You know when you come across something that gives you such a sweet feeling? Well, Hook-Links did this to me. It brought me back to when I was younger (much younger), when my best friend Keri and I were inseparable. We lived within a short walking distance from each other and when we were not together, we were on the phone talking for hours! (I wish I could go back in time and listen to those phone calls.) We slept and ate at each others homes, we did sports together and even joined each others family vacations. What I remember the most fondly about our time together is that we laughed – a lot!

Today, I see young girls, like Keri and I used to do, hold hands while walking as they laugh, talk and use the entire width of the sidewalk as they move back and forth pressing into each other. Ahhh…Memories…. Keri and I would have worn Hook-Links magnetic friendship bracelets if they had been around when we were younger. These silicon magnetic bracelets come in five different colors and stick together when holding each others hand.  As you know, opposites attract and this goes for magnets also. Each bracelet has an engraved and embossed logo on each side that contains opposite magnetic charges, so you can always connect together.

The bracelets are the very symbol of friendship and togetherness. Which make them perfect, of course, for young loves also and a great gift idea for Valentine’s Day.

Hook-Links bracelets can be purchased in small, medium and large size, on the Hook-Links website or on Amazon for $14.99. A great gift for kids, tweens, teens and adults alike to join in on a community that sticks together and a perfect symbol for Valentine’s Day.

Keri and I are still best of friends. We no longer live down the street from each other but, when we do see each other, we still laugh and hold hands as we sway back and forth taking up the entire sidewalk.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Well, here’s a company that is making genealogy look fresh and sexy! Just like the people on the family tree branches were at one time – or the tree wouldn’t exist. the company is called My Tree & Me and it designs and modernizes genealogy charts.

It’s easy to order: Choose a design (keep in mind that various designs accommodate various branches of the tree and different levels of generation), fill out the genealogy form, approve the proof and you’ll receive the beautiful genealogy chart within 3 to 4 weeks.

What a great gift idea for a wedding, a baby gift or a milestone birthday. It’s a truly one-of-kind graphic interpretation of someone’s history, a personal piece of art that, as My Tree & Me states,  “inspires curiosity, reminiscing, and storytelling”.

Prices range from $55 to $120. The choice includes photo trees and a DIY version too. Shop at MyTreeandMe.com.

Love it.

I love these bags. In fact, Scott if you are reading this, I would like the Hipster Flat Bag for my Birthday. The company, U.S.E.D. (Unlimited Supplies from Everyone’s Discard) makes these bags completely from discarded seat belts and seat belt buckles, reducing the amount of waste that goes into our landfills.

This family-owned Canadian company was started by a mother/son team. They head out themselves to the auto wreckers to cut out the seatbelts from wrecked cars. They do all the cleaning of the belts and buckles and then sew the bags themselves. Since these bags are made with material that saves lives and are sewn with heavy duty fishing line, they are so strong they will never rip or tear. Being handmade, each bag is unique and you can also choose the seatbelt strap colors that you want.

U.S.E.D. bags are perfect for women and men and students. They have a great selection of hand bags, shoulder bags, briefcases and student bags ranging from $40.00 – $210.00. Perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and/or Graduation gifts.

By the way, Scott, I would like mine made with Burgundy, Charcoal and Light Grey seatbelt straps. Thanks in advance.

We wrote about Tilley earlier this past summer and shared our article with the company. I had the opportunity to speak with Alex Tilley himself, who shared news of some of the new exciting products that they are introducing. I love the new fall and winter hats, but am head-over-heels with this bag that is making its grand debut today. It’s called the Tilley Intrepid.

After seeing it “in person” I can vow that is one of these heirloom-will-only-get-better-with-age-hand-it-down-to-your-grandchild quality bag. The Intrepid is fashioned after a WWII Canadian officer’s shoulder bag with all the updated quality & thoughtful details that you would expect from a Tilley product. Each bag has a brass plate with registration number to register it with the company. If  your bag is ever lost and a good samaritan finds it and contacts Tilley, they will help reunite the two of you.

