Sounds Good

Hairy cherry, domino necklaces lead to summer fun
Summer schedules offer time for trying new things. I convinced a few co-workers to try lychee and rambutan, some fruits that even its marketers call weird.
Chinese royalty enjoyed lychee, with a delicate scent and flavor. Peel their rough skin to reveal what could be called a pearl, but also resembles and eyeball. I enjoyed the light, sweet flavor and watched for the large, black seed inside.
Rambutan are also called hairy cherry in Vietnam. Frieda’s Specialty Produce calls it the punky relative of the lychee, which gets its name from “rambut,” what they’d say for “hair” in Malaysia. This sea-creature of a fruit neatly cuts in half to get what seems like a larger version of the lychee.
Frieda’s also offers Dragon Eye Fruit, known as “little brother of the lychee.”
Put these fruits in a platter by the pool and you’ve got instant centerpiece/conversation piece.
Here’s word on some other new stuff that could get your summer started:

Cable Clutter
The very morning I glimpsed the tangle of phone, charger, mini vac and assorted electrical wires too near my dining table I found Cable Fish. It’s a simple plastic  bit that looks like a fish skeleton. Wrap the wires around it and the mess goes minimal. Cable Keepers, with shapes like little cats with various expressions, also get the job done. These are extra cool because they have a little suction cup, so they can hide on a wall.
CableOrganizer.com has more simple-yet-amazing ideas, like the Core, an apple core-shaped bit to keep your headphone cord managed.

Dicey art
It’s domino art, actually. Blind artist Ketra Oberlander founded Art of Possibility Studios and  necklaces that are bound to start conversations. I’ve got a lucky 7 domino piece that flips to a sort of blue-green fireworks display. Gauzy string turns it into a necklace.
Look her up, and look up Phenominoes, the art you wear pendants with built-in “how fun” factor. It’s a worthy project.

Lady stuff
LillyPadz has an amazing “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” product, a clear, smooth pad that kind of acts like a suction cup to prevent leakage in nursing mothers. You can work, dance and swim in them with no bulk, wetness, swapping or shifting.
ddoiron@panews.com