Dog paper clips and other smile-inducers for the work week
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If only dog-shaped paper clips could solve all of the world’s problems. In the quest to bring a little levity to the desk or computer to which you’re no doubt tethered for too, too long, we’ve rounded up some of the latest home office novelties to cross our screens.
We’ll start, of course, with the dog-shaped paper clips, available in a multibreed pack of five for $3.99 at the Container Store. (We’ve been debating the breeds; check out all five dogs at the end of this post and weigh in with your opinion.)
If canines aren’t you’re thing, mustache paper clips (five for $3.99) let you clip a little Ryan Gosling (circa “Lars and the Real Girlâ€) or James Franco (circa “Milkâ€) to your papers. And for the pedal pusher? Bicycles (four for $3.99) are also part of the Container Store paper-clip extravaganza.
Just out from the Monrovia design studio and web store MollaSpace: The Plug Battery Charger is a portable lithium ion battery that recharges Apple devices on the go, without having to plug them into a wall.
One end of the device is a USB port, so you can charge the device off your home computer. The other end is a twin-pronged cover that lifts off to reveal the Apple connector. Slip the charger into a bag or pocket as a portable power source, and in a pinch you can charge iPods to 100% or iPhones to about 30%, the company says. It’s $26 and goes on sale this week. Keeping reading for more home office gadgets ...
The French fries are supersized in this Paperbag Wastebasket made by Goods and sold through YLiving. It’s constructed of unused billboard material, so images will vary. The baskets come in three sizes, $20 to $58.
The Stampler by the irreverent British design firm Suck UK turns every staple into an almost-smiley face with a ‘Have a nice day’ message. It’s $19.70 through Amazon.
For those solid ideas: a pencil made of concrete and nickel-plated brass. Each is made to order by the Taiwanese firm 22designstudio; the pencil’s 5.5mm leads are easy to find online. It’s $60 through MollaSpace.
The tagline for the Evolution erasers: To err is human. The design -- ape on one side, Homo sapien on the other--– is meant to be practical as well, offering lots of angles and edges for the mistake-prone. They’re $16 for set of two through Uncommon Goods.
Stow your paper clips on Dozi, a giant resin-covered magnet from Alessi, and the animal abstraction turns into a desktop porcupine. It’s available in green, pink or black, all $27 through the Alessi shop.
Alessi’s chrome-plated paperweight Chip also has a magnetic core, so paper clips can serve as plumage for the Modernist bird. It’s $60 from the Alessi shop.
The full pack of dog paper clips at the Container Store: poodle, retriever, pug, dauchshund, terrier?
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-- Craig Nakano
Photo credits, top: Dog paper clip from the Container Store. Plug Battery Charger from Molla Space