In my high school, you could get out of gym class for one semester if you took home economics. It was either spend the second half of my freshman year sweating it out with most of the varsity softball team, who looked at me like I was a pretty doll they planned to vandalize, or try my hand at the domestic arts. So I baked, sewed and, in order to appreciate the responsibilities of parenting, carried an egg around in a basket for a week without breaking it. I did not excel in any of these arenas, but I was especially bad at sewing.

I am befuddled by buttons and harrowed by hems so it goes without saying that I am always in need of a tailor. That was, however, until I found Bristols 6 “Hem Tape”. I had just bought my first pair of Genetic Denim and wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep them long to wear with my new spring wedges or shorten them to show off my summer sandals. In 5 minutes, Hem Tape gave me a clean, shorter hem that was temporary enough to remove easily without any damage to the fabric but sturdy enough to last multiple wears and even a couple of washes. Problem solved – the new jeans did not have to go under the knife and I could wear them with whatever shoes I wanted.

Bristols 6 has a lot of fashion fixes to help you keep things in place and cover others but I am most intrigued by their “Adjust-a-Button”, which allows you to extend or tighten your waistband. The genius of this invention is obvious – poke a pin through the waistband of your favorite pants and let them out or take them in up to 1.5 inches. While I haven’t tried it myself, I am really excited about the possibilities…

Gain a couple of pounds in the winter months and now things are a little tight? No need to buy new pants, just add an “Adjust-a-Button”. Tone your tummy in Pilates and now your favorite jeans are loose? Cinch them in with “Adjust-a-Button”. Not to mention the miracle this could be for women in early pregnancy who need more room but aren’t ready for maternity jeans. It seems to me that having some of these on hand could be very useful.

You can buy Hem Tape ($12) and Adjust-a-Button ($18) at Bristosl6.com or on Amazon.com.

xoxo Melina

Stop sending those sad evite.com invitations. Your soirees deserve an upgrade! Cocodot.com is the answer to all your online stationary dreams. With this wonderful new Web site you can send gorgeous, advertising-free party invitations, greeting cards and blank notes. The templates they offer are lovely but it’s just as easy to upload your own images and create a personalized design.

Because these beauties are ad-free, you have to pay for them.  But who wants to send an invite or card with ads all over it anyway?  And with a bevy of online tools to communicate to your guests and manage your event, it’s simply the better choice.

They also offer memberships, perfect for the prolific party planner and/or someone who likes to send special cards for every occasion. While Cocodot gives you the same convenience as other online stationary outlets, no one can touch their sophisticated selection. So give your guests something to remember and send a Cocodot invite next time.

This past week we celebrated Earth Day and in honor of that I think we should all re-think the way we use and waste paper. Although it may seem like the whole world is going digital, people will always need to write notes. In my house, we keep a notepad and pens in the kitchen for jotting things down.

This habit (among many others) was passed on to me by my mother and I am certain many others could say the same. So when I saw this notepad and its smart, green design I thought I would start a new tradition and maybe you can too!

Yoyo Ceramics is a dynamic company founded by a female chemist. They create innovative and artistic designs for the everyday needs of your home. The Ceramic Notepad is a perfect example of their extremely functional yet surprisingly attractive creations.

Each comes with one pencil (or you can order a set with every color) to write on the ceramic with, which can be wiped or washed off easily. You can even throw it in the dishwasher! The hole through the top completes its cool, modern look and holds the pencil to keep the pen and pad together for convenient use.

While I still plan to keep my new notebook in the kitchen, I will make much better use of it and vow to leave my husband a cheesy love note every now and then. The best part? When I make my notes, I will no longer feel guilty about wasting paper!