CityTins
CityTins is a clever way to support the local restaurant scene, discover new cuisines, and save some dining dollars. Inside each $30 tin are more than 20 standard-sized drink coasters, each with a photo of a different locally owned restaurant or combo of restaurants. On the flip side of each coaster are details on how to save $10 off dine-in or $5 on takeout at the establishments, along with the addresses, websites and other contact information.
The list of Twin Cities restaurants is impressive and includes some of my East Side favorites, such as The Lexington, Holman’s Table, and Parlour. We easily redeemed our coaster at Waldmann Brewery in St. Paul near our house and didn’t have to explain the concept or request the discount with our server when the bill arrived. Not sure where to dine? The tin also comes with a fun spinner listing all the participating eateries. Pick a place, Twister-style. Gift the tin or just a few of the coasters to others to share the savings. The Twin Cities Restaurant Edition artwork that appears on the cover, spinner, and extra coaster was created by Minneapolis artist Adam Turman, but there are other locations to choose from online, including Madison and Milwaukee markets in Wisconsin and Palm Beach restaurants in Florida. citytins.com
CityTins
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SnoShark
The SnoShark snow-removal tool is perfect for Midwesterners who like their gadgets jumbo-sized. Billed as “two tools in one” (right under the label Ice Scraper), this oversized paddle pulls or pushes snow off your vehicle. Flip it over and clear the windshield and windows with the ice-scraper edge. There’s a clear warning that SnoShark is not a shovel, so don’t call it one. That non-abrasive footlong flat panel has an antifreeze additive, and the handle is adjustable from 20 inches to 39 inches for a longer reach.
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Made with zinc alloy and stainless-steel parts, it weighs under two pounds, but I still found it a bit bulky and oversized for me to use. And starting at $54.99, this tool is more of an investment than the lightweight brush and scrapers most of us store in our vehicle. But those standard brushes do mean more time standing in the snow clearing the car, which some may pay a premium to avoid. snoshark.com
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Leather Honey Cleaner and Conditioner
We have a special leather couch that needs some TLC, so I was definitely excited about testing this toxin-free product with rave reviews. I appreciate the backstory, too; it’s a family-run business launched more than 50 years ago by a grandfather who was looking for a product to save his mail carrier’s shoes. Leather Honey offers a water-repelling system for damaged goods—but, unfortunately, our furniture seems beyond repair. We can’t quite figure out what happened to the couch in our AirBnb, and the guests who left it a mess haven’t provided any insight. It almost seems like someone spread some glue on each cushion and then laid a blanket on top to dry. These aren’t scratches or rips, more like pilled fibers. Either way, I applied both the Leather Honey cleaner and then conditioner with the smooth, blue application cloth, although neither were able to fully restore our damaged davenport. Time to call in the professionals. I did apply the combo, fairly priced at $46.99, to a different leather couch for a freshener and was pleased with both products and plan to use it for general upkeep. leatherhoney.com
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CMY Cubes
As I admitted before, we are a puzzle family. And the more colorful, the better. So when I first read about CMY Cubes, I mistakenly thought it was like a Rubik’s cube puzzle, only clear. It is not, but it is still captivating. Basically, this 2-by-2-inch cube is a clear block that has cyan on two of the six surfaces, magenta on two others, and yellow on the remaining two surfaces, so as you rotate the block, it changes colors at every angle. For $29.95, it’s a colorful bauble that we keep on a windowsill to display, and the kids like to handle it as a tactile toy, although it has no moveable puzzle pieces or rotating parts. There’s nothing to solve or otherwise create beyond a multitude of color combos. The marketing copy describes it as a way to “excite your curiosity, expand your imagination, and feed your sense of wonder.” The art lover or science seeker in your life may enjoy the simplicity of the many color combos they can create, and the company offers the product in a number of sizes and shapes beyond the six-sided cube, such as the octahedron and the dodecahedron. cmycubes.com
