Eagles have it in the bag with Dooney & Bourke

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The most fashionable Eagles fans will arrive at a Super Bowl party on Sunday carrying something classier than a cheesesteak.

B0018G_NJGRPATNEAGLDooney & Bourke has a super line of bags, wallets and wristlets that are resplendent in Eagles green with the team’s signature bird of prey logo. They are trimmed in tasteful brown leather and accented with Dooney & Bourke’s gold-tone insignia.

Styles include the new DOONEY & BOURKE Leather Collection Lily Bucket Bag ($398), Leather Zip Around Phone Wristlet ($148), Leather Slim Wristlet ($108), Leather North South Triple Zip Crossbody ($198) and the Leather Credit Card Billfold ($78), as well as the Nylon Crossbody Pouchette ($98) and Continental Clutch ($128).

All have a durable exterior shell. No worries if you take your cheesesteak “whiz”–that means with the traditional Cheez Whiz topping–and drip a blob on the bag. It will wipe right off.

IMG_3705I checked out the slim and stylish Ginger Crossbody bag (MSRP: $148). It’s sized just right: 6.25 inches high, 2.25 inches deep and 8.75 inches long. The bag is compact but there is still plenty of room for whatever a fan needs, with a front slip pocket, an inside zip pocket, a cell phone pocket and two inside pockets. It’s fully lined, in keeping with the quality we have come to expect from Dooney & Bourke. The adjustable strap has a drop length of 25 inches.

A crossbody strikes me as the ideal bag for a big Super Bowl party, leaving hands free to nibble South Philly-style meatballs, down a Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale, and perform all the moves to “Fly Eagles Fly” as we cheer the Birds on to certain victory in Super Bowl LII.

 

Wee Blessing–and big savings in time and money

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Wee Blessing is a curated service that specializes in stylish, brand-name clothing. In its infancy, Wee Blessing focused solely on apparel for kids age newborn-14.

IMG_3564But now Wee Blessing is offering the precious gift of time to the whole family, including collections for men, women, teens, expectant moms and plus-size women.

topIn the beginning, I had doubts about the curated clothing business model. You expect consumers to embrace a service that puts together outfits based on your profile? Won’t they miss shopping? Will they actually be delighted to open a box and see garments they might not have chosen for themselves?

Not to worry. If you don’t like the items, you send them back. If you buy them all, you receive a bonus discount off the already marked-down prices.

The success of pioneer Stitch Fix and other curated services shows that stylish, time-crunched consumers are open to letting someone else do the shopping. I’ve interviewed a number of fashionable women who say they appreciate the opportunity to work with a remote stylist who approaches their wardrobe with fresh eyes. So when the nice folks at Wee Blessing asked if I would like to try their service, I said yes.

I also think their model is on the leading edge regarding the kids’ market. Imagine how thrilled a child is opening a box of really cool clothes!

img-thingBased on my questionnaire, Wee Blessing promptly delivered five articles of clothing; two sets of pants and tops, and a cute dress. All were desirable brand names, in impeccable condition with tags attached.

My fave is the Adrianna Papell cranberry keyhole knit top with fashion-forward bell sleeves (MSRP: $78, $32 through Wee Blessing).  I wore it to a Christmas party, where I got lots of compliments, a true litmus test of fashion.

The box also included: a pretty pink print Lucky Brand top; Calvin Klein dark moon-washed jeans; Michael Kors classic black dress pants; and a Philosophy Malibu orange sleeveless frock that is cute but more appropriate for spring.

Four out of five is a mighty fine batting average. Wee Blessing also is offering an attractive incentive, a $50 credit when you refer a friend.

Irish Christmas in America at the Grand

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“Irish Christmas in America” celebrates the holidays in the spirit of Ireland with music, dance, and stories. An all-star cast from across the pond takes the stage at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $26-31, available through the Box Office at 302.652.5577 or online at www.thegrandwilmington.org.
image-2Now in its 13th year, the show features lively Irish tunes, thrilling step dance, evocative carols in both English and Irish, and an abundance of humor.

