Still hanging in after all these years

In the extensive catalog of work by the Eames Office, the Hang-It-All is nowhere near as celebrated as the lounge chair and ottoman, say, or the surfboard table.

But fans of the whimsical hanging device -- which turned 50 this year but looks very much “today” -- say it speaks volumes about the design philosophy of Charles and Ray Eames.

It showed that “form and functionality could be together,” says Eames Demetrios, the grandson of the famous duo and custodian of the Eameses’ inventive legacy.

The Eameses clearly had grandchildren’s mittens, skates, jackets and knapsacks in mind when they designed the Hang-It-All in 1953 -- with sturdy-coated rods capped with wooden balls painted in bright colors.

But some believe it is stunning enough to stand on its own.

When Kathryn and Richard Waltzer, passionate Eames collectors in Pacific Palisades, bought their Hang-It-All, they had every intention of displaying it as a piece of sculpture. That didn’t last.

“We love the way it looks so much that we found a use for hanging things on it,” says Kathryn, an interior designer. Situated on a wall in the Waltzers’ guest house, above an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, it is covered with Richard’s baseball caps.

Martha Groves

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A standing battle

Building a better mousetrap is the inventor’s proverbial goal, but the real money this time of year lies in building a better Christmas-tree stand. Few relish the thought of wrestling a sap-dripping spruce into a metal tripod, only to have it tip over as you stand there admiring your handiwork. As in any battle, we seek the impossible: a knight in shiny green armor, trumpeted with a fanfare that, deep down, we know can’t be true. The last tree stand we’ll ever buy? If only. Still, the names give us hope.

Some are imposing: The Stabilizer. The Magnum. Some, slightly contradictory: The Swivel Straight. The Standard Ultimate. And some, downright sinister: The Claw-Clamping Christmas Tree Stand. The Santa Solution.

There are cute names: The Standtastic. The Stand Strait. The E.Z. H2O Christmas Tree Stand. Krinner’s Christmas Tree Genie, below. And ones that suggest: The Colonial. The Florentine. The Mediterranean.

But maybe the most appropriate are those that allude to the fight itself: Bowling’s Last Stand and Grinnen’s Last Stand.

Custer would be proud.

Scott Sandell

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Less for the landfill

Wrapsacks INC. is putting a positive spin on the idea of re-gifting. The point, though, is not to unload the gift on someone else. Instead, try reusing the bag -- as an environmentally friendly alternative to paper wrap.

“I was just astounded by all the trash, just barrels full of garbage -- mostly wrapping paper -- on Dec. 26,” says Chief Executive Michael Miner, who got the idea for a fabric gift bag after spending Christmas with his in-laws in El Segundo. He co-founded Wrapsacks last year with his wife, Kathryn Hapke-Miner, in White Salmon, Wash.

To encourage reuse, the company created the Track-a-Sack system. Each bag contains a tag with a number, which makes it easy to catch friends and family in the act of conservation. Enter the number on the Wrapsacks website and read all about the tote’s travels. Then add your own anecdote.

The bags -- made of hand-dyed cotton batik prints -- come in more than 20 patterns, including several seasonal designs such as snowflakes and angels. Prices range from $2.95 to $5.49. Whole Foods Markets and Lassen’s Health Foods carry the bags, or they can be bought at www.wrapsacks.com.

-- Ana Cantu

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A standing battle

Building a better mousetrap is the inventor’s proverbial goal, but the real money this time of year lies in building a better Christmas-tree stand. Few relish the thought of wrestling a sap-dripping spruce into a metal tripod, only to have it tip over as you stand there admiring your handiwork. As in any battle, we seek the impossible: a knight in shiny green armor, trumpeted with a fanfare that, deep down, we know can’t be true. The last tree stand we’ll ever buy? If only. Still, the names give us hope.

Some are imposing: The Stabilizer. The Magnum. Some, slightly contradictory: The Swivel Straight. The Standard Ultimate. And some, downright sinister: The Claw-Clamping Christmas Tree Stand. The Santa Solution.

There are cute names: The Standtastic. The Stand Strait. The E.Z. H2O Christmas Tree Stand. Krinner’s Christmas Tree Genie, below. And ones that suggest: The Colonial. The Florentine. The Mediterranean.

But maybe the most appropriate are those that allude to the fight itself: Bowling’s Last Stand and Grinnen’s Last Stand.

Custer would be proud.

-- Scott Sandell