MZ Wallace Pre-Fall and Autumn collections are here!

MZ Wallace has been our best selling handbag line yet and we still think the line looks great! We know it's hot out but the Pre-Fall and Autumn collections have arrived and if you are an MZ Wallace fan, you know the good ones go quickly and don't come back! There are so many wonderful styles to choose from. They are all easy to wear, easy to care for and well priced to boot. With many compartments inside and out for all the necessities, these are the easiest bags for us to sell. As featured in Glamour, Lucky, New York, People, Real Simple, O Magazine and Travel and Leisure, we are certain you will love these bags as much as we do! For Pre-Fall, we have a gorgeous mushroom color perfect for now and year round; the handles are a rich caramel color. Mushroom is offered in Kate and Alice. This a beautiful neutral. We also have a fun navy quilted tote called the Metro Tote. It's great for travel, for work or even for the gym. The Mia is a terrific new cross-body silhouette that is sleek and practical.

For Autumn, we fell in love with Charcoal Luster color as it reminds us of the best selling gunmetal from 2009 but even better and the Josie is an ultra chic top handle bag- we have it in a rich persimmon (and it's so hard to find a good red) and black. You'll love this style! And as always, if there is something you want and you don't see it on our site, email us at customerservice@orangeandpear.com and we'll do our best to get it for you!

You'll will never see me doing this for my children!

Yes, I admit I obsess over lunches sometimes- making sure I have a decent sandwich, a vegetable and a fruit. I also try very hard to use "Easy lunch boxes", lunch bots, or lunch skins (reusable sandwich bags) which can take precious time in the morning to find all the right tops and bottoms but you will never see me create a sculpture out of my children's lunch! I love bento boxes but look at these ridiculous creations. No, I will not be making a cow out of ball of rice, or bunny ears with a jelly sandwich or cheese flowers or tulip carrots or ham peonies or cat whiskers out of celery! Really? Who has time for this? I'm the kind of mom that rolls out of bed 45 minutes before we leave the house (20 minutes before sometimes). I'd have to get up 2 hours earlier to make these creations! Maybe, on a good day, if I'm feeling nice, I might cut off my kids crust or make a heart out of sandwich but that is where I stop! Really, are there moms out there who do this?

Meet The Inventors! The Brooklyn Brew Shop

So , it's Sunday evening and we've had a crazy weekend with the kids and we are finally cooking dinner- a simple but delicious ginger roasted salmon recipe with sauteed sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and cous cous. We're exhausted and would love an ice cold beer with this little Sunday dinner but after tearing apart the fridge-there's nothing! Now, you can't buy alcohol on Sunday in CT and we are not that desperate to drive 30 minutes to NY to get our fix. A major problem- of course not. But, if we had thought ahead, we could have a stash of our own amazing beer all set to go for that sudden urge. And thanks to husband and wife team Stephen and Erica of the Brooklyn Brew Shop, we can now do that! Erica stumbled across an old beer brewing kit of her Dad's one day and had trouble finding the ingredients in NYC to make a batch. So, an idea was born! They quit their advertising jobs and borrowed a wee bit a money and started working on their plan. Living in a small apartment in Brooklyn, they understand the challenges of space so they created a 1 gallon kit, that includes: grain, hops and yeast for your first batch, glass fermenting jug, screw-cap stopper, 3-piece chambered airlock, racking cane, 12" laboratory thermometer, 4' clear vinyl tubing, tubing clamp and cleanser. All you need is: 6-quart pot, a fine mesh strainer and a funnel. Erica says that if you can make oatmeal, you can brew beer! It's about 1 hour and 1/2 active time and 2 weeks of fermentation for a delicious micro brewery in our own home or apartment. We offer 4 flavors: a citrusy Everyday IPA, a traditional Spring Lager, a light-bodied Tea and Toast and a refreshing Grapefruit and Honey Ale. We think these are great father's day gifts or how about bringing a kit to the host and hostess that you are staying with for the weekend or a birthday gift for that "hard-to-buy for" brother or friend! Great for the gals, too! I know this gal is looking forward to trying it!

