The Succulent Wife's Favorite Things

Little Reminder Necklaces By Lucky Accessories

These cute mini pendant necklaces are the best little gift for any of the important women in your life. You know, mom, best friend, sister, aunt, daughter... But these Little Reminder necklaces are especially perfect for Mother's Day. They have a little reminder inscribed inside, simple but important words (aka attitudes and thoughts) to remember and to help keep to keep-top-of-mind throughout the day. The choice of 13 Reminders are Love (bien sur), Laugh, Live, Dance, Faith, Sing, Balance, Listen, Read, Inspire, Play, Speak, Trust. The pendants are two-sided and have vintage wallpaper inside, a different image on each side for reversibility.

I think this is such a cute and thoughtful gift for the budget minded. Like for a young daughter to give to mom, or for a young woman (or young man) to give to another young person. Adorable and meaningful. Love that combo!!!  Find them here on www.TheSucculentWife.

More Mother's Day Gift Ideas...

This might be a "duh!" for the rest of you, but it's a new realization for me, that the word "Mother" is mostly made up of the word "Other". Isn't that just fitting though? Since mothers always put others before themselves?

Well, here's you chance to give back and make your mother feel completely cherished. Mother's Day gift ideas about on The Succulent Wife's website. Here are today's picks:

For the wasp waisted mom (because you KNOW how hard she's been working to keep up with that trim waistline), these absolutely GORGEOUS hand tooled leather belts by Allison Sattinger are just perfect. The belts are light and comfortable (I bought one for myself) and non-binding and perfectly encircle and accentuate the waist. "Cause you know that waists are back in fashion - big time.




Love, love, love The Charmed Necklaces by Foundling. Each is one-of-a-kind and features chosen words pulled out of a mid-century dictionary and preserved under resin. Tiny and delicate and the price and thought are just right. 

Also perfectly adorable for mom and for your pocketbook are Jennifer Quinton's delightful pinkie rings. She calls them Pinkie Corsage rings because that's what they look like. Scrumptious colors.

More tomorrow. Stay tuned!! In the meanwhile, please consult The Succulent Wife's Mother's Day Gift Guide right here.

Mother's Day - It's May 13

Mother's Day is right around the corner. Are you ready? If not, take a look at our product offering at The Succulent Wife. There really is something in every price range and many great items are on sale.  You can find beautiful and functional gift ideas in the For Her section of our Web site.

For instance, the Dali Mama yoga mats are on sale for still a few more days.  Include the shantung silk yoga mat bag for a real stunning gift.



Love, love, love the Veronica Ladjili Jewelry line. Just outstanding and beautiful. Veronica uses stones not only for their beauty (and she only chooses the most beautiful) but also for their mystical properties.  Offer a gift that is beautiful and empowering!!

A more simple and inexpensive yet so thoughtful gift idea are Juniper's personalized notecards (although her jewelry is quite fab as well) . You would need to order these quickly to get them to Mom on time for Mother's Day...

More ideas in tomorrow's post...

O-Glow by Smashbox -- Too much fun!

I ordered this product from Sephora after reading about it in some magazine or another. Although I love my Mac blush, after 25 years or so of using some color variation or another of Mocha, I needed to try something NEW!!! The O-glow is like playing. Or rather, do you remember applying makeup to your Barbie Styling Head? That's what it feels like. The O-Glow color just glides on, darkens to a strawberry pink as you first dab it on and then smooths out as you spread the color. It's very forgiving in that it's not a stain and you can manipulate it and displace it. I wear a loose powder over it to set it.  At $26, it's a little pricey if you just to want to play, but I think that I will actually be wearing it all summer.

Here's what the "official" description has to say about it:
O-GLOW Experience instant chemistry as your complexion is transformed from so-so to oh-so-glowing! The first intuitive blush, this clear gel reacts with your personal skin chemistry to turn cheeks the exact color you blush, naturally in just seconds! O-GLOW works on every skin tone, from the lightest to the darkest, to give everyone a naturally gorgeous glow. When applied, your skin's moisture activates the energizing Goji Berry-C Complex™. It creates a microcirculatory effect, producing a rosy flush that lasts all day. This revolutionary silicone-based clear gel works on every skin tone and is microcirculating and skin energizing to keep cheeks naturally flushed for hours. O-GLOW's unique Goji Berry-C Complex™ formula is full of antioxidants like vitamin C, pomegranate seed oil and marine plankton for added healthy-skin benefits. The completely natural looking, preservative and fragrance-free formula glides on smoothly for a healthy, glowing blush that's you, only prettier.

Have fun!!!

Magnetic Clothes Hanger

Can someone please start manufacturing these magnetic clothes hangers? My children my be encouraged to start hanging their clothing if it could be made into a fun experience. But then, the novelty would surely wear off and we'd be back to square one...  In any case, these magnetic hangers would make for a really cool display in a retail environment...

Green Tea Extracts - The delicious alternative to drinking plain water

The sale is on at The Succulent Wife's gift shop. And you know what's flying out the door? The Pure Inventions Green Tea Extracts!!!

