gifts

Valentine’s Day treats, gifts and events in and around Washington, DC

January 30, 2022

Pictured: Fudgy Frosting Squares from Milk Bar

Milk Bar: Logan Circle & Online
Send treats so decadent they’re proven to get you a second date. Try the red velvet cheesecake cake, fudgy frosting squares, better than roses truffles and more.

Artisan Confections: Arlington, VA
Jason Andelman’s recipes creatively blend high-quality ingredients that subtly enhance the star of the show – Valrhona chocolate – considered the best in the industry. The result is a collection of smooth and creamy confections that look as stunning as they taste. These truffles are beautiful and definitely are a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.

The Capital Candy Jar: NE, DC
We continue to make all of our candy by hand in small batches. It’s sold in gourmet grocery stores, gift shops and coffee shops all over the United States but you can also have them shipped to you from their website. They have a large assortment from chocolate dipped strawberries, gummy candy and chocolates.

Neuhaus: Bethesda Row & Union Station
For over 100 years, ever since Jean Neuhaus Jr. invented the Belgian praline in 1912, all Neuhaus chocolates have been made entirely in Belgium. You can find Valentine’s boxes, truffles and chocolate collections.

Fleurir Chocolates: Alexandria, VA
Hand made artisan chocolates that are works of art made of high-quality, natural ingredients in small batches. You can purchase truffles, caramels and chocolate bars.

June B. Sweet: Chevy Chase, DC
They have a selection of Brigadeiro flavors, mini cakes and Brazilian Mousse available every day at Chevy Chase Stationary (formerly Write for You).

Henry’s Sweet Retreat: Bethesda, MD
Hot cocoa bombs, truffles, dipped chocolates and candies in addition to all of the old school candy from your childhood.

Velatis: Silver Spring, MD
Velatis has been making small batch gourmet handcrafted caramels since 1866. You can purchase caramels and toffee.

The Chocolate House: DuPont Circle, DC
The Chocolate House is a tasting room and boutique store where you can experience over 400 unique chocolate bars and confections from artisan chocolate makers and chocolatiers from all corners of the world. You can purchase chocolate gift baskets, truffles and a variety of chocolate bars.

Harper Macaw: Various locations
Harper Macaw is a fine chocolate venture founded by a Brazilian chocolate maker and a U.S. Marine Veteran with an ambitious yet tangible objective: To turn chocolate into a force for tropical reforestation. They offer a large assortment of chocolate bars, some even being aged in whiskey barrels.

SPAGnVOLA:Gaithersburg, MD
Crisoire Reid is an award winning Chocolatier and co-owner of SPAGnVOLA. She was raised in Hato Del Rey, Dominican Republic and has a passion in land cultivation and agriculture and now grows her beans there. They offer gift boxes, truffles, bonbons, hot chocolate, caramels and more.

Chocolate Chocolate: Downtown, DC
D.C.’s first independent chocolate shop, since 1984 serving chocolate from around the world.

Godiva: Various locations
Hand dipped strawberries, truffles for miles and drinks made to order.

Balduccis: Locations in Bethesda, Alexandria and McLean
This is a premiere destination for many things such as meats and cheeses. The selection of chocolates and confections is very impressive too.

Henry’s Sweet Retreat in Bethesda will have Valentine’s goodies; likely cookies to decorate.

Gifts:
Mad Libs Dear Valentine Letters
Pop-it Crossbody heart bag
Mad Libs
Giant pop-it heart
Wooden heart magnets
Decorate your own wooden heart box
Pete the Cat Valentine’s Day is Cool

Decor and games:
Year Cheer creates fun family moments instantly with holiday celebrations in a box.

46 fun and easy Valentine’s crafts from PureWow

5 Handmade Valentine’s Day gifts from KiwiCo

Spread love:
Eliana’s Light invites you and your family members, friends, and/or colleagues to participate in “Spreading Kindness”, their 7^th Annual community service program in advance of Valentine’s Day. Due to the pandemic, this year’s program will again be virtual, and you can participate where you are. They welcome photos of homemade cards, poems, printable artwork for coloring pages, and songs that give uplift, hope and encouragement to children with serious illnesses and complex medical conditions. Please email items to Eliana’s Light before Feb. 10th. They also welcome donations to purchase art supplies for these families in financial need. Please make a financial donation by clicking here. Questions? Please email!

