Personalized Gifts for the Hard to Shop for Person [review]

Personalized gifts have become quite popular over the past several years. More companies and small businesses are offering customization options on just about anything. A personalized gift can be the perfect gift for that hard to shop for person. When I was shopping for my husband's Christmas gift - a personalized bourbon barrel head - I came across Joanna Tate Monograms on Etsy. Joanna offers personalized wooden products, including reclaimed wooden products.

Monogrammed Bourbon Barrel Head       

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a discount on shipping to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and are honest.

The Good	The Not So Good
Reclaimed wood
Professional designs
Custom made
Ready to hang

I ordered a bourbon barrel head with a simple monogram of our last name (similar to the design above) and the year we were established (married). We have one child for now, so I did not want to add his name in case we have more children. I also did want to just include our names because it is more than just us in our family. I wanted a heirloom gift that can be passed on to our son.

The personalized bourbon barrel top came as promised by Joanna. The box was quite large and had a Fragile sticker on it, which is good for shipping purposes. The barrel top was packaged well inside. It was protected well.

I was giving the monogrammed bourbon barrel top as a Christmas gift for my husband, so I wrapped it in the box that it arrived it. When my husband opened his gift, we were both impressed! The size of the barrel top was quite impressive and the design was very professional. The barrel top is stained and has a clear finish. The design and the look was just what I expected after browsing the selection that Joanna Tate Monograms offers.

 

A personalized bourbon barrel head is a great gift for a bourbon enthusiast! Joanna Tate Monograms reclaims bourbon barrel heads and turns them into beautiful artwork to display in your home!

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Aeropress Stainless Steel Filter [Review]

One of the ways that I try to be eco-friendly and reduce our impact on the environment is to use reusable products for every day activities. One-time use products can also get pretty expensive in the long run. Most disposable products are also processed or filled with toxic chemicals (ex: bleach). A reusable stainless steel coffee filter is a great way to reduce the amount of money spent on disposable filters, eliminate the "paper" taste in your coffee, and reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals.

Warren River Good Aeropress Filter     
Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Made from stainless steel	Tighter fit, need to press harder
Fine mesh keeps "coffee mud" out
Easy to clean

A Warren River Goods reusable stainless steel filter is a great way to "green" your morning cup of coffee. The filter is made from 100% stainless steel with the mesh inside and a metal rim. The filter is pretty thin and fits right into the main chamber of the Aeropress coffee press.

Usage: The stainless steel filter is used in the same way as the paper filter. You place it inside the Aeropress chamber, add the coffee grounds and then the water. And, press the coffee through.

The paper filters will absorb some of the delicious and healthy oils in coffee, so you lose out on flavor. The stainless steel filter lets those oils through! We decided to do a little experiment. We used a scale to ensure the same amount of coffee and water. The first cup was pressed with the paper filter. The second cup was pressed with the stainless steel filter. Results - we could taste the difference. The second cup had slightly better taste and fuller body. I really like that the stainless steel filter lets through the oils that paper filters absorb.

A paper filter is more fine than a stainless steel filter. One thing to consider is that the stainless steel filter is going to let water through a lot faster. The hot water is in contact with the coffee for less time and could extract less flavor or different flavor than when using a paper filter. This could change the taste of the final cup of coffee.

Results: The stainless steel filter does not result in the "paper" taste when making a cup of coffee. I was worried that the stainless steel filter would "muddy" the coffee a bit (like a French Press usually does), but I did not notice any difference. The stainless steel filter mesh is fine enough to keep even finely ground coffee out of my cup.

The stainless steel filter is thicker than the paper filter, so the fit inside the Aeropress is tighter. I did have to apply a little bit more pressure to get the coffee through, but this is something that I would get used to after a few uses.

The filter is easy and quick to clean. I used a dish brush with a little bit of natural soap on it and brushed it over. The stainless steel filter also dried quickly.

