Yak About It > Yak Nation

March 1, 2010

KitchenKuffs hold your sleeves up — while preparing food, washing dishes, cleaning, bathing a child or dog, in the garden or doing crafts. They help protect sleeves from soil and wetness.

I enjoy cooking and do a lot of it for friends and family. But from fall through spring I wear long sleeves. It seemed like I’d push up my sleeves and they’d always be slipping down and getting into whatever I was working on/or with, like into the food or into the dishwater. It was a real pet peeve.

Then one day I saw someone using rubber bands to hold their sleeves up. I thought “how clever”. I tried it. While it worked, it didn’t provide any added protection against splatters and spills, so I decided to get out some fabric and that’s when I made my first pair.

After making numerous versions of KitchenKuffsÒ for myself I felt I was on to something. So, I started making sets to share with friends and family. I was anxious to find out what they thought, and whether they would work as well for them as they did for me. The feedback was excellent and the encouragement to continue with the idea vital.

KitchenKuffsÒ are manufactured here in the USA. The first pairs were introduced to market in the fall of 2008 but subsequently I have been able to find additional domestic sources, which have allowed me to lower the cost by 25% from a year ago.

Inventor: Barbara Doran

I am a marketing consultant, with over 25 years of marketing experience specializing in the areas of strategic planning, creative services, and tactical implementation. In 1995 I joined my husband, graphic designer Frank Forgacs, and opened an ad agency: Doran & Forgacs, Inc.

In the last 10+ years I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients, both in consumer markets and business to business. I’ve helped these clients increase business by introducing viable strategies and tactics for initial sales, cross-selling, upgrades and conservation/retention programs.

In addition to my marketing background, I’ve been a life-long animal enthusiast owning and showing both dogs & horses. In college I earned my Batchelor’s degree in Psychobiology (studying animal behavior). In 2003 I went on to earn my Certification as a Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and actively teach both pet and competition level dog training classes with a local dog training club.

I have attended a number of craft fairs and honestly, almost every time someone new realizes how the product works they say “What a great idea!” Every time I hear that it makes me smile and helps me keep going.

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$11.95

Kitchen Kuffs

Pixie says:
Mar 5, 2010 at 5:18 am

The patterns and colors are soooo pretty. I just love the look and the fact that they keep the sleeves of my blouse dry.

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Debbie Jerome says:
Mar 4, 2010 at 9:38 am

What a great idea. I can't wait to buy some. Good luck!

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palazzolo says:
Mar 3, 2010 at 5:35 pm

love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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kristen says:
Mar 3, 2010 at 1:52 pm

These are SO handy!

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tony says:
Mar 3, 2010 at 1:40 pm

Hello from England. Got these over the internet from really nice supplier and they are excellent. Do a proper job as they say round here Tony

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The key purpose of the Wrist List™ is to provide quick and convenient aid to a shopper, on-site work location or anyone requiring a list for daily tasks or reminders. The unisex Wrist List™ is a rewritable, reusable eco-friendly list that is worn on your wrist. It is magnetic on one side and contains a surface on the other that is easily cleaned with a wet towel for reuse. The Wrist List™ lays flat on any metallic surface which when removed is flexible to adapt around the user’s wrist. The Wrist List™ uses Lumicolor wet erase pens only.

The Wrist List is an innovative and convenient way to advertise your business not only your customers, but everyone who sees your customers using the Wrist List in public. Your brand will be mobile and visible to new potential customers with each use.

Each Wrist List can be custom printed in four colors and cover the entire surface area. There are many options for packaging of the Wrist List and packages can be customized with your logo.

Each Wrist List™ is magnetic on one side while the other side is coated in a PVC material that is written on with a Wet-Erase marker or grease pen (china marker). The entire length can be written on and is easily erased with water or damp cloth. It lies completely flat on anything magnetic, which when removed for use, forms around the users’ wrist for quick reference. There are two closure options, 1) cuff-smaller size and 2) bangle-larger size thereby allowing the Wrist List™ to be worn directly on the arm or over a jacket.

The Wrist List™ is 3” x 11.5” and generally uses two independent closures to allow for a small and large size. The entire Wrist List can be printed on underneath the writing surface. It must be noted that the Wrist List utilizes a non-permanent writing surface and any writing is subject to smudge. The surface dries to the touch seconds after writing and will generally not smudge unless it comes in contact with moisture, body fluids and oils or direct rubbing.

The objective of the Wrist List™ is to free both hands while working or shopping and put your list in a convenient location for use. Currently, most people make lists by writing on their hand, on small pieces of paper that generally get lost or misplaced and then occupy one hand thereby leaving only one hand free for tasks. The Wrist List™ resolves this problem. The Wrist List™ is also made of a rewritable material that enables reuse after wiping clean with a wet towel.

Quite simple actually…I was grocery shopping with my kids one day and realized that I didn’t have enough hands to push the cart, manage my 2yr old, pick up items and hold my piece of paper shopping list. I wished I could just wear my shopping list thereby freeing one hand [now both hands free]. I walked around the store and noticed that there were many many other people with paper lists having a similar problem. I imagined something akin to what a quarterback uses but better! Make it wet erase so it could just be washed clean and reused. A list that would sit on a refrigerator and then just take it off, put it on your wrist, shop, wash clean, and reuse. And the Wrist List was born. I think I saw the whole thing right there. I don’t think I’ve even considered a new name, that was the first one that I thought of and it stuck. I went home did some googling and ordered a few products I thought could work or could be rebuilt to work. I went though tons of prototypes before finalizing the size, materials and figuring out how I’d sell this thing. I now sell the Wrist List online and am broadening the consumer base to include: teachers, rehab specialists, nurses, wait staff, the airlines and the promotional items market.

On the spot I wondered why couldn’t I have a list on my wrist/arm, like quarterbacks do [with their plays]. ’ve a fair share of grocery shopping over the years and as my kids get older and they Things always go wrong and understanding solutions, fixes and just how to make things better has been an essential skill over the years.

Inventor: Wayne Lifshitz

CAL. Peace Corps. 14 years working in international development for various NGOs; living and working in more than 20 countries. I now work in management consulting for the US Govt (fun I know). I sailed with my then girlfriend, now wife, from Boston to Trinidad and back for 2 years on a 28’ sailboat. The usual wife, 2 boys, a dog and 2 cars round out the house. I like to invent and make things, especially make things that already exist better.

I had a booth at the 2008 InventBay Expo in Vegas. At the show I had an opportunity to pitch my invention for possible airing to Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan, the hosts of a new Discovery tv show called Pitchmen, and to a crew from Leno’s Tonight Show. Luck be have it, the Wrist List was chosen and aired on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen. My phone was off the hook when people heard the Lifshitz Wrist List on the Tonight Show. Happened once before when I was on CNN International for work.

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Wrist List

palazzolo says:
Mar 3, 2010 at 5:36 pm

love it i am always losing the list in the cart or purse. love this idea

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Tamara Shukakidze says:
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:43 am

easy to remember, easy to use!

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Denise says:
Mar 2, 2010 at 12:15 am

This is a great invention - I use mine all the time

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nancy says:
Mar 1, 2010 at 10:31 pm

This just does not seem very practical to me. Seems like it would be clumsy and get in the way. What about when you are wearing a coat?

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Shihan says:
Mar 1, 2010 at 7:50 pm

You can use the wrist list to hold up your sleeve like the kitchen kuff AND keep your to-do list on it. What's not to like?

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