We are sooo lucky!

Berwyn friends--I'm sure you already know about the awesome restaurant that is coming to Roosevelt Road, Autre Monde. If you don't, you need to look them up on Facebook or the interwebs.

They will be using local, organic ingredients whenever possible. To make it even more possible, they're trying to raise a little money to build their own green house on site. Just imagine how cool it would be to order a salad that was harvested out back the same day (maybe even hour)! Click on the title of this post to donate some cash to help bring this dream to reality. Then they will be writing a book about their adventure. There are some great give-aways for donors, too. Please check them out--I know the owners personally, and I promise this will be a HUGE boon for our little up and coming town. They have years of combined restaurant experience and they know what they're doing. I can't wait to have my first glass of organic wine at the bar of Autre Monde!

Get over it, you old bag!

All of these bags are made from 95% post-consumer recycled plastic (old grain bags, to be precise). One percent of the sale of the bags will be contributed to the Nature Conservancy. And they're super cute making this a win/win situation.
This is the front and back of the new zipper pouch. Great for those of us who find ourselves constantly apologizing!
If you're not broke, perhaps a lovely coin purse is in order--big enough for your ID and credit cards as well as a stash of cash.

They say that bringing your lunch instead of going out to eat is a great way to save money (duh!), so why not bring your lunch in something cute like this little tote?
And for your shopping/traveling/schlepping needs, there's a new shopper design: vintage skyscrapers from around the US! This would be a great gift for an architecture aficionado!
How about a zippered shoulder bag? Great for a big purse, shopping bag, or a carry on for your next voyage!

Back View:

Front view:

Gay, Anthropomorphic, Earthy, Sexy dish towels

Need a gift for a tiki bar lover? Hawaiian traveler? Hulafile? This calendar towel is perfect! It's a reproduction with a new 2011 calendar! Because really, who couldn't use a towel or a calendar?

An old favorite is back! The anthropomorphic veggie couple is here to make you smile and help you dry your dishes!
This cute little barn image is a good reminder of where most of our food comes from (and where some of us come from too). The stylized radishes (beets?) complete the picture.

In light of the recent Chicago Tribune article about Berwyn being a very gay-friendly community, we now have these dishtowels--The Gayest Spot in Town. To read the article, scroll down to the link in last week's blog post!

All of these towels are 100% cotton flour sack material to ensure a lint free drying experience. They are $5.50 (or $6.99 for the oversize calendar number).

Berwyn: A better 'burb for entertainment

Click this to learn more about Berwyn from the fine folks at the Chicago Tribune!

Berwyn: A better 'burb for entertainment

Autumn is in the Air!

These lovely home fragrance products from Greenleaf are currently in stock and making the shop smell GREAT! There are scented envelope sachets, potpourri, soy candles and room spray. It's a spicy, citrusy, Fall fragrance--not too food-like, just nice.

Send your little spooks out trick or treating with a special LED keyring light that makes a scary noise and lights up when you push the button.

Older kids (5+) will love making up their own monster scenes with this self-contained magnetic monster set--choose different heads, torsos, legs and backgrounds. With some creative photography, you could make a cool flip movie!

For the mini Iron Chefs out there, we have the Melissa and Doug apple pie set--slice your apple, put it in the pie and bake. Be sure to use the oven mitt when you take it out of your "oven"! Then slice and serve it up with the included pie server. Nothing says Fall is here like the smell of fresh baked apple pie, even if it is a pretend one.

Best. Lunchbox. Ever.

Introducing Goodbyn. This handy little lunchbox is made in the USA from the very best food-safe recyclable plastic. It comes with 275 stickers so you can personalize it any way you want! It's dishwasher safe (the stickers too!) and will save you $190/year per kid if you are used to using plastic bags and juice boxes for school lunches. It comes with 5 sealing compartments and an 8 ounce reusable bottle for your beverage of choice--there's even room for a little ice! All the styles feature a sturdy handle at the top.

These are the kids' version and are great for kids 5 and over. They come in green, orange, pink and blue. The "ears" make the lids easy for small fingers to remove.

These two below are the more "grown up" ones. Just because their colors are more subdued, and they don't have "ears". This series is called "Too cool for ears" and is suggested for adults and kids over 9 years old. Whatever. I'd do the ears ones--they're cuter! Both styles come with 275 stickers to use to personalize your goodbyn. The colors for the earless ones are white, charcoal, plum, and navy.

These are great for school/work lunches, picnics, road trips, and for bringing your lunch to places that charge too much to buy lunch (museums, zoos, etc.) We have all the colors in stock now, and can order more if we run out.

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue!

This set of patriotic dishtowels comes in a matching cloth bag--would make such a cute host/hostess gift for your Fourth of July party this weekend!

As would this apron:

Going to be hosting a get-together? This 52" x 52" tablecloth would be a great way to get your guests mingling and talking about vacations past and future! It features the lower 48 and many of the touristy attractions to be found there! Just don't plan a trip based on a tableware map. You can ask me why in person. . .
The first of July marks our second anniversary--I'd just like to say thanks for making that possible! I really appreciate the loyalty and support of all our customers.

