In Plain Sight, but Unseen By Thieves

Searching for a safe place at home to stash jewelry or cash? Check out California Safe Co.’s unusual products that let you hide things in plain sight.

The Van Nuys firm’s latest addition to its Diversion Safe line is the 10-inch plastic Flower Pot Safe. The pot’s water tray unscrews to reveal a storage compartment.

The Flower Pot Safe ($24.95) comes in four colors--blue, mauve, beige and stone--and can be used indoors or out, with live plants or plastic. It joins a group of about 100 imaginative safes that look like soda and beer cans, household items such as furniture wax and foodstuffs such as soup and popcorn.

The look-alike can safes, which retail from $11.95 to $14.95, are indistinguishable from real cans and are weighted to feel full, just in case a burglar picks one up.

But burglars spend an average of eight minutes in a home, California Safe owner Joseph Cordova says, so they are unlikely to take the time to rummage through your pantry or medicine cabinet.

Chris West, head of the LAPD’s crime prevention section, says such devices can be helpful.

“Your average burgler doesn’t look in pots and cans,” he said, “He’s usually out for a quick smash-and-grab to steal your TV or your VCR.”

Cordova, who started his company in 1985 by installing a safe in a real car battery ($65), also offers such specialty items as a Stash Stone Safe ($9.95) that looks like a rock in the garden (good for storing a set of house keys) and a working fire extinguisher with a hidden compartment in the bottom ($70). “This could be used anywhere--cars, RVs, boats or home,” Cordova says.

California Safes can be found nationwide in selected department stores, gift and luggage shops or auto parts stores. Or you can order them directly from California Safe by calling (818) 902-1490 or (800) 451-9733.

Jigsaw Lifesaver: Jigsaw puzzle fanatics should love two new products from Orvis, the Vermont catalogue company that’s been in business since 1856.

If your table is covered with your latest puzzle challenge and you know you’ll need the surface for a holiday luncheon or dinner, the Jigsaw Puzzle Roll-Up Mat ($39.50) is just the ticket.

Puzzle pieces laid out on this felt mat will stay put when you roll it up and put it into its storage tube. Then, when guests are gone, just unroll the mat and pick up where you left off. The mat, which has straps to secure it, can accommodate puzzles with 500 to 2,000 pieces in a 48-by-33-inch working area.

Porta Puzzle is a non-slip board that lets you do puzzles in bed or in the car. Made in England, the board is lined with a suede-like surface that grips the puzzle pieces. It has “wings” that fold over the puzzle to cover the loose pieces and it closes like a book when you want to store the puzzle.

Porta Puzzle comes in two sizes: One will accommodate 500 pieces with a surface of 21-by-16 inches when closed ($29); the other will handle 1,000 pieces with a closed surface of 30-by-20 inches ($49).

To order either item, call Orvis, (800) 541-3541. Add $4.95 for shipping and handling.

Fit to a Pattern: If you sew, you’re probably familiar with paper patterns that never quite fit your figure. So you take a tuck here or let out a seam there and hope for the best.

Now there’s the Bonfit Patterner, a drafting and designing system with movable pieces that allows you to make adjustments. The Patterner, equipped with built-in rulers, is made of flexible plastic panels that have small knobs along the sides. Just turn the knobs to change the pattern to fit correctly. You don’t need pins, inserts or cutouts.

The reusable Patterner for adults comes in four designs: pants, skirt, bodice (for dresses, shirts and jackets) and a special Designer Kit (with more complex bodice features). Each enables the sewer to make many different styles of garments.

For example, the skirt model can be adapted to create a pencil skirt or flared one, a mini or maxi, circle or gathered. It can be adjusted for waists from 22 to 46 inches; hips, 30 to 56 inches. Bodice pattern kits come in small, medium and large, according to bust measurements.

Bonfit America Inc. plans to introduce a Patterner for children’s clothing early next year.

Bonfit Patterners ($59.95 each, plus $9.95 for shipping and handling) come with an instructional manual and video, plus a design brochure with about 90 ready-to-make styles. Patterners may be ordered by calling (800) 874-3444 or sending a check or money order to Bonfit America Inc., 5959 Triumph St., Commerce, Calif. 90040.

Just for Kids: Komfort Kit Jr. is a new emergency/survival kit designed for kids. It includes the usual emergency fare: water packs, space-age blanket, ID card, moist towelettes. But the freeze-dried food is “fun food”--pizza, berry yogurt, french fries or ice-cream sandwiches.

The kit is made of sturdy cardboard with a handle. There is also a plastic bag for the child’s medication and instructions, medical release forms, and an emergency card that gives pertinent information about the child and how and where to contact his or her family.

“We also encourage parents to add anything else that might keep their child comfortable during an emergency,” says Karen Preacely Hicks, president of Red Suspenders, the kit’s manufacturer. “There’s a picture frame for a snapshot of the family that might help the child feel more at ease, and you can add a favorite toy. I keep a pair of long johns in the one I have for my 6-year-old.”

Komfort Kit Jr. is available at REI stores nationwide, Fedco in 10 California locations, Longs Drugs in Rolling Hills and San Francisco, Rexall Drugs in Los Angeles, Doughboys Surplus in Bellflower, Tustin Military Surplus in Tustin, and Sav-on Drugs and Camelot Drugs in South Bay.

The kits also can be ordered from Red Suspenders, P.O. Box 1985, Lomita, Calif. 90717; (310) 325-0059 or (800) 308-5437. Shipping and handling is included in the $13.95 price.

Drain Brain: If your home is suffering from chronic SDS--Slow Drain Syndrome--you may want to try the new biological drain cleaner from Liquid-Plumr.

Unlike the chemically based Liquid-Plumr drain opener, Liquid-Plumr Build-Up Remover uses “friendly bacteria” that eat grease, scum and other gunk in drains. A Clorox Co. representative says the microorganisms stay suspended in the liquid build-up remover until they are poured into a drain. Then they begin to manufacture enzymes that liquefy grease, oil and other stuff that clog drains.

The new remover takes two to four weeks to rid the drains of buildup. The company recommends adding more remover every few weeks to replenish the microorganisms. A 33.8-ounce bottle contains 25 treatments.

Liquid Plumr Build-Up Remover ($6.99) is available nationwide at Wal-Mart, K mart and Target stores. In Los Angeles, you can also find it at Lucky, Ralphs and Albertson’s supermarkets.

Baggy It: DowBrands, the Ziploc plastic bag manufacturer, has added a handy jumbo-size freezer bag to its repertoire. Not a moment too soon with the holidays coming up.

The jumbo Ziploc, measuring 13 by 15 5/8 inches, can accommodate a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan, so you can cook ahead and freeze. Then, just pop the whole thing in the microwave to defrost or cook.

Each jumbo bag will hold two gallons of food or even a small turkey. There also is a write-on label so you can date the item you’re freezing.

Ziploc Jumbo Freezer Bags ($2.59 for 10 bags) are available nationwide at supermarkets and mass-merchandise stores. If you can’t find them in your area, call DowBrands Consumer Affairs Department, (800) 428-4795.

New and Useful runs the first Thursday of each month. Lynn Simross welcomes readers’ comments and suggestions for columns. Because of volume, she cannot respond individually to calls and letters. Write to Lynn Simross, New and Useful, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053.