Events:
Jan. 30 & Feb. 6: Virtual Valentine’s Card Workshop
Feel the love with some Valentine fun at our latest handmade cards workshop. Perfect for virtual hang out with your gals or some cozy solo crafting time. Make one-of-a-kind cards that you can gift to your significant other or your bestie on Valentine’s Day.

Feb. 11: American Girl Valentine’s Cake Decorating
Your girl will enjoy this extra-sweet Valentine’s-inspired cake-decorating class in our store. After learning the basics of this tasty craft, girls can take their creative masterpiece home to admire—and eat with family! Each class will have an on-trend cake-decorating theme as well as two facilitators to help girls with any decorating questions they may have. Girls will leave with their personalized cake, plus each girl will receive the “American Girl Baking Cookbook.”

Feb. 13: Laurie Berkner Virtual Valentine’s Day Concert
2 shows: 12p & 5p ET! Join Laurie Berkner for an 80+min LIVE interactive, virtual performance (plus pre-show!) for the whole family! Sing, dance, & play games through your device with Laurie as she performs fan favorites and Valentine’s songs, interacts with you through the screen, & brings in a few surprises – from her house to yours! Your ticket gives you access to BOTH shows (12p & 5pET) and helps the LBB team continue operations while we can’t tour! You can purchase a meet & greet add-on above. Group rates available, email to inquire. Please note there will now be a 15% service fee added to tickets, which supports the wonderful folks at the platform that hosts our events.

Feb. 13: Paint & Sip at AU Prosper
When was the last time you did something special with your children just to make memories? There’s going to be free food & drinks, music (DJ) , love, and happiness. The event space is made up into two sections one will be the Dance floor and the other will be holding the Paint and Sip. Come and make memories with us!! You’ll have a blast!!!

Feb. 14: All Fired Up
Reserve a table for two on February 14 to paint with your sweetie. Bring your wine and enjoy a relaxing and fun experience being creative at All Fired Up. When you visit us you can choose from pottery painting, mosaics, fused glass, and acrylic painting.

Local:
Chaia Tacos For one day only, our tacos will be served in our fresh, home-made tortillas made Valentine’s Day-festive with a dash of beet root powder!

Covid-era gift guide: ideas for crafts, technology, home and outdoors

November 30, 2020

We hope you find this gift guide helpful as we have highlighted items that will entertain your children through the winter as we prepare to spend more time indoors as well as some gifts for your home (or others). Check out these stocking stuffers, all under $10!

For your home:

This steam mop is my favorite purchase during quarantine. Easy to use, I have now put my kids in charge of cleaning the floors! It eliminates 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria with the natural power of steam. I add essential oils to bring an inviting smell in, a bit of olive oil and sometimes a light cleaning product from Branch Basics into my water.

Solo Stove has allowed us to be outside on cool nights! It comes in various sizes and is smokeless (if you have dry firewood). Don’t forget marshmallow and hot dog skewers for the bonfire.

A lot of our friends have stepped up their outdoor spaces with a projector and screen so they can show movies outside alongside their bonfire and/or heat lamp. Whatever allows us to get out of our house in 2020, right?

Seriously don’t know why I didn’t get this sooner. The iRobot Roomba is a vacuum that intelligently maps & cleans an entire level of your home- set it and go! A cheaper option is the Eufy which also cleans hardwood and carpet.

Instant Pot is worth the hype and comes in various sizes. I just wish I had a cabinet it could be stored in.

Our air purifier is a 3-part filtration system that captures 99% of common airborne pm 2.5 pollutants such as allergens, odors, smoke, mold spores, dust mites and pet dander.

Add some green to your home and add a snake plant or palm. We have gifted this succulent subscription box to a friend and they delivered gorgeous succulents.

Get active and outside:

My kids are begging for rollerblades or rollerskates and I’m not opposed.

Socker boppers are another fun way for kids to get out some energy with theses inflatable boppers which can used in a variety of ways.

