Category Archives: Shop

Building happy kids with K’NEX

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It’s 63 days until Christmas and we are already thinking about Toy Land.
product_image.phpA go-to resource for moms and dads who want to buy innovative, unique and fun construction-based playthings that kids can build themselves is K’NEX, a socially and environmentally responsible company based in suburban Philadelphia. Great thoughts, great toys.

K’NEX has fulfilled that seemingly impossible mission of getting kids to love things that are good for them. Their engaging building sets are as healthy as broccoli — and as sweet as ice cream.

This year, K’NEX has added four fab roller coasters to its hot Thrill Ride line of sets, ranging in price from $49.99 to $249.99. We checked out the Thunderbolt Strike coaster set, which we expect will be a Big Guy in Roller Coaster Land this holiday season.

51587-Thunderbolt-Strike-lead-with-boy2The fans spoke. And K’NEX listened. The set includes more than 800 American-made, classic K’NEX rods, connectors, cross-ties, and tube-track for lightning striking fun, all selected according to fan requests.

And that’s not all. This puppy is outfitted with a motor, vertical chain lift, two cars and two fully articulated K’NEXmen™ figures. It’s packaged in an iconic K’NEX suitcase. Suggested for kids age 9 and up. MSRP: $119.99. (10% of sales from K’NEX direct go the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.)

Feeling lucky? During the K’NEX-A-Day Giveaway, you can log on to knex.com and enter for a chance to win a K’NEX building set. The contest is open to K’NEX fans ages 7 and up through Oct. 28 and participants can enter once each day. For more information, official rules or to enter visit http://www.knex.com/knex-a-day. No purchase necessary.

 

Daring pairings

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I’ve long thought of Alamos wines as a culinary chum. Food friendly. Good character. Exceptional value.

alamos-seleccion-malbecIn fact, I have recommended Alamos often to fellow shoppers in the liquor store at Costco, a trusted resource for wines and spirits.

So I was happy to be invited to a five-course tasting of Alamos wines and dishes at Ela, the hip and innovative bistro in Philadelphia’s Queen Village whose edgy chef, Jason Cichonski, is as hot as his grill.

It was a memorable night for the noshing press as Jimena Turner, a charming and knowledgeable ambassador for Alamos, guided diners through four reds and a white produced by Argentina’s most prolific winemakers.

Chef Jason created a stellar menu of pairings, starting with Alamos 2012 Torrentes, a fresh white with citrus notes, teamed with spruce smoked amberjack with preserved lemon, capers and brown butter. (I’m now in the process of preserving lemons at home in the hope I can pull together a dish even half as memorable as complex melange of freshness, savory and salt.)

jason_headshot1The 2012 Malbec, my go-to red at Costco, played nicely with an earthy tartare of roasted beets with celery root, creamy house ricotta and crisp pumpernickel pita chips. It tastes way more expensive than its price tag of $7 and change, especially with an expert pairing.

Homemade spaghetti with bone marrow and wild mushrooms served with a hearty 2012 Red Blend proved a rhapsodic and rustic twosome.

Our favorite of the Alamos offerings is the 2011 Seleccion Malbec, whose round, lush and sophisticated fruit was an ideal match for the richness of wagyu beef with pumpkin, smoked potato and black garlic. It’s deep garnet color is so lovely you might be tempted to take it straight to the paint store for a match. (At less than $20 a bottle, it’s the most expensive and an affordable splurge.)

The mocha notes of the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon were a natural with dessert, a soft mound of chocolate with rosemary, raspberry and pistachio.

Chef Jason, who showed us the elaborate Ela tattoo recently inked onto his mightily muscled thigh, is focused, intense and even hunkier in person than he is on the current season of Top Chef, set in New Orleans.

I’d root for him naturally, simply because he grew up in Northeast Philly, right across the Delaware from Palmyra, N.J., my home town. After tasting his food and his skill at coaxing the best notes from the wine, I’ll stand up and cheer.

 

Thom Filicia at Calico Corners

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Designer and Emmy winner Thom Filicia will add a dash of wit and style to the new Calico Corners in Glen Mills, Pa., on Wednesday, with a personal appearance and book signing.

thom4Most viewers got to know Filicia as the dashing designer on the cult cable hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Since then, he has been named to the Top 25 design list by Elle Decor and the Top 100 by House Beautiful. He also has written a book, American Beauty, which chronicles his love affair with a fixer-upper in New York’s Finger Lakes. (Tina Fey wrote the forward.)

Filicia, who also designs for Kravet fabrics, will be at the store at Glen Eagles Shopping Center on Route 202 from 6-8 p.m. Shoppers also will have the chance to win a mid-century settee or a gift certificate for $1,000.