You need to try these! I know you know that we should all be drinking at least 80 oz of water a day. Eighty ounces, that many? I still think that’s a hard one to swallow, not only because it’s difficult to fit all that hydration in our busy days, but drinking all that water is… admit it, boring! If I have to drown myself in 80 oz of water, I want it to at least be pleasant!

Well, ends up, the marvelous Green Tea Flavored Extracts by Pure Inventions™ might be the cure to more than just putting an end to boring water consumption. Delicious and sweetened with Stevia leaf and LoHan fruit and flavored with 100% natural flavors, these green teas count as water intake - unlike the sodas, diet drinks, coffee and other nasty beverages that do nothing for your health.

The extracts are free of caffeine, calories, artificial sweeteners, sugar and alcohol. But, the real clincher, you ask? It’s all the added benefits of green tea itself. Studies show that green tea (more precisely, Polyphenols - the potent anti-oxidant compounds found in Green Tea) helps to fight free radical damage, preserve younger looking skin, maintain healthy cholesterol, promote weight loss, increase energy, help balance blood sugar and burn fat. What’s not to love? A mere squeeze of Pure Inventions™ Green Tea Extract into your water provides over 90 mg of Polyphenols. You would have to drink 14 cups of the strongest brewed green tea per day to achieve that amount. Oy!

One quick dropperful per 8 oz of the flavor of your choice (original, tropical, raspberry or peach) into your water bottle and you receive a mega-dose of antioxidants plus delicious hydration. There are about 60 servings per bottle – That’s about 50¢ per serving. And now the Green Tea Extracts are on sale. What a deal!

Fountain of youth in a dropper bottle? Just may be…

Shhhh! Sale is not yet announced...

You're the first to know. The Succulent Wife's Spring Sale will only be announced tomorrow, but many items are already on sale. Hurry up 'cause the sale is only on for two weeks, with most items reverting back to their full price on April 30th.

Oh, and some items are one-of-a-kind, so when they're gone, they're gone.

Road Trip - Part 3 and Last

Loved the strong architectural flair of Phoenix and Scottsdale. After 14 years of cookie cutter architecture in Orange County, CA and in Las Vegas, this was refreshing. Sure, Phoenix has its strip malls too (my personal vexation in the urban landscape), but most of these are designed with a twist, something new and refreshing to delight the eye.

This is not surprising, since Frank Lloyd Wright designed and established Taliesin West there, a self-sustaining community of apprentices and architects who would learn and practice the philosophy of organic architecture by sharing in architectural work, building construction, and the related arts. His legacy lives on. To our great dismay, Taliesin was closed on the day we wanted to visit, but we did manage to visit the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, which is the only hotel in the world to which Frank Lloyd Wright contributed.



Besides the inspiring architectural sights, we made a stop at the Phoenix Art Museum that is hosting the much sought-after Rembrandt exhibit. It was a good exhibit, but not entirely satisfying. Just a few Rembrandts and none  of the really well known pieces. Nonetheless, the free audio guides did make the visit interesting and informative. Even the kids got into it! On till May 6, 2007.

 

The other exhibit at the Museum was really fascinating: Curves of Steel. This exhibit explores the streamlining of automobile design in the first years of the last century. Beautiful, glossy, mesmerizing. And this is from someone who has never really exhibited any particular fancy for car design. I wanted to buy the souvenir book but the store was closing!!!! A great design source.  You need to see this. On till June 3, 2007.

On the drive back home, we discovered the really charming historical town of Prescott, AZ and had dinner in the original Palace saloon.  The city is known as the first territorial capital, and has been home to a few illustrious characters of the Wild West era, The Earp brothers among a few of them.  Worth the detour if you are traveling in the area! the place is filled with antique shops.

I am loving Arizona!

 

 

Road Trip - Part 2

Well, still not really a road trip. We  reached our destination, chilled by the pool and went out in the evening to enjoy the town. There was the First Fridays Artwalk  going on in the Arts District in downtown  Phoenix and we were determined to hit that. The event is organized by Art Link Phoenix which "promotes the downtown Phoenix arts scene by hosting numerous events intended to grow the arts community". The First Fridays Artwalk has grown to become the largest monthly artwalk in the United States., with 100 arts venues open free to the public.

Let me be honest. Most of the "art" was amusing to look at but not really of collecting caliber. I wouldn't attend this happening in the hopes of finding the next treasured art piece  to hang over the mantle, but the Artwalk itself  was a whole lot of fun.  Still, here were some true finds. One of them, Kathryn Pinto, exhibiting at the 515 Arts Gallery. She proposes full length line illustrations of a woman in various poses (her?) on either paper or as a wood cut out.  Interesting modern and dynamic.

In a more classic style, ceramic artist Annette Weaver showed some exceptional pieces: platters, vases, bowls with flower patterns, almost flat with just the outer edge of the petal ever so lightly lifted for a subtle 3D effect. Beautiful. She doesn't have a website and I could not take photos. You will have to visit First Fridays to see it for yourself.

And there was much more than just art.  Crafters of all kinds, petition and political advocates of all denomination and musicians for every genre. Our favorite was "Get your free Barock. Completely free!" a truly grass roots campaign which pushed Obama  as presidential candidate.