Another item on my kids list this year is a hoverboard. Perhaps it’s due to the marathon we just had watching Back to the Future.

Micro scooters are great– they come in a variety of sizes and styles and my kids have loved each one they’ve had. The mini-deluxe is perfect for ages 2-5 and the maxi deluxe is the next scooter for ages 5-12 while this micro is great for the older kids who have better balance.

If you have space outside a ninja obstacle course is a great way to get your kids outdoors and burning energy.

Balance stepping stones are great for smaller kids to set up in the yard while developing balance, collaboration and concentration skills

Dueling stomp rocket allows two friends to stomp rockets as high as they can into the sky.

Arts and crafts:

This playhouse allows kids to doodle & decorate a cardboard castle and other designs. A perfect indoor activity that will provide plenty of fun for winter.

Don’t let the word painting steer you away from this. My six year old received this for her birthday and in one day created all of the 12 designs– she LOVED it and it is an activity that allowed her to be completely independent while creating. Grab this big gem diamond painting!

3-D printing pen is the first in a 3D printing device!

Light-up tracing pad is a favorite in our house. It has a variety of designs featuring 1 graphite pencil, 12 short colored pencils, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, and 1 graphite pencil.

The art case that comes with everything your budding artist needs and you can keep it all in the carrying case.

Grow n glow terrarium is another favorite in our house. It is an indoor activity for kids that allows them to craft, plant, water and grow your own mini ecosystem. Just add water for a unique science experience!

Aquabeads give your child a chance to place the beads following the template and spray with water to complete! Flip the tray to remove the design, wipe dry and continue creating with Aquabeads!

Build and paint a wooden car (or rescue vehicles) with 42 pre-cut & sanded wooden pieces to make 3 cars, sand paper.

Tech:

Oculus Quest 2 transports your movements directly into VR with intuitive controls. Get the best seat in the house to live concerts, games, groundbreaking films, exclusive events and more.

Echo Dot for kids lets kids ask Alexa to play music, read stories, and call approved friends and family. The included year of Amazon Kids+ (FreeTime Unlimited) gives them access to thousands of hours of kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games, and educational skills.

Fuji film instax mini camera + accessories is an awesome gift for kids who enjoy snapping photos. Photos immediately are printed and can be added to the photo albums.

VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch is great for kids 4+. They can take photos, learn to tell time and play games on this watch. It comes in a variety of colors.

Powerbeats wireless earphones: Up to 9 hours of listening time with secure ear fit. Apple Airpods Pro are another good option in fact these are my favorite as they are noise reducing and I can pop them in while my kids are doing virtual school if I need to cancel out the noise.

Wireless karaoke microphone is a handheld karaoke microphone which is small in size and easy to hold. Kids can practice and share favorite songs using music apps (YouTube , Pandora, Spotify..)

Osmo starter kit: Children interact with actual hand held pieces & an iPad, bringing a child’s game pieces & actions to life (No WiFi necessary for game play).

A bluetooth speaker is great to have when you go outdoors as it is bluetooth compatible. We brought this one along on our beach trips this summer and it worked great. A cheaper option is this Bose one.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Gift Guide for Kids

November 29, 2019

It’s Black Friday so deals are hot right now so stock up while the sales are good. If you are in the need for some gifts, we’ve got a short list of items that are sure to delight your Bambinos, whether it be a holiday gift or birthday presents you can hide for the future. We also have posts on Subscription Boxes for Kids and Memberships & Experiences for Families for more gift options.

STEM:
Kano Computer Kit
Build your own computer. Comes with step-by-step book, Raspberry Pi 3, programmable LED lights, DIY case, power button, wireless keyboard with track pad, memory, HDMI and power cables, stickers, Kano unique operating system, 100+ coding challenges, and 100+ apps.

Shifu
They have a variety of games that are compatible with your smart device for various age ranges.

Osmo
Osmo is magic: fun-filled & Award winning learning games that interact with actual hand held pieces & a fire tablet, bringing a child’s game pieces & actions to life (no wi-fi necessary for game play). Comes in many different age ranges as well as games.

