Floral Boxes for Special Deliveries
For those special floral deliveries, there now are colorful containers called bouquet boxes from Posie Pizazz in Santa Monica. The cardboard boxes come in three designs with matching cards.
The small container, 14 inches tall, sports a red flower design; the medium, red hearts; the large has tuxedo sleeves with white gloves. The medium and large sizes both are 22 inches tall, but differ in circumference. The tuxedo box will hold more than a dozen long-stemmed roses.
The unusual containers were designed by Santa Monica illustrator and designer Lisa Pompelli, who says she came up with the idea while showing her young son how to fold paper into boxes.
Pompelli is marketing her boxes nationwide through selected flower shops and floral supply stores. Southern California shops carrying the boxes include Paradise Avenue Floral in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills Flower Express in Pacific Palisades, Kipling’s Flowers in Los Angeles’ Larchmont Village, Fresh Flowers in the Irvine Ranch Market at Beverly Center, and Connie’s Flower Shop in Orange. Suggested retail is $3 to $3.50.
For more information or to find a bouquet box outlet nearby, contact Posie Pizazz, 3435 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 201-310, Santa Monica, Calif. 90405; (213) 477-5432.
Poison Ivy Cream
Speaking of greenery--the poison kind--there’s a new skin protection cream that acts like “a second skin that rejects the irritating oils of poison ivy and oak,” its manufacturers say.
Ivy Shield, an odorless non-greasy cream, was recently introduced by Interpro Inc. of Haverhill, Mass., after testing by the U.S. Forest Service, the University of California Medical School and the North American Hunting Club; 89% of those testing Ivy Shield said it “either totally prevented or dramatically reduced the amount or severity of the poison ivy/oak they anticipated based on previous experience.”
The cream does not wash off easily, so it provides protection against poison oak, ivy or sumac from four to 12 hours, an Interpro spokesman reported. He also said the cream is safe for children as well as adults. Ivy Shield’s active ingredients are TEA (triethanolamine) stearate and Stearmide MEA (monoethanolamine).
Interpro is marketing Ivy Shield nationwide in pharmacies, sports and outdoor stores, and garden supply shops. Among the outlets in Southern California are Sunshine Sport in Canoga Park, Horton & Converse Pharmacy on Wilshire Boulevard, Rancho Park Pharmacy on Pico Boulevard, St. Henry’s Cycle Shop in Malibu, Reliable Prescription Pharmacy in Pasadena and Long’s Drugs in Del Mar.
Suggested retail is $11.95 for a 4-ounce bottle. Or, for $25, you can order a personal protection kit of Ivy Shield--including one 4-ounce bottle and three 1.25-ounce bottles--by check or money order from Interpro Inc., P.O. Box 1823, Haverhill, Mass. 01831. For more information or to locate a store in your area, call (800) 45-NO IVY.
Beach Book-Bucket
Here’s a fun, educational product for kids this summer: the Beach Book & the Beach Bucket combination from Workman Publishing Co. in New York.
The little book identifies 30 shore creatures, such as crabs, clams, moon snails, periwinkles and barnacles with color illustrations. It tells children a little about each species; for example, “most crabs are expert crawlers but they can’t swim.”
The bucket, a clear plastic pail with a lid with holes in it, can be used to collect creatures that children find, scooping them up with the lid and putting them into sea water in the bucket.
Author Karen Dawe, a British Columbia naturalist, gives the youngsters tips on what to look for on sandy or rocky beaches and in tide pools. She cautions them to be gentle when picking up creatures and to put them back where they found them. “Never take live animals home,” Dawe writes. “They need the sea to survive.”
Also included are the creatures children shouldn’t touch, such as sea urchins and moon jellyfish. Each untouchable is identified with the international “No” red slash superimposed over a hand.
Workman Publishing is planning a fresh-water version of the beach book-bucket. It also publishes similar books: the Bug Book & the Bug Bottle; and the Bird Book & the Bird Feeder. Suggested retail for the Beach Book and Beach Bucket is $7.95. The combination is available in many Southern California bookstores or gift shops. If you can’t find it, you can order it with check or money order through Workman Publishing Co.’s toll-free number, (800) 722-7202. Add $2 for postage and handling.
