If you’ve got a little Van Gogh on your holiday gift list, we know where you can go to prime his or her paint.
A loyal reader told us about Jerry’s Artist Outlet (www.jerrysartistoutlet.com) in West Orange—and it may be the best thing that ever happened to the artist in all of us.
This is one of three Jerry’s in existence, and the only one in the state.
This store is tucked into the Essex Green Shopping Plaza. It’s narrow in front, but so deep you’ll feel a little like Alice in a rabbit hole of sketch pads, paints, picture frames, and paint-by-numbers. You’ll wander and wonder at this amazing collection of whatever you’d need to express yourself on paper, canvas, or the side of your house.
There are some serious paints, print making supplies, and ready-to-mold sculpture busts. There are easels for toddlers, teens, and adult recreational painters. You can get your work framed, or you can select from hundreds of ready-made frames.
Jerry’s is swimming in do-it-yourself projects for kid’s parties, and plenty of those last minute gifts. It also had the biggest paint boxes we’d ever seen (33 magic markers, 36 pastel oil crayons, dozens of colored pencils, three water color kits). The price was reduced from $39.95 to $14.99. The case is so large a little artist will need a wagon to tote it around.
“Do you have to have any artistic ability to use this?” We overheard this from one woman customer holding up one of the multitude of project kits.
“None,” replied a helpful employee. “You just have to have imagination.”
It’s a sensitive topic, but not totally insurmountable. Is all the bad news taking the swash out of your buckle, the steam out of your engine?
The folks that promote events, places, and ideas sent us some suggestions to combat this predictable fallout from all the clouds of economic doom and gloom.
Our friends at Mindful Living ( www.mindfullivingnj.com) think you should sign up for a group session with a well known marriage and family therapist. Psychotherapist and media commentator Esther Perel is going to try and "fix your relationship in a day."
On January 18, at Seton Hall University in South Orange, Perel is offering a workshop on keeping intimacy alive despite the anxiety of times. The cost is $175 per person, which is less than the average session with a shrink. You can get more information on the Mindful Living workshop or at www.etouches.com/estherperel.
Maybe comedy is the cure?
Go see the New Jersey Repertory Company’s (www.njrep.org) new musical production of Cupid and Psyche, a comic tale of ancient forbidden love.
The comedy is “set on a modernish Mount Olympus where gods participate in such daily activities as wet toga contests, fawn tossing, and centaur races…” The show is playing now through January 18th at their theatre in Long Branch. You can spend New Year’s Eve at the play, and attend a party afterwards.
Finally, there’s the ultimate escape.
Give your out-of-town guests your house and your kids, and stay close to home in a luxury hotel, where an indoor pool, a spa, and great room can help put some sizzle back in your steak—so to speak.
The luxury Westminster Hotel in Livingston (www.westminsterhotel.net) has all of the above and special holiday room rates for under $100. You’ll have the maid service, instead of waiting on them hand and foot.
One of the above should help cure what ails you. Don’t forget to keep the mistletoe handy!
Once upon a time, two bookworms and ultra-savvy NJIT graduates, George Burke and Shamoon Siddiqui, were budget conscious and tired of feeling guilty as they burrowed in bookshops to read the newest releases over a cup of coffee.
They searched high and low to fulfill their need to Read More, Spend Less!
Finally, they put their tech and business savvy heads together and in 2007 created En Jay-based BookSwim – the first and only online book rental site, www.BookSwim.com
It’s Netflix meets the Bookstore-- with millions of titles just a click of the mouse away.
As a member, you enjoy unlimited rentals per month, can read to your heart’s content in the comfort of your home, return each book for free, then repeat – all for a nominal monthly fee ranging from around $20 for 3 books at a time to around $40 for 11 books at a time. If you love to read, imagine the savings compared to buying those books!
Your first month is 50% off the plan price and there is no contract, so you can cancel at any time.
If you fall in love with a book and want to add it to your library, you have the option to purchase it.
And, if a particular book is not in its “pool,” just ask for it and BookSwim shoppers, who work with major suppliers, will reel it in for you.
The company is eco-conscious -- it helps the environment by reducing the number of trees cut down to create paper. They use only 100% recycled packaging for shipping. And, for every BookSwim Gift Card purchased for the avid reader on your holiday list, they’ll plant a tree through their partnership with Ecolibris www.ecolibris.net which promotes sustainable reading worldwide.
We don’t think BookSwim will ever replace your favorite bookstore or public library. After all, the library is the ultimate bargain. At the bookstore, it’s all about the coffee and the company. Plus, there’s plenty to be said for lining the shelves of your home library with your favorite companions.
But if you just want to feed your steady appetite for books -- and save the cost of purchase, plunge into BookSwim. It’s a good idea at a time when many of us are struggling to stay afloat.
Guest contributor: Pamela J. Principe-Golgolab of PNA Associates Inc.
This weekend, you can beat holiday stress by making gingerbread houses with your family, or learning to line dance with your new best friends. Or escape it all, with spa treatment, and a girl’s day out.
You can spice up the season by bringing your kids to learn to make gingerbread houses at Palmer’s Crossing Restaurant in Tenafly (www.palmerscrossingrestaurant.com) on Sunday. Reservations are required: call 201-871-3200 and ask for special events, to sign up. It’s $60 per family.
