Canadian Gift Guide

Okay. I’ve been dancing around Quirky for awhile. I’ve featured them a handful of times now, without a serious explanation of why I’m so enamoured. So let me explain. I don’t like throwing the words ‘unique’ or ‘innovative’ around a lot, but I can think of few others that describe Quirky – the world’s first (or at least best) social product development site. Think of it like Facebook for products.

If you’ve got a GREAT idea, you can submit your plan for it to Quirky (PS – the graphic above is totally ripped from their site, where you can learn much more about the process). From there, the Quirky community decides whether your idea is deemed worthy for further exploration. If the powers that be above the community aren’t feeling it, they’ll give you some feedback on how you can improve your idea, and resubmit. If they’re digging it however, it’ll start flying through research, design, branding, marketing, and manufacturing – all to end up on the shelves on major multi-national retailers (and the Quirky site) in as little as three months. Oh, and your brilliant idea? You earn a percentage of the profits of every unit sold. It’s a win/win – you get to add ‘inventor’ to your business card, and Quirky gets to produce products that have a built-in fan base.

On that note, if you’re not a big-time product dreamer but you’d still like to weigh in? That’s honestly half the fun of the site. You can leave comments on perceived deficiencies of a product, vote for what’ll be considered for development, and play an insightful pricing game to help Quirky land on an appealing price point that won’t hurt your wallet.

Most of the Quirky products to date have been focused on tech gadgets, kitchenwares, and home accessories. With that in mind, I’ve got three fun picks for Mother’s Day (or beyond) for your review & approval today…

Mocubo Cutting Board – $39.95
Pretty much my favourite Quirky product ever. If you’ve ever prepared a meal – like say, a stir fry – where you need to chop up multiple veggies for multiple steps of a recipe, you’ll flip for this smart idea. It’s a raised bamboo cutting board (which actually puts things at about the right height so you don’t have to hunch over the counter) with three modular drawer compartments underneath. So while item A is simmering you can work on chopping those peppers for Step 3, and take the carrots you chopped for step 1 and throw them in. Easy, and perfect for the kitchenista in your clique.

Mercado Farmer’s Market Bag – $24.99
I’m lucky to live in a city with a really great weekly Farmer’s Market, so I can attest to how desirable this designed tote really is for trips to the cornerstone and market alike. It may appear a humble reusable tote, but in fact it has many sub pockets and compartments to protect delicate fruits & vegetables, keep savoury ingredients apart from sweet ones, and even stash your requisite water bottle away from it all. Suddenly strolling through those ever-packed aisles seems like an attainable task, and you’ll come home with garden-fresh veggies. An ideal option for your fellow market-dwelling friends, mothers, or family members.

Click n Cook – $39.99
While I love my house, I am a tad woe begotten about my lack of counter space in my kitchen. Enter the Click n Cook, yet another modular kitchen gadget that banishes counter clutter in favour of an elegant and brilliant design. Simply snap together the spatula attachment of your choice to the included handle for easy, on-the-fly change-ups of utensils and bonus, less dishes. An awesome find for friends & family suffering from a similarly cramped kitchen.