Avian Flew

We recently welcomed this lovely little flock into our Mall of America menagerie, and they've had no trouble fitting in amongst their other feathered counterparts! These adorable Seed Pod Birds are literally seed pods, handmade in Zimbabwe, and while they are only about 3 inches high, they've had no trouble making a statement (they've even given the good ol' Audubon flamingo a run for his money - which is quite a feat considering the size of his legs!!!)! There's no getting around it, so I'm just going to say it - "they're SO CUTE!!!!!"

Catch the Buzz

Where would we be without our black and yellow insect friends? It is true that an occasional encounter can produce a stinging sensation, but on the other hand bees do so much for us (you know, that whole pollination thing), and they ask so little. Since it would be pointless to try and thank them (they're waaay too busy!!), we've made a little shrine to our honey loving pals here at the Mall of America store!!! The smallest things are often the easiest to overlook, so next time you're admiring that beautiful garden of yours, take a moment to remember one of nature's hardest workers!!!

Comfortable in its Shell

When the male finches turn completely bright gold, I know Spring is truly here. Yesterday there were 5 of them on my feeder and it was a spectacular sight. This year I have to buy one of The Afternoon's new unusual shell bird houses. Made of dozens and dozens of tiny shells, it should be able to easily resist the weather - and it is really beautiful.

Literate Smackdown

Wanna freak out your parents?!!! (I know, who doesn't?!!) Pick up a set of these temporary tattoos (courtesy of Fred and Friends) and get ready to watch Mom and Dad have a minor meltdown!!! Or maybe you want to up your "coolness" factor at the office - you know once you're spotted sporting these your "cred" is going to go through the roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND there is no doubt that your boss will LOVE them!!! (um, on second thought, maybe these would be just the thing for a Saturday night on the town....your friends will be totally envious!!!!)

Mother's Day Every Day

Moms are awesome, and it doesn't seem fair that we only take one day out of the year to honor them. After all, isn't picking up after you, feeding you, driving you around, and listening to you complain enough to warrant a little more than a bouquet of flowers in May??? That's why I love our Mom card collection from Papaya!!! Yes, there is a beautiful sentiment for Mother's day itself, but we also have a gorgeous thank card for any day. Why not surprise your the most important woman in your life with something other than a sink full of your dirty dishes? (oh, and these are only $4.00 each, so it shouldn't cut into your allowance too much!!!)

Weaving Through with the Tangled Web

A good rule in business is "Know what you know, and know what you don't know." In other words, play to your strengths and know when to seek help in those areas that aren't your strength. At The Afternoon we love to seek out the newest, coolest, most stylish and wittiest items we can find, but designing websites is not our forte. Perhaps we lack that inner geek (well, some would argue that there are those among us that have a fair helping of the geek gene). Whatever the case may be, we turn to our friends at Solid Cactus in Shavertown, PA, for inspiration and technical wizardry to make our website more fun and more friendly for our great friends and customers to use, and they never let us down. We just spent nearly a week at their "Boot Camp" for ecommerce site owners , featuring days of meetings, presentations, visits from the likes of Google, Best of the Web, Merit Card, and Yahoo!, and got a sneak peek at future features and cool stuff that will make e-shopping a really great experience. Look for some new features coming soon to our site, www.theafternoon.com - we encourage you to browse, read, giggle, shop and enjoy!

Question Authority with Style

Here at the Afternoon in Omaha, we are language lovers. I personally am an English major, a poet, and (forgive me!) a rather inexperienced blogger. As a general rule, I abhor exclamation points, but I have to say, I am positively drooling over our literary jewelry collection!!! “I Read Banned Books,” but who would have thought I could wear a bracelet celebrating this fact? Is it safe to be a nerd again? Apparently so: safe and cool to read Howl, Huckleberry Finn, The Color Purple, and Captain Underpants. From now on, I will wear geekdom on my sleeve (or thereabouts), and I have a feeling my friends will be jealous. Hide literary longings? Quoth the ‘Nooners, “Nevermore.”

