The Best Granola — Early Bird Foods
We're big fans of Early Bird Granolas. From Jubilee (dried cherries, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds) to Choc-A-Doodle-Doo, (decadent dark chocolate and coconut), their flavor combinations are truly magnificent.
This summer, we've included Kiss My Oats, which is made with maple and oats. It's been a best-seller in our Celebrate curated gift package and it's also available for you to include when you Create-A-Crate.
Early Bird Granola is artisanal granola made in Brooklyn and we can't get enough of it! We know she'll enjoy it by the handful.
National Ice Cream Day - The Best Ice Cream in the U.S.
Nothing beats enjoying a big cold scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day, don't you think? National Ice Cream Day is today and here are our favorite ice cream spots in our three favorite places
TEXAS
- Amy's Ice Creams - Austin
- Melt Ice Creams - Fort Worth
- Wild About Harry's - Dallas
- Sprinkles Ice Cream - Dallas
NEW YORK
- Ample Hills Creamery - Brooklyn
- Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream - Manhattan
- Oddfellows Ice Cream Co. - Brooklyn
- Ice & Vice - Lower East Side
KANSAS
- Betty Rae's Ice Cream - Kansas City
- Glace Artisan Ice Cream - Kansas City
- Syla's and Maddy's - Lawrence
- G's Frozen Custard & Yogurt - Topeka
Where are your favorite ice cream spots?
5 Things I've Learned Living In Texas
The idea for VelvetCrate was cultivated in Dallas, however, our business operations were based in Kansas City and New York for our first three years. As of 2017, we are back 100% where it all started... in Texas! Although I'm not a born and bred Texan, a decade in The Lone Star State is enough to qualify for at least partial citizenship, right? According to our favorite book about Texas, Y'all: The Definitive Guide to Being a Texan by Jay Sauceda, CEO of Texas Humor, no matter what, I'll always be a foreigner. However, you can achieve true "Texcellence" with a basic understanding of why you should be proud of Texas.
Here are 5 Things I've Learned Living in Texas (and why we're proud to be a Dallas-based business):
The Use of the Word Y'all
Before moving to Texas, I swore I would never incorporate the word "y'all" into my vocabulary. That didn't last long. Why say two words when you can combine them into one?
Honoring Juneteenth
My wedding anniversary is June 19th, and when I first told my friends in Texas the date, the response was often, "Ooh, Juneteenth!" The first few times people said this, I thought that the last day in the teens in June just happened to have a catchy name. When I learned what it actually meant, I received an important lesson in U.S. history.
Tex Mex is Life
One of life's greatest joys is a juicy brisket taco and a good margarita. Enough said.
The bigger the mum...
Why give your date to the big high school dance an ordinary floral corsage to wear when you can give an elaborately decorated "mum"? The term "everything is bigger in Texas" really makes sense when you learn about this tradition. "Mum Anatomy" (pg. 123) breaks it down.
The Texas State Fair
There's a special place in my heart for the Texas State Fair because I was a member of 4-H for a few years when I was a kid even though I've never lived in the country. I did all the "city" girl stuff. You know... the fashion show, baking, and cross-stitch. Having the Texas State Fair in Dallas every fall warms my heart, and fills my tummy after one too many corny dogs. And yes, they are now "corny dogs" and not "corn dogs", because that's a Texas thing too.
Want to learn more about being a Texan? The book, Y'all: The Definitive Guide to Being a Texan, is available in The VelvetCrate Shop.
Kate McLeod Studio Flowers for Mother's Day in Dallas
We were thrilled to partner with the lovely Kate McLeod Studio this past Mother's Day for special deliveries in the Dallas area. Her beautiful floral arrangements were the perfect compliment to our new spring gifts.
A New Year in a New Place - Moving to TEXAS!
After three years of VelvetCrate business operations in Kansas City, we're moving down to Dallas, the city where our unique gifting service truly began. It feels like just yesterday when we formed our business in Kansas and headed to the Total Home & Gift Show in Dallas to shop for our first gift collection. We love our home state and being in KC, but our growth has called for a slight change in how our small team manages. We've been spread out among Kansas, Texas, and New York for the past few years, and decided that consolidation in Dallas was best.
We're proud to have been featured in numerous local publications over the years including The Kansas City Star, The Topeka Capital Journal, KANSAS! Magazine, along with dozens of other news sources and local blog features. One of our favorite Kansas City memories was the release of the first special edition gift crate - our Cheers from KC! gift package the same year the Royals won the World Series! Our Kansas customers are some of our best and we are immensely thankful to our home state friends and family who have supported us along the way. We also have so much love our local Kansas City brands: Mer-Sea, Kansas City Canning Co., The Roasterie, Sock 101, and Pickwick & Co.
How does our change affect our customers? Not really at all! Delivery times remain the same and of course of our service standards remain incredibly high.
We look forward to our foray into the Lone Star State while continuing to deliver happiness all over the United States. Although there's no place like home, everything is bigger in Texas.