If you are looking for a reusable stainless steel filter for your Aeropress, I would recommend the Warren River Goods filter. At around $15, it is an investment up from, but I can see the filter lasting for lots of years and eliminating the need to continue spending money on disposable filters. The filter does carry a lifetime guarantee, though I am not sure with daily use that it would last that long. My husband still prefers the ease of disposable filters at work and I prefer the use of the reusable coffee filter at home.

Disclosure: I received the product to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own and are honest. I am not a medical professional. These statement have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult your physician or a medical professional regarding the usage of this product.

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reCAP Mason Jar Caps [Review]

I have acquired a number of glass Mason jars over the past few years from my canning endeavors. From the small 4 oz canning jars to the big 1/2 gallon canning jars, I love the versatility for more than just canning. The 4 oz canning jars are perfect for storing leftovers for my toddler. The quart and half gallon canning jars are great for storing grains and dried beans. However, Mason canning jars can be used for so much more! Not only do reCAP Mason Jar caps transform ordinary glass jars to containers that can store and pour, but they also allow you to make your own homemade cleaning and beauty products with the pump and sprayer caps.

Mason Jar Pump Cap                 ($7.00)
Mason Jar Sprayer Cap              ($7.00)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Transform Mason jars into usable containers	Caps are made from plastic
Reduces use of plastic containers	Regular size only
Easy to install and use	Does not dispense stream

I reviewed the reCAP Mason Jar Pour Cap a couple of months ago and I loved it. Being able to use all of the glass Mason jars that I have lying around for other purposes is very eco-friendly. reCAP offers many other types of caps for Mason jars, including the Pump Cap and the Sprayer Cap.

reCAP Pump Cap and Sprayer Cap are made from plastic and are 100% BPA free. The caps are made in the USA.

reCAP Pump Cap worked as expected. After a few pumps to prime the pump, the liquid soap was coming out nicely. This is a regular pump (not a foaming one), so it would be perfect to use with soap or with lotion or any similar liquid. The tube is 6" long, so it could work with the smaller Mason Jars (8 oz). The pump outputs 2cc with a lock down saddle in case you want to "close" the pump. The 6" tube was a little tight with the 8 oz Mason jars, but I was able to get it in there with the tube being bent a little. This did not hinder the ability to pump.

reCAP Sprayer Cap also worked very well. The sprayer only sprays mist, not stream. It has a dial at the end of the sprayer to turn off or on. Both "on" sides dispense mist. The mist is good for covering a large area, but not for targeted areas where a stream would do better. I poured my homemade shower cleaner into a quart 32 oz Mason jar. The tube on the Sprayer Cap is about 8" long and it fit well inside this Mason Jar with a little bend in it. This did not hinder the ability of the sprayer to work.

I was a bit skeptical about using a quart (32 oz) Mason jar as a prayer jar because of the bigger width of the container. After trying it, I was was able to hold the jar with one hand and spray with the same hand. I love that I can make my own homemade cleaner sprays and reduce the amount of plastic I use.

I would recommend reCAP Mason Jar Adapta caps in the Pump and Sprayer Caps. They fit regular sized Mason jars and allow you to use Mason Jars for other purposes. Reducing exposure to plastic and reusing the items we already have in our home is eco-friendly and economical. Plus, you can decorate the glass Mason jars to match your decor, or give them as gifts.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. No other compensation was received. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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Pouch2Go Reusable Food Pouches [Review]

We started our transition to solid foods with the Baby Led Weaning strategy, with a little bit of spoon feeding mixed in. There were some foods, like yogurt, applesauce and soups, which I wanted to offer to my son. While he was still learning the fine motor skills required to pick up food and get it to his mouth, he had not quite mastered the skill of holding a spoon with liquid/puree in it steady enough to get it to his mouth. Then, he got to a certain point where he did not want to be spoon fed. He wanted to be independent and feed himself. Reusable food pouches are a great way to offer foods to your baby and toddler while promoting independence and enabling on-the-go snacks.

Reusable Food Pouches            

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Easy to clean	Made from plastic
Convenient for on-the-go snacking
Opening big enough for chunky purees

I held off giving any type of food pouch for a little while. Let's be honest. Those little food pouches are expensive. I did not want my son to get hooked on them and be a slave to purchasing them every week and throwing them away. I know there are ways to reuse the lids, but the single serve pouches produce a lot of waste. I started to see reusable food pouches on the market, but was hesitant. Some were hard to clean, others were hard to use.