Bling at the Biggs Museum

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The Biggs Museum of American Art is poised to sparkle at a new event called Biggs Bling, featuring a silent auction of fine antique jewelry, estate jewelry and high-end costume jewelry provided by private donors and event sponsors.

22The fundraiser takes place on Saturday, Oct. 5, 6-9 p.m., at the museum on Federal Street in Dover. The event will feature a silent auction including an outstanding array of fine antique, period jewelry, estate jewelry and high-end costume jewelry provided by private donors and event sponsors.

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres? Of course, including a mashed potato bar. There will be entertainment by the musical ensemble Melomanie and guest performer Jennifer Margaret Barker, who will perform this season’s new works fusing important pieces from the 17th and 18th Centuries and today.

“We are excited to launch Biggs Bling, the first event of its kind in Kent County, which showcases the art of jewelry,” Linda Danko, the museum’s executive director, said in a statement. “Biggs Bling is a great opportunity for women to find that perfect something to add to their jewelry collection – and for men to begin their Christmas shopping – all while supporting the area’s premier museum.”

The event’s Diamond Sponsor is Sayers Jewelers and Gemologists in Smyrna, which is donating several pieces of fine jewelry to the silent auction. Funds raised directly support the Biggs. Tickets are $50 for members and $75 for non-members, available online or by calling (302) 674-2111. Or you can hatch a deal for $36 by buying tickets on DealChicken.

Prince Albert’s tour of the West

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02-WFCAlbert-P.69.1154Prince Albert II of Monaco arrives in Cody, Wyoming, today, following in the boot steps of his great, great grandfather, Prince Albert I. The latest Albert is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Albert I’s legendary hunting trip with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and to present the inaugural Camp Monaco Prize, a new scientific research grant supporting biodiversity studies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

I just returned from a memorable trip to Cody and narrowly missed seeing the prince, thus sparing His Serene Highness a big howdy from all the folks in Philly, hometown of his mother, Princess Grace.

On this trip, Albert II is being hosted by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the best darn museum for all things representing the uniquely American West. It’s a wonderful place to explore the largest collection of firearms in the U.S., as well as Native American culture, natural history, art and the colorful life of Buffalo Bill, the most famous man in the world at the turn of the last century. (More on that in a future post.)

03-WFCAlbert_downtown_Cody-P.69.1577In 1913, Albert I was a pioneer of sorts, the first European head of state to visit the United States. He traveled to Wyoming by train, where he joined Buffalo Bill and a group of pals for a two-week game-hunting excursion into the Rocky Mountains near Yellowstone Park.

Three sponsoring institutions – the  Center of the West’s Draper Natural History Museum, the University of Wyoming’s Biodiversity Institute, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation-USA – joined together to select the winning proposal for the inaugural Camp Monaco Prize. The project focuses on finding new ways to monitor and safeguard migratory elk in Greater Yellowstone,  knowledge that could benefit other important conservation areas across the globe.

During his visit, Albert II will revisit the hunting camp Albert I and Buffalo Bill set up in 1913, near what is now Yellowstone National Park. He will plant trees, tour the beautiful park and wrap up his stay with a grand soiree on Sept. 21, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s annual Patrons Ball.

 

 

White wines from the Italian Alps

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tiefenbrunnerweissburgunder_classicThe north of Italy is a wondrous place, with the effortless style and elegance of Italy blended with the impeccable precision and freshness of its Swiss and Austrian neighbors. My husband’s family hails from the Tyrolean region, where both Italian and German are widely spoken. (The Dallabridas, in fact, have cousins named Helmut and Werther, mingled with the Dinos and Daniellas.)

It’s a special place, drenched in sun, with spectacular views of the Dolomites and fertile soil, rich with minerals, that produces  youthfully fresh wines. I was introduced to one of my favorites, made in Trentino’s Alto Adige, here in the U.S.

Tiefenbrunner’s Pinot Blanco 2012 is clear, bright yellow in color, with apple  and floral aromas and a pleasing level of acidity. It has a pleasant, flinty finish that reflects its mountain roots.

Don’t think of it as a summer fresher. Enjoy this lovely white all year ’round. Pinot Blanco is the ideal accompaniment to grilled asparagus, with or without ravioli and butter. (MSRP: $17.99)

 

Grow your own with CityLash

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citylash1Think of CityLash serum as Miracle-Gro for your lashes. You apply it to  the base of your lashes (upper lid only, please) and your lashes grow longer. They also don’t fall out as quickly.

CityLash uses potent Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 as its main active ingredient. In clinical trials, it has been shown to stimulate an increase in lash line growth of at least 54 percent. Some testers experienced results of more than 70 percent.

