The Once Again Home Co. Collab, Two Years In
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Two years ago, I pitched a collab to Once Again Home Co. They're a deliberate, woman-owned company making eco-friendly home goods, and they're one of the few in their space that actively values working with independent artists. They said yes. It's been one of the partnerships I'm most proud of.
Now we're a couple of years in. The collab line has grown. I want to give you a real update on the pieces, what they're like to use day-to-day, why I think the line still matters in the shop, and a few things I've learned about working with another small company.
What the Collab Is, in One Paragraph
Once Again Home Co. (OAHC) makes eco-friendly versions of household goods you'd otherwise buy in plastic. Sponges, wool dryer balls, aprons, and tea towels. The pieces in the RJW collab are their products (their design, their construction, their sustainability story) printed with my original surface pattern artwork. The result is the function of an OAHC product with the joy of an RJW print. And the joy is real. I cannot overstate how much better it is to do dishes when the sponge in your hand is gorgeous.
The Pieces in the Line Right Now
Washable Sponges
The collab sponge sets are the original pieces and they're still my favorite. They're machine washable, they last for months (not weeks like the cheap plastic kind), and they print beautifully with my florals and botanicals. The current prints rotate through the seasons. Right now the lineup includes the Undergrowth set (moody mushrooms in deep green), the Snowflora set (winter botanicals on a soft background), and the Burst, Fresh Sparkle, and Lemon Sparkle sets for brighter color stories. There are a few more patterns available too, and new ones rotate in.
A real-talk note: when I first launched these, I wasn't sure if people would pay sponge prices for a printed sponge. They did. They do. Turns out a lot of folks have already made the eco-sponge switch and were genuinely happy to find a version that wasn't beige.
Wool Dryer Balls
Sets of three, made from 100% Nepalese wool, designed to replace dryer sheets. They reduce drying time, soften clothes, and don't put any synthetic fragrance into your laundry. The current RJW dryer ball prints in stock are Fresh Sparkle and Lemon Sparkle. They print beautifully with smaller-scale florals so they look like little sweet pet objects in your dryer rather than industrial laundry equipment.
These are also one of the easiest gifts I know. A set of three with a small tea towel and a roll of washi tape (full ideas in this week's washi post) is a complete housewarming or new-baby gift that takes ten minutes to assemble.
Aprons
The aprons are heavyweight cotton with structured pockets, designed for real cooking, not for staging Instagram photos. The current apron prints in stock are Undergrowth (moody mushroom), Snowflora (botanical), and Burst Sparkle (navy floral). They're cut generously (not the half-apron stylized "hostess" cut, which I find frustrating), and they wash beautifully.
Tea Towels
The OAHC tea towels are reversible (a different design on each side), printed on absorbent cotton, and built to do real kitchen work without falling apart. The Undergrowth Reversible Tea Towel is the one I reach for most when I want a kitchen towel that earns its keep but still looks pretty hanging from the oven handle.
What the Pieces Are Like to Use
I want to be honest about this part because eco-friendly products sometimes have a reputation for being annoying to use. These are not. A few specifics from a couple of years of daily use:
The sponges hold up
I have one sponge that has been in regular rotation in my kitchen for about four months. I wash it in the dishwasher every couple of weeks. It still scrubs. It still rinses clean. The print has dulled slightly, the way fabric does, but it still looks pretty. Compare that to the plastic sponges I used to buy three at a time and replace every two weeks, and the math is really good.
The dryer balls work
This is the part I was skeptical about going in. I am no longer skeptical. They reduce drying time noticeably, soften clothes (especially towels, which is where I notice it most), and there is no synthetic fragrance, which my whole household appreciates. They also live in a small basket near the dryer where they look like tiny floral pets, which is a fully unnecessary but pleasant detail.
The aprons are comfortable
The cut matters more than I expected. The OAHC apron pattern is generous through the chest and the hip, the neck strap doesn't strangle, and the pockets are deep enough to hold a phone, a kitchen towel, or a pair of tongs without anything falling out. I wear mine cooking, garden-prepping, and once memorably during a craft fair setup where it turned out to be the most useful piece of clothing in my whole booth.
How the Pieces Pair with the Rest of the RJW Shop
This is the part I love about working with another company on a coordinated line. The patterns on the OAHC pieces also live on tea towels, tote bags, washi tape, and wrapping paper. So you can build a complete coordinated kitchen moment, or a coordinated gift, without any extra planning.
A few combinations that have become bestsellers:
The Undergrowth Bundle
The Undergrowth Bundle brings together the sponge set, the apron, and other coordinating pieces in the moody mushroom print. It's the slightly more masculine of the collab bundles and one of the strongest Father's Day combinations. I made the full case in last week's gift post.
The Snowflora Bundle
The Snowflora Bundle is the winter-botanical kitchen set: sponges, apron, and matching pieces in the soft floral print. It's a beautiful housewarming or wedding shower gift, and it photographs like a fully styled kitchen vignette.
The Lemon Sparkle Bundle
The Lemon Sparkle Bundle is the brightest of the three, with vintage-lemon prints across the sponges, dryer balls, and apron pieces. It's a great gift for someone whose kitchen could use a citrus jolt.
What I've Learned Working With Another Small Company
Two years in, a few honest reflections.
The first thing is that collabs only work when both companies actually like each other's work. OAHC and I had a conversation early on about what we wouldn't compromise on (their sustainability standards, my color quality), and we've never had a real disagreement since. That alignment is rare and worth protecting.
The second is that working with a partner takes longer than working alone. New product launches involve more feedback rounds, more sample shipments, more email chains. The trade-off is that the products are better than anything I could have made by myself, on formats I don't have the manufacturing relationships for.
The third is that customer enthusiasm for collab pieces is something else. I think people genuinely love seeing two small businesses team up. Almost every customer note I get about the collab pieces mentions both companies by name, which I never see for solo products.
Shop the Full Once Again Home Co. Collab Line
You can browse the current collab pieces here.
Use SUMMER15 at checkout for 15% off your order through the end of June.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Once Again Home Co. collab?
The Once Again Home Co. collab is a partnership between Rebecca Jane Woolbright and Once Again Home Co., a deliberate, woman-owned eco-friendly home goods maker. The collab puts original RJW surface pattern artwork on OAHC's washable sponges, wool dryer balls, aprons, and tea towels.
Are the Once Again Home Co. sponges machine washable?
Yes. The collab sponges are machine washable and dishwasher safe. With regular washing, a single sponge typically lasts several months, significantly longer than disposable plastic sponges.
What products are part of the Once Again Home Co. collab line?
The collab line includes washable sponges, wool dryer balls, aprons, and reversible tea towels. Pieces are printed with original RJW surface pattern artwork; current prints include Undergrowth, Snowflora, Burst Sparkle, Fresh Sparkle, and Lemon Sparkle, with more in rotation.
Do wool dryer balls work?
Yes. The 100% Nepalese wool dryer balls reduce drying time, soften clothes (especially towels), and replace single-use dryer sheets. They contain no synthetic fragrance and last for hundreds of loads.
Do RJW patterns coordinate across the collab line and the rest of the shop?
Yes. Several surface patterns featured on the Once Again Home Co. collab pieces also appear on RJW tea towels, tote bags, washi tape, and wrapping paper. This makes it easy to build coordinated kitchen sets or gifts that match across product types.