web 2Ariana Horry, owner of Milk & Honey Babies, tells Urban Agenda why being a mom is the best business education you can have.

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

A momtrenpreneur is a woman who has created a family and a business, and Ariana Horry, owner of Englewood’s Milk & Honey Babies, has created a business that’s rooted in family. As the mother to daughters Avery (2) and Maya (7), Horry has the best training there is to succeed in the mom and baby industry.

After the birth of her daughters, Horry became aware of the lacking quality of many baby products. “I was tired of the chemicals companies were using that weren’t good for my little ones,” explains Horry. “Thanks to social media platforms and brands that support nontoxic and eco-friendly products like Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company, more moms have become aware of the products they buy for their children.”

Horry channeled her personal frustrations into an entrepreneurial endeavor that combined her motherly instinct with her natural eye for design.  more

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The co-owners of Mommybites tell us the things that make them tick as both business women and moms. 

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Mommybites is the mecca for everything mom-related. Whether you’re looking for a prenatal yoga class in your neighborhood, a tofu veggie bowl recipe, or a sleep solution for your toddler, Mommybites has you covered. In addition to an online community for moms, Mommybites offers free tele-classes, e-articles, one-on-one phone or Skype sessions with parenting experts, a nanny directory, coupon codes, giveaways, and more. (We weren’t exaggerating about the whole mommy mecca thing.) more

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Friday, March 11

10AM-9:30PM Meet the Easter Bunny at Paramus Park Mall in Paramus, NJ (through March 26)

4PM Meet The Very Hungry Caterpillar at The Curious Reader in Glen Rock, NJ.

7PM The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Legends at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. more

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Shop unique products for your favorite pooch.  more

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From home decor to clothing, shop the hottest accessories for that special guy in your life. more

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Where Northern Comfort Meets Southern Charm 

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Deborah Leamann of Deborah Leamann Interior Design is a New Jersey native with a southern sensibility, a New York City interior design education, and a world-class level of taste.

Headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey, Leamann has worked with discerning clients from around the country. A graduate of New York School of Interior Design and an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Leamann has over thirty years of experience in the industry, but her eye for design blossomed early on. more

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By Ellen Gilbert

Photography Courtesy of Galbraith & Paul

The studio is the soul of our business,” say Liz Galbraith and Ephraim Paul about their eponymous company, Galbraith & Paul, a studio workshop specializing in hand block printed textiles, handmade rugs, and studio printed wallpaper available to the trade. Everything about the enterprise – from Galbraith’s determination to “keep making it personal;” to the culture engendered by the all-female staff, to their idiosyncratic location (a high-ceilinged old stone building at 116 Shurs Lane in Philadelphia’s Manayunk neighborhood), the place breathes originality. more

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Non-Format (Minneapolis, USA, and Oslo, Norway, founded 2000): Kjell Ekhorn (Norwegian, b. 1965) and Jon Forss (British, b. 1966); Illustration by Von; Poster, Elsewhere exhibition, KK Outlet gallery, London, 2014; Silkscreen printed in black and bronze ink; 70 * 50 cm (27 9/16 * 19 11/16 in.)

By Joyce Perisco

Undefined and often random, beauty is no one absolute thing.

Some may find it in a baby’s smile or the latest runway creation of an up-and-coming clothing designer. It can elicit powerful visceral responses or a calm sense of serenity. When something is viewed as “a thing of beauty,” notes Andrea Lipps, Assistant Curator of a the new exhibit, “Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial,” beauty usually “lies in the eye of the beholder.” more

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The architectural designs of Amale Andraos embrace nature

By Ilene Dube

Getting kids to eat, and like, their vegetables isn’t usually the work of an architect, but for Amale Andraos, who is working on her second design for the Edible Schoolyard Project in New York, there is a connection between designing buildings and “the artistic and aesthetic dimensions of food.” Teaching the next generation about both is a big part of what she does. Named one of the 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016, Amale Andraos, 42, the new dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, has taught architecture at Princeton, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and American University in Beirut. more