“Christmas is a massive holiday in Ireland,” says fiddle player and show producer Oisin Mac Diarmada. “People travel home to see families and share great food and lots of music. The country shuts down, apart from the bars!”
Niamh Farrell is a rising young singer with a crystal-clear voice who hails from Sligo on Ireland’s West Coast. Farrell brings contemporary songs to the show including Norah Jones’ “December” and Tom Waits’ “Take Me Home.”

“Growing up, the idea of a ‘party piece’ was always a big thing in Irish homes,” Farrell says. “People would gather around the fire or maybe the table at Christmas dinner, and everyone would be coaxed to sing a song or tell a story or do a dance. You had to make some sort of show of yourself!”
From County Kerry, Séamus Begley, named Ireland’s “Traditional Singer of the Year,” sings, tells jokes and plays the accordion.
“Seamus was like the Johnny Cash of my childhood,” says Farrell. “I absolutely adored his singing.”
Champion step dancer Samantha Harvey lights up the stage with her footwork, and joins in on piano with Grainne Hambley on the harp and Seán Gavin on the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes).
The show touches a chord with Americans, even those not of Irish descent, as many families can identify with being far from home.

“One of the most heartfelt themes of Irish Christmas is emigration,”  says Mac Diarmada.  “Music was a way that people stayed close to home.”

Want to conjure memories after the show? An accompanying CD “An Irish Christmas Soundscape” will be available at the performance.

A taste of Whole Foods

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Whole Foods Market is one of my favorite places to stock up on treats for the holidays.

TasteofWFM_CardI can count on finding fresh and exciting foods and friendly folks to point me in the right direction if there’s anything I can’t find on my own.

This weekend, Dec. 9-11, you can nosh your way through Whole Food’s holiday open house, celebrated noon-4 p.m. each day. Sample goodies and order ready-made dishes for entertaining and your holiday feast.

Your guests might even think you made them yourself!

From toy land, Roller Coaster Challenge

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Imagine your kids building a roller coaster–in your living room.

s-l1600ThinkFun has introduced Roller Coaster Challenge, a build-it-yourself engineering contest in which players get to create their very own roller coasters. Kids age 6 and up start by choosing a challenge card and setting up the pieces to match. Then, players use the remaining pieces to build a working roller coaster that meets the build conditions on their challenge card. Roller Coaster Challenge incorporates elements of a logic puzzle, while also allowing for the creativity that stems from building in free-form style.

Kids can play on their own, with friends and siblings–or even with mom and dad!

So what’s the reward? Players get to watch the roller coaster they have built zip down the track and navigate dips, curves and loops. New to the market, Roller Coaster Challenge is up for a Toy the Year Award, which is comparable to the Oscars of the Toy Industry. MSRP: $29.99.

 

Eat, drink and buy gadgets

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We are making our holiday shopping lists and checking them twice. Whether you’re naughty or nice, edibles and kitchen gadgets are on lots of wish lists, which I discovered while reporting a holiday shopping article for NPR.

image013Here are a few domestic delights on the home front this year:

  • Martha Stewart, longtime arbiter of taste, is now toasting a new enterprise, Martha Stewart Wine Co. The online wine shop features a curated collection of wines, all taste-tested by Stewart, plus monthly wine club options and special occasion gift memberships. Among the options are a package of six bubblies from France, Italy and Spain, for $92.75. And if you don’t like what you’re sipping, Stewart will replace it for free. I sampled a selection of wines and they all have one thing in common: value prices and above-average quality. Martha, you’re picky. I appreciate that.aervana-electric-wine-aerating-dispenser-1-1
  • Wine aficionados love wine gadgets. Aervana is a push-button, battery-operated wine tap and aerator in one. Uncork a bottle of red wine— inexpensive young, tannic red wines benefit the most—place Aervana on top of the bottle and push a button for instantly aerated wine dispensed from a stainless steel spout directly into the glass. It is differentiated from other aerators in that it leaves the sediment in the bottom of the bottle during aeration. Based in suburban Philly, Aervana is available to consumers as well as wine pros. MSRP: $99.98, batteries included.
  • Standing in front of the sink doing dishes or manning the range doesn’t sound like a glamorous task. You can add bling to domestic chores, as well as relieve your aching back and legs with anti-fatigue WellnessMats, which combine ergonomics and design with monogrammed mats. The Signature includes two posh designs available in eight colors and two sizes, plus an initial in metallic gold or silver. Priced from $149.95 – $279.95.
  • The Kuma chef’s knife is on the cutting edge this year with foodies. It’s razor-sharp for precision cutting. No worries about squashing tomatoes. Kuma’s 8-inch all-purpose knife is suitable for chopping veggies, slicing meats, mincing herbs and other tasks. It’s lightweight with a sleek Japanese-inspired design. It’s also easy to sharpen. Kuma is available for around $25, plus an extra $10 and change for a sharpening rod.

