Gifts

Ways to Rock the Holidays!

December 2, 2019 by The Inside Press

Courtesy of ROCKS Jewelry Gifts Home

10. Make your Rocks list, check it twice…

9. Snag a little swag for that holiday party…

8. Glitz up the house with dazzling accessories…

7. Grab a chic scarf for cozy shopping days…

6. Treat yourself to new tableware for your holiday meal…

5. Stuff those stockings with bling, bling, bling…

4. Pick out the perfect hostess gift…

3. Toast the New Year with stylish everything…

2. Don’t forget you! Create your perfect wish list…

1. RUN to Rocks for a fabulous holiday season!

Visit us at rocksbyjoliebray.com

ROCKS Has You Covered With Stylish Jewelry, Gifts and Home Decor

October 26, 2019 by Ella Ilan

Injecting cutting edge style into the new shopping center at Chappaqua Crossing, ROCKS Jewelry Gifts Home (“Rocks”) opened its doors this past May. The one of a kind boutique carries unique and modern fine jewelry, fashion jewelry, and home decor. Upon entering the bright and airy space, one is immediately struck by the beautiful artwork on the walls and the chic home accessories artfully displayed.

The store is entirely curated by owner Tanya Tochner, an 18-year resident of Chappaqua. Tochner recently closed her jewelry store in Armonk to focus on the expansion of her business into home design at the Chappaqua Crossing location.

“The home component is all new,” says Tochner. “The idea for it started five years ago but I never had the space for it in Armonk and then this opportunity in Chappaqua came up. Home goods take up a lot of space and we have almost 2,000 square feet here to accommodate us.”

There are no home and jewelry stores in the shopping center so Rocks provides a unique shopping experience.

“The jewelry and the home products really complement each other,” explains Tochner. “Customers come in intending to buy a hostess gift but end up looking at jewelry and vice versa.”

Jewelry That Rocks

“I try to carry pieces that are unique and modern and unlike other jewelry stores,” says Tochner.

Tochner sells a wide array of fine and fashion jewelry. Some favorite designers whose original pieces she currently sells include Jamie Joseph, Janis Savitt, Rebel Designs, Rachel Reinhardt, and Ela Rae. The store also carries the Jolie B. Ray line that Tochner created along with her previous design partner over a decade ago.

But Tochner is always changing things up and on the look out for new and exciting designers.

She is also adept at creating custom pieces. As a child, Tochner always liked fine jewelry and had a penchant for drawing. She discovered that drawing was helpful when she worked on the Jolie B. Ray line, and was able to draw jewelry and give it to her manufacturer to create it. She offers that custom service to all her clients. If a customer requests a specific design, Tochner can draft it on paper, make a model, and then ultimately present them with a final product from that drawing.

Rocks also keeps a convenient database of “wish lists” for their customers. “I always tell women to create a wish list if they’re eyeing certain pieces because their husbands come in to buy birthday or anniversary gifts and they want to know what their wives like,” explains Tochner.

Is Your Table Ready for the Holidays?

For people that love to entertain, Rocks is a treasure trove of gorgeous platters, vases, decanters, barware and bowls. Just in time for the holidays, they are selling modern tabletop accessories that are sure to impress any dinner guest.

Larger home items showcased at the store include ottomans, side tables, benches, lighting and artwork. Tochner offers personalized design services and visits to a client’s home to accessorize their house.

“We try to have something for everyone,” says store manager Wendi Gordon. “We have $18 candles and candles that are over $100. We find that everyone shops at all different price points. We have coasters for $40, candy dishes for $45, and bowls for $250. If you’re going to someone’s house and want to bring a little something, we have plenty of affordable options. If you’re looking for a higher end piece to decorate your home with, we have many choices.”

Staying Ahead of the Trends

On where she derives her inspiration and ideas, Tochner says,” I’ve always had an eye for jewelry and home design. I feel that if I like it myself, I will be passionate about selling it. I also listen to my customers and what they want.”

As for following any favorite bloggers or instagram accounts, Tochner says she does not spend her time doing that. “I don’t want to cloud my judgment. I try to be creative and if you are constantly looking at what everyone else is doing, you can’t come up with your own spin.”

Tochner definitely stays current and does her research. She travels to the home show in North Carolina twice a year, attends the New York shows, and is in the city once or twice a week buying merchandise, fulfilling custom orders or getting complicated jewelry repairs done for customers.

The boutique has a fun party vibe to it. Maybe it is all the sparkle between the glamorous jewels and the beautiful serveware that evokes this feeling. It may also be the friendly staff comprising of local moms that are eager to help you find that perfect gift.

Rocks holds many events at the store featuring local vendors and running various promotions throughout the year. To stay informed of all their fun events and see their newest merchandise, be sure to follow them on instagram at @rocks.jewelry_gifts_home. You can also request to be added to their email list or follow them on Facebook at Rocks by Jolie B. Ray.

The store is located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua and can be reached at (914) 219-5808.