A Horse of a Different Ardor

When I was at the New York gift show last summer I spotted this book from afar and made a beeline for it, not caring who I knocked over to get to it. I immediately proclaimed it to be the most beautiful book that has ever existed!!!!!! While I can be a *teensy* bit prone to exaggeration, I just knew that this was a book not just for horse lovers, but anyone who has a soul!!!! For a brief moment I was catapulted back to those days when I cared about nothing but horses, and all the world was (to me) happy and carefree. This GORGEOUS book is absolutely GUARANTEED to put a smile on your face!!!! (and yes, I've seen it happen!)

On The Flip Side

Guess what?! Dominos aren't just that game you played with your Grandma when you were four!!! Now, thanks to The 3 Sisters, the domino has been transformed into a charming and unexpected adornment for your neck (and ears, too!!). We carry several designs, including a happy Einstein, a flamingo, a Frida Kahlo, and my favorite (and yes, I was teased), the holstein cow!!!!! Head on over to Mall of America to check our fabulous domino collection, and bring your Grandma!!! It'll be like old times!!!!

Roll the Bones

Some of our resident history buffs (and other cool folk) are a little enamored with the Human Anatomy book which beautifully (and ever so slightly creepily!!) illustrates anatomy from the Renaissance to the Digital Age. Others love the skull coasters which they use at cocktail parties to impress all their friends and cohorts. Still others occasionally send off greetings and salutations to their colleagues and acquaintances; after all, who wouldn't love to open their mailbox and find a happy skull therein?? (and since we know you're wondering, the card is by Wiley Valentine, masters of gorgeous letterpress!!)

Mucho Macho!

Hey!!! Could you put away your video game for 5 seconds and accept the daunting challenge of Luche Libre???? The only requirement is the time it takes to adorn your opposable digits with these awesome accessories (so - another 5 seconds), and then finding a friend (preferably one with a thumb) to duel !!!!!!!!! If you have no friends then perhaps your cat could join you (albeit reluctantly, and without quite the same effect).....in any case once you get started you'll wonder how you ever were happy without these masked men goading you to go out and seek some form of human (or feline) contact!!!!!! That's more than you can say for that contraption the keeps you glued to your television all day.....

Focus on the Jelly Lens

Are you a cell-phone photographer? More likely to whip out your cell than a Canon at the next John Mayer concert? Then this is the gift for you! Forget Photoshop: for the first time ever, a special lens designed for cell phone cameras lets you create instant special effects. Turn cell pictures into kaleidoscope images, polarize nasty glare, frame John’s face with a giant pink heart (click here to see the Jelly Lens in action!). You know you want to, and at $6.95, seriously, why not??

Et Tu, Nosferatu?

It's a beautiful day here at our Mall of America store, and because we're feeling so springy and festive we thought we'd create a little homage for your viewing pleasure (okay, ours too)!!! First off, we know that you're aware of our love for all things Gorey, but we never mentioned our fabulous stationary or our cool magnets!!!! These cards could easily be nominated for the "best of snail mail" award, and whose fridge doesn't need a little of Gorey's Transylvanian joy????!!!!! We're also a little giddy over all the handsome devils that have been hanging around our store lately, not to mention a certain pale gentleman who seems to be mulling about (we keep tripping on his cape)..... You can learn more about him and his shape-shifting/pointy teeth/a little too interested in your neck ways in our latest interactive adventure book entitled Dracula's Heir!!!! Now where did we stash that garlic...??

Neal Boortz Sees The Light!

Okay, I admit, it's a provocative title, and we are a store of diverse associates with diverse political views. But this isn't about Libertarian radio talk personality Neal Boortz's political views - it's about the great taste and style of both Mr. Boortz and his intrepid staff! On his March 30, 2009 radio program, Mr. Boortz mentioned how delighted he is with his brand new Right Hand Lamp, a birthday gift from his staff, which they picked up at our Mall of America location. We are so delighted that you like it! It is certainly a unique conversation piece, and perfect for somebody who illuminates important issues for a living. And yes, it makes a great gift for a birthday, graduation, job promotion, celebration of deep thought - or just as a super cool addition to your home decor. Happy Birthday, Mr. Boortz!

