OUR FIND OF THE MONTH
Healing Hands Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic ~ The 411 on our May Find of The Month
Already know about acupuncture and Healing Hands? Scroll down for our deal – save 25% on your introductory treatment or package.
Finding a good acupuncturist or any information about one can be like searching for a needle in a haystack (yes, pun intended). Well, I was fortunate enough to “pin” one down in the trendy Dilworth area right in the heart of our Queen city. I know you may think acupuncture is typically given in some little establishment by a wise man of Asian descent who barely speaks any English and just sticks needles in you like a voodoo doll. Well, I’m here to share with you that this stereotype is untrue.
Meet Andrea Maria Perullo de Ledesma, L.Ac., M.S, the owner of Healing Hands Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic.
Not what you expected? Dr. Andrea, as she likes to be called, experienced the incalculable benefits of Chinese Medicine as a teenager and made a commitment to make it a career. She speaks Mandarin, Spanish & German and has such an extensive education and vast knowledge of this Eastern medicine that she has dedicated herself to help those in need of medical attention. You can see more about her training here.
Healing Hands Acupuncture and Herbal Clinic is a state-of-the-art Chinese Medicine practice that offers nothing but first class service and is a one-stop shop for all your healing needs. Patients are treated within a safe spa like environment by Dr. Andrea herself. She personally takes the time to speak with, evaluate and understand each of her patients and their individual needs.
Here’s a little acupuncture 101: Acupuncture is one of the oldest healing methods for treating the body, dating back over 2,000 years ago to ancient China. Today, millions of people in the United States, as well as around the world, achieve better health and wellness through this powerful medicine. It is based on the principles of Chinese Medicine, where the body is viewed as a single working unit, rather than individual systems. The goal of acupuncture is to redirect the flow of qi, or energy, helping to cure and prevent disease and restore natural harmony in the body.
Dr. Andrea’s 3 specialties include but are not limited to: Infertility, Pain Management and Auto-Immune Disorders. She is proud to say that she has helped 50 patients become pregnant after they tried just about everything else. We’ll visit more on this topic next time. The testimonials are incredible. See for yourself.
The FAQ that everyone wants to know is… “Does it hurt and what does it feel like?” Each person experiences acupuncture differently, however in most cases the needle insertion is painless and many soon discover that the overall experience is pleasurable. Another big question is…”Are the needles sterilized and reused?” The needles used are pre-packaged and 100% sterilized. They are only used once and then are properly disposed of in labeled biohazard containers. For more FAQ click here.
Guess what? scoopcharlotte.com readers will be able to receive 25% off their first treatment and packages. View them here. Make your appointment and start feeling your best today.
Remember I would never put our valued readers in a “sticky” situation.
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401 East Blvd. #110
Charlotte, NC 28203
704-578-7683
email: andiperullo@aol.com
The Scoop Find of the Month for April is The Gifted Box. Our Discovery For the Perfect Gift.
We love finding the special shops around town that you might not know about, the hidden gems that are right around the corner, just waiting for you to discover them. The Gifted Box in Myers Park is one such treasure – you have to be in the loop to know about this unbelievable resource for gifting. Such a FIND — And right there, under your very nose!
The Gifted Box is located on Circle Ave. off Providence – behind The Buttercup and above where The Golden Goose used to be. (aawwww). It’s upstairs on the 2nd floor of #342 Circle, just a short climb to Charlotte’s premier selection of artisanal glass, jewelry, aluminum serving ware, and gifts galore. This isn’t flea market kind of stuff, these are wedding registry, quality pieces that would make Martha Stewart drool. It’s almost overwhelming, the colors and patterns are so pretty and the choices so many. Just take your time, and go slowly so you can take it all in. Be sure to visit with owner Rene Hellams to find out the unique story behind each unique item.
