By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Just in time for Father’s Day, a do-it-yourself kit beer making kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. Whether your patriarch is familiar in the kitchen or not, this no-brainer, easy-to-follow process allows even the I-can’t- boil-water type to make high quality and complex beers on top of the stove.
Brooklyn Brew Shop’s user-friendly beer making kit uses only fresh, whole ingredients, such as cracked barley, hops, spices and yeast, and follows the traditional brewery method to producing beer that has been used for centuries. This kit includes a one gallon reusable glass fermenter, chambered airlock, thermometer, tubing, [...]

For a man, fatherhood can be one of the most blissful events in his life. That small bundle of joy that comes into his life not only brings with it great pleasures, but also adds a whole new dimension. While mothers

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
Just like any other perfectly normal, healthy, emotionally well-balanced woman, I have a thing for shoes. Do NOT ask me how many pairs I have. That is completely irrelevant to this conversation.
I know you understand. There are so many reasons to love shoes. They can elevate a seemingly blah outfit to one that begins new trends. They can make you feel like can conquer the world… Comfort? Pfffftt… No kingdom was ever conquered on the basis of comfort. Or walkability factors.
But, most of all, I’m quite certain that women love shoes so much because they are [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I have always been attracted to the aesthetics and ornamentation of the various cultures around the world. The more ancient and the more “exotic” it is, the more it speaks to me. Which is why I was found gaping, high in visual nirvana, when I came upon the Images d’Orient collection.
Peggy Raphaël Dabar is the designer behind this collection of tabletop gems. She is from Lebanon and studied design in the United States. You can see the homage paid to her Mediterranean heritage in the various collections at Image D’Orient, the company she and her brother [...]

I’m pretty sure most women will agree: Jewelry is ALWAYS a welcomed gift. Especially if it has sentimental value, as when the jewelry piece is composed of gemstones which each (could, but don’t have to!) represent a special family member.
Erin Gallagher’s Gem Bar can help us create such customized jewelry designs quite easily. Her company offers a great choice of “Design Your Own” jewelry pieces, whether it be necklaces, earrings or bracelets. For Mother’s Day, I really like the idea of a pendant necklace where each gemstone would represent the birthstone of a child, and heck, why not, even that [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Tomorrow we will be in the month May (already?). How many weeks are left of school? It already appears that the year is winding down. This year I helped out at both of my daughters’ (ages 6 and 8 ) schools, more than I ever have in the past. I helped with special art classes, taught a weekly yoga class and helped out in their classrooms. I was able to get a real glimpse into a teacher’s day and was in awe with what they accomplish in a day and their joy and commitment to [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Sending mom a Mother’s Day card and/or a bouquet of flowers is a simple way to say that you are thinking of her – particularly if you live far away. Postcarden cleverly combines the beauty of flora with a greeting card creating a simple and inexpensive way to show how much you love your mama.
These pop-out cards transform into mini-living gardens and are available in three designs: Botanical, City and Backyard. Your mom will open and unfold the card, water it and sprinkle the enclosed edible cress seeds onto the damp paper. Within a few [...]

The Odyssey Collection offers luxury bath, body and home goods imported from the Mediterranean and Levantine coasts. Their Senteurs d’Orient (literally meaning “Scents of the Orient” en français) exclusive line of soaps are 100% natural hand-crafted, with over 15 refreshingly exotic fragrances.
 
 
 
 
SENTEURS D’ORIENT GIFT BOXES

Luxury Medium Gift Box with a indulgent variety of 7 different soap shapes, sizes and fragrances, a vial of pure Essential Oil and a Mediterranean bath salts sachet. Retail $ 64.00. Available in Small, Medium and Large boxes.

There is about using a luxury soap that elicits the true feeling of being pampered. What makes the Odyssey [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I am in love with Jo Malone fragrances but the size of any of the bottles makes it almost impossible to take along with me. Traveling anywhere with large bottles of perfume is just not convenient. I can’t take them in my carry-on without losing the bottle to TSA. And most definitely can’t fit a large perfume bottle in my evening clutch!
I have tried other travel-sized perfume bottles but I seem to always spill more perfume out of the funnel than I can get in the other bottle. Way too costly! And anyhoo, if the [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Just because it is raining outside does not mean we can’t still have great style. Gone are the days of galoshes and plastic raincoats of yester-years (thank goodness).
We proved that last year when we wrote about the Pop-N-Go Rain Scarf. Now it is time to rethink raincoat as a more stylish, yet practical, outerwear solution.
The RainRaps are such a garment. In fact, Rainraps are akin to  fashionable lightweight, water-resistant, reversible pashminas.
They come in four colorful combinations and are the perfect fashion accessory that can be worn all year round (in winter, over coats to “waterproof” [...]