Eco Lunches R’ US

We are loading up for Back to School and have been eyeing these Stainless Steel lunch containers for awhile now and are very excited we just them in stock. 4 sizes, all re-usable and dishwasher safe so you can use them every day for your (or your kids!) lunch. The eco- lunch category has really grown in the last few years, and there is all sorts of cute & clever stuff out on the market now- including the Lunchskins that we have been selling like CRAZY–

More styles and patterns to choose from in store and online. These re-usable baggies replace plastic baggies and also can go in the dishwasher (hundreds of times)- saving tons of plastic bags from the landfill. Lunchbags will be in soon too- so hold tight!! Reduce your carbon footprint, eat healthy and PACK YOUR LUNCH!!! Lunchbots PICO $13.50, Lunchbots UNO & DUO $15.50 each, Lunchbots ECO $17.50. Lunchskins Snack size– $7.95, Sandwich Size- $9.95.  And a special thanks to all who participated in our FRIDAY FREEBIES on our FACEBOOK Fan page! We gave away 5 fun treats this month, one each Friday- CONGRATS to everyone who won!!!

Start Swaddling!

I have always loved to see babies get all swaddled up in a cozy blanket. It is soothing to the new little ones who feel protected (like being in the womb), it inhibits spontaneous movement too so babies stay asleep longer. The tradition of swaddling goes back to 4000 BC, Ancient Greeks and Romans did it, there is even evidence in the Bible of swaddling. These yummy muslin blankets are perfect for swaddling. Muslin is a durable yet breathable and stretchy fabric so air can circulate around the babe, allowing for even more comfort. Plus, these lovely patterns are so compelling- makes me want to wrap a little nugget up!! The single blankets above come tucked in a pretty bag and are $22 each. A customer just snagged the Pink and Blue stars up for a friend having twins. The moo cow one is so sweet too! We also have some 2 packs ($32) and 4 packs ($44, arriving soon). These blankets can also be used in the crib, stroller, anywhere- long after swaddling time in over!

Lit Libs on the beach…

Rob and I had a fun time out at the beach the other day, thanks to our wonderful friend Ellen. We camped out for a full day at the beach on Monday- everyone said we picked the best day, and they were right. The heat had settled back to a respectable 88 degrees, there was even a breeze in the air. It was a white flag day at the beach- meaning the water was calm and we rode some waves. Back on the beach I pulled out one of my favorite new items- Lit Libs, like adult Mad Libs. Lit Libs are 40 literary rewrites where you brainstorm fun adjectives, nouns, body parts, goofy birds, etc. and then fill them in to the stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe, Hemingway, Jane Austen, even Aesop. Rob was particularly good at plucking interesting words out of thin air (his choice of GIRDLE for woman’s clothing in the Moby Dick rewrite was quite brilliant) so we had a great time. For the curious, and literary challenged there is even a summation of each work at the end of the book if you want to get the real deal meaning. Lit Libs are great fun! $9.99.

NEW, FUN Stuff at the shop…

We have been patiently waiting for this new product for months… CHARM BRACELET SHRINKY DINKS fun pack!! Remember Shrinky Dinks? Those plastic sheets you draw/color on, then put in the oven and they shrink to 1/3 of their original size and nine times thicker?! I spent hours making these when I was a kid, but none were ever as cool as this Nature Doodle Charm Bracelet Fun pack– with four 8″x10″ sheets for tracing charms (enough to make 80 bracelet size charms), 200+ translucent beads in fun colors, 36 jump rings, 5 feet of elastic string, etc. and so forth to make fun charm bracelets! $16.99 for the pack.

Dino (and Robot!) Hands- temporary tattoos for your hands of cool Dinos and Robots! $6.95 each.

And aren’t these Dog Toys fun? We got them in the BLUE RIBBON color of course. They squeak too! $7.50 and $9.50, small & large.

And this cute little book  on the Markets of New York City. It covers antique and flea markets, artisan markets, farmers’ markets, seasonal markets, and more- recently released, $16.95. We have LOTS more new stuff at the shop in too (new shipments every day!) so come in and see us soon! ONLINE TOO!!!

It’s HOT, but we can help you keep your COOL…

great wiffle ball pics from charamelody on flickr

It’s HOT here my friends. I know its summer, but I mean it’s REALLY HOT here. Of course, I am SUPER COOL inside at the shop with our AC on full blast. A customer even called us a “local cooling center!” Love it! Anyway- I got here early this morning and straight out of the bat (literally) as I was opening up the gates we sold yet another Wiffle Ball & Bat. Nothing says summer like a little wiffle ball action. $6.50 for ball & bat, extra balls $2.25.  Keep cool everyone!!

Bubble Bears!!!