Dead Fred

Most people would probably agree that they are plagued by "pen" issues. The pen issue is similar to the "sock" issue in that it embodies the question "where the heck do they all go?" There must be a secret stronghold somewhere brim full of pens and socks, but until this "Fort Knox" of writing instruments is discovered Dead Fred will have to do. Fred is awesome for multiple reasons!!! Not only does he take great care of your favorite pen, but he is grisly enough to deter any would-be thieves, and he's great for stabbing when you find yourself filled with rage at that guy who cut you off in traffic this morning!!! How's that for a stress reliever??!!!

Woodware - A New Look From Classic Hardware

The hands down favorite from this latest addition to our jewelry collection at Mall of America was the Woodware Camera necklace. I realize that there is no camera pictured here, and with good reason! It sold moments after its debut to the floor, and not because one of US bought it!! Seriously, it was SO COOL, and we didn't even have it for half an hour!!!! (sigh) We're all ok, though, because the lovely birdcage, cool gears, and my favorite, the skeleton keys still remain....although I don't imagine for long. Oh, and we should have the camera back in again soon - so maybe we'll get a photo before one of our awesome customers snatches it up (not that we'd blame them!)!!!!!

Deliciously Tasteless Reading

Add to your bank of useless knowledge with Karl Shaw’s Five People Who Died During Sex, a book that is guaranteed to have you regularly saying “Did you know….” to friends and strangers at parties. Facts range from the historically interesting (“confessional boxes were originally invented to keep priests from getting too friendly with female parishioners”) to the pop culturally relevant (“Marcel the Monkey was fired from the cast of Friends for puking live worms on set“) ensuring that you will have key insight into any situation. Lists include “Creative Drunks,” “Questionable Murder Motives,” “Phobias of the Famous,” and “10 Things They Won’t Teach You in Sunday School” (a personal favorite). Read from cover to cover for maximum learning, or pick a random page for quick study, but be forewarned: Five People is not for those with weak hearts, prudish minds, or delicate stomachs. Shaw’s lists are disgusting, disturbing, hilarious and really, really interesting.

A Baker Street Regular

"Dr. John H. Watson has been charged with ARSON, TORTURE, and MURDER!" What? But where is his best pal Sherlock Holmes? Oh, right....he vanished after that tumble off a cliff while fighting Professor Moriarty.....It seems that old Watson is really in a jam! Thank goodness he left a few clues lying around - now if there were only someone to help him. Well - there is always YOU!!!! Haven't you always wanted to have a crack at a mystery and give Holmes a run for his magnifier? Grab your sleuthing gear and help save Dr. Watson with this interactive adventure book!!! Perhaps it will soon be YOU living at 221b Baker Street!!

*and check out our cool new wooden postcards from Spitfire Girl - yeah, that's right - they're made of wood! I love the Victorian silhouette - he looks a lot like our friend Watson whose life you have hopefully saved!

The Irresistible Hygiene of Tokyo Milk

On any given day here at Mall of America enthusiasm abounds as we all FREAK out over the multitudes of cool new stuff!!! So when the new Tokyo Milk soap collection arrived a few days ago there was the usual celebrating and squealing all around!!! The gorgeous vintage wrapping and images caused a mild frenzy as we all geeked out deciding which of these we simply must have for ourselves!! After all, these beautiful soaps are only $11.95 each.....(truth be told most of us ended up with more than one!!!) It's just like we tell our visitors - "every day is like Christmas around here!

Anarchy As Activity

FINALLY - coloring and activity books for the punk rock/heavy metal crowd!!!!! Do I want to add more tattoos to Henry Rollins? YES!! How many words can I make out of White Zombie? I DON'T KNOW (but I'll find out)!!! Velvet Underground connect-the-dots? YES, PLEASE!! Legends of Punk word search? I'll be spending all day at the Mall of America store on that (er, I mean, I'm totally doing work and not wasting any time at all on these coolest coloring books EVER!)