I love the combination of the waxed cotton with “worn” leather look which makes the bag look like it’s been around forever.  But I also appreciate that it’s super practical too. It’s perfect for a laptop or anything else deemed valuable to up to 100 pounds in weight (you never know when this will come in handy). It has heavy duty handles and lots convenient side and interior pockets.

The Intrepid is a limited edition bag available only through Tilley’s. We think that this is great gift idea for the stylish college student or for the sporty husband.

Xmarxit comes in many cool graphic designs and now feature some biodegradable plastics, laser cut paper and metal versions. They also customize designs, which makes for pretty cool and unique marketing swag if you ask me. This small company, like so many others has been trying to get their product into the hands of avid reader, Oprah’s, so if anyone has an in… Ahem.

The Xmarxit retails for about $1.99 per unit, or $5.00 for a pack of 3. You can find them online at Paper Orchid or buy them directly at Xmarxit (retail process is a little convoluted at this moment) or check out their list of retailers.

I bought a few for myself and to give away with books, still one of my favorite gifts to give.

The Scandle combines two perfectly paired items to stage a romantic scene: a deliciously scented candle that becomes a fragrant massage oil. The candle, when burned, melts to create soothing massage oil. And, good to know for off-nights: the Scandle is enriched with Vitamin E and works wonderfully as body moisturizer or as a cuticle treatment for manicures and pedicures.

This fabulous product was created by Christine, a Silicon Valley MarComm pro with a serious penchant for beauty products. She started the company by experimenting with plant-based concoctions to finally create the Scandle which she sold through home parties. That was in 2005. Today, the Scandle is a coveted treatment and product in over 200 spas and boutiques reaching as far as Japan and Dubai. Not bad dahhhhhlin’!

You can find the massage candles on her website. They come in 18 different fragrances (see HERE), but for Valentine’s Day, we’d definitely recommend the Limited Edition “Chocolate Dipped Strawberry” or the “Scandle-ous”.

PS: We also love that the Scandle is made from soy, healthy for the skin and also for the environment, unlike many candles made of paraffin (a petroleum product) which emit soot and toxins. Oh, and how nice that it comes in a re-usable ceramic container for which you can buy refills! Burn time 30 – 50 hours.

So, I was really ecstatic when I heard about this Sweater Stone. It’s a natural pumice that, when rubbed against knits will brush away the surface pills. Their website’s technical explanation goes like this: “It actually cuts the filament that holds the pill to the garment while the cell breaks off, removing pilling and restoring the nap on fabrics. Pilling commonly occurs on a fabric when fibers that are worked loose by rubbing, form little balls.  The pills don’t fall off because they are held to the fabric by the fibers that still hold firm”.

It’s rated as a Best Buy from Consumer Reports.  No small deal, huh?

Here’s the best part: You can get one for free for a limited time.  Well, free if you pay for the $4.99 shipping and the self-addressed return envelope. Go this this page to get all the info.

I just got mine this weekend and stoned my sweaters and they are beautiful and look like new again.

Jennifer, now that I have no more pills,  you got time for lunch?

You know the type of question “If you were stuck on a desert island and only had one makeup tool to bring with you, what would it be?” Well, mine is definitely mascara. My mom would like me to say lipstick (you know, it’s that generation), but no, it’s mascara.

I must have tried every brand from Yves St-Laurent, Dior, all the way down to Rimmel and Maybelline’s always top rated Great Lash. These never did ANYTHING for me. Those complicated mascaras with the primer coat? Forget it! Messy, and who’s got time? I never found that price was a factor in mascara. Lipstick, eyeshadow, foundation, absolutely. Mascara? Never saw a difference. So, L’Oreal’s Voluminous has been the brand that I’ve fallen back to – between disloyal experiments. And I just tried the new Carbon Black Voluminous. Ooooooooooooh, I like this one. For rich, black, black, black lashes… this is the one I’m sticking with!

I buy mine with every book order on Amazon!