pink rickshaw

4 minutes: giving back to the big D

"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own."-Confucius

Back in January, after ringing in the New Year like a bona fide rock star, you pledged to find true love, get healthy and give back to the community in 2009. With Fall officially here, it's time to re-evaluate where you stand on these goals for this year.

• True Love: You finally met the love of your life, Winston, a perfect puppy who loves you unconditionally. Resolution? Met
• Health: Between spinning, top secret So You Think You Can Dance reenactments, and chasing Winston through the neighborhood, you finally lost those last 5 lbs. Another resolution down.
• Charity Work: You listened to your sister's break-up drama for 5 days straight..surely that counts for something?

Not so much. Clearly, the progress on the community front is lacking. The good news is PR found some excellent ways to give back to the Dallas community by doing three things you love to do anyways: shop, stroll and eat.

Shop: Welcome Henri Bendel
The opening of the NYC icon Henri Bendel in Dallas could be considered community service simply because providing good accessories is certainly a good deed, but we promise there's more to it. The famous shop with its signature brown and white stripped shopping bags will open its first Texas location at Northpark Mall on September 25. So why feel guilt-free in indulging in the designer accessories when the store opens? Well, the brand is famous for regularly hosting special charity shopping events that donate funds to local causes. Case and point, to celebrate the grand opening, the Dallas location will have a private shopping event benefiting the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for children. More shopping events benefiting charities will be open to the public in the future like "Girls Night Out".

Stroll: Paws for a Cause
The annual Dallas event is a fun-filled race/walk complete with lovable canines that helps raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year's dog walk will be held on September 27 at 1pm at White Rock Lake at the Dreyfus Club. Register online or at the day of the event. Winston will have just as much fun as you will and you could even win the owner/pup lookalike contest.

Eat: Celebrity Kidd's Kids Cookie Fundraiser
Visit any of the local Celebrity Cafe and Bakery locations to purchase delicious iced cookies and in turn make a difference in a child's life with special medical needs. Celebrity is donating $2 for every iced cookie sold between now and October 15 to Kidd's Kids, the organization founded by local celeb DJ Kidd Kraddick that sends chronically ill children on an unforgettable Walt Disney World vacation. If you don't want to ruin that diet with cookies, the website list other ways to help the organization with a good meal.

image source: candle/leather driving gloves:henribendel.com,dogtopics.com, enjoycelebrity.com

-RW

4 minutes: great elephant poo poo paper

"We take the 'OO' out of poo."-Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company

Having your first VMA acceptance speech hijacked by Kanye West? Stinks. Having "you lie" heckled at you while delivering your address to Congress? Stinks, too. Paper made from elephant waste? (Didn't see that coming, huh?). Surprisingly...does not stink.

When I first read about the creative eco-paper products in this month's Ode Magazine; two thoughts immediately entered my mind: 1) Ewwh! and 2) How in the world? So, for those skeptical like me (I have since become a believer), here's the skinny.
As anyone who has ever been to a zoo or circus knows, there is A LOT of elephant dung in this world. It is a natural resource that usually goes to waste. So, to put all this waste to use, the Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company creates and sells products that take creative sustainability to a whole new level.
Elephant dung is full of short and medium-grain fibers (from the elephant's vegetarian diet of grass, bamboo and fruit), an ideal raw material for the paper-making process. The company (and this is where you should be lucky you are the consumer and not the creator), collects naturally dried elephant dung from elephant conservation parks and then processes it (including boiling the fibers to make sure everything is super clean) to make them into the lovely (and yes, completely odorless and sanitary) journals, cards and stationary pictured above. The paper is acid-free and linen like. Tree-huggers rejoice: a single elephant dropping can provide enough eco-friendly paper for 10 journal covers. The benefits: pretty paper, saving trees, a reliable and renewable resource for paper products and even a boon to the economies of elephant-heavy countries like Sri Lanka.

The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company offers quite a collection of elegant handmade products in their Pootique with a simple blank design or my favorite: the elephant silhouette. The company also creates elephant poo roses for Valentine's Day. The journals and stationary sets are under $16 and the best part is a portion of the profits from your purchase is donated to elephant welfare and conservation programs. With that, the sustainable cycle continues and no one can poo poo on that. So there you go: clean, pretty paper made from poo. And you thought I was full of...well..you know.

-image source: poopoopaper.com, billia.files.wordpress.com

-SD

conveyor belt sushi

"Fifteen years ago people were making jokes about sushi being bait, and now...it seems there is a sushi bar in almost every mini mall."-Russ Parsons

Recently, while dining with some of my girlfriends at a popular sushi restaurant, I noticed several young children eating sushi with their parents. As a child that grew up on McDonald’s happy meals, I was amazed to witness these bizarre mini-adults wield their chopsticks with uncanny precision. These tiny creatures had mastered wasabi and volcano rolls well before subtraction and chapter books. I couldn’t help but wonder - when did sushi become so mainstream?