Code & Go Robot Mouse
This coding set includes 16 maze grids create a 20″ X 20″, 22 maze walls, 3 tunnels, 30 double-sided coding cards, 10 double-sided activity cards, cheese wedge, and activity guide to provide a hands-on introduction to coding concepts.

Nature Lover:
Grow n Glow Terrarium
This kit allows you to craft, plant, water and grow your own terrarium tabletop garden and it grows SUPER fast.

4-Piece Gardening Set
Get some help with yard-work!

See Through Garden
This deluxe root viewer lets you see how vegetables grow and serves as a great year-round indoor experiment for all ages.

Gardening Set
Slightly different tools for older age.

Games & Puzzles:
Kanoodle
Includes 12 puzzle pieces, 200 puzzle challenges, a 48-page illustrated puzzle book, and a carrying case. Perfect brain teaser, travel game! Kanoodle includes 200 logical thinking puzzles from basic to deviously difficult, there are hundreds of possible combinations, but only one correct answer.

Zingo
Bingo with a Zing! Also there is Sight Word and Bilingual Zingo

Mapology World Puzzle
Consists of 3 foam puzzle: 2 for world map, 1 for Europe map, 83 country shaped pieces, 65 flags, and capital stickers.

Djeco Puzzles & Crocodile Creek Puzzles
ANY and ALL. We are huge fans of both of these brands.

Monopoly Unicorns vs Llamas
In this awesome animal Monopoly game, unicorns and llamas faceoff to see which adorable beast is best.

Rush Hour Logic Game
This logic game and STEM toy includes an ice cream truck, traffic grid, 40 challenge cards, 15 blocking vehicles, and a game-go bag for easy cleanup and storage, and is one of the best gifts you can buy for kids ages 5 and up.

Magnetivity Building Set
One-piece magnetivity magnetic building play set with a neighborhood house theme lets kids design, build, and play with their own house again and again. Includes car, 16 double-sided illustrated magnetic panels, 80 magnetic accessories, 3 magnetic play figures with stands.

Apples to Apples Junior
Players will delight in the crazy comparisons while expanding their vocabulary and thinking skills.

On the Go Water Wow!
Perfect for an airplane or car ride.

Crafty Kids:
Fashion Plates and Action Plates
Includes 15 fashion plates, 20 sheets of paper, 8 colored pencils, 2 rubbing crayons, crayon holder, drawing tablet, carrying case and idea guide. Action Plates include jet packs to rocket boots, to Super capes and robotic arms, you have the tools to draw a hero or villain to suit any adventure you dream up.

Magnetic Mini Tile Art
This magnetic tile art set includes tiles, magnets, a paint strip and brush. Tiles make ideal fridge art, or can be safely attached to a locker door for a unique personal touch.

Water Bottle Creation
Create a personalized tumbler by coloring the three tumbler liners you want and placing one of them inside the tumbler, then use the stickers to decorate the top!

Comic Book Kit
Has everything you need to create your own hilarious misadventures or epic superhero stories.

Build & Paint a Wooden Car
Build your own wooden race cars with action wheels and create unique designs!

Magnetic Drawing Board
Comes with 5 fruit stamper magnets, 6 plastic stencils (6 different vehicles), 2 cute stickers and 1 replacement pen.

These bath paints or crayons let your child get artsy and messy in the bath– bonus they can get clean while having fun. Bath bombs are also a hit especially these with surprises inside!

This slime kit is perfect to have on hand for a winter day inside.

This is a great starter box that has plenty of supplies for any art & craft project.

Top picks for subscription boxes for children

November 21, 2018

The last thing my children need are more toys and clothes this holiday season. I love giving my children (and others– this is a great gift!) experiences rather than another toy. Subscription boxes have become a great way for kids to make memories, create something hands-on and have an experience where all of the necessary materials come delivered to their doorstep. Choose a topic that interests your child and test a box out before committing to receiving one every month or every other month. Many of these subscription services offer first time sign-up deals as you visit the homepage which is an added bonus. I tried to cover a variety of topics which includes a cooking subscription box. I can get on board with this and perhaps my Bambinos can begin to cook the family meals 😉

Raddish is a culinary lesson, creative project, and mealtime solution all-in-one.

