One exciting new venture is educatedKid, the brainchild of Los Gatos local Laura Kavinsky-van den Dries. Her company produces a fun flashcard set entitled "International Landmarks." The cards familiarize children and young adults with landmarks that symbolize cities, countries and cultures throughout the world.

"After searching fruitlessly for a flashcard set for my own children that taught about famous landmarks throughout the world, I decided to create one," Kavinsky-van den Dries explains. "Children in the United States traditionally do not score well on surveys of geography and global knowledge. International Landmarks can help reverse that trend, as players visit 40 famous landmarks and travel to six continents, 18 countries and 30 cities, without leaving home."

Kavinsky-van den Dries, who refers to herself as "principal" (a little play on words), worked as a marketing professional in the high-tech field prior to founding educatedKid. That experience served her well when she began researching her own product.

"While initial research turned up some similar products, International Landmarks focuses on manmade landmarks rather than natural formations, are in a large 4x6-inch format that is easier for small hands to hold, feature high-quality photos and display fun facts in paragraph form," she says. "Some of the choices we included, such as the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty, were pretty obvious, and we added lesser-known places, like the Pyramid of Kukulkan in Mexico and Phra Si Rattana Chedi in Thailand, to open people's eyes to the fact that there are many interesting places to visit throughout the world.

"American landmarks, like the White House and the Supreme Court building, symbolize powerful ideals of freedom and democracy. We also included the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as a tribute to those whose lives were so tragically touched on Sept. 11."

"I'm grateful to The Learning Game in Los Gatos," she adds. "They were the first local reseller to pick up the product line. We now have resellers throughout California and are adding resellers in other states. There is such a wide variety of cultures that mix together here in Los Gatos and the Bay Area, and that makes all of us understand how important it is for our kids to learn more about our global neighbors."

There are plans for additional products, so stay posted. educatedKid can be reached by calling 408.395.3165 or visiting the website at www.educatedKid.com.

In anniversaries, congratulations go out to Bob and Susan Bortfeld, owners of Vintages, an antique and gift shop located at 130-C N. Santa Cruz Ave. Vintages celebrates its first anniversary this April. The store features home décor and accents, bridal favors and accessories, and gourmet foods and gift baskets, along with art glass, estate jewelry and art prints.

Vintages is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.­6 p.m., and can be reached by phone at 408.399.9090 or on the web at hometown.aol.com/vintageslg.

Los Gatos resident Deb Rohzen, owner of Simply Smashing Boutique in Campbell, invites you to "flirt with sunshine at our Toe Ring Party, featuring Once Upon A Toe, on May 1 from noon to 4 p.m. "Grab your sandals, plan your pedicures and embellish your tootsies for days at the beach and summer soirees."

The boutique will also feature "red haute" fashion specials of the day at the event, as well as complimentary refreshments. Simply Smashing is located at 428 E. Campbell Ave. Reservations and more information is available by calling 408.379.1925 or visiting the website at www.simplysmashingboutique.com.

You can't say Los Gatos merchants aren't helpful when it comes to holidays and gifts. Anyone who is stumped for a Mother's Day or Father's Day gift need look no further than the upcoming Photos in the Park event at the Los Gatos Town Plaza (the intersection of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue) the weekend of May 1­2.

That weekend the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, ImageSnap, and Time Captured Photography are hosting Mother's Day/Father's Day photos in the Los Gatos Plaza Park. Professional photographer Laura Bergerol will snap the photos and ImageSnap, a one-stop digital imaging service center, will provide an 8x10-inch photo (in a protective folder) ready for you in about an hour for just $14.99. Custom retouched photos will be available for $19.99 the following day.

Additionally, those having their photo taken will receive a list of special offers from many local merchants during the two-day event. For more information, contact the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce at 408.354.9300 or Mark von Keszycki, owner of ImageSnap, at 408.399.5199.

Do you have or know about a cool new Los Gatos business, a hot news tip or a business anniversary or special event to announce? We'd love to hear about it. Contact Michelle C. Crowe at 408.378.9056 or a1writers@hotmail.com.