It’s LEAP year! YEAH!!! Happy Birthday Aaron & all the other leap year babes!

Happy Leap Year Everybody!! This day always reminds me of all the people out there who really only get to celebrate their true birthday once every FOUR YEARS.  I have always known this to be true, but the first year the shop was open I met my first New Year Baby, Aaron. I believe he was turning 6 at the time (at the ripe old age of 24) and he came in with his girlfriend (now wife) Rebecca and she told him to go nuts. Buy whatever you want, honey- feel like you are SIX again. He always picked out fun & functional treats, and they have been coming in around his birthday with the same mindset every year. We are happy to wish him a 7th (?!?!) Birthday this year and see what strikes his fancy this time. Perhaps these Cube Bots (they can fold into a simple cube, or be posed into many fun positions) will be the winners this year. Whatever it is, I admire their fun & free spirited tradition. Guthrie the Cube Bot- $32. Other sizes available too!

Sea Salt Soap- we have devotees…

We love this new Swedish Dream Sea Salt Soap, and we’re not the only ones– some customers are addicted to this stuff! Mineral rich salts naturally obtained from sea water are used in the bath because of their tonic action and softening effect on the skin. Sounds heavenly to me! Sea Salt Soap- $6.50.

No denying it- Sophie the Giraffe is Coco’s favorite toy…(baby alert part deaux)

Sophie the Giraffe is one of the most popular items in the shop, there’s no denying that- but before I had a babe I wasn’t sure if it really was as loved as everyone says. I’m here to tell you, from first hand experience, that Coco plays with her Sophie for hours and it’s by far her favorite toy. The Nugget and I have been all over lately- she’s been to several meetings with me (our Big Gorilla Papa is out of town for a month!), train trips, etc. and Sophie was really the only toy I end up bringing to amuse our little pumpkin because it’s the one that keeps her interest the longest. Plus it’s light enough she can hold it easily, put it in her mouth as a teething toy, hear it squeak… the whole nine yards. Sophie is THE toy everyone in France has (some of our French customers say they still have theirs from growing up!), and now surely everyone in Brooklyn too. She’s so cute! Sophie the Giraffe- $24.

Fun & Functional: EVIDENCE Laundry Bag

This made me laugh– store your “dirty laundry” in this fun & functional laundry bag labeled EVIDENCE. 22″x 28″- with handles for easy toting to the Laundry Room. Evidence Laundry Bag- $24.95.

Lolly Koon Photography

My dear friend, and very talented photographer Lolly, is heading to Mexico next month to photograph families in the suburb of Ensenda while working with a charity organization which feeds, clothes, and educated impoverished families in the region. To help raise money for the trip she’s currently holding a print sale on Etsy. With the purchase of a print you’ll also receive a photographic newsletter documenting her trip. I can promise you they won’t be pics of her doing shots on the beach, either. Her photography is hauntingly beautiful and I look forward to seeing the work this trip produces. Check out her Etsy page for some great affordable pieces or her personal website for even more work! ~Jess

MULTI PURPOSE, ALL NATURAL Cleaning Products- made in Brooklyn!

We recently got in these wonderfully all natural, multi-purpose cleaning products and I have to gush about how fabulous they are. I started with the soap, above, which replaced 3 cleaners I had next to my kitchen sink: Dish cleaning liquid, Hand Soap and a separate “free & clear” baby bottle cleaner. They were all stressing out my beautifully clean sink (thank you, Fly Lady!) and so I am soo glad to now have one, all purpose soap which is elegantly displayed in Haven’s Pump Dispenser ( I debated between the Spout Dispenser & this one, but for my lifestyle I went with the pump- but it’s a tough call)-

Next up was the All Purpose (part of the appeal of all of Haven’s products) Cleaner. It works well, smells nice (lemon & mint) and makes me feel good knowing I can clean Coco’s High Chair Tray with it too- since it’s all natural. All contents are listed on our website, but as an example here are the ingredients in the All Purpose Cleaner, above: Distilled Witch Hazel, Organic Castile Soap (Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba), Organic Aloe Vera, Vegetable Glycerine, Organic Essential Oil Blend (Lemon, Lemongrass & Peppermint), Grapefruit Seed Extract.