Treasures Revealed, appraisal day at Winterthur

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Ever wonder what your antiques, alleged and otherwise, are actually worth? Get expert valuations for your antiques, jewelry, and other heirlooms at Treasures Revealed, a special appraisal day on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Sponsored by Freeman’s, the revered Philadelphia firm, Treasures Revealed will feature experts from America’s oldest auction house to provide verbal auction estimates for the items participants bring for perusal.

Getting expert answers to these questions is a great experience. More than 10 years ago, my mother and I brought a few treasures to Winterthur for appraisal. It was tremendous fun and I recounted our experience in an essay for the Christian Science Monitor. (Read it to find out how we did!)

IMG_3257Appraisal day also is a super way to warm up for the 54th Annual Delaware Antiques Show, which runs Nov. 10-12 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Expect more details here as the show approaches.

This year’s specialists include the charming Scotsman, Alasdair Nichol, who is a regular on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow®. Nichol, an expert in paintings, won hearts in Wilmington when he volunteered his services several years ago at a successful art auction to benefit Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County.

special-alasdairAt the Winterthur event, specialties will include fine art, silver, jewelry, watches, rare books, militaria, decorative arts, manuscripts, photographs, rugs, pop culture, sports memorabilia, and furniture from Asia, America, and Europe. The event does not include appraisals for modern guns, toys, dolls, coins, and stamps.

Each participant can bring a maximum of two treasures. The fee for each item is $25 for members, $50 for nonmembers. Can’t maneuver the enormous armoire great-grandfather brought from France? Leave it at home and bring lots of pictures.

Reservations and timed tickets are required for the event, which runs 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Timed tickets are valid only during the time printed on the ticket. To make a reservation and purchase timed tickets, call 800.448.3883 or visit Winterthur’s Treasures Revealed ticketing page. Tickets also include access to the Garden and galleries. For details, view Winterthur’s Treasures Revealed FAQ.

Before or after the appraisals, enjoy Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes, a special exhibition in the Galleries included with admission. At 2 p.m., there’s a special lecture “Collecting Classics: Henry Francis du Pont’s Pursuit of New England Masterpieces” with Brock Jobe, professor emeritus at Winterthur. Jobe will explore five New England landmarks from the collection and the diverse paths that brought them to Winterthur. The cost to attend the lecture is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.

Read all about it. Even the fine print.

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We’re supposed to read the fine print, right? But what if we can’t?

IMG_2327I don’t know what I would do without my reading glasses, the specs that help me decipher a menu, get a grip on price tags, digest text messages and enjoy a novel.

Here’s the fine print: all reading glasses are not created equal. The specs from various dollar stores are cheap, so no worries when you misplace them. But they fall apart, lack balance and often are uncomfortable. So I usually spend a little more and buy a three-pack from Costco. But they aren’t as stylish as I would like.

Enter Readers.com, a seller of quality, fashionable eyewear. They are light, with spring temples that offer a good fit. And there are lots of super cute styles to choose from in both readers and sunglasses, the better for beach reading. There are 14 power options, including quite a few you won’t find at the dollar store.
The folks from Readers.com sent me two pairs to try out. I am wearing a pair from the new garden collection as I write, with a muted floral design called Bouquet in a matte plastic finish. They are comfy, well-fitting and don’t slide down my nose.