While there are options at most prices, you will find that Rene has tried hard to bring in high quality craftsmanship at affordable prices. If you are looking for mass-produced faux-tisanal “art,” Target prices or Crate & Barrel style, well, you’d be in the wrong spot. But I can think of no other shop I’ve been in lately with a more impressive array of gift ideas for Brides, for Bosses, for a New Home, for Thank You’s, for Hostesses or for – pause for emphasis cuz we all have one and we’ll all be one – Mothers-In-Law. You can find something for about $40, and choose from many items under $100. Barware and Tea Towels you won’t find anyplace else. Hand Crafted jewelry to decoupage boxes and keepsakes – several that would make great Dad’s Day gifts. And so much glassware that is so gorgeous, you’ll be torn between keeping it decorative and using it to set the perfect party table. Enough with the words already, take a look for yourself.
Charlotte’s Secret Dinner Society
by Diana of The Chic Life
Looking for a new food adventure in the Queen City? Then, have I got a tip for you!
Like Alice, you can follow the white rabbit to an underground dinner society putting on dining events that make the Mad Hatter tea party look like child’s play.
How it works: Events vary greatly from one to the next – that’s part of the fun! But, here’s how things go, in general. Buy your tickets in advance. The only information you’ll have at that point is the date and time. Shortly before the event, usually the day before, you’ll receive a little more information – an address. When it’s time, head to the previously provided address with an empty stomach and adventurous appetite. Mingle with your fellow foodies until it’s time to dine. They’ll show you where to sit, and there will be waiters helping with drinks and serving your eats. It’s really as easy as that. Now, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the eats. Have fun enjoying the food and meeting new foodie friends.
The group: Cheshire Dinner Society. They just celebrated their one year anniversary last month (with a dinner party, of course).
Who can go: Anyone. Event size depends on the location, but most events will have about 20-30 guests. You don’t have to be invited – just follow them on Facebook.
How to get in: Follow the Cheshire Dinner Society on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled for when their next eating event is announced. My inside sources say they’re hoping to do them once or twice a month.
Cost: Price varies from one event to the next. The last dinner event I went to was just over $50 per ticket for a four course meal.
Tips: The events sell out fast, so buy your tickets stat. Be ready to eat anything – you never know what the chefs will come up with. Cheshire Dinner Society works with some of the best chefs in town, so rest assured that whatever ends up on your plate will be delicious. Some events are BYOB so be prepared to bring a little something-something if you want more than just water. And bring cash to tip your waiter.
Hungry for more?
Click here to check out a video about Cheshire Dinner Society
Thanks for reading! You can check out more of my posts at http://thechiclife.com
Design your perfect shoes at Shoes of Prey.com
Why didn’t we think of this? You are plenty smart enough, and you know we both love shoes more than wine and chocolate.
Shoes of Prey is a website where you design your own shoes, picking out each element from a broad range of options. It’s very easy, the hardest part is the picking. You use their 3D Designer to choose the shape, colors and height of your shoes….you start by selecting from 12 shoe shapes – including ballet flats, stilettos, sandals, oxfords and wedges.
Then you pick out what kind of “toe” – like peep toe or rounded – and what kind of back – like slingback or d’orsay.
After whic
h you choose your heel – do you want stiletto? Wedge? square heel? And how high are your dream shoes? 2-3-4 inch heels?
Next, if you are going to prom or are in a wedding, you would pick out the toe and back decorations. Just kidding, you can have bows on your toes even if you aren’t. I just recommend you use with caution. You can add a Mary Jane strap and top-stitching if you want, and then it’s time to pick your color(s) and your fabric(s).
Now it gets really hard to choose. I counted over 160 different materials and colors to choose from, ranging from the expected smooth leather, suede & patent to vegan, fishskin, snakeskin, silk, and hair. And you can mix and match like crazy, changing color or texture on your heel, toe, trim and SOLE. Really, it’s fun just to play with the designer even if you never make a purchase.
Shoes of Prey can be ordered to address special issues and occasions, like for weddings, Small feet, Narrow feet, Wide feet, even Odd sized feet. The prices run between $220 and $370 a pair, and their return policy is very generous and pretty much risk free.
