12 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Pop-Up Pets to Fruit Hammocks

In the rundown ofwhat Strategist staffers bought last month, writer Rachael Griffiths told us about hernew glasses, Lauren Ro about anew coffee carafe, and Ambar Pardilla about these comfy sweatpants. “I like mine cheap, comfortable, pocketed, and logoless,” she says. “These are all that.”

Pardilla published a brand-newguide to long-sleeve T-shirtsand named this top from Cos the best overall pick. Though the brand often appears in “perfect tee” hunts, Pardilla says this particular style might be the tee with the biggest following. “The selling point of the T-shirt is its thickness,” she writes. “It’s much weightier than, say, J.Crew’s Tissue Turtleneck, and closer in feel to a Hanessweatshirt. For that reason, it’s less of a layer and better left on its own.”

“This is a bit of a grandma thing to admit, but I am crazy about Freshcut Paper’s pop-up flower bouquets and other paper botanical creations,” writes Liza Corsillo in her latest roundup ofnew products. If you feel similarly, you might be intrigued by the latest addition to Freshcut’s collection: pop-up pets. While the cats quickly sold out, you can still purchase the pop-up pups and the accompanying fur-patterned envelopes and silly accessories — for now.

On a recent vacation to midcoast Maine, Strategist writer Emma Wartzman visitedthe Alna Store, a restaurant converted from an old general store. Along with serving a smattering of seasonal fare, the restaurant still dedicates part of its space to selling market goods, including wine, pantry staples, and food-shaped puzzles. “We bought the Chicago dog (there was a Chicagoan in our crew), and two of us put it together in about 15 minutes when we got home,” writes Wartzman inher edition of “Strategist Brain,”a list of recent finds and obsessions. “Fun activity, cute gift idea,” she adds.

Griffiths named this Garnier Fructis gel best overall in her brand-newguide to hair gels. It’s not only cheap, it’s also formulated with plenty of hair-friendly ingredients. Griffiths writes that she “saw plenty of reviewers with wavy and curly hair types saying that it gave them great curl definition, and lasting hold without any crunchy residue.”

“As a New Yorker, I’ve navigated my fair share of shoebox apartments with tiny kitchens that are barely big enough to turn around in,” writes Strategist contributor Alexis Benveniste, and as a consequence, she has collected a variety of gadgets and tools formaking the most of her small kitchen, including this under cabinet fruit hammock. “This suspended storage solution keeps produce fresh and visible, which inspires me to use everything I have,” she says. “With just two hooks and a net, it’s also super-easy to install and clean.”

For theirlist of very timely Halloween-costume ideas, Pardilla and Corsillo featured one autumnal TikTok favorite: “Like Miss Frizzle before her, Strega Nona is part of an elite league of fictional witches with impeccable style using their powers for good.” To play her, you’ll need to buy a realistic approximation of her “magical” pasta pot, which is filled with tons and tons of pasta (we suggest yarn). This kettle is your best bet.

InStrategist columnist Chris Black’s most recent column, he offers a few suggestions to a reader’s request for gift ideas under $100, includinghis favorite incense, aluxurious lambskin notebook, and this hand soap from Frama, about whose ascendance he says, “Those Aussies at Aesop should be worried.” This perfectly musky hand soap is “a great gift that will last a while and look great on the sink.”

Though Strategist contributor Yaminah Mayo is not easily influenced, the viral moment on TikTok where content creator Meg DeAngelis filmed herself witha shopping cartthat she then sold to a stranger on the street moved her enough to purchase the cart after a long search for one. During her week with it, she found it capable of transporting everything from her laundry to a slightly confused pup to a bunch of otherwise unwieldy purchases from Ikea.

Strategist contributor Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz recently took a trip to the small, beautiful, and 80 percent uninhabited island ofKauai, where she visited farmers’ markets, caught sunsets, and kayaked in the sea. Her packing list included this sun hat because in Hawaii, “the sun is fierce, even in September,” she says. “Not only does it pack into the size of a slim paperback, it has a chin tie so it doesn’t blow away. Also, the brim is so wide it practically doubles as a beach umbrella.”

Among the items children’s-show hostMiss Rachelcan’t live without is this mug, which features her hero. “I have loved Mister Rogers since I was little,” she says. “I’m so inspired by how much he cared about children and their families.” The mug serves as a reminder of their shared mission (with an added benefit): “Whenever I see it, I’m like: Okay this is why I’m doing what I’m doing. Plus I love coffee. Without coffee, I can’t function.”

In Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman’s newguide to bath mats, this textural daisy mat is one of our top picks for patterned mats. “Since Nickey Kehoe makes some of our favorite design-y home items (napkin rings,throw blankets, andoutdoor tableware, to name a few), it’s no surprise that the brand also makes a good-looking bath mat,” writes Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman. While testing it, she was impressed by the mat’s ability to absorb water and dry quickly.