The MSRP is $19.95, but there are codes on the website that offer discounts starting at 15 percent off. To take 40 percent off any one item enter HAPPYWALLET40. The deal expires Aug. 31.

Carriagers carry on at Point-to-Point

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The parade of carriages at Point-to-Point at Winterthur is always a spectacular sight, with glossy teams of horses pulling lovely carriages with elegant drivers and passengers.

unnamed-6The late George A. “Frolic” Weymouth of Chadds Ford led the parade for years. On Sunday, May 7, John Frazier Hunt of Spring City will lead more than two dozen regal, horse-drawn antique carriages through Winterthur’s 39th Annual Point-to-Point racecourse, continuing the grand procession in honor of his longtime friend.
p allen smith 4Celebrities, including Martha Stewart, often come along for the ride. This year, expect Gloria Austin, international carriaging champion, and P. Allen Smith, national tastemaker and new Winterthur Board of Trustees member. I met Allen a few years ago during a visit to Little Rock, Arkansas, and have been a guest at his fabulous farm, where he raises heirloom livestock, breeds that date back to colonial America. He is a frequent visitor to Winterthur and will be a valued trustee. He also is a really nice guy, a true southern gentleman.

Despite a nippy forecast, Point-to-Point is expected to draw more than 15,000 spectators to the 1,000-acre former country estate of Henry Francis du Pont. The Brandywine Valley’s most stylish spring sporting event, Point-to-Point features a day of professional thoroughbred steeplechase racing, lots of entertainment and glamorous tailgating, in addition to the magnificent horse-drawn carriages.

Hunt will hold the ribbons–that’s carriage-speak for reins–to his grand 1895 Park Drag originally built in London by Henry S. Whitlock for the Gilby gin family. The parade starts at Weymouth’s former home at Big Bend and proceeds along the traditional, winding route to Winterthur. Frolic initiated the parade on a whim 39 years ago, inviting a few friends to ride with him. The crowd enjoyed the spectacle so much that he returned with a few more friends every year for 37 years.

thBut what to wear? Women tend to don something feminine and floaty with wide-brimmed hats for the steeplechase. This year, with temperatures expected in the 50s, I wish I had sensible-but-chic tweeds like the ones the ladies donned at Downton Abbey for a shooting party. (What a treat is was to see the clothes up close and personal at Winterthur’s fabulous Downtown Abbey costume exhibit!)

There’s still time to secure tickets. The show goes on, rain or shine.

 

Three lovely libations for Valentine’s Day

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ferrari-perle-millesimato-magnum-1185804-s238Valentine’s Day is great for the restaurant business.

Beg. borrow or steal a reservation, wait at the bar and finally descend on your table and hope your romantic evening out won’t be sidetracked by an overpressed wait staff and kitchen.

Why not spend a romantic evening at home?

Find a great card and a thoughtful gift for your sweetheart. Set a lovely table and light the candles. Put on wonderful music. And let the magic begin.

Here are three lovely libations to spark romance:
Build a wood fire and put a bottle of bubbly on ice. Ferrari Perle 2008 is celebratory, with that yeasty pop race car drivers and accomplished hosts expect from this superb producer of sparkling wines from Trento in northern Italy.  It’s creamy, with crisp apple and subtle notes of almond. (SRP: $38)

pinotnoir-B3-2_largeOn to dinner! Loveblock Pinot Noir is a gorgeous red with purple hues from a small vineyard in New Zealand appropriately named Someone’s Darling and brought to us by Terlato Wines. It’s complex, so open the bottle early and let it breathe. Expect perfumed violet, intense dark fruit, and an herbaceous oaky waft layered with savory mushroom and sweet strawberry notes. I suggest pouring this pleasing potable with duck. (SRP: $37)

Select_BottleIt’s a romantic evening. Back to the fireplace. Put another log on the fire, dear, and Indulge in Laphroaig Select Scotch Whisky, with the exquisite peaty notes of Scotland and “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay,” the literal translation of the label. (SRP: $44.99)

Hopefully, you already have set out nice glasses and comfy pillows.

Expect a long, dry finish with spice. Add a heartfelt hug from your sweetheart.