Sew Happy Sewing: Hand and Machine Sewing Instruction for Kids throughout Westchester

May 20, 2015 by The Inside Press

Sew Happy Sewing, Inc began in 2012 when Kim Mulcahy decided to turn her hobby in to a cottage industry. She realized that sewing was a life skill that was missing and yet desperately needed by the women and kids in her town. Now, in 2015, the Sew Happy Sewing program is being taught at after school clubs in over 13 schools in Westchester and Kim has 3 talented instructors who, under her guidance, teach sewing in a nurturing, grass roots fashion. Sew Happy Sewing covers both hand and machine sewing but Kim is a keen supporter of hand sewing and often explains to the kids that they can take out a needle and thread anywhere but not a sewing machine! As with everything it’s about finding a balance!

Sew Happy Sewing also offers “boutique” camps in Rye, Greenwich and Chappaqua. “Threads” Camp is tailored to inspire potential fashion designers and fashionistas out there. The difference between the Sew Happy “Threads” Camp and other fashion-type camps is that we actually teach the kids how to design and SEW wearable garments. At “Threads” Camp, the kids work through fun design challenges, sometimes in groups and sometimes alone to create unique garments and they plan and orchestrate their own fashion show on the last day.

“Summer Of Sewing” Camp offers a combination of sewing projects from stuffed animals and gadget cozy’s to pj pants so it’s a great introduction to sewing allowing the kids to try their hand at many different areas of sewing.

The kids who attend our camps make great new friends and connections and often move on to advanced sewing classes and workshops with Sew Happy. We offer the camp to ages 8 – 17 and then we group the kids by age with age appropriate projects and assignments.

Sew Happy offers two birthday party packages, “Sew Fun” is hand sewing for ages 7 and up and offers a choice of super cute projects like bunny puppet, mouse-in-a-tin, gadget cozy or cup-cake softee. “Extreme Sewing” is a machine sewing party where the kids decorate fabric with decorative machine stitches and then they make it into a pillow.

In addition, Sew Happy Sewing has regular workshops in Rye and is planning to expand in to other areas of Westchester this year. Private lessons for individuals or groups are also available. Call 917 885 7716 for more information, visit www.sewhappyusa.net or email Kim at kim@sewhappyusa.net.

“The Best Things in Life aren’t Things” – Art Buchwald

December 2, 2014 by The Inside Press

By Rachel Levy Lombara, Ph.D.

“A memorable quotation is a precious thing.” –Me

Let me explain why. Have you noticed that Facebook has become host to a parade of quotes? Dressed in decorative fonts and set on handsome back-grounds, we seem to love them. Quotes in social media, like energy bars, seem to fulfill a need in the fast-paced culture in which we live. Information is no longer a scarce commodity. Good quotes help us in our journey, directing our attention toward those most important sights along the way, reminding us when to rest, when to push, and what is really important.

As a psychologist who has spent years helping people resolve problems and improve their lives, I agree with this Winston Churchill quote: “It is a good thing… to read a book of quotations.” Quotes often distill the best of what a given teacher has to offer. Sharing quotes from leaders in positive change can educate and then mobilize the rest of us to take constructive action.

Over a year ago, I formed an online group to explore whether a virtual community could be created through social media that offered some of the same benefits of an actual community. This community, however, consisted of more like-minded individuals than one might find a physical neighborhood. Could the tangible benefits of what psychologists call “social support” be achieved online?

We discovered it could. Participants soon began revealing more of them-selves, rewarded by the support, understanding and helpful feedback. We shared ideas, learned more about our-selves from the feedback we received and learned a lot about each other.

One member introduced us to the concept of “Anam Cara.” In Celtic tradition, Anam (soul) and Cara (friend) is a connection with someone that goes beyond physical or even temporal boundaries. With Anam Cara, you reveal the hidden intimacies of your life, your mind, your heart. This special type of friendship cuts across all conventions; it is an act of recognition and belonging that joins us above and beyond all else.

We agreed there is a great need in everyone’s life for an Anam Cara, a relationship in which you are understood as who you are, without mask or pretense. It is when you are understood, that you truly feel at home and can heal, awakening the vast possibilities within you.

In September, members of our Anam Cara group, many of whom had never met in person, travelled from as far away as Vancouver, B.C., Florida and Maine, to join me and local friends and family in celebrating my birthday. It was, in fact, the Anam Cara group that planned and executed almost all the party arrangements. Contrary to what I expected, I felt no apprehension hosting people I’d never met in person. In fact, any distinction between “real life” and “online” friends disappeared.

As my virtual friends appeared at my door the night before the party, I was struck that they each were EXACTLY as I had known them to be. They were, in life, precisely who they were in our group, an impression we all shared and marveled at in the subsequent days.

The party was extraordinary. When I looked around that night, I saw old friends, new friends and my family all delighting in each other’s company, talking animatedly, laughing, grabbing each other’s arms.

I received great gifts at that party: fragrant candles, hand knit scarves, a painting, glassware, wine, wind chimes, lovely books, and a silver engraved Anam Cara necklace. Most of all, I received the shared warmth of friendship.