You can check out each type of leather or fabric in detail on this webpage. This is actually a MUST DO, as I found the 
colors in the leather detail page to be different from what I was looking at on the CAD “designer.” You can even order samples to be shipped to you ($15 for 5) so you can see exactly what you are dealing with. Which is probably a good idea, if these are to be your dream shoes and all.
I hope you enjoy visiting this website as much as I have writing about it. I can’t wait to get finished with this blog post and get started designing my new Perfect Shoes.
Design your own fabric & wallpaper with Spoonflower.com
Can’t find the perfect wallpaper for your entry or powder room? Looking for a print you love in an impossible to find colorway, a personal touch to your children’s rooms decor, a way to turn that vision in your head into pillows on your sofa? How about custom Tea Towels as your next hostess gift? Your pre-teen designing her own wall decals? Turning his kindergarten art into a pillow for grandma? One word.
Check out www.spoonflower.com, the Durham NC online site where you can design and create your own fabrics, wallpaper and/or wall decals. Or, if you’re not that creative, where you can buy unique designs by folks with vision that appeals to you.
Founded in May 2008 by two Internet geeks with crafty wives who wanted to print their own curtain fabric, Spoonflower.com is now a revolutionary online digital textile printing company. Spoonflower is used by over half a million individuals who create or buy others’ creations for fabric to make curtains, quilts, clothes, bags, furniture, dolls, pillows, framed artwork, costumes, banners and more. The Spoonflower.com marketplace offers the largest collection of independent fabric designers in the world and the site has appeared in the New York Times, Associated Press, Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, Make, CRAFT, ApartmentTherapy, Photojojo, etc.
Unlike conventional textile manufacturing, digital printing entails very little waste of fabric, ink, water or electricity. So on top of being unique and only-you, your Spoonflower products are eco-friendly, with water-based pigment inks on natural fiber textiles. No additional chemicals are used in the printing or preparation process. Best of all, Spoonflower fabric gets printed nearby in Durham, North Carolina.
Here are some creative uses for Spoonflower by users of their site. The site is pretty easy to search by color, keyword, style etc. And you can see several shots of each print along with similar choices. The possibilities are so endless that we’re almost overwhelmed. But then, we recover and start armchair re-decorating, our favorite sport.
2012 Calendar Tea Towel
Black & White church windows wallpaper
Holiday Shopping is perfect at The Village at SouthPark
by Beverly Perkins
Right under our noses adjacent to SouthPark Mall is the perfect spot to check off everything on your holiday list. Anchored by a two level, 37,000 square foot Crate & Barrel, The Village at SouthPark has an array of higher end boutiques, salons and restaurants tucked away from the crazy, hectic pace and crowds of the mall. This is city shopping at its best. You’ll find ample parking in the mall overflow lot if you can’t snag a spot right in front of the shops. You can stroll from shop to shop and get a spa treatment, mani/pedi and/or a blow-out and then meet up with friends for lunch or dinner at The Cowfish Sushi-Burger-Bar or Zink American Kitchen - without ever moving your car!
You can certainly spend an afternoon shopping and dining while finding the perfect holiday gifts. The assortment of stores here is unique – probably just like your holiday list. The Village of SouthPark has that special something for your favorite aunt, your awesome mom, your preppy brother, your eccentric sister-in-law and even your crabby uncle. We think you’ll find something for everyone on your list, have time to check it twice and treat yourself to a little something nice. Here’s a peek at what you may find…
Viva Raw. Fresh, unpasteurized juices, cleanses and raw food now in Charlotte.
I just found out about our very own juice bar right here in Charlotte, uptown in the 7th St Public Market. And in true SCOOP-EXCLUSIVE form, we’ve got the story on it, along with the coupons for you to try it.
I found Viva Raw after posting about my experience with The Blue Print Cleanse (BPC) this summer. While I’m not an overly healthy eater, I do watch what I eat, try to buy organic when possible….and I do loooove me a juice cleanse. As you can read in my review of the BPC from last August. The main problem with the BPC is that is ships every other day from NYC. Cha-ching. Plus, it’s just better for us all if I can buy local, right?
