for him, I started thinking… I wonder if mens slippers would work for me too?
I found the pair I wanted for Dave and actually ended up purchasing the exact same pair for me in the smallest mens’s size. I normally wear a women’s size 8 (which probably transfers over to a mens size 6); however, the smallest mens size they had was a 7. So I bought it and figured they would work well with nice thick socks.
It’s officially been 18 months since I purchased my first pair of men’s slippers and they are holding up fabulously! I’ve saved a bunch of money by not needing to replace them multiple times each winter, and Nora thinks it’s hysterical that Dave and I have matching “swippers” 🙂
I have a feeling these slippers will hold up just fine through the rest of this winter / spring and even into next year.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, I got them from Target on a BOGO 50% off sale back in 2012. I don’t know the brand name, but I’ve seen similar ones at Target since. (NOTE: The top slipper picture is not the exact pair we have — just a similar pair on Target’s website)
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Chalkboard Spray Paint
Over the years, I’ve tackled my fair share of painting projects — and have really come to enjoy painting furniture especially. It’s amazing how I can totally transform something old and worn into something new and useful with a simple can of paint!
And lately, I’ve been doing a decent amount with chalkboard paint. I used it once a few years ago — and then again when I made the chalkboard for Nora’s play closet under the stairs. However, I recently broke it out again to spray paint a couple thin pieces of wood board we had lying around the house to create more chalkboards for Nora (she’s REALLY into chalk these days).
Within 24 hours, Nora had an instant chalkboard that she could color on to her heart’s content!
My favorite brand of chalkboard spray paint is Rust-Oleum — I think it gives the best coverage and the over-all best finished results. However, I obviously haven’t tried every single brand out there, so I’m sure plenty of other brands are adequate 🙂
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Miniature Kitchen Colanders
As some of you already noticed (and questioned about) when I made Nora her DIY play kitchen for her birthday this past fall, I stocked it with some teeny tiny (but actually real) kitchen gadgets and utensils.
I found some tiny spatulas, spoons, bowls, and plates at a local thrift store, and I splurged and paid $2.99 for a super mini colander I found at the grocery store (totally by accident!). It’s only about 5″ in diameter across the top — and literally the PERFECT size for her tiny little hands and her miniature kitchen!
After watching her play in her kitchen, I realized that I could get a lot of use out of a tiny colander too — so I picked one up for myself a few months ago and have been using it multiple times a week ever since!
I use it for rinsing small amounts of fruits, veggies, small portions of pasta (Nora and I eat lots of pasta for lunch), and for draining grease from smaller portions of ground meat. I think it has honestly been in the dishwasher every single time I’ve run it since early December — and we run the dishwasher at least every other day!
Such a handy little kitchen tool and so inexpensive!
I couldn’t find the exact product on Amazon (I purchased mine from Meijer, by the way) but here’s the link to a VERY similar colander.
Down Pillows
For our wedding, Dave and I were gifted with 4 amazingly comfortable down pillows from The Company Store. At the time, I didn’t realize how nice they were compared to normal pillows — nor did I realize how expensive they were — all I knew is that we loved them!!
Well almost 8 years later, we’re still using (and loving) those pillows — and although the tag says “dry-clean only” I’ve been washing them twice a year, every year, in our washing machine with absolutely no issues.
These pillows are amazing — and for the last couple of months, I’ve basically been packing them all around me to get comfortable at night — some behind my back, one between my legs, etc. etc. They literally mold to my body and make my restless nights a bit more comfortable!
While true down and feather pillows are more expensive than other options, I honestly don’t think I’d hesitate to buy more if we ever needed to replace ours. They have held up so fabulously over the last several years and really do make the time I actually get to spend in my own bed much more relaxing and enjoyable!
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Munchkin Snack Cups
I realize it’s probably a little late in the game for me to FINALLY be sharing these snack cups with you — but since Nora was also “late to the game” when it came to eating any type of solid food, we’re just now starting to find all these really fun toddler feeding accessories.
These Munchkin snack cups are some of our favorites — and I’m honestly amazed at how well they prevent spills and crumbs from getting everywhere around our house.
And with a price tag of less than $5 for 2, they were definitely worth the investment.
Nora loves eating out of her “nack cups” and I love that she’s eating anything independently. They’re also super nice for the car or bringing along anywhere as they honestly don’t spill.
We fill ours with everything from fish crackers, pretzels, and chips to grapes, apple slices, blueberries… and the occasional marshmallows and chocolate chip treat!
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That’s all for me this month.
Make sure you check out my previous months’ favorite things — and feel free to share some of YOUR favorite things in the comments below!
Monica says
Im really interested in these pillows! However I cant decide which pillow to order from the Company Store especially considering the price differences. Do you know which ones you have?
Andrea says
ours are down… and they are king size which is AMAZING!
Jen T says
Not sure if you missed my comment…which down pillows do you have from the Company Store?
Andrea says
sorry Jen, I have no idea. As I mentioned in the post, we got our pillows as gifts 8 years ago — so even if I did know the exact type of pillow, I’m not positive Company Store would even carry them anymore. The tags on our pillows just have the Company Store logo on one side and washing instructions on the other side.
