As a Canadian, the Tilley’s travel sportswear brand was to me as iconic as, say, Land’s End is here in the US. It’s only in doing a little research for this article that I realized that the company has only been around since 1980. Only? Yeah, that’s 30 whole years, but in my mind the Tilley Hat is legendary and in general, legends are older than 30 years old…
My husband is on his third Tilley Hat. Not because any of them have been worn out, but rather because he has been losing them in transit. No other hat will do [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Although all of the father’s in my life (including my husband) are deserving of a special day, I always find it a bit of a challenge of finding that perfect gift. Let alone the fact that it is probably celebrated at the worse time of the year, with all the end of the year school activities. So I cheated a bit and went to IKEA to see what I could find for the father of my children.

SPRAKA – I love this pepper mill. I have been looking at one of these for [...]

… We say innocuous looking, because we believe that Buckyballs will, in fact, quickly become highly addictive.
Ok, so this is not a grand statement of a gift, but you know that it would be the one that gets the most attention. And which dad doesn’t need a desk toy that is actually interesting for more than 3 minutes…
Each set contains 216 powerful Rare Earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS. Make sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, stick stuff to the fridge, invent a new game…
You can buy Buckyballs directly from the site. Current [...]

Can’t think of anything to get the dad in your life for Father’s Day? Here is something fun for someone who can relate to and misses the feel of the old (we mean OLD) typewriter.  At Old Time Computer Custom Design Hardware, they take old typewriters and totally refurbish them to become working keyboards for new computers. How perfect for all the dads out there who miss the sound and feel of the old clicking typewriter – this keyboard is for them. All are finished in wood and because they are handmade,they are also one-of-a-kind. To view and purchase go [...]

I saw – and fell in love –  with these “boomboxes” that I stumbled upon while exploring Second Friday in the Chicago Art District last month.
Lloyd Davis of Artpentry is the creator of these ultraverycool speakers contained in vintage suitcases and trunks.  Or, as he calls them, “amazing pieces of functional art”.  Indeed. You can plug in your iPod or whatever audio device to get the most stylish/funky looking  music delivery system anywhere.  When we visited the Artpentry studio, my husband and my son where all over these pieces, which is why I thought that they were perfect to mention [...]

I am sooooooooo getting the BioLogic Bike Mount for iPhone for my husband for Father’s Day. Uh, I mean the kids are getting this for their dad for Father’s Day.
Since we’ve moved to the bicycle-friendly Chicago area (it’s flat with lots of bike trails), we are on our bikes all the time (well ok, not so much in January and ok, so, the flat part is a little monotonous for my husband, but it’s perfect for me). We’ve both downloaded different GPS based sports tracking apps. I use RunKeeper and my husband another (can’t remember which, sorry) to keep track [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
Don’t know what to get for your son or daughter for graduation?  If they are music lovers and they already have the latest iPod, iPhone, iMac, iPad and anything else that starts with an ‘I’, then this would be the perfect gift. Bughouse Art and Design is a Los Angeles design studio that has music inspired art and furniture made with images of old LPs and cassettes (do you remember what these are?) and home stereos. Several musical genres are depicted in their designs such as classic rock, jazz and reggae [...]

Need to stir things up a little this Valentine’s Day? You might want to pop in any DVDs from the Intimacy Spa collection and see what happens…
Taking a tasteful approach that features real life couples, the Intimacy Spa DVD series proposes six different titles aimed to boost a couple’s intimacy. ‘Cause it’s a well known fact that increased intimacy makes for healthier, more satisfying relationships. The titles include the almost sedate variety like Sensual Massage for Couples, Sensual Yoga for Couples, Sensual Fitness for Couples (I’m trying to imagine the exercise routine) and Sensual Thai Massage. And then, for good [...]

Is it too early to talk holiday gifts? Year after year, I’m appalled at the early Christmas displays. It stresses me out. Yet, when I saw the Kymera Magic Wand, I sighed with relief, several “gifts for him” now already crossed off the shopping list. Phew.
The wand is a gadget in every aspect, but one that gives a whole new meaning to “sleight of hand”.

It works with almost any device that can be remote controlled, with infra-red beams and a “learning” microchip to learn the code from the equipment’s original remote.
Simpler than it seems, we’re told that most [...]

My mad crush on cardigans has nothing to do with energy conservation. I’ve had this weak spot for over two decades now. Starting with wearing twin sets in the late 80′s, my favorite work uniform then which, against all likelihood, I actually wore quite stylishly. Now, some twenty odd some years later, I wouldn’t dare pairing anything so matchy-matchy unless I was into purposefully aging myself into the “wearing sensible shoes only” age group. Which I am not.
But, let’s be clear, I still love cardigans. A lot. They are a staple in my wardrobe and now that the weather is [...]