Check out this video on how to brew.

Milly Love and Yeah for Orange!

Just got this email from Saks and it has some great pieces by Milly. I've always loved Milly, the designer, Michelle Smith designs amazing prints and really interesting silhouettes. The look reminds me of Palm Beach chic but much more sophisticated and modern. I love all the orange she used in this collection! The orange check shirt reminds me of a shirt I bought in Florence, Italy about 15 years ago- I wish I still had it. It was a perfect summer shirt. My favorite in this group in the zebra stripe orange tunic. I still love zebra and this is a great top. Great bag too!

Jonathan Adler- new products and in the press

We were thrilled to see some of our Jonathan Adler pieces in two great magazines. House Beautiful loves the zebra melamine plate - we do too. There is also a dessert plate and really cool high quality plastic rocks and hi-ball glass to coordinate. His whole outdoor tabletop collection is amazing!

We also love the new Carnaby series. Elle Decor chose the set of three blue nesting trays. They are made from glazed porcelain and come as a set of three in blue or pink and orange. See also the fabulous new Carnaby mugs. The graphic design and color combinations are so retro and fun. My pick is the yellow / grey. I love that combination of colors. But the other two are quite awesome also!

Introducing Camp Cirrus

We would like to introduce you to our newest vendor...Camp Cirrus. They are a Swedish design company with great personality. They describe themselves as curious and friendly with a genuine interest in people and their everyday life. Their roots are from the Scandinavian design tradition, and their influences come from all over the world. They have been mentioned on some of the best design blogs such as:
decor8
Print & Pattern
Bloesem

Camp Cirrus carries accessories for you and your home. From Camp Cirrus..."We believe that our products appeal to those who want to add some colour and style to everyday life. These trays are laminated birch and the process to make them is truly crafty! All material is cut into squares and placed in a press. By heating and applying high pressure the printed paper and birch wood are turned into a tray. To get the soft edges and to improve resistance a milling-cutter is used. Wax is then applied to the edges to withstand washing. All this fantastic craftsmanship is taking place in a factory on the island of Oland in the Baltic Sea. We also believe that beautiful and practical things make us all a little bit happier."

Which is exactly why we picked them! Doesn't everyone want to be just a little bit happier? We are loving the Spring-ish weather in CT and can't wait to start entertaining outside. We're not sure about you...but we have kids in our houses, so we are always on the lookout for fun, bright (and child-safe) serving pieces!

At your next BBQ, why not serve your hot-dogs and hamburgers on a beautiful Camp Cirrus tray? Better yet, serve yourself breakfast in bed on the floral tray...what could possibly make you happier?

Designer Spotlight: Bailey Doesn't Bark

I've always been attracted to beautifully handmade pottery and of course I fell in love with the sophisticated work of Re Jin of the wonderfully named, Bailey Doesn't Bark. Her work is "inspired by memories, dreams and nature." She "strives to create simple yet uniquely witty designs to be enjoyed throughout everyday life." Since 2008, she has been committed to making eco and ethically conscious decisions from design to production. It is her intent "to inspire not only with my designs but with the philosophy infused in the production."

We love her mugs because there is so much thought that has gone into the making of them. These mugs are really pleasant to hold as they were designed with tea/coffee drinkers in mind. Re Jin did extensive research for two years to develop her idea of a 'perfect' mug. It was important to her to create a mug that would not weigh tons once adding the drink (like conventional mugs) and not be too fragile like many handmade fine porcelain wares, but look and feel completely organic and delicate. Re Jin said that "many of my customers have mentioned the positive difference they felt when drinking from BDB mugs. Some didn't even notice until they went back to their old mugs. Which I appreciate because I'd like the mug to be part of the drink and not something you notice or are aware of because it's clunky, heavy or too fragile to handle."

This video shows the making of one of her mugs. So much thought, love and care goes into the design and production of these pieces. It really makes it a special mug- one to cherish for years!

To Make A Mug - A Bailey Doesn't Bark Mug from Bailey Doesn't Bark on Vimeo.