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By Ellen Gilbert

Illustrations by Maira Kalman

That is so not me,” emphatically says writer/illustrator Maira Kalman after being asked if she would please consider being nominated to serve as the next Librarian of Congress.  With the recent retirement of James Billington, who dutifully filled the post for nearly 30 years, one could only hope that someone with some joie de vivre—someone capable of exclaiming, as Kalman once did, “hallelujah for the knowledge and for the honor of Language and Ideas and books”—would come on board. In retrospect it probably was an unfair question. Kalman, whose work will be familiar to many from her regularly featured New Yorker covers, thrives on disorder, randomness, serendipity and lightning flashes of intense pleasure during the course of everyday life; promoting digitization and literacy in a nine-to-five job would probably do her in. more

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Interview by Kendra Broomer

Photography by Kay English Photography

Mary Bradley Events offers event coordination for weddings, parties, and corporate functions throughout the United States, as well as destination locales. Mary offers a bevy of à la carte services, so that clients can relax, celebrate, and enjoy on their special day. With Bradley’s background in interior design and 20 years of event planning experience, she is the perfect candidate to ensure that clients remember their wedding day as “the best day of their lives.” more

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By Stuart Mitchner

The most effective art therapy book I know is the Audubon Guide to Wild Flowers. My son must have been eight when he began looking through it, fascinated by the bright images, especially the more exotic flowers. The Audubon became his book of choice at bedtime. It wasn’t long before he wanted to make up his own guide. We found a large bound book of blank pages, gave him crayons and marking pens, and he spent many happy hours following the Audubon model. First he drew his idea of the flower, gave it a name, and then a description like the ones he knew. These were all his own inventions.  more

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Photo Credit: Stone Barns Center 

Monday, February 29

3:30PM Open Bounce at Bounce U in Paramus, Where Birthdays Come to Life! www.bounceu.com

6-8:30PM Ladies Night at Pinot’s Palette in Ridgewood. www.pinotspalette.com

Tuesday, March 1

4:15PM Join Mahwah Public Library for a 4-week Young Builders Lego Club for kids ages 4 to 6. Each week participants will create and expand upon their building projects. www.mahwahlibrary.org more

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Urban Agenda Magazine is continuing the Oscar celebration with a selection of dazzling gold products.

The Oscar gold was spread around last night with Spotlight winning Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay; Leonardo DiCaprio taking home Best Actor for The Revenant; Mark Rylance and Alicia Vikander were named best supporting actor and actress, respectively, she for The Danish Girl; and Brie Larson took the best actress prize for Room.

Shop Gold! Simply click on each product image to purchase.  more

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The 88th Annual Academy Awards takes place this Sunday, February 28, 2016. The awards ceremony was first broadcast to radio in 1930 and televised in 1953. It is now seen live in more than 200 countries. This year's ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre is Los Angeles and is hosted by comedian Chris Rock. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially called the Academy Award of Merit, which has become commonly known by its nickname, Oscar.

As an ode to the prestigious ceremony, Urban Agenda Magazine has selected a series of unique products inspired by the nominees. To purchase, click on each product image.

Break a leg! more

headshot couch without creditFrom matchmaking to date-coaching, Julianne Cantarella is the Queen of Hearts

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Yente’s got nothing on Julianne Cantarella, President and CEO of New Jersey’s Matchmaker.

In addition to her current career as a matchmaker and dating coach, Cantarella is a former social worker that worked with hospice patients dying of cancer or infectious disease prior to working for 12 years as a licensed therapist for those with severe mental illness. Thus, it comes as no surprise that someone with such a big heart has a knack for connecting the hearts of others.

