By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
Wine aficionado, wine snob, wine geek or sommelier in training? We all know one. Or want to become one. Well, here  are some great kits to up the ante by Le Nez du Vin by Wine Aromas.

Le Nez du Vin make the optimal oenophile training kits. Each kit – and there are 6 of them – contains petite vials, each filled with different aromas and notes imbued in wine.
“Le Nez du Vin Series is a discovery tool to educate and develop your sense of smell and enhance your enjoyment of wine”.
The foundation principle of Le Nez du Vin [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
With spring barely palpable and, in Chicago, many frosty days still in the forecast, my family instinctively turns to comfort foods. Pizza, predictably, is one of those foods. I mean, homemade pizza.

By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
Interior designers have simple tricks in making a house a home. You know, those little techniques to bring not only style but warmth and intimacy into your personal space. Candles are a great way to do this, and using reusable peel and stick accents takes you one step further to suit the mood, season or special occasion. Indigoroot has created a simple, chic, interchangeable and reusable solution to add those nice touches to your home.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Indigoroot makes it easy to add a romantic touch using their CandleClothes™ and Wrapitz™. If you [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
My husband and I are not heavy drinkers but we do love our wine. We always question if we are okay to drive after one glass of wine when we go out, or if we should abstain completely. We grew up in the era before MADD (Moms Against Drunk Drivers) and police DUI check points, when it was not so unusual to have a few and still get behind the wheel.
I was searching for a portable breathalyzer to carry in my purse (remember this article from last year?) when I came across B4UDrink, an interactive [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
Nothing much has changed much since our “Thanksgiving Shortcuts” article of last year. I’m still filled with equal amounts of trepidation and apprehension. I’m looking forward to hosting all my guests but have not quite yet wrapped my head around how I will conquer the Thanksgiving-dinner-prep list.
As with last year, I’m always on the hunt for shortcuts. That’s not cheating. It’s resourcefulness and inventiveness. Right?
Anyhoo, here are some of the new “shortcut” ideas that hit my radar this year:
 

 
Hooray Purée –  Originally conceived to provide “added-in” nutrition to kids meals, these convenient packets are a great way to add [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
The efficient kitchen is all about multifunctional cookware – meaning they can go from oven/microwave to table to fridge or freezer to dishwasher. I am all about efficiency and with a small kitchen, I love when I can use one product for different purposes. I feel that designer Christian Bjorn’s Stackable Oven Dishes has taken this multifunctional concept to a whole new level.
These dishes can be stacked both inside and outside the oven. The openings on the sides allow warmth in the oven to circulate freely and thereby, to heat food in all the dishes [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I am well past the stage in my life to do any type of formal hosting. I much prefer to invite friends and family over to share some great wine/martini/champagne with a variety of tapas. This does not mean I don’t like to make it fun for my guests. Here is a list of fun party ‘successories’ – products that will make any gathering a success – that your guest will enjoy as much as you do:

 
Drink Flair - There are lots of options for glass labeling on the market, but these static stickers are inexpensive, [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I have found something to collect and I am not a collectible kind of person – unless you count shoes…
Anyway, I have just discovered Nora Fleming’s fun ceramic accents that dress up a simple white platter making it suit any season, event, or special occasion. I love this idea of having one platter for every occasion with interchangeable pieces!
Nora Fleming’s cute, whimsical, keepsake minis have become part of my family’s traditions. With almost 80 minis to choose, I already have my fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas minis picked out. Each hand-painted piece has a stem [...]

The Succulent Wives are taking a little (very little) time off this summer. While we are still actively working on bringing you new content and ideas every week, we have also decided to bring back some of our favorite posts from the archives, those that are still timely, relevant, useful and that deserve to be revisited. Thanks for allowing us to recharge. We promise that we will be coming back with more new ideas and recommendations for cool stuff than you’ll know what to do with…
By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
As I head up to the cottage I look forward [...]

The Succulent Wives are taking a little (very little) time off this summer. While we are still actively working on bringing you new content and ideas every week, we have also decided to bring back some of our favorite posts from the archives, those that are still timely, relevant, useful and that deserve to be revisited. Thanks for allowing us to recharge. We promise that we will be coming back with more new ideas and recommendations for cool stuff  than you’ll know what to do with…
We published this article last summer and  feel that it merits the attention of anyone looking [...]