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February 06, 2016
I've always loved Valentine's Day.
In elementary school, I remember working diligently to compile a list of all of my Valentines. They ranged from my grandparents (who raised me) to good friends, favorite teachers, the postman, and yes, of course, the boy who made my heart flutter.
Once the list was complete, I would set about finding the perfect way to let each person know they were special to me in some way. To me, that was the magic and true joy of Valentine's Day.
Whether it was picking the right Valentine card with the perfect sentiment and complementary image or crafting a meaningful expression of affection and appreciation from a box of embossed candy hearts, or finding that ideal gift that would bring a wide, true smile (and not deplete my piggy bank), I so enjoyed playing Cupid!
And I still find great joy today in working to pair the right gift with the right person to bring that priceless and unmistakeable smile of real delight. Don't you?
But to do so can be hard today, for a variety of reasons.
So, I thought I would strap on my Cupid wings and put together a selection of goodies that I hope will help you bring that special kind of delight to all of your special Valentines. And, we also have Free Standard Shipping in the continental U.S. for orders over $40 through Valentine's Day.
BUT FIRST, we have some Valentine's gifts for YOU!
There are two beautiful Zentangle-style hearts from Bangkok studio Bimbim for you to download, color, keep or share. Just click on the envelope on the left or the right — or both! — below, download, print and let your imagination soar as you color away!
AND, we also have a very yummy recipe for Lord Bergamot Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffles made with tea from Smith Teamakers. Smith's Lord Bergamot Blend 55 tea offers a superior flavor to typical Earl Grey tea (which you can substitute), which makes it the perfect choice for these dare-you-to-eat-just-one truffles.
Looking for some fun, retro, punch-out-and-mail classic Valentine cards...
...or some hand-carved, woodcut, handprinted cards from Katherine Watson to help you tell your Secret Valentine how much you care? (Click on images for more information.)
Love, love, love...love is all we need.
So, here are three charming, keepsake books to help you document, share and learn more about love with that Special Someone:
Playful, tender, and personal, What I Love About You is the perfect gift for the person in your life who makes your pulse race.
This fill-in-the-blank book prompts you to say what is in your heart, but may not always be at the tip of your tongue. You can tell the most important person in your life just how much they mean to you by completing the unique, evocative checklists, short answers, and phrases in this clever book.
So, how would you answer the following with your Valentine?
In This Is for You, Rob Ryan takes his unique vision and crafts a book-length Valentine that will move the heart and engage the spirit with its charm and artistry. Each of this charming book's 64 pages features color images of amazingly intricately hand-cut and hand-painted paper cuttings that tell an enchanting tale of yearning and romantic hope. Ripe with evocative imagery and a heartfelt text, This Is for You is a powerful combination of poetry, graphic novel, and museum-quality art, but at its heart, it's a simple yet timeless tale of love. The perfect keepsake, it is magical, both in how it looks and the feeling of hope and wonderment is leaves you with. It is poignant and celebratory — just like real-life love. (Check out Dana's one-of-a-kind, hand-cut, hand-colored paper heartworks featured below for the ideal gift companion for this book!)
And then we have this beauty. Just Imagine how happy your Sweetie will be when you give her or him John Lennon: The Collected Artwork.
Before Lennon was a singer, a Beatle, or a music legend, he was an artist. Professionally trained, he attended the prestigious Liverpool Art Institute form 1957 to 1960.Throughout the course of his career, Lennon’s work as an artist expressed common societal themes from every epoch he witnessed. Until now, little of this work has been seen in one place. For the first time, John Lennon: The Collected Artwork offers a visually captivating history of Lennon’s art, and this captivating collection includes more than 200 images and features 25 never-before-published pieces from the archives of Yoko Ono.
Dana Coody Lucas is one of those rare, hearts-and-flowers, glass-half-full artists who creates objects that manage to be fun and whimsical without a hint of trite or sappy.
The idea for these gorgeous hand-cut Valentines was born when Dana taught high school art and theater on a $900 annual budget. What started out as a cheap student project led to many moments of zen achieved with paper, scissors, vision, patience and a steady hand.