Linda says
I love your favorites post! I knew I would love a mini colander so I purchased mine tonight! Thanks for sharing your favorites!
Andrea says
yay — I seriously use my mini colander almost every day!
Amanda says
Have you seen the “updated” version of the munchkin snack cups? I love them because the solid lid means I can throw it in my purse, and gives him a handle to hold when it’s open. He loves either kind (we have both, the ones you have I got for my baby shower, and I bought the new ones over the summer when we were out and about a lot, and I was sick of having random snack at the bottom of my bag)
http://amzn.com/B00B59PVOA
Andrea says
No, I totally haven’t seen those yet — but they look awesome! Maybe that will have to be a new purchase for us sometime soon 🙂
Jennifer says
This is my favorite post of your favorite things! I got a perfect idea for a gift for my hubby for Valentines Day–a great down pillow. If I can find a good deal, maybe I’ll get a couple. Love the idea of using a little colander to clean/rinse fruit and veggies–instead of juggling them in my one hand. Duh! So simple. Also, love those slippers. They are much cuter than any I have seen in men’s section. As for the snack cup. I loved those, too, but it didn’t take long for my son to figure out how to pull that top off and dump the contents. I’m thinking of super gluing it because you can still put food into it without opening it. We’ll see. Lastly, I have an old cabinet door I’ve been meaning to spray paint with chalkboard paint. Thanks for the push to get it out and do it! Another good Valentines Day gift, but for the little guy, not the big one. THANKS FOR A GOOD, FUN POST.
Andrea says
Aww… thanks Jennifer! Glad you got some good ideas — and I love the Valentines gift pillows. We don’t really do Valentines gifts over here — but a pillow would certainly be a practical gift (my favorite kind!)
Sarah says
A sour cream lid fits onto the munchkin snack cups to keep snacks fresh! Just pop it on right over the lid. 🙂
Andrea says
good to know — thanks Sarah! We have plenty of extra sour cream lids lying around… and I love freebie solutions to problems!
Jen T says
Need new pillows…which one do you have?
Elizabeth M says
I have down pillows and never thought of washing them? How do you wash and dry them?
Andrea says
Hey Elizabeth, I just wash and dry them in the dryer — just like anything else 🙂
I posted a link to how I wash these types of things in today’s posts — but maybe you missed it. Here is is again.
Catherine L . says
Might I also suggest LLBean next time you need new slippers. There 100% guarantee is unlike any other, I worked there as a seasonal employee one year and was /am beyond impressed with not only the quality but the fact that that they stand behind their products, years later… And I mean many years.
Andrea says
good to know — thanks Catherine! I’ll have to look into LLBean if/when I need new slippers!
susie says
There is a special soap you can by for washing down, we bought some to wash our sleeping bags that does not strip the oil. We bought it at the sporting goods store.
Akana D. says
How do you dry your down pillows?
Andrea says
I just dry them like anything else — in the dryer, normal heat, etc. If you’re worried about them losing their shape, you can throw a few tennis balls in there too.
Olivia says
Love the slipper idea! I got a super cute pair of slippers last winter, and while I’m still wearing them this year, they are definitely not in good shape.
Also, you’ve been using the same pillows for 8 years??? My husband is very rough on pillows, and we probably buy him 1-2 new pillows per year. I’ve had the same pillow for a couple of years now (it’s down), and guess we never thought to try a big down pillow for him too. I got mine at TJ Maxx though, so the price was significantly lower than those at The Company Store! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Andrea says
Yup, 8 years with the same pillow and still going strong. As I mentioned — we do wash the pillows (bleach and hot water) at least 1-2 times per year so I don’t feel too gross about using them that long. I’ve been told these pillows should last many many years, at at the price they are, I don’t really want to replace them before I absolutely have to!
Lana says
I also wear men’s slippers, they last so much longer than women’s! I like the more neutral colors that men’s slippers come in as well.
Courtney says
I love your favorite things posts and when you didn’t do one for January I thought you might have stopped. I was homeschooled and wore slippers all day long. With two brothers I quickly realized how nice men’s slippers are and got at least two years out of them. Thanks for sharing!
Stel says
Those slippers look like a good idea! I bought a pair of merino-lined uggs the we left Australia – literally at the airport – and 7 years later they’re still going strong. Only in winter though!
I loved the Munchkin brand. Both my boys refused sippy cups after bottles, and I got them on the Munchkin straw cups, which they loved. it was still quite new to South Africa then, and I had to really search for those!
Robin says
I gave up on women’s slippers a couple of years ago for the same reason, but I switched to Crocs. They are not attractive, but I can spend all day standing in the kitchen and my back doesn’t hurt. :-).
Andrea says
That’s a good suggestion — I should maybe look into those “fussy slipper crocs” to help out my back. These days, I could use any back relief I can get 🙂
Emily says
When I was pregnant with my third child I splurged on a pair of Orthaheel brand slippers. Best thing I could have done for my back, hips and knees. 🙂 Now, two years later and 6 months into my fourth pregnancy, my slippers are still holding up great and giving me the support I need. Slippers are definitely a need for these cold Michigan winters (especially this year, brrrr!!)