Dish-Houston

Hey DISHIES. Gift giving is hard enough especially in this day and age where no one has the ability to hold off and self indulgence is a way of life. DISH is here to give you some really different and interesting gift ideas!

Assuming you've had enough of loud ties, novelty gifts and crowded mall you can now make the holiday season naturally wild when you do your shopping at the Houston Zoo.  It doesn't matter who you are buying for these unique gift ideas are intelligent, green and good for the community!

The Houston Zoo’s gift shop has plush animals, clothing, books, and toys to community arts and crafts created by villagers – farmers, herders, and ranchers – in Africa, Asia and Central America. 

But it gets cooler! You can get special behind the scenes tours, animal art and painting experiences, Zoo memberships, and Adopt an Animal packages.  Special holiday offers are valid until December 31, 2009 and may not be combined with any other offer.   Get complete information online at www.houstonzoo.org/gifts.    

 Gift Memberships

            Give a full year of naturally wild opportunities to enjoy the Houston Zoo when you give the gift of a Zoo membership.  Discounts are now available on Individual, Family, Family Plus, Grandparent, and Supporting Level Memberships purchased as a gift for someone in another household.  Individual memberships begin at $55 and family memberships begin at $80.   Purchase online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/membership.

Members receive 20% OFF on purchases in the gift shop during special member shopping days December 12 and 19.  Find out more at http://www.houstonzoo.org/gifts/.

Animal Painting Experience

            This is truly the gift for the person who has everything.  Here’s an opportunity to own a truly unique masterpiece.  Give the animal lover in your life their very own animal painting by one of our resident artists.  Or give them the opportunity to watch as the masterpiece is created.  Animal Painting Experiences are only $500 and Animal Paintings are $250.  For details about the unique holiday gift opportunity, log on to http://www.houstonzoo.org/events/tours/animalpainting/.  To purchase, call the Houston Zoo at 713-533-6550.

Adopt an Animal

            Why not adopt a bear for your brother or a sea lion for your sweetheart this holiday season?  Adopt an Animal gifts are fun and educational and help care for your adopted animal, as well as support important education and conservation programs at the Houston Zoo.  Adopt packages start at $35.  For $190 become a Guardian of the Animals and have the name of a loved one engraved on a brick at the Zoo’s Front Entrance plaza.  Adopt an Animal packages require 5 business days for processing.  Get complete information online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/adopt/

Behind the Scenes Tours

            For a truly unforgettable experience, see the Houston Zoo from the inside out when you join us for a behind the scenes tour!  Picture yourself face to face with a giraffe, or getting a kiss from a sea lion.  These are just a few of the exciting things that can happen on your Behind the Scenes Tour at the Houston Zoo.   Tours typically take 30 minutes per area and can accommodate groups of 2 to 10 in any given animal area.  Behind the scenes tours are $35 per person/per area for Zoo Members and $50 per person/per area for non-members.  Cat training window or sea lion experiences are $75 (members) and $100 (non-members).  Be a Vet for a Day and shadow one of Houston ’s busiest veterinarians as they make their rounds of the Zoo.  Vet for a Day experiences ($300 members; $350 non-members, party of two) start at 8 a.m. and end at 11:15 a.m.    Tour prices include regular Zoo admission.  

Find more information online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/events/tours/behind/. 

Bricks

Leave your legacy at the Houston Zoo for generations to come when you participate in the Zoo’s brick paver program.  The Zoo’s personalized brick pavers are a lasting way to recognize your family, friends, and love for the Houston Zoo.   Your brick purchase is a contribution to the Zoo’s Annual Drive to Support the Zoo, which directly impacts the Zoo’s first rate animal care and guest experience programs.   Pavers range in size from 8 by 4 inches with 2 lines of text for $100 to 16 by 16 inches with 6 lines of text for $2,500.  For more information, visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/brickpaver/. 

Community Arts and Crafts

Far from large cities, villagers and nomadic peoples around the world create crafts and works of art while balancing their traditional way of living.  Community arts and crafts sold at the Houston Zoo gift shop provide opportunities to raise funds for our conservation partners in Asian, Africa and Central America , as well as increase awareness and offer tools to help with conservation actions and programs in countries where the Houston Zoo is involved in conservation efforts.  By supporting production of community arts and crafts, we work with farmers, herders, and ranchers to find ways for them to protect their traditional way of life and their families.

About Houston Zoo

Recognized by Parents magazine as one of the Ten Best Zoos for Kids, the Houston Zoo is an exciting live animal adventure that provides a unique educational and conservation resource serving 1.7 million guests annually.  Set in a 55-acre lush tropical landscape, the Zoo is home to more than 4,500 exotic animals representing more than 800 species.  Operated by the not-for-profit Houston Zoo, Inc., the Houston Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species, the provision of engaging educational opportunities and the creation of stimulating exhibits that broaden the experiences of our guests and encourage their curiosity.

The Houston Zoo is located at 6200 Golf Course Drive in beautiful Hermann Park .  The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during Central Standard Time (last admission at 5 p.m.) and from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. during Central Daylight Time (last admission at 6 p.m.).  The Zoo is closed Christmas Day.  Regular admission is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors, $6 for children ages 2-11 and FREE for children under 2.  Visit the courtesy booth at your neighborhood Fiesta Mart and purchase an adult Zoo admission for $8 and a child Zoo admission for $5.  Zoo memberships start at only $55.  For information on all the great benefits of becoming a Zoo member call (713) 533-6713 or visit our Web site at www.houstonzoo.org. 