Fagor's Portable Induction Cooktop: Efficient, Eco-Friendly, Economical Cooking

So there I was at the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago, standing in front of a chef who had just prepared a really tasty pan-fried chicken dish in savory oils on a little portable cooktop. One gets hungry at these events, and free food is, well, free. In this case, it was also quite good. The chef then pulled out another pan, added a little water, and asked me to touch both the pan and the cooktop. Both were cool to the touch. He then placed the pan on the cooktop, pushed a button and literally within a few seconds the water boiled. He again asked me to touch the cooktop (perhaps to see if I was insensible as well as hungry). The cooktop remained cool to the touch. "What is this odd contraption?" I queried, not meaning to seem like a rube but accomplishing it nonetheless.

Turns out it was a Fagor Portable Induction Cooktop, and it is SO amazing. The cooktop generates heat through magnetic induction; there are no flames, heating elements or gas emissions and the cooking surface surrounding the pot stays cool to the touch. What heats up is your pan and its contents, not the cooktop itself, so it's not only a safer way to cook but also far more efficient (the cooktop uses about 90% of the energy generated to perform the intended task, heating the pan). In fact, typically foods cook in 50% less time on this cooktop. When you have a house full of hungry kids (for whom patience is not a virtue but rather an alien life form), or can only wedge in about 1/200th of your day to cook a meal (which is typical in our house), this is a real plus. And it's eco-friendly: because it uses energy so efficiently and heats up so quickly, you use less energy. Good for the environment AND the monthly energy bills. And it's pretty small: just 12" x 14" and only 8 pounds. What a great cooktop for a dorm, or the office, or the patio, or as an additional cooktop at home (I met one fellow who now only cooks on his Fagor Portable Induction Cooktop, despite having a rather nice range). The one catch? You need induction-capable cookware. Pretty simple to determine this: if a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pan, it will work with this cooktop (we have a square griddle and a larger rectangular griddle available that work nicely). Click here to see the cooktop in action - or stop by our Omaha Westroads store and see when Chef Rock will be cooking something up. You'll want one!

Lost in Austen

Ever notice how all the Jane Austen books seem to be the same? Now this is really cool because you can have your very own adventure. This book has it all. There is love combined with lies. If misfortune is something you relish, disappointment will not be yours. The Lost in Austen book is yours if you're willing to become Elizabeth Bennet and immerse yourself in her mission. . . to marry! Pick up a copy and begin the adventure today!

Card Carrying Vegetables

It's so annoying how everyone is always yammering on and on about vegetables -your mom, your smug vegetarian coworker, that dietician whose advice you ignored. Obviously you know that you SHOULD be eating more of them, but could people just stop with all the pressure?? But wait!! Maybe veggies are more than just that thing you grudgingly put next to your steak!!! Maybe they are stunning works of nature, begging to be acknowledged for more than just their nutritional value!! Thank goodness Yeehaw Industries came along with this stunning homage to nature's bounty. Send one of these to your vegan sister-in-law, or better yet put a little frame around one of these as a friendly reminder to have a carrot once in a while!!!!

Literary Lodgings

Maybe this is the perfect gift for your friend the Seuss enthusiast, or that pal of yours named Sam!!!! Or maybe this would be an even greater gift to give to your most favorite person - yourself!!! Whatever the case may be, why not liven up a bookshelf near you (or your friend Sam) with this whimsical homage to everyone's favorite author?? Stop by Mall of America to see our entire Wild Wings birdhouse collection!! We have To Kill a Mockingbird (great for Atticus Finches - apologies to Harper Lee!!), and The Wizard of Oz, and we're eagarly anticipating the arrival of the Audubon series!!! You're going to want to see these!!!