A week after the party, when the last guest left for the airport, I sat at the kitchen table, enjoying the last of chocolate cake #4. I missed my friends, who had ended up staying several nights longer than intended. Bringing my empty dish to the sink, my eyes lit upon the large silver gift box I’d yet to open. A lovely Armonk friend had quietly left it the night of the party.

I smiled at the thought of her. She’s wickedly funny and unfailingly kind. ἀis woman tirelessly and assertively advocated for vulnerable children. I lifted the the top of the box and pulled out a frame. On it, artfully written, was this quotation:

The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things

The ultimate quote, it somehow captured everything I believed to be true. The quote danced in my head for weeks afterwards. An amateur artisan, I found myself hammering it into leather cuffs, inscribing it on silver bracelets, and stenciling it onto t-shirts. The irony of writing, “the best things in life aren’t things” on “things” didn’t escape me. It made me smile.

Dr. Rachel Levy Lombara is a NYS licensed clinical psychologist and former scientist at Columbia-Presbyterian Med-ical Center. She now works with people individually in her Chappaqua office. Like quotes, she believes that therapy is best when it’s brief and to the point.

The Gift of Time in Chappaqua

November 29, 2014 by The Inside Press

By Heather Skolnick

As the holidays are rapidly approaching, the thing that keeps me up at night (after the child who had a nightmare, the kitchen I didn’t clean, the work I opted not to do, the dog who didn’t get walked and the husband I neglected, that is) is finding the perfect gift for everyone on my list. I create a spreadsheet on Google docs so I can access it wherever I might be, and start brainstorming. I add and edit as the holidays approach. Come mid-November, I ask for ideas for those for whom I have voids, try to think creatively and leverage suggestions from friends and peers. All to try to find the “perfect” gift! But what if holiday gifts were really about something more than the kind of present you can stick in a gift bag?

Heather Brill and Nicole Meyer share friendship and fun at a previous Paint Nite event.

The Gift of Time is a gift we should all consider giving and asking for in return. For starters, we all know how important Date Night is. But how often do we really do it? Speaking for myself, I have the best intentions–it just rarely happens. Fatigue, lack of planning and babysitter availability are all variables that inevitably lead to date night getting cancelled. Investing in our own relationships is the best way to ensure they flourish and grow and don’t get mired down by the challenges of everyday life. Chappaqua Licensed Marriageand Family Therapist Katherine Cates said, “Couples get caught up in being parents and forget the value of being a couple. Date night establishes the connection between each other as husband and wife and as lovers again.” New Castle husband and wife Steve and Susan Sorrel agree, and have made it part of their routine. Susan said, “In the hustle of the everyday juggling of work schedules and our child, our relationship becomes very transactional. The quality time alone together allows for us to regularly revisit the rare chemistry that attracted us to each other in the beginning.”

And what about the kids? Certainly kids will still ask for the latest iPad, toy or clothing item. And this is not to say that children shouldn’t get presents because the joy of watching a child open up the gift they’ve been asking for is priceless. But perhaps it’s a balance. Because in two years, the iPad will be out of date (or shattered…), the toy forgotten and the trendy clothing will be long outgrown. Quality one-on-one time we invest in our children will be remembered forever. What if instead of gifting a new arts and crafts set, I took my daughter to the Crayola factory? She would be in heaven. And having one-on-one time with me, without the distraction of her two younger brothers, would be something extra special for her. Pleasantville based Licensed Clinical Social Worker Jill Touitou says, “One-on-one time with your kids is the best gift you can give them. Spending quality time together, without distractions, encourages the development of a special and trusting relationship and is a gift that cannot be equaled by tangible presents.” Even the internet agrees. My Facebook feed is filled with posts about “gifting” memories for your children. There’s even a Pinterest site dedicated to it!

Susan and Steve Sorrel enjoying some semi formal quality time with each other.

The time concept gift extends beyond family to our friends too. My good friend and Thornwood resident Nicole Meyer decided this year on something different for the holidays. Instead of traditional gifts wrapped up with a bow, she is treating her close friends to a Paint Nite event. We will get to spend time together and catch up, while creating a painting masterpiece of sorts. The painting activity is actually incidental; it’s all about the time together with friends. As Nicole explained, “Instead of the same old holiday gift, I would rather spend time with people I love and that love me… an occasion to have some fun, be creative and share a laugh!”

Just as important, if not the most important, is alone time. Ask the average Chappaqua adult what they want most and the answer will likely be something like time for a manicure or time to watch football. In both cases, it’s not really about the manicure or the football game, but just time for oneself. For me, that’s my dog walking time. I get my alone time and my pup gets a little love too. For our time crunched, overscheduled generation, it’s vital that we remember to give ourselves a gift, too!

Heather Skolnick, her husband and three kids have been New Castle residents for eight years. Heather works for a major retailer, helping them design and implement their Omnichannel Strategy. When she isn’t doing that, she is spending quality time with her family.

Gifts