Please note the store's Summer hours--I know it's kind of crazy, but it will keep me from going crazy. . . Thursday and Friday: 11-7, Saturday 12-5. I will also try to be open for the Cruise Nites (Certain Tuesdays from 3-9).

Dads' Drafting Do-dads

These 100% recycled paper notebooks are the perfect size for a shirt pocket--and they're perfect for drafting out your next project or making a list of stuff to pick up for it! There are three of them in each pack, and their chipboard covers are sturdy but flexible.

Does Dad do puzzles? One of these refillable puzzle pencils would make a great Father's Day present--choose from crossword or sudoku models. It comes in a great presentation box with extra lead, and (not that he'll need them) extra erasers.

This refillable golf pencil set may just be the perfect Father's Day gift for a dad who golfs. It comes with three tees, a ball marker, and one refillable/retractable lead golf pencil with plenty of extra lead. We have it in green (pictured in the center on the right).

Dads need products too!

This beautiful bar of soap contains sea salt--a natural restorative element. Natural goat's milk and essential oils give it the crisp woodsy/citrusy fragrance that is appropriate for men or women.

This moisturizing slippery salve is great for soothing all those gardening muscles that can be kind of painful this time of year. It's great for dry skin and callouses too! It has a mild menthol fragrance that won't overwhelm. Zum Rub is all natural, mostly organic and made in the USA !

This heavily moisturizing soap helps the razor glide smoothly for a close, even shave. Great for the ladies too!

Tell Dad He's Dynomighty!

These are Mighty Wallets, a big feat of engineering and design from Dynomighty Design. They're folded from one big piece of Tyvek, so they're seamless, lightweight, thin, durable, water and stain resistant, recycled and recyclable, and you can write on the wallet, if you so desire! These are just a couple of the designs we have in stock--come check out the others!

Also from Dynomighty

These are Desk Dots. They're powerful magnetic spheres that are as handy as they are fun to play with! These are just a few of the myriad ways you (or your dad) can use desk dots:

We'll be featuring all kinds of things suitable for Dad in the next couple of weeks, but if you see something you know he'd like, you'd better come in and get it--quantities are limited!

Every day is kid's day!

Now that Mother's Day is over, and you inevitably heard the question, you can prove it's true by stopping by and picking up a little (or big) something for the kids!

This fold and go wooden treehouse is about the cutest toy I've ever seen! It comes with a bear and a bunny, two chairs, a table, a ladder and two beds. It opens up for easy treehouse access, and has a handle to easily take it elsewhere. The front door opens and everything!

For all those little royalty-obsessed kids we now have the Prince and Princess dressup magnetic dolls. They come with stands so you can really play with them (but I think that changing the clothes is the most fun part)!

Gear up for your Summer road trips with this flip to win license plate game--the plates and map will help you and your little ones find the state that has the plate! Great for ages 8 to adult!

Who doesn't enjoy a rousing game of travel bingo? There are different cards to slide in behind the tiles so you can switch from country to city to vehicles to keep it relative to your immediate location.

This kickball is just like the red playground balls you had as a kid--they even smell the same (yes, I smelled them)! The only difference is that this one has the cutest little ladybug on it. Ages 2+. Who wants to play kickball?

We're fully stocked on all the food toys as well. The newest ones are the brownies and the apple pie. Oh! And there's a special occasion cake that's two layers with lots of add ons.

Mom's the Word!

Mother's Day is just around the corner (Sunday May 9th to be exact) and we have got some great stuff that the mom in your life will love--Is your mom a wine drinker? Then she'll love one of these cork-barreled pen and pencil sets! It's a little reminder of what's waiting for her after work. And they're refillable! (And we sell the refills!) Maybe she's the puzzling type--whether it's crossword puzzles or sudoku, these refillable automatic pencils would be great to help her ace the next puzzle while thinking of what a great kid you turned out to be! They are beautifully boxed for giving and plenty of extra lead and erasers are included.

We have lots of great things for mothers, so come on in and pick up a card and a little something to say thanks for everything, Mom!

Some New Spring Things

This lovely journal from artist Jill Bliss is not just pretty on the outside, but each entry page is beautifully illustrated too!

This little mushroom and bird postcard is one design (of 3) we have in from Paper Milk. When was the last time you got a postcard from an old friend? Remember how happy you were? For under $2 (the stamp is even cheaper on a postcard) you can make somebody's day!

This pendant necklace is just one of the many great pieces of jewelry we have in from Captured Moments--all handmade with elements from a past life. Both necklaces and earrings are here for your perusal!

A Place to Stash your Cash

We just got in more of those adorable little coin purses from Blue Q! They're big enough to hold your ID and credit cards, too--perfect for a small bag or no bag day or night. Waterproof recycled plastic is perfect for the beach or pool, too! They'd also be a cute Easter gift--you'd probably want to put a little money in it, though. These are just the new ones, we've got plenty more to choose from, so come in and pick one up!