Ride METRORail to the Houston Zoo from the Fannin South Park and Ride lot.  With frequent service, METRORail is a convenient answer to traffic congestion in the Texas Medical Center/Hermann Park/Museum District corridor.  For METRORail information, visit www.ridemetro.org.

The Houston Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information visit www.aza.org.

DISH'S newest advertiser is M2M Style Lounge! You have never seen such a store! There are leather sofas next to the bar and a flat screen tv so you can relax while you shop! Everyone knows about the men's lines they carry...Calvin Klein, D&G, ---But check out the Women's!!!   ROBIN’S JEANS | DIESEL | ZODIAK SPORTSWEAR | EFOR | CARPE   WHITTALL & SHON | AJAXX 63 | ENERGIE | PENGUIN | SCULPTEES SPRING COURT SHOES | ROAR | J LINDEBERG | COLD METHOD |BEN SHERMAN | FAITH CONNEXION | FRENCH CONNECTION | AD HOC | MISS ME COUTURE KLD COLLECTION | MM UNPLUGGED HUDSON | ROCK & REPUBLIC | 7 FOR ALL MANKIND | MEK MISS ME | ROCK REVIVAL | DL 1961 | CITIZENS OF HUMANITY TRUE RELIGION | PAIGE | MISS SIXTY | ROCKABILLY | DIESEL

And check out this deal DISHIES!!! WOOHOOO! See you there!

Super affluent shoppers have been tightening their Gucci belts over the past year forcing luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group Inc. unveiled its Christmas Book Tuesday with a nod to frugality.

More than 40 percent of the gifts in the catalog's 83rd edition cost less than $250! This list includes another change in the famed holiday catalogue...practical items! Don't misunderstand, prices are still out of reach for the average American. New items include $75 plaid stockings, $235 Italian wool scarves, $100 Ugg slippers, $175 cases for iPhones and $250 Ralph Lauren rain boots.

"Tokens of affection don't have to be extravagant to be brilliantly received," the book's introduction imparts.

Extravagant gifts still abound giving shoppers an escape from the tumult in the financial world. There are limited-edition $105,000 Jaguars, motorcycles for $73,000 and DISH favorite a $25,000 "Cupcake Car" custom-made of colorful fabric, wood and sheet metal and powered by a 24-volt electric motor.

Neiman's is not forgetting the GREENIES, there's an eco-friendly chandelier made of 366 plastic bottles rescued from the landfill. Yours for just $12,000. Forget the fact that you can make your own for 12 dollars!

The Dallas-based chain and its luxury competitors are being forced to adjust their inventory and prices as their well-heeled clients splurge less since the financial meltdown ballooned last fall. While luxury stores' sales have stopped falling in recent months, they remain weak to say the least.

Neiman Marcus, privately held since 2005, reported last month that its fiscal fourth-quarter loss widened compared with a year earlier as revenue fell 26 percent and consumers kept a lid on their spending. For the quarter that ended Aug. 1, the retailer reported a loss of $168.5 million, compared with a loss of $35.6 million a year earlier. Revenue fell to $768.1 from $1.03 billion last year.

For the full fiscal year — as revenue fell 21 percent to $3.64 billion from $4.6 billion — the retailer lost $668 million, compared with a profit of $142.8 million a year earlier.

P.S. DISH wants to e Ralph Lauren Rain Boots and the Cupcake Car. Just and FYI =)

If you aren't sure, go to EYE Gallery to find out! Ask for Tina and told her the DISH sent you!

They are having a sample sale on the coolest glasses you have ever seen! DISH can never find glasses that look good on us and within 3 minutes, Tina found a pair that we LOVED!!!

The sale ends on Sept 26th so make sure you get there ASAP!

1896B Westheimer!

CLICK HERE for more info!

Thanks to DISH friend Anna Wintour...actually we just sat behind her and snuck pics of her at the River Oaks International Tennis Tourney...but hey you take it where you can get it....The fashion world is getting a HUGE boost tonight!

In Fashion's Night Out hundreds of stores around the world will stay open late for the single largest shopping event in history! Designers were there, free food and drinkie poos, discounts and gifts with purchaces all in an effort to boost the economy and help to rebuild the lagging fashion industry.

Thanks to Vogue US and Vogue International the global initiative is to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion. The evening extravaganzas in their respective world fashion capitals went off without a hitch! There were brow bars, hair cut stations, make overs, limited edition jewelry and so much more!!

Houston had a show at Neiman Marcus and it was FABOOSH!! =)

See?? The Devil apparently isn't all that bad!

Hot or cold it doesn't matter...according to DISHIE Ashley Allen...Scarves are all the rage! For more of Ashley's musings, click HERE

I love, love, love scarves. I love how old hollywood icons used to cruise Sunset in a convertible with one wrapped so delicately around their heads protecting their locks from the wind. I love how the fabric hugs my neck like Octopus' arms when I wear one. I love how I can dangle a scarf over a black dress and it automatically looks more interesting and in fact I find it extremely intersting how I can dote that same black dress the next day with a different scarf and no one seems notice. Not that yours truly does that of course. ;)There is something about a tiny piece of scrap fabric that can make an outfit an ensemble. It is the perfect accessory for any outfit no matter what season, age or economy. It's your shirt or dress' best friend. I wear my luscious coral scarf at least twice a week. I recently spent some time in gorgeous San Fran. It amazed me how many of the women could look so effortly chic by just adding a scarf. I had to bring this piece of the bay area back with me... and of course a case or two of vino from Napa. It can be 100 degree August weather in Texas but you bet your brand new Gucci hobo that I am going to be wearing a scarf, my coral one to be exact... and I am not the only one! Take that San Fran.