Yes, each of these unique beauties is hand-drawn, intricately hand cut from paper and passionately hand colored. Click on the hearts below to see the entire collection of Dana's Heart Full Hearts, each as special as your Valentine! (Perfect pairing with Rob Ryan's This is For You shown above!)
How about giving flowers that won't wilt or need watering?
Instead, you can give a wonderful A-Z guide for growing all kinds of flowers?And how about a very cool looking pewter watering can to go with The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers From Seeds to Bloom What's in a name? First published in 1958, The Flower Chronicles is a compendium on the history of flowers that has lost none of its bloom. Drawn from folklore, poetry, annals of medicine, and gardening manuals to report essential historical information on the domestication of garden favorites before they were grown as ornamental plants.
Organized by species, Flower Chronicles brims with literary and historical references and anecdotes. It has an antiquarian feel about it, with its line drawings, woodcuts, and translations from the Greek, but the text never feels dated. Though out of print for nearly thirty years, Flower Chronicles has reemerged as a must-have classic for Valentines with green thumbs, or those who want to know more than a rose is a rose is a rose.
The complementary contrast of colors and textures handcrafted together to make these beautiful earrings caught my eye immediately!
The light to dark shades of sparking grey drusy with its surface of tiny natural crystals pairs perfectly with the smooth, light-catching facets of the deep violet-blue iolite gemstones
Oooooh! Wrap yourself in a rich, magical color of the rainbow when you wear this handcrafted and hand-dyed scarf by Earth Stain. That color is indigo, that hypnotic blue that sits between blue and violet. Each long scarf is truly unique!
So pretty, feminine and eye-catchingingly unique This stunning scarf/shawl was handmade by 7 Sisters, a very talented family of sisters from Kygyrsktan who use the traditional, labor-intensive Kyrgyz "ala-kiyiz" technique that combines delicate, airy, handwoven silk with two layers of felted Kyrgyz wool.
I was smitten when I first saw this beautiful handmade silk scarf. And when I met its maker and heard how she partnered with Mother Nature to craft each one, I fell in love! This Earth Stain scarf is made with a hand-dying process called eco-bundling, where flower petals, twigs, roots, etc., are used to create intricate, colorful and unique patterns.
I think Michael Turback, author of Hot Chocolate, sums up best why I LOVE this book, and why I think anyone who loves chocolate and real-deal hot chocolate will, too: So why on earth can't we make as decent a cup of hot chocolate as they do in Europe?
I take my chocolate very seriously, and I love to seek out the best on my travels. With the amazing Katherine Clapner's Dude, Sweet Chocolate! right here in Dallas, I don't have to travel too far for one of the most delicious ways to savor good chocolate — by drinking it!
When you first see one of these charming, handcrafted cup and saucer sets, you immediately want to sit some place cozy and fill each cup to the brim with something very tasty — like Dude, Sweet Chocolate! Drinking Chocolate (see above!) Or what about a perfectly made cup of expresso with just the right crema? (Not sure how to do it right? Then The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee book below is just for you!
If your Valentine adores the best chocolate, loves making divine desserts with chocolate and can't make it to the chocolate master classes that top-tier French chocolatier Valrhona offers at London's Cookery, then this book will be a true treat!
The name says it all — sweet and nutty! Take raw, unfiltered Blackland Prairie honey from the Texas Honeybee Guild and mix with fresh Texas pecans for a very tasty treat! Spoon Sweet Nut Thangs over brie, your favorite ice cream or mix it with yogurt. Spread over pancakes or waffle, or use your sweet imagination!
If your or your Valentine is a flour-dusted soul on a pilgrimage to make the Perfect Pie, then you must get Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie! by the Dean of Pie-Making, Ken Haedrich!
And if your Valentine's Bucket List includes making the Perfect Pie, then he or she must have the Perfect Pie Pie Plate. The good news is that England's Mason Cash has been been helping home bakers avoid needless culinary catastrophes and graduate with honors for more than 200 years!
How many times have you been in the middle of cooking a meal armed with a variety of measuring tools and still seem to be one measuring cup or teaspoon short of having the right tool to measure exactly what you need? Aside from a knife, The Perfect Beaker is the kitchen's single most important tool!