Restless for a new adult sushi experience, fellow PR gal SD and I were excited to discover Sushi Envy, a new sushi conveyor belt restaurant that recently opened in the greater Dallas area. Sushi conveyor belt restaurants, common in Japan and large cities in the U.S, rotate their sushi along conveyor belts throughout the restaurant where patrons can happily grab their rotating selection. While restaurants in the Dallas area such as Genki Sushi and Tokyo No Hana provide conveyor belt experiences, they are in a buffet form rather than the traditional Japanese style where each rotating selection has a set price.

Sushi Envy is located north of Dallas, well into the realms of suburbia which may be a trek for most urbanites. However, the restaurant is located near the chic and uber modern NYLO hotel making dinner and nearby drinks a fun option. SD and I visited Sushi Envy for lunch and were delighted by the sushi and dining experience. The quantities of each rotating dish were small – almost like sushi tapas, allowing the diner to select a wide variety of delicious options. Sushi purists may be discouraged by the large number of rolls in rotation, but our friendly (and easy on the eyes) server Jean Luc politely informed us that the sushi chefs would be happy to accommodate our every sushi wish. Those who suffer from a lack of sushi restraint should beware – with so many yummy options passing by, it is easy to overeat (and overspend) in this restaurant setting. Sushi Envy wisely takes advantage of the weak-minded by adding luscious looking desserts such as chocolate mousse tortes into the rotation. Riding high on the spirit of our sushi adventure, SD requested green tea ice cream over sticky rice – a concoction she had dreamed up only moments before (and something that was not on the menu). With a broad smile Jean Luc brought us the largest bowl of ice cream topped rice we had ever seen – apparently the restaurant was more than happy to accommodate even the most peculiar sushi wishes.

PR Rating: A manicured thumbs up. Sushi Envy offers delicious sushi in a setting that works for a quick lunch or a fun dinner option. The staff is friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is modern and clean. The conveyor belt does require some advanced motor skills to select the option as it passes by, so leave your uncoordinated ex-boyfriend or chopstick wielding 8 year old at home.

image source: eisenhowerya.wordpress.com, conveyer_belt:  flickr.com

-RW

september super six

Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look, it's in a book
A reading rainbow...
-Reading Rainbow theme song

At PR, we were saddened to hear that one of our favorite childhood shows came to an end Friday. After 26 years on the air (and 26 Emmy awards), Reading Rainbow aired its final episode (the show has been in reruns since 2006) last week. So, what better way to pay tribute to the show that has brought hundreds of books into children's lives than dedicating this month's super six to some great reads. After all, there's buzz of a web version of Reading Rainbow for grown-ups. So, producers of the show, if you are looking for ideas, here are six books we would like to recommend and, as LeVar Burton would say "But you don't have to take my word for it."

1) Who What Wear by Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power
"Fashion neophyte or seasoned stylist, every woman should read this book."-kaboodle.com
One of what seems like every fashionista's favorite website, whowhatwear.com (you've probably noticed PR considers the site one of the greatest fashion resources on the web), has complied all of their fashion know-how into a great style guide. From how to organize your closet to outfit inspiration for different occasions, this a great book to get Fall fashion ready.

2) Like I Give a Frock by Michi
"The book is filled with fantastic quotes like, "No one looks good in mustard, unless you're a hot dog." or "Sometimes I wish I could label myself 'Hand Wash Only' for those delicate days." I find myself wanting to absorb each and every page as I read the cleverly designed text along with the illustrations by Kat Macleod."-craftzine.com
Sorry, but couldn't help throwing in another fashion book. After all, picture books don't have to be just for the kids. Fashion forecaster Michi (her email newsletter is wonderful) puts together a style primer that's also got some sass.

3) Smart Girls Do Dumbells by Judith Sherman-Wolin
"It seriously does wonders and I would recommend to anyone looking to get their body in tip top shape in jiffy!"-Whitney Port
Finally a great guide to incorporate dumbbells into your workout so you end up looking more like Miss World and less like Mr. Universe.

4) The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
"My absolute favorite book of recent memory: an exquisite and delightful and peculiarly illustrated memoir about . . . well, the search for the meaning of life. I will be giving this book to everyone I love."-Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love)
Difficult to describe, but the amazing illustrations and unique insight make this a charming book to pick up and flip through.

5) Happiness on $10 a day by Heather Wagner
"A frugal guide to fulfillment on the cheap, Happiness on $10 a Day is filled with funny and irreverent tips (”Be Amish for a Day,” “Think Like a Parisian Socialite”)."-pinkofperfection.com
Whoever said money can't buy you happiness, obviously did not have ten dollars. A fun reminder that even in a recession, there are plenty of inexpensive (and creative) ways to enjoy yourself. And yes, the book does cost $10.

6) Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
"Oh, the Places You'll Go! may not be one of Dr. Seuss' immortal works. But there's something so touchingly optimistic about the final line — ''KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!'' — that you will want to rush out and give this book to every shy, nervous, or uncertain child you know."-Entertainment Weekly
Whether you want to pass on a few words of inspiration to a kindergartner or CEO, a book every child and grown-up should have in their collection.

Have a suggestion for the super six? Post it in the comments or email us at [email protected].

image source: amazon.com

-SD