I am getting this one today to dive into my bathroom (along with our enamel scrub pads)- SCRUB. This product is the  ultimate multi-tasker, it’s a non-scratching powder that can clean bathrooms, scour dishes, deodorize fabrics and even be dissolved for use as a vegetable wash. Woah. I thought I could do many things at once…

Polish does just what is says– this cleaning and conditioning spray traps dust and adds luster to a variety of surfaces. From wood furniture to stainless steel smudges to your car’s interior, POLISH is a hard-working cleanser and conditioner that keeps everything looking shiny and new.

And Air Linen Spray- with the purifying scent of organic lavender- is a must in our house (btw the Big Gorilla working from home, Diaper Pail odors, you name it…). All Haven products are handcrafted from raw or minimally processed ingredients in Brooklyn, in small batches and are sold in large sizes for easy cleaning and refilling. Make your home a HAVEN home!

Soap- $26, Hand Pump Dispenser & Spout Dispenser- $25 each, SCRUB- $12, Polish- $14, Air & Linen Spray- $20 (all BIG sizes).

Skiing Gnome!

It’s true that Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store really is the BEST place to get the perfect gift! Not only do I (Megan) work here every now and then, but it’s my go-to place for unique and sure to be loved gifts. Case in point: the Gnome & Garden Gnovelty Kit I got my sister for Christmas. She loves the little gnome (named Gnoman Rockwell) so much he’s even gone skiing with her!

Calling All Weekend Warriors!!

New York Times 36 Hours, $39.99

I’m majorly in love with this cool new book, New York Times, 36 Hours: 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada.  Maybe it’s all the travel-related television I’ve been watching lately (check out Stephen Fry’s America for an outsider’s perspective on all 50 states and some pretty off-the-beaten-path destinations) or perhaps it’s the sneak peak at spring we’ve been getting. This book makes me long to plan some weekend escapes. The popular New York Times 36 Hours column is finally in book form, creating a comprehensive guide to weekend travel destinations throughout Canada and the US. Each location is detailed with color photographs and a map of the area. With color-coded tabs and ribbon bookmarks, you can easily explore the more than 600 restaurants and 450 hotels. It makes a gorgeous coffee table book, but the soft fabric cover also makes it fairly lightweight to bring along with you. Get planning! New York Times, 36 Hours: 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada- $39.99.

Burpy Bibs! a baby MUST…

Our Baby Girl is 7 months old! Time flies! She’s starting to crawl, eating “solids”, sit up. Two basic needs will always be intact- burping/wiping up “spit up” and eating. I was helping someone by a gift the other day and could not help gushing about these fabulous Burby Bibs from Aden & Anais (the same people who make the fabulous swaddles we sell). Not only are these fun, but they are soo functional as well, and will help out a new mama for a LONG time. They are curved to sit nicely on your shoulder for easy burping and then can also be draped around the baby’s neck as a full coverage bib- DOUBLE DUTY! Plus they dry easily and wash well, so you can use them from day one– for years to come. Pretty burp cloths are a must for good morale too (babies and mommy’s!), trust me. 2 Burpy Bibs- $22. In two fun patterns. Mod, shown above, and Jungle Jam, below. Makes a GREAT gift with our coordinating swaddles.

Wine Totes–New Styles Added!!!

Love our Brooklyn Wine Totes? We now have 4 new styles: Sonoma, Tuscany, Bordeaux, and a multi-city version featuring some of the best-known winery destinations in the world. These are a great way to class up the bottle of plonk you’re bringing to the party, but they have other uses as well. I hang mine on my closet door and toss loose change in it. Can you guess where that money goes when it fills up??

Sonoma Wine Tote, $13

Tuscany Wine Tote, $13

Bordeaux Wine Tote, $13

Multi-City Wine Tote, $13