Exuberant Pairings: Favorite Flicks

Movies, like any art form, have the power to evoke, inspire, question and elate. These are some of our favorite picks in random order, along with a few goodies inspired by these flicks. Our Exuberant Pairings are a great gift idea - grab a movie in the theme of your gift of choice and take both to share with the lucky recipient. A meaningful gift to remind them of that special or "just because" moment you helped them celebrate!

1. Bottle Shock: There are certain moments in history when America has proven itself to the world. One such moment, however, never got the recognition it deserved - the famous 1976 'Judgment of Paris' tastings, which changed the history of wine forever. Told through the lives of a father who sacrificed everything to create the perfect hand-crafted chardonnay and an unwitting British wine shop owner who hoped to revive his own failing Parisian business by sponsoring a competition which pitted the traditional French powerhouse against the California upstarts.
: blind wine tasting kit to test even your most know-it-all friends

2. Son of Rambow: A love letter to the movies set in the 1980s. Will is a shy young boy who is different from other kids because of his family’s religion which does not allow him to have friends at school or watch television. He gets into a fight with Lee, a tough kid constantly getting into trouble. Lee forces Will to help him make a homemade version of FIRST BLOOD. After watching the original, Will is captivated and writes his own sequel, casting himself as the son of “Rambow”. The boys use imagination and grit to launch the project and bond as blood-brothers. Soon the entire school wants to participate, including the ultra-cool French exchange student, jeopardizing the integrity of the production as well as Will and Lee's growing friendship.
: a little camo coverage for boys and grown-up camo for dad

3. Paris, Je T'aime: Eighteen famed directors present his or her own short story for this cinematic homage to the City of Light. A slew of indie actors come together for these pieces, each featuring a different cast of characters. Each tale is markedly unique and specific to the quirky style of its director with some relying on sparse dialogue and vivid imagery. Mysterious and magical, evoking the city’s romance and longing.
: puzzling love in pewter

4. Vitus: Vitus is a 12-year-old boy who seems to be from another planet--he has hearing like a bat, plays piano like a virtuoso and studies encyclopedias. His love of flying and mischief offers him a chance at a normal childhood; but when Vitus employs a ruse, his future as a piano virtuoso falls at risk.
: classic instruments help develop an ear for sounds, strengthen dexterity, reinforce color identification

5. Love Actually: Cynics believe we live in a world of hatred and greed. Love actually, the equal-opportunity mischief-maker, is causing chaos for all. Laughter, havoc, heart-break, choice and risk - exciting, unexpected, inconvenient and inexplicable. Set in London, this ultimate romantic comedy weaves together a spectacular number of love affairs into one amazing story.
: modern portable totes travel in style

6. WALL-E: One of the most moving love stories, this animated film with virtually no dialogue features a photorealistic world. Amidst a desolate and polluted future Earth, WALL-E the robot and his pet cockroach are the last living things on Earth. WALL-E allocates and disposes human waste for 700 years simply because no one turned him off when the human race left the now-hostile planet. Eve, an assertive automaton crashes from above, becoming the object of his infatuation. At the drop of a hat, the tender and inquisitive little guy follows her back into the dangerous unknown.
: flower planting kit in biodegradable bag spread green

7. Joyeux Noël: Based on a true event during World War I, this is a touching tale of an unlikely, if fleeting, reconciliation amidst battle. Trenches occupied by French and Scottish troops lay a mere hairbreadth away from their German counterparts, to the point where an alarm clock in the French trench can be heard in all three dugouts. Suddenly, and entirely accidentally, Christmas Day brings a magical moment of humanity event to war history.
: soccer-themed reusable water bottle soccer, the international sport

*Film descriptions referenced from IMDB and RottenTomatoes.

An Open Window

Welcome to our newly launched blog! Thanks for visiting. We always appreciate your interest.


First thing's first - let me introduce myself. I'm Natalie, founder and Creative Director. While I enjoy writing and always wish I had more time to write, I must admit that I'm a reluctant blogger. Anonymity has a great benefit: privacy. As we say on the site, we can understand the importance of your privacy because we really value our own. Privacy, for me at least, isn't a place to hide but a place of comfort and a compartmentalization tool. (Is that a real word?) Work is work and private life is private life. Ok, so Calliope is constantly on my brain, but you know what I mean - it's nice to retreat.


Also, I'm not the type of person who feels the urge to publicize my every move. Do you really need to know when I'm munching on organic trail mix? Is that truly fascinating? (Please say no!) We all have a friend or relative who recites every last detail of their errand runs when they call. We love them, but oh the white noise! It's a scene ruthlessly mocked on old Seinfeld or Gilmore Girls episodes. That's how I feel about Web 2.0-ers who blog or tweet what seems to be their every thought and deed. Even "star" bloggers/twitterers have a couple of *yawn* thoughts every few minutes. The incessant over-sharing suggests they believe the stream in their heads is always witty and bright. That's not my cup of tea.1

So why blog? Because every company and their grandmother does it. Just kidding! (The non-conformist in me resisted blogging for that very reason. The fad bandwagon. Ick.) Young "it" CEOs throw around "transparency" and "blogging" in the same sentence. Let's be honest, they're not *really* giving anything away. But the smart CEO bloggers are giving you something - a brief glimpse into a day in their lives, or random moments in a random day. There's the clue. The window into our lives that reminds us that the voice behind the receiver or keyboard - whether customer or company founder - is a person with moments much like our own.


So why blog? To connect. I blog not just because we want you to buy our service/product (please support our small business :)), but also because I want to get to know you and you to get to know me. I can help you better if I know you better. You can understand our side of the coin if you know us better too. Some of the best moments of my day are those when I hear about wacky, funny and endearing stories that customers share with us. A window into your thoughts and lives. So I'll open a window too.

Fine, if you must know, I just had a bit of ice cream with breakfast. But I won't tell you which brand.

1 Followers don't want to hear crickets on Twitter but they don't want to have to look for the 'mute' button either. Any publicity isn't necessarily good publicity!