Scoff up homemade cookies and treats when you do the Cookie Walk at the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills – doors open Saturday at 9am. (www.visitingnurse.org/events.htm) .
Singles, couples, and families - join a night of line dancing at the Mount Laurel Library tomorrow, beginning at 7p.m. Work off your holiday meals by doing the cupid shuffle, cowboy boogie, and the tush push. (www.mtlaurel.lib.nj.us)
Or party with Coors Light and Jersey2Night.com at a Code Blue Party tonight at Trinity on the Hudson in Hoboken. Holiday cheer, beer specials and a live DJ ‘til midnight with a holiday gift raffle. Sign up at www.jersey2night.com to get on the guest list.
The Seaview Resort & Spa in Galloway Township has a winter getaway special for the whole family which includes a special reception, quality time with Santa, family movies, and free transport to nearby Atlantic City –plus discount coupons for outlet shopping. Here’s the link: www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals/aiynj-seaview-resort-and-spa-a-marriott-resort/
Haddonfield –always a pleasure to shop—makes the experience even more special with candlelight, and a whole array of seasonal delights including carriage rides, Santa spottings, and choirs.
Or join an all- afternoon massage party, at the Morning Star Community Center in Linden, complete with hot wax and appetizers, call 908-245-3221 or e-mail
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to reserve your place. Cost is $50.
Remember to send your weekend picks to us at the Write The Editor link below. Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking for an upside to the economic news? Across the state, chefs are interpreting Happy Hour in a whole new light. Restaurant marketer Karen DiazSchloss of Montclair suggests you check out some of these eateries for bargain bar hopping.
You're on the banks of the Hudson gazing at the Manhattan cityscape. Even better -- you're enjoying one of Chef Michael Haimowitz's daily Happy Hour specials at Arthur’s Landing (www.arthurslanding.com) in Weehawken. On Sundays and Mondays, $10 gets you an Arthur’s Burger and beer, plus ½ price on drafts. Thursdays, it's $5 for baby back ribs; all domestic beers are $2.
At Avenue (www.leclubavenue.com) in Long Branch, take in the drama of the Atlantic ocean while savoring $5 martinis, $1.50 Malpeque oysters, and 75¢ Littleneck clams. Chill at the spectacular backlit 25-foot bar while imbibing a specialty cocktail, from the popular Peach Passion (peach and passion fruit purees, Zygo vodka) to Le Flore (raspberry puree, Grand Marnier, Cognac, Champagne). Seven days a week, 4-7 pm.
Wall Street execs know a bargain when they taste one. Each night at Salt Creek Grille (www.saltcreekgrille.com) in Rumson, Chef Rich Deutsch presents a themed help-your-self station that includes Caesar salad, housemade chips, cheese board, and more. Here’s the lineup: Monday, Mexican; Tuesday, BBQ; Wednesday, Italian; Thursday, Buffalo Wings; Friday, Seafood. Top off these treats with ½ price wines by the glass. 4-6:30pm Monday-Friday.
How does a Thursday night tasting of five cocktails in a gorgeous California Craftsman lodge sound? Head to Stone House at Stirling Ridge in Warren, (www.stonehouseatstirlingridge.com) where they present mini-versions of their most popular cocktails like The Garden of Eden (Grey Goose, pomegranate, pear juice). Chef Jerry Villa entices you to stay with platters of artisanal cheeses and bread, along with hors d'oeuvre sampler platters. $20 per person.
So grab your office mates -- or your friends in the book group -- and head to your favorite spot for tasty light bites and sexy cocktails at a fraction of what you'd expect. Just drink responsibly and make sure you bring a designated driver.
Full Disclosure: Most of these restaurants are Karen’s clients.
We eat healthy organic food. So why shouldn’t our pets? That’s why Edison-based K-9 Confections (www.k9confections.com) launched a new line of organic dog and cat treats.
The two–year-old company is the brainchild of an area woman, Jennifer Wilner, who was concerned about her beloved pet boxer’s food allergies. The line of tempting treats is completely free of wheat, corn and soy, and made from organic grains and vegetables, and high quality manmade ingredients.
Wilner says the company “brings to the marketplace what most pet owners want, and that’s a desire to give their pets high-quality, great tasting, good-for-you treats.”
Signature products include Pumpkin Biscotti, Peanut Butter, and Bitchin’ Beefy Bites.
Sounds good enough for friends of the two-legged variety!
Another enterprising Jersey gal has just launched pure and little (www.pureandlittle.com), “ a one stop shop carrying pure products for your little ones that are natural, safe and eco-friendly.”
Former public relations executive Kaitlin Spreitzer of Warrencreated the web-based business, which includes organic baby towels, sheets and blankets, along with clothing and bath items.
And North Jersey’s Kim Bloom recently purchased Rosie Hippo (www.rosiehippo.com) because she believes the right toys and other products “can help encourage positive development of skills and values in all children.”
The website features a huge array of hand crafted toys made from natural materials, that are the product of Fair Trade, and promote imaginative growth, diversity, and community involvement. A NJ My Way bonus; if you enter NJMW in the promotional code box, you’ll save 10% on your purchase.
Spend some time on these websites; you’ll likely find a gift that will help the planet, and bring some real green to these break-out businesses.
