Forest & Zoe

The Weekend Edition

Forest & Zoe is a charming site where you'll enjoy stylish and unique children products from around the world. Luxurious slings from p-sling japan, elegant diaper cakes from bloomers, hand made creations from blabla and zid zid kids, european fashion from catimini, floriane, and room seven, and the softest cashmere from amber hagen are just a few of the treasures you'll find inside.  Is your mod tod looking for the most dapper raincoat under the sky? Tea Collection's Nagano Dragon (shown, $50.00) have ours anxiously anticipating April's approaching showers. The store's collection of diaper bags from ju ju be (all shipping free for a limited time), posh baby, and oioi is akin to taking a stroll down Madison Avenue but requires far less work to find the same exquisite carry-all's. Shipping's free with all orders $75 or more + save up to 20% off select diaper bags by bumble bags and skip hop through this link.

Good Morning Gidget

January 9, 2007

Tired of pulling your hair up into a ponytail because you're short on time? Those who've headed out the door with this 2 minute hair wonder know all too well that they're setting themselves up for a potential pain killer overdose by lunchtime. Let your hair down Rapunzel and slip on today's more updated look: A retro wide silk headband that's easy on your scalp.  We found the best selection, including styles from L Erickson, France Luxe, and Cara Accessories (who makes the lovely leopard print - shown), at Nordstrom.com.  Saks didn't have as many in their line up as we'd hoped to find, but what they lacked in selection they make up for with these on sale bands from Rachel Weissman: Black & White Silk, Silk with Crystals, and our personal favorite: The Skull Print.  Beautifully mod and affordable, we love the private label Swinging Sixties by Donna Loren available at Adasa.com. ($15.95 - $16.00). The most affordable of the bunch goes to these $5 and $6 styles at WetSeal.

Fitness Challenge

January 3, 2007

If getting fit is on top of your New Year's Resolution list or Santa Claus delivered one too many sweet treats, let The Fitness Challenge Board game ($29.95) show you why it's a dream come true for wannabe exercisers.  No clunky mechanics or hard-to-follow instructions, just pick a partner to take the challenge with you...place a wager (zany coupons are included in the enclosed Wager Book)...and both of you play for eight weeks. It's something along the lines of Kathy Smith hooking up with Survivor.  By the end of the challenge one of you may be a little richer, but you'll both be fitter and have had a ball!  We think it's great for getting the kids motivated into an exercise routine too. One husband whose wife put him to the challenge wrote "My wife tried everything to get me to exercise and I fought it tooth and nail. But the Fitness Challenge finally made it fun. For eight weeks now, I've actually enjoyed exercising!"  If your had-to-have set of weights are collecting dust or you use your exercise equipment to dry fine washables, The Fitness Challenge Board game is a fun, challenging and inexpensive way to test your primal limits and your opportunity to stick it to your partner if they don't hold up their end of the bargain!  Available at Drugstore.com and Amazon.com.

Beyond the Bag

Christmas Edition

You may be a UN Ambassador or just spend weekends at your boyfriend’s, but either way, the Stephanie Johnson collection will speak to the organizer and style siren you aspire to be. Studied details like zipper pulls are Stephanie Johnson’s signature adornment made with Turkish silk knots and colorful grosgrain ribbons. Fabrics reminiscent of Missoni to Marimekko speak to the classic, traditionalist, hipster or gypsy. Celebrity fans include Andy Garcia, Bridget Moynahan (who picked up a collection of 40!), Penelope Cruz, Heather Graham and Felicity Huffman. The Editors at Styleforfree have seen and felt more makeup bags than we care to admit and none have ever come anywhere near the quality, detail and elegance that is found in and outside every Stephanie Johnson bag. Each is finished in classic, luxurious trims like suede, faux crocodile, patent leather, grosgrain and velvet. They're a breeze to take care of and most are lined with a plastic overlay that makes cleaning a cinch. If your New Year's Resolution is to get more organized, Stephanie Johnson will show you the way!

Jingle Smells

The Weekend Edition

Deck the halls and their stockings with an aura of new fragrances for the Holidays! We're not referring to the same-old standby's everyone else is parading or dousing you with when you walk into the Department store and get blitzed at the door. These delightful picks for giving and receiving are of a more unique variety. Our Editor's favorite fragrance oil to dab on the wrists: Sharon Bolton's Soul (1) - an intoxicating blend that reminds us of Love's Baby Soft with a Caribbean twist. It receives oodles of compliments and lots of "where can I get some's" everytime it's worn. When you're looking for a fragrance oil that not only smells amazing but can instantly start a conversation - head to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (2) who specializes in intriguing, compelling blends with a dark, romantic Gothic tone. One of our favorites is Eat Me from The Mad Tea Party collection which smells like Red Velvet Cake and lasts for hours. Just seeing the name Aubrey Organics might ensue an essence of fresh cut grass, but nothing could be further from the truth. Their products are of supreme quality and priced right - but it's their fragrances that are most unforgettable. They have a fresh Men's Stock with skin care, after shaves and scrubs but it's their Jade Spice Perfume that we think is very much 'tis the season with elegant notes of ginger, mandarin and cardamom. Prettiest and most coveted pick goes to Bond No. 9's (3) special-edition Swarovski accented Chinatown perfume (shown) with notes of peach, peony, gardenia and patchouli. If $395 is too pricey for your budget (though we're certain she will reward you for the posh gift), a more affordable delight is Wall Street for Him and West Side for Her - they're music to your nose!

Click for special offers from: (1) Sharon Bolton, (2) Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and (3) Bond No. 9.

Coming Zune

The Weekend Edition

Microsoft has entered the highly competitive MP3 player arena and is days away from officially launching its' answer to the iPod - Zune. Set to ship on or about 11/14, Zune comes in black, white or chocolate brown. It starts with a 30GB digital media player and adds a twist. What first caught our eye was its' bright 3-inch LCD video screen that works in both portrait and landscape modes. You can wirelessly share selected full-length sample tracks, playlists, pictures or your home-grown tracks directly from Zune to Zune. Listen to full-length songs that you receive up to three times in three days, flag the ones you like and easily buy them the next time you sync up. Discover new music in the Zune Marketplace, and show off your favorite pictures and videos on the big, bright screen. Youtube already has over 180 Zune videos ready for viewing. Zune has all that and a built in FM tuner, too. Let your inner DJ run wild. Available for pre-order at Wal-mart ($249.94) plus, with your purchase, you'll receive a free 14 day trial of a Zune pass subscription!