Coming January, 2015: The Invisible Helmet
Bicycle helmets are one of those products we have a love-hate relationship with. Designed to protect the head from the trauma of an accident, the helmet can also be hot, uncomfortable, and restricting. Designed for a single one-time use, most of us wear bicycle helmets because more than 50,000 riders are injured and 600 people are killed annually in the United States alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. Read more 
The Yumiko Yasu
My friend, Matisse, a professional ballet dancer introduced me to Yumiko, a line of high-quality, great fitting and beautifully designed dance and fitness wear. For women, the very reasonably priced clothing is divided into three categories: Read more
Rethinking the Lunch Box and Thermos
Every so often, a product is redesigned in such an innovative way that people reconsider its use. There was the brown paper bag for lunch which led to the iconic lunch box and thermos – all of which were staples in our society for those who wanted to bring lunch from home. When my daughter announced she was going vegan and would be preparing her own lunch to bring to school, she quickly realized the challenges of not only making fresh tasting food but of transporting and storing it so that the food looked and tasted just as good as when she first made it. The preparation was relatively easy; the transporting wasn’t which is how we found Black + Blum – a company that makes innovative and functional soup carriers, salad boxes, and meal holders, bags, and utensils. Read more
Yonanas
This past Christmas, we surprised my daughter with a Yonana machine – an electric kitchen appliance that turns frozen fruit into a soft serve treat called Yonanas. My daughter is a vegan so fruit is a big part of her diet and although the majority of fruit she eats is fresh, more than a portion of our freezer is allocated to frozen fruit for her daily smoothies. Sometimes I open the freezer and think Carmen Miranda is looking back at me only to realize its a frozen fruit fest. There are piles of frozen mangos, blueberries, strawberries, pineapples, cantaloupes, raspberries, blackberries, and most popular of all – bananas. Read more
Decorative Chocolate for Desserts
For those who never tire of decorating baked goods or pastries with chocolate, there is a website called www.pastrychef.com that provides customers with top quality decorative chocolate toppings. Opened in 1997 as an internet website, www.pastrychef.com is based out of Boca Raton, Florida with sales limited to on-line or catalog/phone. Advertised as a baking and pastry superstore, www.pastrychef.com offers a wide variety of chocolate decorative ingredients (and other ingredients and tools) to both home and professional bakers. Read more
Honey Pax…It’s All About The Honey
For those who want delicious raw honey that won’t crystallize, is deliverable in an easy portable packet, and sourced directly from the beekeepers, look no further than Honey Pax – the brainchild of brother and sister team, Jason and Julie who grew up snacking on Tupelo Honey, a raw honey made by bees whose hives are located near the White Tupelo tree. Known for its fragrant white flowers that produce a nectar the bees love to feast on, the Tupelo Tree thrives in northwest Florida. Read more
Organic Superfood Cereal
Vigilant Eats makes a unique product: Organic Superfood Cereal – a gluten-free dry cereal that contains no dairy, soy, refined sugar, additives or preservatives. Organic Superfood Cereal does contain oats, oat flour, goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp flour, coconut palm sugar, yacon (a sweet tasting root plant) powder, maple powder, and cinnamon. Sold in 3 ounce cups (with a small foldable spoon on the inside), Superfood is, for lack of a better word super convenient. Just add cold water or milk and stir and you have a high-protein, low-glycemic, nutrient dense cereal that tastes terrific. Actually, it tastes better than terrific…it’s totally delicious. Read more
FAB
An artist friend of mine introduced me to a relatively new website last month called “FAB” – a design e-retailer that has four distinguishing characteristics: (1) the products are fabulous in design, taste, or use; (2) e-mails are sent daily alerting subscribers to new products offered; (3) the products are not widely available; and (4) the products are all offered at a discount. Founded in June, 2011, FAB was the brainchild of Jason Goldberg and Bradford Shellhammer – two West Villagers who believed they could build an e-commerce powerhouse through word of mouth, which is exactly how it’s grown (witness my introduction to the website by a friend who has an eye for design). Read more
Fun and Useful Products
Useful and innovative products – both American and European – are readily available in the United States although these products are not in every mall in America because their distribution network is not extensive. Serving a specific purpose or market, these products usually have a specialized use and as such, are unique, innovative, and essential.
Consider the Lifehammer, a tool for the car that can both crack glass and cut a seatbelt to aid in emergency escape. Or, the 100% cotton glove that fits the hand but doesn’t fall apart after one washing, or the padded Thorlo sock that truly cushions the foot; or the Native Union Pop Handset when you want the comfort of a hand-held full size phone with the use of a cell phone. Each of these products serves a specialized purpose and can be purchased through the internet. Read more
My Favorite Sportswear Companies
Most women talk about their favorite designers but I prefer to talk about my favorite sportswear companies and where I can find comfortable good-looking clothes that can be worn for both sports and day wear. No baggy sweatpants and tee shirts ; instead tailored pants, shirts, and jackets that allow you to move freely and also look great. Read more
Paddock Post 