We just unpacked some more Pustefix Bubble Bears (everyone’s favorite bubbles!)- yeahhh!! Squeeze the stomach and the wand pops up. Perfect for younger children (these bears don’t spill!).  We also got in the little tubes too. $2.50 for small tubes, $6.95 for Bubble Bears- available in Red, Yellow and Blue.

LOVE THESE!! Ring Erasers :)

LOVE these ring erasers! They come packaged in a cute little plastic bubble (like from old bubble gum machines). Fun & Function at its finest. $5 each- available in Yellow, Pink, White, Green and Blue.

An Eiffel Tower in the Statue of Liberty, who knew? SUMMER FUN!

Annie and I went on a wonderful adventure last week (trying to show her a good time in the city, y’know?!). We took an evening cruise on Miss Liberty and then had dinner (lobster-yum!) on Liberty Island and had an amazing tour of the Statue. On Thursday nights throughout the summer the Park is staying open late to accommodate more visitors- it was wonderful to be there with a small group. Annie and I learned a ton from our Park Ranger guide-

she told us about  Frederic- Auguste Bartholdi who was the designer of the Statue of Liberty. He was at a dinner party back in France in 1865 with Edouard de Laboulaye who was a great admirer of the United States and they, among others, had the idea to present the United States with a gift for its centennial anniversary. Bartholdi designed the Statue which he called “Liberty Enlightening the World.” He chose the spot on Liberty Island (which faces the harbor, rather than NY itself) because we as Americans were already “enlightened” but we needed to share our views and ideas with the world. We should always remember we all need more ENLIGHTENING… But the most interesting part to me was in the talk of the actual construction of the 151 foot sculpture.  Think about it- first of all, this was pretty much a sky scraper at the time– plus it had to withstand the harsh winds of the NY Bay. Bartholdi needed some help with the engineering of the design, and he got some from Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel’s idea was to build a wrought iron skeleton to support Lady Liberty, basically a mini Eiffel Tower inside the Statue herself!! The Statue was finally assembled in 1886 (shipped over in 350 pcs/214 crates), and then the Eiffel Tower followed three years later in 1889 (@ 1063 feet high). BTW, the Statue still moves 3-4″ in 50 mile per hour winds- crazy if you are on watch up in the “crown of enlightenment!”.

Anyway, here is a picture of me and Annie at the Base of the Statue (which the Americans were in charge of raising funds for, and is actually an old fortified barrack in the shape of a star). We had a GREAT time on the tour and I highly recommend it, even if you are a “jaded New Yorker.” Speaking of JADED NYers, have you seen that commercial for Mary Poppins, the musical? I love the line where they say, “even a jaded New Yorker like me thought it was fabulous.” Well, that was another outing a few weeks ago with Merica and Annie (their first Broadway show!)- to see Mary Poppins, and let me say- it was wonderful!!!

What a great show with many positive messages- my favorite being, “Anything can happen if you let it.” And of course my favorite number was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (thanks for all the entries in the Friday Freebie, btw!! Thanks for being a Facebook fan!!)– what fun!! That’s a little wrap up of some summer fun we’ve been having in & outside of the shop!!! Hope everyone is keeping cool and enjoying the summer too!

KOR Water Bottles are back in… ALL COLORS!!!

We just got back in a full selection of the amazing KOR water bottles back in stock. Very exciting as these have been out of stock for months now too (they were in Iron Man 2 apparently…). Wondering what’s so special about the KOR?  It’s actually called a “water vessel” and  has a well thought out design: it uses a hinged top for one hand use, holds a little over 25 fluid oz. (won’t dump out in your purse!). It’s made from a Health-safe material, Tritan, that features a tough BPA-free polymer (tritan can stand up to extreme use and is dishwasher safe -top rack). It is odor, taste and stain resistant. It has a cushion around it to protect furniture. The opening is thread free to offer the user and smooth feel. KOR employs sustainable business practices by reducing the amount of energy use to produce and transport the product and reducing/recycling their waste. KOR donates 1% of sales to four different water related causes. IT is Perfect and you need one now!! $30.

JUST IN- FIELD NOTES…”County Fair” NY edition

JUST IN- the special “County Fair” Regional Editions of our beloved Field Notes have arrived. A set of 3 graph paper 48 page memo books in tribute to The Great State of New York.  With lots of trivia and facts about our great state- these collectible/limited edition Field Notes are going to go fast, so let us know if you’d like us to save you one. Each COUNTY FAIR 3-Pack highlights an individual U.S. state, with one memo book each in the colors of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place County Fair ribbons; blue, red and yellow (of course we HAD to get them!!). They’re printed on 100-lb. linen cover stock and all three feature metallic gold printing and 48 pages of graph paper with light blue/grey lines inside. The back covers feature a bevy of meticulously-researched state facts and figures. $9.95 for the set.