Me oh my, does your Valentine love pie! (Remember that great scene from the movie
Michael?) Based on recipes and stories from Emily Hilliard's popular Nothing-in-the-House pie blog, PIE — A Hand Drawn Almanac, is a full-color, fully-illustrated partnership between Emily and very talented illustrator Elizabeth Grabber. A unique treat for your One and Only!
Save your Valentine from "The Tyranny of the 750". Wanting a glass of wine but knowing that if you open a new bottle, there would be the pressure to maybe drink more that you wanted or end up throwing good wine down the drain..."the tyranny of the 750". Enter lover of wine and foodie at heart, Scott Tavenner and his mission to create the perfect solution with the Savino Wine Saver Carafe.
"One of the most influential bars in America has come out with a book of cocktails…just as brilliant as the place itself…The recipes are well organized and will appeal to everyone.— Max Watman, The New York Times Book Review
Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails with More Than 500 Recipes is the definitive guide to the contemporary craft cocktail movement, from one of the highest-profile, most critically lauded, and influential bars in the world.
"Once you’ve tried Blue Bottle coffee there is no going back—and thanks to this book, you can now understand exactly why. This be-all book on today’s coffee culture is a how-to and why manual that will thrill coffee geeks, amateurs, and professionals alike. And for those whose experience is that food is an afterthought at a coffee bar, you can now have Blue Bottle’s sumptuous recipes that are like the crema in the cup."
— Danny Meyer, noted restauranteur (think Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe and the Union Square Hospitality Group, and author of Setting the Table. 'Nuf said. The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee book is the Ideal pick for your coffee-loving Sweetheart!
If your Heart Throb is looking for an opportunity to slow down, unplug and relax, there's nothing more satisfying than making the time to enjoy a cup of tea. Price & Kensington's Bright Red Tea for One will make your Special Someone think of you when they sip and say "Ahhhhh..."
If your Valentine is a tea lover, she or he will love you more if you introduce them to Smith Teas. The lexicon of tea is full of exotic terms. Oolong. Pu-erb. Matcha. Mao Feng. To these, we humbly add Smith. This Smith Lord Bergamot Blend 55 Loose Leaf Tea has a flavor superior to the typical Earl Grey. Fragrant Ceylon Dimbulla and Uva are artfully combined with select teas from India's Assam Valley, then scented with the flavor of bergamot fruit from the realm of Reggio Calabria, Italy. Get the recipe for Lord Bergamot Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffles here.
The art of making a 'proper cup of tea' that would make any English afternoon tea aficionado and Valentine proud, possesses two constants. The first is to use water that is boiled only once and, second, use a teapot that allows the tea leaves to swirl freely around the pot, which releases the flavor and, ultimately, provides a rich, full-flavored and less bitter tea.While we can't be there to boil the water for you Lovebirds, we can provide you with the proper pot, the Price & Kensington White Gloss 6-Cup teapot.
February 12, 2015
It really does take a village.
Whether it is in our everyday lives — take the time to think about what your life would be like if others didn't do their jobs, and do them well. Really. Think about every, single thing that someone else does that touches and impacts your life. Or at work.
And especially so when individuals work to craft and grow independent, good, socially responsible businesses.
I got this in the mail a couple of days ago from the good ladies at Bee's Wrap. And, I was really touched! How thoughtful and kind!
It's really been the only Thank You I have received from any of the partners I work with to bring you discoveries that we hope will delight other than the words printed on invoices or in emails after I've placed an order.
I love what Bee's Wrap is and what it is about. (Check out its story and our selection in our PEOPLE + PLANET = ONE Collection.) And, I am very happy to partner with them as we both work to bring you items that are good investments — on a daily basis — in you, others and of our course, Our Planet.
So to the innovative, energetic and caring ladies at Bee's Wrap, Thank YOU for being YOU!
I also want to say the same thing to Julie Thibodeaux and all of the folks at Green Source DFW. You can always count on Julie to pull together a very thoughtful roundup of sustainability oriented gifts for all occasions, and we were very excited when she included Pretty Things & Cool Stuff and featured two styles of cards — retro ones and handprinted cards from artist Katharine Watson's hand-carved original designs — in her article about Valentine's Day gifts!