Oh, and lest we forget dessert. Look at this little creation from Tammie Coe Cakes that we took back home. Yes, that is a real colorful fondant icing. Yummm.

Road Trip - Part 1

Ok, well, not officially a road trip. More of a getaway weekend for the family from one desert to another. We spent this last weekend discovering Phoenix and Scottsdale, a 5 1/2 hour trip from Henderson, NV.

We were delighted to stumble upon the quaint little town of Wickenburg, AZ on Highway 60.  It's a historical mining town which boast of its rich western heritage. In fact, it's also known as the Dude Ranch Capital with four ranches that offer the "ranching experience" for the gentile folk.

 

We stopped for lunch and actually had to choose.  Yes, even on a Thursday at just 12:00 pm, we had to make a choice from a great variety of cantinas, saloons and grills. That was unexpected but delightful as we always go out of our way to avoid the fast food chains (which would only be palatable as last resort food only, in cases of extreme desperation. We've all seen Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation and the fast-food-turn-off effect is quite long lasting).

The Quarter Horse Antiques shop caught our eye on the way out of town - how could it not, with it's dinosaurs, horses and other wildlife menagerie looming so large. The store doesn't have a website, but it is definitely worth the visit if you are in the area. The exact address is 30220 Highway 60/89 in Wickenburg, AZ.  Great outdoor decorative accessories, almost museum-like, can be seen in the outdoor area while the inside shop offers unique and beautiful antiques, western and Mexican furniture and paraphernalia, pottery, dinnerware, jewelry, wooden cigar Indians and the list goes on.. Too much fun and the owner has a story to tell with each piece that she shows in her store.

Couple more hours and we'll be in Scottsdale.  Speak soon.

Lip Stain Pen by Bourjois

Wow. My latest can't-live-without! This lip stain pen by Bourjois looks and feels more like a felt marker. I loved applying it. No need for lip liner because the felt tip allows for very precise application. The pen colors the lips with a blush of color at the first glide on the lips. It's a very natural just-bitten lip look. An extra coat deepens the color that still maintains a transparency. A great loong for spring and summer when I don't want my lips to feel too coated and look too dark.

Best thing? It's a long lasting formula. Indeed, it's almost 9:00 pm and my lips are still colored. My only minor complaint is that the lip stain pen does not hydrate, so I add a coat of lip balm on top of the stain. I'm curious about how long this pen will last me and I hope that it doesn't run out to fast. But so far, I'm loving it and at $15, it's a sweet little indulgence.

My Funny Friend -- Funny in a good way most of the time

You might have already come across this site, www.DribbleGlass.com. If not directly, you undoubtedly saw some "borrowed" images forwarded in one of those emails, you know, the ones with the Powerpoint slideshow of humorous photos. Yep, that's my friend's site, my favorite funny guy, Scott Roeben. We were colleagues not so long ago . I won't mention the company or the URL not to give a free link to the nasty entity that took over the company and which, in our humble and most objective opinion, totally ruined the site, rendering it void of any useful content. Most of that content was written by Scott. It was cool, funny,irreverent all the while being valuable to the reader. That's a tour de force in itself! OK, the site was LasVegas dot com. So, imagine the stuff that we could write about...

Anyhoo, you can still get a taste of Scott's irreverence and humor - and sometimes really, really bad taste, off-colored lamentable sexist jokes - by visiting Dribble Glass. He actually caused quite a stir a while ago with one of his fake billboards, the Southern Comfort advertising itself as "liquid panty remover". Feminist groups were up in arms, believing that this was an actual billboard. The VP marketing for Southern Comfort tried to defend himself and his brand as best he could, but was crucified in the end. Several articles were written about it.

And no one is immune. NO ONE. He knows that I'm part  Hungarian and look at what he did! No respect.

Scott also has a cute (he'll hate that I say that) little book that features some of his billboards and magnets of same. You can buy it here on Amazon.com.

Enjoy, have a laugh. You know how good that is for the spirit.

The Sweater Stone -- Natural Fuzz Shaver

I have a good friend (Jennifer Q., yes, that's you!) that has a serious aversion to pilling on sweaters, or blankets (especially) or anything. And I mean serious, to the point that I did not dare wear my favorite sweaters around her, for fear of causing her to convulse in disgust.

So, I was really ecstatic when I heard about this Sweater Stone. It's a natural pumice that, when rubbed against knits will brush away the surface pills. Their website's technical explanation goes like this: "It actually cuts the filament that holds the pill to the garment while the cell breaks off, removing pilling and restoring the nap on fabrics. Pilling commonly occurs on a fabric when fibers that are worked loose by rubbing, form little balls.  The pills don't fall off because they are held to the fabric by the fibers that still hold firm".

It's rated as a Best Buy from Consumer Reports.  No small deal, huh?

Here's the best part: You can get one for free for a limited time.  Well, free if you pay for the $4.99 shipping and the self-addressed return envelope. Go this this page to get all the info.

I just got mine this weekend and stoned my sweaters and they are beautiful and look like new again.

Jennifer, now that I have no more pills,  you got time for lunch?