The Art of Gift Giving

There is a small alleyway in Paris called Rue du Bourg Tibourg where a savvy traveler can find an unforgettable perfumery called L'Artisian Perfumeur located at number 32. I found this unique shop quite by accident many years ago when I was caught in an unexpected downpour without an umbrella. As the story goes, L'Artisian Perfumeur was founded in 1976, which is not all that long ago, but it had a different story than so many other brands.  First of all, they referred to their scents as a "movement" where exclusive niche fragrance houses became "inspired by nature and a desire to do things a little...

I stopped going to Paris to see landmarks many years ago. There is no doubt I love them, but I have seen them many times and now they are more of a comfort to me than anything else. When I visit Paris now, I see friends and get lost in countless fascinating conversations about life, art, love—and then one other thing—hot chocolate, or chocolate chaud, as they call it in France.  I have been conducting a grand experiment over the years to find the best hot chocolate in the world. It's a tricky subject.  What makes it the best? Is it the ingredients? Or is...

Time is always on my mind.  I once referred to myself as a "time-chaser."  I've spent most of my professional life with jobs where deadlines were a way of life—starting with the newspaper business where deadlines came and went every few hours—then I began producing international events where every second was captured. Well, years have now passed, and I still try to cram so much into every second of the day—always imagining that I am accomplishing so much. And at the end of each day, I fall into bed, exhausted, but usually exclaim—wow, I got so much done today! Recently, I have been wondering why I...

I knew I found a best friend when he said to me, "let's have pancakes for dinner tonight." And then, we did. Of course, we were in Las Vegas working on a project when he said that, and in Las Vegas...most anything seems to make sense—even breakfast at midnight. That doesn't change the fact that pancakes with maple syrup brings a smile to most people—Even when you are in the worst mood ever. And there are all sorts of pancakes to choose from too. Sometimes I like a stack of pancakes that cover the middle of the plate...other times I prefer...

All of a sudden, adult coloring books are all the rage. Every time I pick one of them up, I want to grab my coloring pencils and fill in the lines. It's a childhood thing.  I had actually forgotten all about how much I loved them until recently when I went to the SF Gift Show.  I tried to find coloring books for CAREBOX, but come to find out, everything I looked at was backordered for months. Somewhere along the line I discovered Johanna Basford and her gorgeous pen and ink drawings.  I simply had to have them. They had the kind of quality...