Our heartfelt thanks, Julie!
And, I also must give a big Thank You! to Dave Mullen, editor of the Katy Trail Weekly here in Dallas. He called me a couple of weeks ago, told me that he really liked my concept/vision and what I am working to accomplish, and said he would like to do a story!
Well, here's the front page result: (just use the scroll bar to the right of the paper and scroll down below the Cafe Momentum story, and you will find us!!!)
It really means a lot when someone on the outside recognizes what you are doing and what you are trying to do, and they want to tell others about it!
Thank you so much, Dave, for seeing, caring and sharing!
Gosh, what a village!
January 08, 2014
How is your post-holiday re-entry going?
We at Pretty Things & Cool Stuff are still spinning a bit, and we want to thank you so very much for such a warm welcome!
Here are a few of the great reviews we received from our first customers: (we are incredibly honored and appreciative!)
NEW YORK CITY - Manhattan Unfurled - Matteo Pericoli
Terri O.: "This book is a gem and a classic, entirely addictive for a visual design professional. He raved about the wrapping so much I could hardly get him to open the package, but when he did he was very touched. The entire process from shopping on the site to communicating with Kim was a rare delight. She even shot photos of the wrapping paper selections and let me choose. That is amazing craft and service! Bravo, to pretty things and VERY cool stuff!"
5 stars
Paula A.: "All the items I bought for Christmas gifts were exceptionally special to all my loved ones.......one of my favorites was "Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby - Craig Varjabedian" which I gave to my brother-in-law........who wears Wranglers and is not an avid reader! I saw my favorite cowboy sitting quietly by the fireplace carefully absorbing each of the beautiful pages. Very fulfilling moment for me. Keep finding pretty things and cool stuff!!!"
5 stars
Jill S.: "This necklace is just as beautiful in person, and the service was seamless. Even the packaging was lovely! Thank you for a very professional but personal experience."
5 stars
Jackie B.: "I am so glad I got this. It turned out to be the favorite piece of many beautiful necklaces."
5 stars
Jackie B.: "It was very pretty and dainty. It goes with a ton of my outfits too."
5 stars
These reviews reflect what Pretty Things & Cool Stuff is all about — helping folks discover special things that resonate personally and bring enjoyment, edification and DELIGHT!
We are at work right now trying to make sure we do just that in this new year.
And we want to start by celebrating winter! Yes, celebrate winter. I love winter, and it always seems to get lost in the holiday craze.
After the holiday season — which I also love! — it's so nice to come off the frenzied, daze-inducing pace, make time to reflect, contemplate, observe, learn, plan, re-organize and, in the process, renew and start a new chapter in your life!
I'm not a big fan of really cold weather, but I love snow — it's so magical! — and I love great chocolate served hot. And tea, to sip and savor. While I am a wanna-be geekette and a confirmed gadget gal, winter is absolutely the best for curling up with a good book— a real one — that I can hold in my hands, turn the pages and close with a sense of accomplishment after I've read the last page, without having to be connected, wired or charged up.
And there there is winter's beauty. Yes, I said beauty — and Pretty Things & Cool Stuff is located in North Central Texas, not exactly a top-of-mind location for such. But if you look, really look, you will see what I am talking about. It's like the difference between beautiful black-and-white photography and color photography. The color distracts you from the fine details. In winter, without the distraction of color that the other seasons bring, you can see so much in Nature that you miss otherwise. And, you can watch the evolution of new life as the days grow longer.
Of course, one can't forget Valentine's Day! It always takes me back to handmade Valentines and picking out the perfect one to secretly drop on that special someone's desk. What is it about Valentine's Day that makes it feel so light-hearted and different from other days that involve gifts, cards, and sharing our feelings with those we love — or those we would love to love?! ; )
Stay tuned and check back often as we add new discoveries and endeavor to help you celebrate and enjoy a new year and new chapter, as well as make the time to discover the delights that winter brings!
P.S. I f you haven't already, go ahead and sign up for our email list and like us on facebook (see the bottom of the page). And, please share with your friends! Also, if you know of special finds that you would like to see at Pretty Things and Cool Stuff, please let us know!