When my son decided that he no longer wanted to be spoon fed yogurt, I had to try something new. Though he can get food to his mouth fairly well with a spoon, I wanted him to eat a bit more yogurt than 1/8 cup. Plus, I wanted to offer snacks on-the-go that were contained and convenient.

Pouch2Go pouches are exactly what I was looking for. I cleaned the pouches before use, as recommended. Yogurt was the first food to go into the pouch. As soon as my 19 month old son saw the pouch, he became excited. He took the pouch and started eating the yogurt. Success! He finished the whole pouch of yogurt! Maybe it was a little bit of the novelty of the pouch or maybe he really missed yogurt. Either way, I am pleased that he did so well with the pouch. Our previous experiences involved him turning the pouch over and squeezing everything out.

Each pouch holds 4 oz. This is the perfect size for a toddler or a baby. The reusable food pouch is also a good size for throwing in the diaper bag or your purse to have snacks on hand.

The pouch was easy to clean. The plastic is firm, so the pouch is easy hold open while I get the scrubbing brush inside. The pouch closes like a zip lock bag. The zippers are designed to stay closed. I experienced no issues with leaks. Though, I did store the pouches in a big Ziploc bag just in case.

I try to avoid plastic when possible, so that is one of the negatives of the product. However, for this type of product, plastic is going to be the best material.

Overall, I really liked the pouches. They were easy and quick to fill. I can quickly spoon food into the pouch right before leaving the house. The foods I have tried so far include yogurt and mashed butternut squash that was leftover from dinner. The pouch opening is big enough that even chunkier purees would still fit through. Pouch2Go Reusable Food Pouches are good to have on hand for on-the-go snacking and for toddlers who would like to eat independently.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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reCAP Mason Jar Pour Cap [Review]

I have acquired a number of glass Mason jars over the past few years from my canning endeavors. From the small 4 oz canning jars to the big 1/2 gallon canning jars, I love the versatility for more than just canning. The 4 oz canning jars are perfect for storing leftovers for my toddler. The quart and half gallon canning jars are great for storing grains and dried beans. However, Mason canning jars can be used for so much more! From on-the-go drinks to organizing pantry items, reCAP Mason jar pour caps transform ordinary glass jars to containers that shake, pour and store.

Mason Jar Pour Cap              (wide mouth, silver color)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Transform Mason jars into storage containers	Cap is made from plastic
Regular and wide mouth sizes

I have seen Mason jars being used for purposes other than canning a lot lately, but never took the plunge to try it myself until recently. I have been using used lids and rings if I was storing something in the fridge or the pantry. The used lids cannot be reused for canning. Instead of throwing them out, I decided to use them if I were storing something in the canning jar. However, unscrewing the ring and lining up the lids and rings when putting back on was becoming a bit cumbersome each time. Let's just say, I prefer easy and efficient methods. The reCAP Mason jar pour cap is the answer!

ReCAP Mason Jar Pour Cap is made from plastic and is 100% BPA free. The caps are also made in the USA.

The jar pour cap can be used for many different uses like pouring liquids and solids. That means you can use a Mason jar like a portable cup with a lid. Though I would be careful if pouring hot liquid as the glass would get very hot. Likewise with cold liquids. I could see myself using the pour cap for thinner soups if I wanted to take food on the go.

I really like that the caps can be used for just about anything. The opening is wide enough to allow most items through. The reCAP pour cap has a rubber gasket inside that provides for a good seal against the glass Mason jar. I feel comfortable that nothing would be spilled. The top opening is firm enough that it will come open accidentally, but easy enough to open. The opening is about the size of a quarter.

 

I am in love with reCAP Mason Jar Pour Caps. I would like get a few more lids for smaller containers that I can take on the go. ReCAP Mason jar pour caps are a great way to reuse Mason jars in many different ways.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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