Marker Makes It Hard to Get Lost in a Book

Avid readers should be thankful for Scott Capamaggio of Byron, N.Y., who has developed the PageKeeper, a bookmark that really works in marking the proper page.

Frustrated at losing his place in a book he was reading when he put it down to answer the door, the 34-year-old Capamaggio says he “vowed on the spot to invent a simple device that would always mark the right page.” After several years of development and testing, PageKeeper is now available nationwide in about 3,500 book and gift stores.

True to his word, Capamaggio’s device is simple. It has a metal clasp that fits tight on the back cover of most hard- or soft-bound books and a precision-configured spring that keeps your place from the first to last page. As you turn the pages of the book, the spring flexes, allowing the complete page to slide through, while firmly gripping the next page.

If you have a thick book, such as a reference work, Capamaggio says you can still use the PageKeeper by clipping it in the middle of the book, reading the first half, then moving the clip to the back cover.

PageKeeper ($4) can be found at George’s General Store on Fountain Avenue, Portrait of a Bookstore in Toluca Lake, D’s Cards and Bibles Bookstore on Vermont Avenue, Bel Air Sweets and Gifts on National Boulevard and at Courtyard Books in Tustin and Vineyard Ministries in Anaheim. If you can’t find it in your area, you can order it from Bookmarks Unlimited Inc., (800) 548-7380. Add $1 for shipping and handling.

Every Step You Take Sweetens Smelly Feet

A Connecticut company has just introduced Every Step, a “high tech” deodorant foot powder that actually does what it says.

Every Step doesn’t just add perfume to your shoe, it releases antibacterial agents along with fragrances to keep your feet and shoes smelling pleasant. Through a new technology called Microsponge Delivery System, the antibacterial ingredients are released with every step you take.

You can’t see them, but there are microscopic “sponges” in the powder that hold the ingredients and release them slowly like time-capsules, preventing them from being rapidly absorbed into the skin. They also absorb moisture to keep feet drier.

Every Step company representatives recommend applying the powder daily to your feet and shoes for best results. A 1.25-ounce container of Every Step ($3.99 to $4.99) should last about a month with daily applications.

In Southern California you can find Every Step at Long’s Drugs, Drug Emporium, Fedco and Clark’s Drug Stores. To learn where it is available in other areas, contact Premier Incorporated, Greenwich Office Park One, Greenwich, Conn. 06831; (203) 622-5800.

Lock Up and Discipline Those Unruly Seeds

Gardeners who are sick of storing their seed packets in shoe boxes that they can’t find in the garage without a lengthy search may want to consider Seed Saver and Seed Saver Jr., organizer boxes with airtight file bags.

Constructed of 50% recycled plastic, the green boxes have sturdy handles on the lids so you can easily transport seeds to the garden. Inside, the 15 hanging, resealable file bags have color-coded index tabs so seeds can be easily found. The airtight bags also will prolong seed life, says a Seed Saver representative. And the latches on the boxes are designed to accommodate a small lock.

The large Seed Saver ($27.95 plus $4.50 shipping and handling) is 13-by-10-by-12 inches and has a deep lid, so you can store garden gloves or small hand tools inside. There is also a separate filing space for garden plans, magazines and notes.

Seed Saver Jr. ($11.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling) is 9-by-6-by-6 1/2 inches and includes a pencil and a record-keeping file card with tips on seed storage.

You can order Seed Savers from Seed Saver, P.O. Box 2726, Idaho Falls, Ida. 83403; (208) 522-2224.