So I was thrilled to learn about Viva Raw, with their kiosk uptown and online ordering/delivery. A really delicious selection of unpasteurized juices and raw foods created by a Charlotte company which strives to support local farms and business. I love the taste of the juice, and I like that Viva Raw buys locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables as often as possible. I also like that because of this, some of their juice blends change with the seasons, which gives a pleasant variety in menu. While they keep the basic 4 – Green Clean, Beet Boost, Good Carrma and Pro Fuel – they add in seasonal juices like this month’s Sweet Tater and last season’s Melon Melange and Mango Genius. Right now they have 10 juice blends available, and only one is a straight up fruit blend of 3 kinds of grape.
People juice, cleanse and eat raw food for various reasons, and this post is not to try to convince you to try juicing or a cleanse. (Although, I definitely am before the holiday binging kicks in. Maybe we should all go on and do it together!).
For many of us, including my family, fresh, raw, cold-pressed, unpasteurized juice is a super-efficient and totally tasty way to add fruits and veggies to your diet. You can read more reasons why you should consider it here, on Viva Raw’s website. If you are already a juicing or cleansing fan, you will love Viva Raw and you will love the COUPON SAVINGS below. If you’re thinking of giving it a try, hopefully these coupons will help ease you in to it. You can print them out or show them on your phone.
Viva Raw also sells prepared raw foods, for their mission is really to provide a healthy, raw food menu for their customers. Cakes, cheeses, chips, cookies, crackers, granola made fresh using only organic ingredients, and prepared in an environment below 105￮ to maintain enzyme life and alkalinity. I tried several juice samples when visiting the kiosk in 7th St Market – my favorite? Tied between the Green Clean and the Beet Boost. I’m looking forward to heading back over with my COUPON SAVINGS below, to try some of their Raw Foods with my juice.
Find the Viva Raw Kiosk at 7th Street Public Market
224 East 7th Street Charlotte, NC 28202
Hours of Operation: 8:00am to 6:00pm – Monday thru Friday and 8:00am to 4:00pm – Saturday
Email: info@viva-raw.com. Phone: 980.275.3834
Try Viva Raw with these coupons. Print out or show on your phone.
Flywheel
Have you heard about the new cycling studios in town? Flywheel. Maybe so, they’ve been getting a lot of buzz. And maybe you’ve wondered, like I did, seriously, how great can a spinning / cycling studio be?
There are no words. Flywheel just plain ROCKS. (click “more” and scroll down for the deal).
If you love an athletic, high-energy, crazy-efficient workout, then you will love Flywheel. If you love to burn 600+ calories in a compact 45 minutes, you will love Flywheel. If you love to run, but worry about the impact, you will love Flywheel. If you love cardio and loud, rocking music while you workout, you will love Flywheel. And if you already love spinning, then you will want to marry Flywheel.
Do I sound like a convert? Yes indeed-y. Flywheel is the busy man or woman’s best friend – you are literally in and out in 45 minutes. You reserve your bike online ahead of time, so you know right where to go when you get there. They provide pretty much everything you need on site in the studio…..shoes, water, towels, showers, lockers. Even deodorant, hair bands and hair pins in the ladies room. (and yes, you will need them all). There’s plenty of parking so even that is easy in-and-out. And I can’t imagine there is much that’s more efficient in terms of calories burned per minute and aerobic benefits. Flywheel is Cardio with a capital C.
Flywheel is not for sissies. Except for you and me that is. You really can do the workout at your own pace. The lights in the cycling studio are very dim, and no one could tell how hard you are riding even if they wanted to. Which trust me, they do not. They are totally absorbed by their own ride. I am building up to being able to do just ONE of the cycle songs at the level recommended by the instructor. After that, I’ll try to add another and another. For now, since I am a beginner, I do what I can and leave a sweaty, happy camper.