It also won’t make your blue eyes brown, which is a troublesome side effect of some lash serums.

Brush on twice a day on clean, dry skin at the base of your upper lashes. Allow to dry for several minutes. Then apply makeup, if you wish. When testing the sample provided by CityLash, I found it convenient to apply in the morning and before bedtime.

You can get away with applying CityLash only once a day but it will take longer than the average 42 days to get results. You also can dab a little on thinning spots in your brows.

At the end of the day, you won’t toss your mascara. But you will enjoy lashes that are noticeably longer, thicker and less brittle.

CityLash isn’t tested on animals, and doesn’t contain prostaglandin or paraben, which can damage eyes and skin. But be careful not to get it in your eyes, because it will sting. (MSRP $79.99 for a tube that should last about two and a half months.)

 

Labor Day blowout at Lands’ End

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There’s no rest for weary shoppers this Labor Day weekend.

Lands’ End is offering 35% off all new arrivals in its holiday weekend blowout. Yup, the fall fashions, including such seasonal must-haves as cable-knit sweaters and windbreakers.

083013_testThink pin-straight patterned denim pants for mom, classic, no-iron cotton shirts for dad and adorable choices for the little ones, including a leopard-print cardigan that will make little Isabella the envy of first grade.

The before-season sale also means you don’t have to wait until the end of fall to get a deal and have to settle for the colors nobody likes or discover your size is sold out.

Shipping? Not to worry. It’s on the house for orders of $50 or more, after the discount is applied.

If you shop at your favorite brick-and-mortar store you won’t have to wait for the postman. In-store merchandise is marked down 30% across the board.

 

 

 

 

The art of Habitat for Humanity

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When it’s for a good cause, fine art is especially fine.

In Wilmington, the Office of Cultural Affairs is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County for a special exhibit of original art at the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, located at 800 N. French St.

largeAn opening reception for The Annabelle Project — so named for founder Annabelle Kressman — will be held on Friday, Aug. 2, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. during Art on the Town, Wilmington’s monthly first Friday gallery tour.

I was blessed in meeting Annabelle and her husband Hank at First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, a warm and welcoming congregation committed to the city and its people.

It is natural that Annabelle is passionate about helping people to have beautiful homes because she has long helped women to dress and look their best in her business as a Doncaster fashion stylist.

The art exhibit is comprised of works traditionally for sale at the ReStore, a non-profit business that sells new and used home improvement and renovation supplies. Throughout August, patrons can buy art at Redding, with all proceeds benefitting Habitat.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to invest in original artwork at affordable prices while helping a great cause,” says Jeni Barton, Redding curator.

The Annabelle Project started in 2010, when Annabelle, a board member,  asked friends who were downsizing to donate art they could no longer enjoy to new Habitat homeowners.

Well, who can say no to Annabelle?

In the twinkling of an eye, beautiful pieces of art began arriving daily at Habitat’s administrative office. Habitat homeowners were delighted to have lovely pieces of art to display in their new homes.

The program also introduced many new people to Habitat’s work in New Castle County. The pieces that don’t find a place in Habitat homes are sent to Habitat’s ReStore and sold.

Great art, great cause — and a great start for Habitat families.

 

Sweet sugar scrubs from Metropolis

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0We have been binge-watching Orange is the New Black, the Netflix series based on the memoir of a young New Yorker newly sent to prison for smuggling drug money years before.

So how does this naive, narcissistic chick from Brooklyn make friends in the big house? By making a medicinal body lotion for the crusty prison chef, that’s how. After all, what gal behind bars couldn’t use a little pampering?

In the outside world, you can find unique, homemade soaps, body washes and other goodies at Metropolis Soap Co., a boutique artesian bath and body product company founded by Megan Brame-Finkelstein, an entrepreneur based in Brooklyn’s cool Bay Ridge neighborhood. On her A-list of celebrity clients: Whoopi Goldberg, Zooey Deschanel, and Hilary Duff.

0-1The nice folks at Metropolis sent me some samples to test, including their Hibiscus and Ginger Exfoliating Sugar Scrub. (MSRP: $29.99 for a hefty 8.8-ounce tub.) Packed with hydroxy-acids, it is designed improve elasticity of the skin, as well as soothe your stressed out dermis. Like a cup of tea in mid-afternoon, the blend of ginger and orange perks up the senses.

I like to use the grapefruit and mint scrub to exfoliate my hands. It smells fresh and slightly citrusy and leaves my skin feeling soft and supple.

In Orange, the artisan inmate chews hot peppers and spits them into a cup to make a balm. Metropolis products are saliva-free. They also do not contain animal products, sulfates, parabens and synthetics.