After Cantarella’s three children were born, she had an itch to take her talents in a new direction, and her husband persuaded her to go on a rather spontaneous interview for a matchmaking company. Fast forward to 2016, and Cantarella is making her mark as one of the leading matchmakers in the tri-state area through her service, New Jersey’s Matchmaker, established in 2009. more

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Rose Quartz & Serenity are about to become your new favorite colors

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Rose Quartz and Serenity might be delicate colors, but they’re taking the fashion and design industry by storm thanks to their new title as the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year. Pantone made the unprecedented decision to blend two shades to create this year’s hue. Rose Quartz’s soft pale pink fused with Serenity’s tranquil baby blue makes for an airy color that goes beyond color. According to Pantone, the decision to blend the colors usually associated with gender stereotypes reflects recent societal movements towards gender equality and fluidity. As the name suggests, Rose Quartz and Serenity is a soothing color that’s needed in a world that’s often filled with stress and anxiety. So take a break to enjoy these Instagram images that feature the playful pastels. more

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Meet Tata Harper

Tata Harper is the scientist and visionary behind the coveted Tata Harper skincare and beauty line. Originally from Columbia, Harper now resides on a large farm in Vermont with her husband (business partner Henry Harper) and their three children. Her interest in all natural skincare began when her stepfather was diagnosed with cancer. During his treatment, Harper was determined to find products that were free of synthetic-chemical ingredients. She searched at Whole Foods and other stores, but could not find exactly what she was looking for. more

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Celebrate man's best friend. 

Urban Agenda Magazine has hand-selected our favorite gifts for dog lovers. Check out the many Scottish terrier, French bulldog, and Labrador Retriever motifs in the form of clothing, accessories, and home decor. Simply click on each product image to purchase!

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This time of year calls for something different to change-up the routine. Why not dash off to a warm weather getaway to indulge in some yoga, fine dining, and relaxation? Below, Urban Agenda offers up some suggestions. Simply click on each product image to purchase. Bon voyage!

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Over the dozen roses? The floral phenoms at Viburnum Designs in Princeton create offbeat bouquets for this Valentine’s Day. 

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Arrangements courtesy of Viburnum Designs

Photography by Jeffrey Tryon

Viburnum Designs on 202 Nassau Street is known for their stunning floral arrangements that that have been recognized in highly respected wedding blogs, websites, and magazines such as Wedding Chicks, WeddingWire, and The Knot. While the designers at Viburnum can craft a breathtaking arrangement in any design genre, it’s their more eclectic arrangements that truly set them apart. Viburnum’s aesthetic often eschews trends to produce floral arrangements that are arty, interesting, and perfect for the offbeat Valentine. more

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Now is the time to place your Valentine’s Day order at our favorite Weekhawken bakery.

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and Jennifer Bunce, the Head Pastry Chef and owner of the The Hudson Cakery in Weekhawken, has you covered. From cake pops and cookies to French macaroons, cupcakes, and cakes – she’s got it all! Pre-order your sweets by Thursday, February 11 at 5 p.m. by calling 201.319.0363 or emailing info@hudsoncakery.com. They will be open Sunday the 14 from 10 to 12 p.m. Preview more of the treats The Hudson Cakery has to offer below: more

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Celebrate the Year of the Monkey with Red-Colored Gifts!

In traditional Chinese art and culture, red is considered to be a very auspicious color. For example, monetary gifts are often packaged in red envelopes signifying fortune and good luck. In honor of 2016's Year of the Monkey, Urban Agenda Magazine has chosen to shop red! Simply click on each product image to purchase and bring a little luck into your own life. more

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Friday, February 5

ALL DAY Commit this month to an unparalleled fitness experience at Equinox in Paramus and your initiation fee goes to Cycle for Survival, the national movement to beat rare cancers. Contact www.equinox.com for more information.

ALL DAY Flywheel has planted a seed in the Garden State with a studio in Millburn. Located in the heart of downtown, the state of the art studio features high tech bikes, stadium-style seating, and proprietary TorqBoard. Call (973) 232-6476 for class information. more

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Valentine’s Day is often associated with flowers, chocolates, and teddy bears; however, this year, Urban Agenda Magazine is offering up a few new options. These gifts are suitable for all ages, male and female, young and old. To purchase, simply click each product image.

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Photo Credit: @foooodieee

Make your day a little “butter” with these mouth-watering Instagram shots of our favorite French pastry

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