Jewelry Storage With Umbra
April 29, 2016
My jewelry has always had a way of spreading like bishop’s weed throughout the house – over the vanity, in the cabinet, and on the tables or windowsills (where I absentmindedly remove and leave them). Of course, I may suffer from an organizational impairment, which I am working on in therapy and at my job, but I have risen to the challenge of getting my clutter under control, including my jewelry, with a little help from my employee discount AND from Umbra, one of my favorite companies.
Umbra is a Toronto-based company offering innovative, award-winning organizing and decorative products at affordable prices. One of the unique things about them is that they employ many international designers who bring a diverse wealth of ideas, inspiration and innovation to the creative table. Furthermore, they honor their artists by individually crediting them for their designs. I have to think that honoring and celebrating their designers is one of the secrets to their success, whatever the reasoning behind it.
Employing multiple designers from across the globe means Umbra continually situates itself on the cutting edge of design. Umbra designers breathe fresh life into old ideas, as well as create brand new, inspired, non-derivative, out-of-this-world designs. Their product lines range from bathroom accessories to waste cans to curtain rods (something new). Jewelry storage and display products are extensive and unsurpassed in originality by most competitor products. Umbra jewelry organizing products include jewelry boxes, hanging jewelry storage (including their bestselling Little Black Dress line), and stunning jewelry trees and displays that are as visually intriguing as they are functional.
Here are a few of my favorite Umbra jewelry storage products by category:
Umbra Hanging Jewelry Storage Organizers
Little Black Dress – Sexy and clever, this 39-pocket jewelry organizer hangs right on a closet rod and rolls easily to fit in luggage when traveling. This original Little Black Dress was so popular, they expanded the line with similarly witty jewelry organizing products.
Little Black Corset – Naughty and nice, this jewelry holder harkens to vintage homemade panty girdle storage assemblies with a modern twist. 23 pockets for storage hold plenty of baubles and 20 additional Velcro straps keep bracelets and other accessories secure.
Little Mini Black Dress – Smaller than the former organizers but with ample storage and sass (4 zippered compartments with 9 compartments), this little hanging organizer rocks for compact, rollup luggage storage.
Umbra Jewelry Trees
Umbra Venus Jewelry Stand – cleverly references the famous Botticelli Venus with the Umbra’s popular dress motif standing in for her. Fashioned in mesh, with plenty of holes for earring storage, the dress sits atop a storage shell and includes additional overhead arms for storing bracelets and necklaces.
Jewelry Tree Stand – Flower – is a simple, yet elegant solution for hanging necklaces and other jewelry. A sparse array of flowers suggests a cosmos patch in summer, realized in a design that is both contemporary and utilitarian. 11 different chromed flowers have four petals each for storing a variety of necklaces and bracelets.
Umbra Ring Holders
Umbra Animal Ring Holders – Compact and minimalist, these little Anigram die-cast zinc ring holders ensure your rings don’t get lost. Made with white bodies and contrasting silver appendages, these little guys are adorable objets d’art. Choose from bunny, reindeer, dog and elephant holders.
Elephant Ring Holder – This chrome-plated elephant ring holder, with its clean lines and minimalist design, is absolutely sublime. Hang rings from either the trunk or tusks.
Umbra jewelry displays are as aesthetically pleasing as they are utilitarian and make fabulous gifts for your favorite vixens, your mother, daughter or any jewelry-loving individual in your life. I’m sure you and your gift recipients will enjoy your Umbra products as much as I have mine.
Designers:
Matt Carr – Little Black Dress
Sung Wook Park and Marcee Ruby – Little Black Corset
Sung Wook Park – Little Mini Black Dress
Luciano Lorenzatti – Umbra Venus Jewelry Stand
Alan Wisniewski – Jewelry Tree Stand
Sung WookPark – Umbra Animal Ring Holders
Joel Yatscoff – Elephant Ring Holder
by Laurie. H
Jewelry Organizers for Travel
April 27, 2016
Traveling, while potentially fun, can also be stressful. Finding secure, yet manageable jewelry organizers for safe travel and TSA issues are always a concern : What size bottles do I need for liquids? How should they be labeled? What kind of food can I take? For people who NEED jewelry, there are other worries, such as customs/inspections and secure storage in hotel rooms.
When passing through metal detectors, you really need your jewelry consolidated into something that’s accessible and easy for workers to pull out, inspect and return to your luggage. Vinyl-pocketed jewelry storage hangers are a great choice as many can be rolled in your luggage and later unrolled and hung from a closet rod in your hotel room.
