Splurge for Spring with Candy, Kisses & More!

Hey Big Spenders! The “Stuff We Love” collection for Love Month & Spring pulls on your heartstrings & wallets. 

We hope you’ve recovered from your holiday indulgences. However, whether you have or haven’t recovered or for that matter haven’t stopped indulging, we found the delights that you need for St. Valentines Day and Spring. Winter graciously kept itself in hibernation here in Los Angeles and Spring is in full bloom. With this collection of stuff we are following suit. These treasures appeal to as many of the senses as possible, and exist for more than just the sake of beauty and opulence. They have purpose, and hopefully stretch our perceptions of what we consider to be beautiful or opulent.

Of course, food and wine are always very close to our hearts! We couldn’t imagine any Valentine’s Day or Spring day or day that ends in “y” without good wines. The lovely and bubbly Sofia Blanc de Blancs, yes, like the Coppola one, embodies the genius of the family. Sofia sparkling wine comes in pink single serving travel cans and four-packs. You have to love the brilliance of bubbly on the go. Sojourn Wines, also wets our palettes this season with a newly released collection of wines with scores of 90 points or higher. We love the Pinot Noir for a mid-afternoon mini-sojourn, but that could be because we already had a bottle at lunch.

We found the handcrafted Bling Bling Dumplings at a recent Project Angel Food Event. Made from locally sourced and organic ingredients, the menu has something for the heartiest of vegans to the most discerning of omnivores. “We are true foodies, taught authentic Chinese cooking by our Taiwanese mothers and grandmothers,” say the chefs Cindy and Pei-yen. “The dumpling, and dim sum, literally means ‘to touch your heart’ and Bling Bling delivers the love.”  

For dessert, we found Andy’s Dandy Candy by Amy’s Kitchen. The bars have just the right blend of wholesome sweetness, textures and saltiness. Definitely an indulgence, but with less guilt than other candy bars. Amy’s commitment to give people foods with “addictively great flavor and pure organic ingredients” carries through; the bars are organic and free of high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Amy’s has even partnered with Terracycle, to turn the colorful boxes that hold a multitude of the bars, into useful things, like a zippered coupon holder. All to “outsmart waste.”

Jewels are, of course, in high demand for this month and season. Just take a listen to the classic song “Hey Big Spender,” most often sung by the Shirleys (MacLaine and Bassey). A friend sent over the modern version for us to fall in love with, “Feed Me Diamonds” by MNDR. The video stars drag performer “Raven,” a contestant from the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race . Although released in late 2012, we can’t get enough of the glamour, extravagance and excess of the lyrics. Barney’s validated our love when we heard the song playing in the  jewelry department, last week, as we strolled up to Greengrass for lunch. Giving us a twist on a classic indulgence is the Bulova Marine Star watch. Keeping with the tradition of innovation behind the company that created the first clock radio, the watch keeps the elegance, but enhances the durability and longevity required in our modern fast-paced society. 

Don’t forget intrigue, glamour and flowers can make all the difference this season, so if you need help in that department; “The Biggest Little Bird,” a novella from author Pam Jones, delivers a mysterious tycoon who wills his fortune for the creation of a fantastic recreation park that will restore the light and love of childhood to all who attend. Or will it? Equally intriguing and fascinating are the floral sculptures of Jason Vorse for AOO Floral. The arrangements look as if they belong more in an art gallery than on the set of a recent wedding episode of Grey’s Anatomy or a cocktail party, but Vorse will send them to anyone or anywhere you’d like. Patrick Dempsey, not included, but no one will stop you from imaging him as the protagonist in the novella.

So many comforting, delicious and beautiful indulgences that also make a social or artistic contribution. We feel the love!

For more information on an item from this season’s collection, click on any of the images below.