what our team is lovin’ for valentine’s day

I love Labs. To see these smooching pooches locking lips is priceless. I enjoy just looking at them. Labrador salt & pepper set $13.95

This book is a keeper! One book that cleverly conveys the message of
love between a parent and child. I think this book could be given to
any parent/child at any stage in life as a reminder that they are
loved. I Love You More book $16.99

Who doesn't remember the handmade cootie catchers from when we were
kids? They were so fun! What a great way to bring back those memories
with your friends and family. Having a blank area to insert a fortune
allows you to customize it for each of your friends. They are bright,
cheery and oh so fun! cootie catcher cards $12.00

An original and romantic quote beautifully displayed. A great gift for
the love in your life or to celebrate someone else's love. I gave this
as a gift to my sister-in-law for her wedding. Audrey Hepburn ransom quote $69.50

what a cute magnet…with just the right sentiment to remind someone how much they mean to you :) curly girl magnet $5

 

I gave these as a gift and that person loved it so much she went and
bought one for everyone she knew that has a dog. Each one has its own
personality. Love it! chihuahuas salt & pepper set $13.95

I got the set of 'Do You Know Your Husband/Wife Quiz Books' for my
parents this Christmas and the whole family had fun flipping through
the book asking each other some of the questions. It lead to some great
conversations. Do you know your wife? $5.95

I just love these cute little whimsical art blocks! They are so fun
with their bold, bright colors and simple messages. There's a special
person…maybe even you…that should have one or more of them! love endures art block $9.95

I think this is such a hip anniversary gift. One of these is going in on my wall very soon. custom date print $49.95

Like Beyonce says, if you like it you better put a ring on it, and
until then, I'll be growing my prince out of one of these :) An
adorable Valentine for all your sassy single girlfriends. frog to prince kit $4.95

Do you like seeking out sweet goodies that bring bright smiles? We're happy to share some of our clever ideas.  Simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email and you'll be the best gift giver around!

recycled posies make for sweet store windows

Anthropologie has done it again – turning the mundane into pretty works of art.  This is what their Rockefeller Plaza store looked like this February…

I'm half way tempted to craft up a few of these and place them in my flower boxes come March;)

Detroit News Feature 2.5.10

Gifts Bring Out the Smile in Your Valentine – Judy Solomon

(excerpt)

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought it would be the
perfect time to engage in a heart-to-heart. So let us propose the
following lover-ly items… all of which are guaranteed to please your
lover, your mother, your children or whomever.

Detroit News – The Welcome Mat 1.29.10

Share Some Love with Seniors – Susan Pollack

Inspired by Hannah Moore's quotation "The heart that gives, gathers,"
April McCrumb of the whimsical gifts boutique Catching Fireflies in
Berkley and Rochester came up with this warm-hearted "Share Some Love"
promotion: Through Feb. 11, anyone — child or grown-up –who brings in
three or more handmade valentines on colored cards will receive a free
heart photo magnet with any purchase, above. The shops will then distribute the cards to
residents of local assisted living facilities in time for Valentine's
Day. "In this world of e-mail and social media, it's easy to forget how
lovely it is to receive a hand-written note or card from someone who
cares," says McCrumb, Catching Fireflies owner. The gift shops, at 3117
W. 12 Mile in Berkley and 203 E. University Drive in downtown
Rochester, are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m.
to 8 p.m. Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Questions? Check www.catchingfireflies.com or call (800) 414-1654.

Detroit News Feature 1.29.10

Local Artisans Can Charm Children Too – Judy Solomon

(excerpt)

Our "buy local" bandwagon continues to roll. This week, we are
showcasing five terrific child-oriented products that are made in
Michigan and sold at Metro Detroit stores.

treats for kids of all ages

More pretty books for your kitchen available at our Berkley & Rochester locations.

Got a bake sale fund raiser in your future?  This book is chock full of all the staples.

 

I plan on bringing these classics to a Super Bow party I'm invited to next month.