Hanging Jewelry Organizers
- The Umbra Little Black Corset measures only 8 W by 18.75 H x .5 D inches and has 23 clear pockets for storing jewelry, plus 20 Velcro straps for hanging bracelets and other items. This makes a great travel companion because it provides hanging storage and visibility. With a little luck, the luggage inspectors might NOT excessively paw through your jewelry.
- The Hanging Jewelry Organizer has many of the same benefits as the hanging corset in a 28-pocket design with 14 Velcro straps for accessories. A convenient, swivel hook makes both sides accessible.
- The larger-needs 80 Pocket Canvas Jewelry Organizer is great for longer trips or for the traveler who absolutely adores jewelry. Double sided, with a provided hanger, this organizer can also hold other travel accessories, or you can share it with family members.
Travel Jewelry Cases
Travel Jewelry Cases provide more secure storage for your valuable jewelry and accessories. Hard shell, latched varieties offer padding and protection and may fit in a hotel safe for extra secure storage.
- The Black Faux Suede Jewelry Case has a latched lid and flocked interior to protect your jewelry. It measures 10.5 W x 2.5 H x 7.25 D inches, making it a good fit for many hotel safes.
- The Leather Jewelry Carrier is padded for protection and small enough for onboard luggage. It measures only 8.25 W x 5 H x 1.25 D inches and fits nicely in a briefcase or other compact bag.
Other travel jewelry cases are available on our website, and, of course, we carry plenty of home jewelry storage cases and jewelry cleaning products as well.
by Laurie H.
Wine Racks for Every Budget
April 21, 2016
Whether you are an occasional wine enthusiast, entertainer, or serious wine spectator, we have wine racks and cabinets made from a range of materials, in a variety of styles to fit any budget. Along with price and material, it’s important to monitor the temperature of wine and store it in a stable environment, free from a lot of vibration or traffic. Storing on top of a refrigerator, for instance, is always a bad idea.
Other things to consider when storing wine and purchasing wine racks:
- Collection size – how many bottles do you need to store and do you anticipate growing your collection?
- Chilled wine storage, or not? How much wine will you consume? Do you drink red or white wine? For short term storage, refrigeration is NOT needed – however, you never want to store wine in really warm temperatures.
- Do you plan to resell the wine? Maintaining a 55 degree temperature is recommended for long term storage of valuable and/or vintage bottles.
- What kind of floor space do you have available for a wine rack? We sell large floor racks, smaller countertop racks, wall-mount displays and racks with integrated bars.
- Are you a handy person who enjoys assembling things? Some of our wooden wine racks are kit-based and fun to build. We have everything from a massive, 84-bottle redwood kit to a modest countertop six-bottle wood rack. The six bottle kit takes only minutes to assemble and comes in finished and unfinished models, which are great if you want to apply a unique stained effect or match your decor.
- What material are you looking for in a rack? Wood, metal, composite and bamboo racks are available to match your decor. Simple wire racks lend a modern look to your kitchen or bar. Industrial, large chromed racks come in a variety of sizes for serious collectors.
- What is your budget? Here are some racks listed by price ranges from: 10-50 dollars, 51-150 dollars, 151-300 dollars and 1400-1500 dollars:
10-50 Dollars:
- Metal Wine Bottle Holder – Clean lines make this black metal four-bottle rack an attractive accent for countertop use and an excellent choice for frequent wine drinkers.
- Stackable Bamboo Wine Rack – is eco-friendly, simply-designed, and modular so you can build your own system or add on later, should your collection grow.
51-150 Dollars:
- 24 Bottle X Wine Rack has a classic design and costs less than 60 dollars. It’s small enough for counter use and great for small wine collections.
- Wooden Wine and Stemware Rack includes a tabletop for pouring and storing open bottles, holds 24 bottles and 10 glasses, and, at less than 106 dollars, is an absolute steal.
151-300 Dollars:
- Home Martini Bar has everything you need to entertain in a compact footprint. Contemporary steel, complemented by black, kidney-shaped contours make a contemporary statement for your home bar. For under 220 dollars you are ready to entertain in style with this affordable piece.
- Wine Storage Cabinet – another low-cost, attractive way to display wine. This has glass doors for easy viewing, a stemware shelf and a utility shelf for other wine supplies. Less than 210 dollars – affordable, while offering style and a lot of storage.
1400-1500 Dollars:
- Commercial Wine Racks come in a variety of sizes to fit the professional wine collector’s storage needs. 36 and 48-inch widths are available with storage capacity of up to 169 bottles. Chrome-covered steel will last forever and make ideal storage in a cellar or other dedicated space.
Whatever your needs for wine storage, big or small, we have something that will work for you in our store. We also carry stemware displays and other wine accessories.
by Laurie Halbritter