You can read all about Flywheel here at their website. Their Cotswold studio is in the shopping center across from St. Gabe’s at the corner of Prov Rd and Sharon Amity. Their Ballantyne studio is in Blakeney Shopping Center by Zoe’s Kitchen. I love it so much I’m trying to help them get to know more cardio hungry women (and men) in the QC – and Flywheel has given scoopcharlotte a great deal for our readers:
Your first ride at Flywheel is always free. As a scoop reader, you can get TWO MORE free rides, for a total of 3 free sessions, so you can really see how great it is. Here’s what to do:
- Visit Flywheel and sign up for an account.
- After you sign up, click “Buy” and click on “One Ride” – then change the quantity of ride in your cart to 2.
- At checkout, enter Coupon Code: FLYSCOOP2FREENow you should have a total of 3 rides you can reserve.
Expires 11/30/2012
I seriously mean it, I want you to go. Try it, you will love it. Pinky swear. If you feel like you are totally too lame to keep up, then look for me, cuz I promise I am lamer. It’s a blast.
Cotswold Marketplace
Cotswold Marketplace reminds me of those Buckhead antique & decorating shops you used to see advertised in the back of Southern Accents (oh how I miss you so….). I always wanted to shop those pages; a well-curated, eclectic group of stores with a high level of taste and style. One charming difference? Cotswold Marketplace does not have Buckhead’s high prices, which is why we were so happy to discover this find right here in Charlotte.
This is an interior lovers secret – and trust us, it is on the list of many professional designers in the market. A collection of 50 or so vendors housed under one 7000 square foot roof off the corner of Randolph and Sharon Amity Roads. Primarily home decor and interiors, along with art and gifts and a couple of shops for children & ladies tucked in. Think of it as your own little South Charlotte Design Center.Where you can custom order your home decor or you can buy pieces right off the floor. You will find things you would expect, like casegoods and upholstery, custom finishes, designer fabrics and wallpaper, gorgeous lamps and pillows galore. Also artwork…vintage, antique & modern accent pieces…tabletop…unique chandeliers and lighting. And things you might not expect, like a selection of Oushak rugs, or Casa Fiora curtains at 40-50% off retail, or ostrich and shark skin cuff bracelets.
The overall look of Cotswold Marketplace pretty much lines up with what you will see on the pages of various shelter magazines – elegant, stylish, occasionally traditional and occasionally modern but never stodgy and never “neo.” The overall vibe is super-friendly, young and easy going. Not at all stuffy or stuck up. This is the happiest decorating mediums, and perfect for the DIY decorator – much of the same style merch you find in more high end design stores and more exclusive venues, but none of the fear factor. Unless it is fear of the over-draft. Now that is a distinct possibility. Here’s what we found on a recent shopping visit:
On A String Bead and Custom Jewelry Shop
If you already shop this amazing bead and jewelry shop on Providence Rd. in Myers Park, well, shame on you for not telling me to get over there ASAP. You know better than to keep a style secret like On A String all to yourself. We, the sisters in the bonds of shopping, must share when we find a FIND like this one.
On a String is technically a bead store. For the non-crafty and the never-do-it-myself-if-I-can-pay-someone-else types like me, On A String is effectively your own personal custom jewelry shop. You can bring in your outfit, your ideas, your sketches, your old jewelry, your photo file of pages torn out, your Pinterest page, your tumblr, your stylist, your daughter, your whatever. And the girls at On A String will help you create or re-create perfect pieces from their thousands of beads, stones, chains, pearls, charms, pins, vintage, glass, cloisonné, tassels, cord, leather, toggles, clasps etc. You can be super specific about what you want or you can leave it up to their fertile and fab imaginations. You can do the stringing yourself, you can do just easy parts, or you can have them do it all.
At this store, a picture really is worth a thousand words. So, before we get into further detail, take a look at these necklaces. This first one is a “charm” necklace created by stringing the customer’s charms and mementos with pearls, beads and charms from the store. What a Mother’s Day gift!
This 2nd necklace is a modern version of a charm necklace, with a longer, ropier chain and bigger charms. Most of these came from the store, but mixed in are a few faves of the customer.
Here are a few of my favorite necklaces in On A String right now – priced between $150 and $350. And here’s the thing, say you like some elements or colors or styles and not others? Just say so and you’re well on your way to custom designing your own piece.