Chocolate Cookie Dough

1 stick butter at room temp

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk

 2 cups flour

Marshmallow Filling

2 sticks butter at room temp

3 cups confectioners' sugar

3 cups Marshmallow Fluff

1 T vanilla

Beat butter, sugar, soda, powder with mixer for 2-3 minutes.  Mix in egg, vanilla & cocoa.  Slowly beat in milk alternately with the flour until smooth.

Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheets spacing 2 inches apart

Bake at 375' for 7-8 minutes or until cookies spring back when gently pressed.  Cool on rack

For the filling beat ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth

Spread about 2-3 tablespoons filling onto the flat bottom of one cookie.  Place second cookie on top and repeat with remaining cookies.

Maybe I'm just a big kid, but I think all the treats in this book look tasty-tasty-tasty… then again, I'm a bit of sweet tooth.  The names are fun like – Quickberry! Quackberry! Blackberry-Apple Crumble

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup sugar

1/4 t salt

3/4 cup butter melted

Fruit Filling

4 large golden delicious apples peeled, cored & thinly sliced

2-3 cups fresh blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 T cornstarch

For the topping stir together flour, oats, sugar & salt.  Stir in melted butter until mixed thoroughly and resembles bread crumbs.

For filling toss together fruit, sugar & cornstarch and spread evenly in buttered 9×13 baking dish.

Spread topping over fruit and bake at 350' for 45 minutes.  Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

And for some healthy treats for your tots – How about Black & Blue Soup?

2 – 5.3 ounce containers of thick plain Greek-style yogurt (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 cup of frozen blackberries, thawed

1/4 half and half or whole milk

2 T sugar

2 T honey

extra berries for garnish

Combine the yogurt, berries, milk, sugar and honey in a blender until smooth.  Since it can be a mess, your toddler can also drink it with a straw.

Like to have some fun in the kitchen?  We love finding &
sharing scrumptious recipes. Don't miss out on our future finds…
simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email in box.

our valentine surprise goes to…

Thanks so much for participating in our Valentine giveaway.  I loved hearing about all your clever ways you show your love.   Also, thanks for
spreading the news to your friends through facebook, twitter and email
forwards.  Word of mouth has always been our best form of advertising
and we couldn't do it without YOU! 

Out of all our entries, S. Smith
is January's giveaway winner because she forwarded the email to her friends.

Congratulations! We hope you enjoy your sweet goodies and wish you a lovely Valentine's Day

Stay tuned for another fantastic giveaway in February.  You never know when it'll be you lucky day!

Don't want to miss out on future fantastic firefly giveaways?  Then be sure to get them delivered to your email inbox by signing up here!

Woodward Talk Feature 1.27.10

Some Love for the Seniors

Gift shop asks residents to create valentines for assisted living homes

By Jeremy Selweski

 

Photo by Edward Osinski

This Valentine’s Day, Berkley gift shop Catching Fireflies is asking
residents to create handmade valentines for local seniors, owner April
McCrumb, seen here, will be accepting donations through Feb. 11.

BERKLEY — With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Berkley gift shop
Catching Fireflies is asking the community to create handmade
valentines for local seniors.

Through Feb. 11,
residents of all ages can donate colorful cards showcasing hearts,
cupids and other symbols of love, which will be distributed to a pair
of assisted living homes just in time for Valentine’s Day. The new
“Share Some Love” project is part of Catching Fireflies’ efforts to
brighten up the frigid and often dreary mid-winter months.

“This
time of year can be a little sad or depressing for some people,” said
April McCrumb, owner of Catching Fireflies. “We thought this was a
really simple way to help cheer up some of these seniors. Besides, who
doesn’t like getting a little extra something special in their mailbox?”

McCrumb
pointed out that in an age when so many people communicate via e-mail,
text message and social networking sites, they often forget how nice it
is to receive a handmade gift from someone who cares.

In
exchange for three or more valentines and the purchase of any store
item, Catching Fireflies customers will also receive a free heart photo
magnet — bearing the phrase “The heart that gives, gathers” — as a
special thank you.