Wallflowers Redux

When I think of the term "wallflower" I conjure up images of quiet, contemplative persons who are often misunderstood and perhaps unfairly judged. No one ever seems to be able to see beyond their shy exteriors and seemingly impenetrable facades. Luckily for these ever misinterpreted souls (and for everyone else, too!) the latest addition to our wall decor family proves that the wallflower is, in fact, joyful, whimsical, and positively brimming with possibilities!! Not only are they available in 3 colors (gorgeous kiwi, classic white, and elegant black), but they absolutely scream "think outside the frame!" After all, aren't you a little tired of being hemmed in by the tedious measuring, spacing, and hammering required when trying to hang a picture? Team up with some wallflowers and you'll soon discover that the options are limitless!!!!!

You Light Up My House

The Afternoon has some of the best lamps around, and this little gem is no exception! Actually, it's not little at all - just large enough to make a bold statement!!! What sort of statement, you ask? Well, for starters, maybe that reptiles are great beauties, or that cold blooded creatures really can exude warmth, or just that a lamp need not be the same old ho-hum rod with a shade type of thing!!! Whatever it is we're all a little enamoured with this mysterious gentleman, not to mention this lovely little display case in the entry way at the Mall of America store where he is currently residing......kind of makes you want to get out to your garden, doesn't it?!!

Two Heads Really Are Better

Not often is something with two heads something I want to deal with. But we just got the HYDRA two-headed LED booklight. The really cool thing is that it has a light head for each page you are interested in seeing. Now, I thought this would be a really cool gift for my college age student because I remember pulling a few all nighters before a big exam. It is pretty sweet for that but then my son wanted one for the campfire. Now that confused me a bit, but he will often pull out his guitar and sing a few songs on a clear night. Always seeing the music and words is an obstacle at the campfire and he is using it over his music and loves it. Isn't that just the way it is, you think an item has only one use and you come to find out it has another even more pure. The other really cool thing about this is that it runs on AAA batteries so it is easy to power up! I'm also thinking this could have a 3rd option. If I can figure out how to affix it to my head the turn on the lights and go trick-or-treating as a Martian! Totally far out and fun!

Classic Hardware

So I never got around to getting that tattoo, but who cares since I can now adorn myself with one at significantly less expense and pain!! Our Classic Hardware collection meets all of my needs, and the best part is now I'm not stuck with one design!!! This eliminates all possibility of future regrets and laser surgery (again making these even more affordable!! Think of the savings!!)! ...now do I want the smiling skull or the shotgun?

What We Love About Chicago

What do YOU love about Chicago? Whether you’re a visitor or native of Chicago, whether you come for the great food, the history, or the extreme shopping experience, one thing is certain...everyone has something they love about “Sweet Home Chicago.” How many people know that The Taste of Chicago, the largest food fair in the nation, draws more than 6 million visitors annually? And, for a little bit of history, did you know that it’s also the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway, along with the final resting place of Al Capone....or is it? Maybe you’re someone who appreciates fine art, someone looking for that one final piece to finish off that room or hallway. Whether your looking for something in blown or fused glass; a hand-painted canvas; or this beautiful limited edition, handcrafted piece by Sticks entitled, appropriately, "WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT CHICAGO;" then the next time you’re in Chicago put The Afternoon at Oakbrook Center on your list of things to do, and who knows...you may even be serenaded by the lyrics of Tom Jones!

Got a Need for Speed?

Even Mario wants to get a piece of this action! The Rolling Rocket is made for kids but I love it (and yes, I'm old enough to know better). It has a launch pad that even I can handle and it's fueled by baking soda and vinegar (how green can I get). The box says it combines ROCKET SCIENCE with KITCHEN CHEMISTRY. Very fun way to spend the afternoon. Unleash your inner-self and get that speed craze out in the open where you are able to enjoy it!

Easter Ornament Origami Anyone?

Origami is one of those art forms that always seems easier said than done. After all, what could be hard about folding paper into lovely shapes and then leaving it strewn about cryptically like that guy in Blade Runner? Well, sadly, it is a little more difficult than it seems, so save yourself the frustration by inviting this lovely collection into your home! It's origami, but it's porcelain instead of paper, so you know it will last a long time!!! Give us a call at Mall of America (952-854-7554), and we can send a little rabbit (or mouse) right on over, just in time for Easter!!