They make it easy for families to share delicious, quality time together. Raddish kits never repeat! Kids love mail. They’ll tear into Raddish kits filled with a collectible apron patch, illustrated recipes, tools, and thematic culinary fun like, “Ticket to Japan”, “Food is Art”, and “My Dream Restaurant”. Delicious recipes are packed with math, science, geography, history, culture, and more. Raddish takes the guesswork out of cooking with kids at a fraction of the price of a cooking class. 6 options to choose from for purchase.

Also check out Kidstir.

Sensory TheraPlay Box Curated by a Pediatric OT

Toys to help develop important sensory motor skills & stimulate the senses. Engage your child in fun, silly sensory play! Items are therapeutic & can be calming or help manage anxiety. Curated for children with autism/ sensory needs in mind, but suitable for children of all abilities. Each month’s box is carefully curated by a licensed occupational therapist and includes a description card inside.

Bits Box provides monthly coding projects that teach elementary aged children how to program apps.

Kids look through the materials and pick an app. Every box comes with dozens of coding projects, ranging from simple to more advanced. Kids type the app into the Bitsbox website and start with the code from the book, then change it to make it their own. Kids use and share their apps on any mobile device. Bitsbox apps run on any computer, tablet, or phone with a web browser. There are 4 different pricing options available.

Girls Can! Create inspires girls to BE and DO anything by introducing them to fearless women who made the world better.

Each month, meet a fearless woman who changed the world. Discover her in a 20-page book filled with games, fun and experiments. Explore her field with 2-3 fun science, engineering or art activities. Play props stickers and more.

Literati helps your child fall in love with reading.

A good book has the power to enchant and transform its reader. At Literati, they seek to create the opportunity for children to experience the deep joy of being lost in the pages of a beloved book. Every month Literati scours the globe and finds 5 exceptional books that are delivered to your doorstep. These 5 books are age-appropriate and curated around a specific theme (art, adventure, science, myth, history, culture and values). Explore the books in your home for up to a week, keep the ones you love, and return the rest in the enclosed pre-paid mailer (shipping is free in both directions). Literati makes exposing your child to a planet of possibility easy while also fostering a lifelong love of literature.

Steve Spangler Science Club allows you to choose from one of three levels of hands-on science kits.

A new theme will be explored every month such as kitchen chemistry, glowing germs, the power of air or bubbling potions, electricity and more. Ideal for kids ages 5-12. Ignite the spark of science and creativity in your child. Learn the real science behind each amazing experiment. 3 packages to choose from for purchase.

Junior Explorers includes lots of fun and natural science learning that gets kids excited to explore a new habitat.

Select the right subscription plan for your Junior Explorer! Our monthly adventures are designed for elementary aged kids ages 5-11 and include both a physical and digital component for hours of fun. Every mission starts with a kit sent home to prep kids for their adventure that month.

Little Loving Hands provides a fun and educational method for parents and caretakers to engage children in learning about the importance of being kind and giving back to others.

Within each Little Loving Hands’ kit, they provide the materials for the craft project as well as the documents and other fun items to reinforce what the children are working on and how they are helping others.

Kiwi Crate, Inc believe that children learn by playing and doing and children are naturally curious and creative.

Koala Crate was created to give preschoolers exposure to new materials, new tools, new techniques, and new concepts that encourage hands-on learning and fun. They are dedicated to inspiring these young scientists, artists, explorers. Below are the various crates they offer.

Cricket Crate (Ages 0-2)
Koala Crate Play & Learn (Ages 3-4)
Kiwi Crate Science, Art & More (Ages 5-8)
Atlas Crate (Ages 6-11)
Doodle Crate Art & Design (Ages 9-16+)
Tinker Crate Science & Engineering (Ages 9-16+)
Eureka Crate (Ages 14-104)

Little Passports Science Expeditions, World Edition, Early Explorers and USA Editions are the subscriptions to choose from.

Select the adventure and subscription plan that’s right for your child. We offer fun and engaging products for children ages 3-14 and offer several different payment plans and gift options.

Search for various boxes on Pley.