Once all the cards are
collected, Catching Fireflies will deliver them to seniors at St.
Anne’s Mead Senior Community in Southfield and Sunrise Senior Living in
Rochester. Cecilia Mrock, activities and volunteer coordinator at
Sunrise, said the facility’s 90 residents would be “thrilled” to
receive valentines from people in the community.

“A
lot of our seniors don’t get any mail on Valentine’s Day,” she
explained. “Often- times, they’ve lost a lot of family members or their
family lives far away. They can get pretty lonely, which is why they
get so excited whenever they get any new mail.”

In
the past, Mrock pointed out, seniors at Sunrise have received
Valentine’s Day cards from students at local elementary schools. Now,
Catching Fireflies will be joining that tradition.

“It’s
so delightful for our residents, especially when the kids come in to
see them,” she said. “It’s something they really cherish.”

Mrock
added that when the weather gets a little warmer, she plans to take the
seniors for a visit to Catching Fireflies’ Rochester store, which is
located right down the street from Sunrise.

About
two weeks into the Share Some Love project, McCrumb said that she had
already received at least four or five dozen valentines at the Berkley
location. She has been especially impressed by the level of creativity
on display and the amount of time and effort that residents have put
into their cards.

“We’re not looking for overly
complex artwork — it can be really simple,” she noted. “But a lot of
people have really gone above and beyond. I’m overwhelmed with the
quality of cards we’ve received so far at the Berkley store. We could
sell these!”

For McCrumb, Share Some Love is a
great example of what Catching Fireflies hopes to achieve: In addition
to offering an array of whimsical gifts, the store is trying to put
together community outreach projects that encourage its customers to
get involved.

“We just want to give people a lot of
fun activities to do and maybe help some people out along the way,”
McCrumb said. “It’s cold outside right now, so it’s more fun to do
crafty things inside like this. You’re not only using your imagination,
you’re also creating something special for someone who will be very
appreciative of it.”

Catching Fireflies is
located at 3117 W. 12 Mile Road in downtown Berkley. For more
information on the Share Some Love project, call (248) 336-2030 or
visit www.catchingfireflies.com.

just a reminder that “I love you”

Looking for a way to remind someone special that you love them?  California artist, Amy Peters has created the perfect little pewter mementos for you to pass on.

 

Slip one of these thoughtful 2-sided tokens in card, lunch box, coin purse or desk drawer for sweet surprise.  At only $2.50 each, Amy makes it easy to spread the love around.

Each one has a different message like, "You already have it within you" or "The greatest of these is love".   You could welcome a new neighbor with "Home is where the heart is" or even propose an engagement with U+ME. 

 

She also has a fabulous charm program where you can mix & match hearts and words on key rings and necklaces.  And at only $2.50 per charm… it's a super affordable way to customize a very special gift at a reasonable price.

Since there are so many options, these charms and tokens are only available at our Berkley & Rochester locations. 

Like to see what we're stocking our shelves with?  Then sign up to receive these colorful blog posts in your email inbox…. window shopping has never been so easy!

can’t go back now

I heard this pretty ditty on XM Radio a while ago and when I heard it again during the credits of the movie Adam, it really came to life.

A review reads from Pop Matters reads, "Making music with one’s lover tends to have disastrous results, but
such is not the case with the Weepies. The band has released its major
label debut with layered and textured vocals, creating a polished,
ethereal pop disc with wide-eyed child wonder. The husband and wife
tandem, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen (known best as Talan and Tannen),
met as a result of mutual appreciation for the other’s music, and wore
themselves out promoting and touring for their last album, Say I Am You.
Exhausted and depleted, the couple took time to recharge, letting all
of the past year’s stressors of the road melt away. They wanted to
reconnect with the music. During this time, they conceived Hideaway,
as well as their son, Theo Samuel. So, while the two musicians were
formulating and honing their music composition, little Theo was also
developing. It makes sense, then, that this is their most introspective
record yet."

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