Over 75 OC Companies Submit To Become The Recipent of 1st Ever bettershelter green awards

From people to products, the best of green in Orange County in 2008 will be honored at the the first ever bettershelter green awards. The winners will be announced at an event held in their honor on Thursday, December 4 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place at 12@ELDEN, the newly released eco-friendly “Hybrid Housing” project (2379 Elden Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92627).

Over 75 have submitted applications to possibly win a bettershelter green award already. Some nominee highlights include the following people and companies:

Cadiz Design Studio; Molly Wood Garden Design, Thalia Surf, Spencer Brown, James Pribram, 88 Orange, Resurf.org, Earthpack, BuyGreen.com

The bettershelter green awards winners will be chosen by a distinguished panel of experts, including: Greer Wylder, (Greer’s OC, http://greersoc.com/) Stephanie Barger (Earth Resource, http://earthresource.org/), Jeff (The Planning Center) + Steve Jones and Pete Zehnder from bettershelter

To go to the event or get more info, go to: http://www.bettershelter.com/

Terra Collection's First Line - Terra Tee Project - Hits the web!

Check out these following fab bloggers - My It Things, StyleHive and Green Glam Girl - who just recently posted info about Terra Collection's first line of organic T-shirts - Terra Tee Project.

http://myitthings.com/Fashion_Evolved/Post/fashion/It-Designer/Terra-Collection/3911182008213851198.htm

http://www.stylehive.com/site/terracollection.com/new/list/0

http://theq.typepad.com/greenglamgirl/

To view the complete line - go to www.terracollection.com

Diana Martin Gifts Launches New Website For Must Have Gifts

For over 20 years, Diana Martin's distinguished clients have trusted her to select a beautiful and meaningful gift for any occasion. With her exquisite taste and sensitivity to a gift’s possible impact, Martin can find a fitting tribute for valued friends, clients and associates.

Beginning November 24, anyone with an eye for style and the desire to gift artfully will have access to Diana’s wealth of expertise through her re-branded company and website at dianamartingifts.com.

“After working with VIPS of world business and celebrities, my goal with the launch of dianamartingifts.com is to be a resource where anyone can choose from a variety of gifts that are inspired by luxury, art and creativity and feel confident in their selection,” says Martin, “My gift collections bring luxury and style to everyday life no matter what the budget.”

Personal Gifting Services
Assisting with personal gifting needs, year-round.

Consulting Services: One-on-one consulting services with Diana Martin
Special Events: Theme development and implementation
Artists Commissions: Specially designed gifts by our internationally renowned artists

Corporate Gifting Services
Assisting your company in recognizing career milestones, employee achievement and showing appreciation and goodwill to colleagues and clients
Consulting Services: Analysis, development and implementation of a variety of corporate incentive programs.
DM Client Cycle Gift Program: A custom designed business support program created to help our clients grow their business.
Special Projects: One-of-a kind gifts or awards for a specific event or project.
Award/Incentive Programs: Custom award design, theme creation, collateral materials and room gifts.
International Gifts: Expertise in international protocols and cultural nuances.
Client Appreciation and Loyalty: Loyalty programs to show appreciation and engender goodwill.
CEO/Board of Director/Executive Events: Mergers and Acquisitions, Holidays, Retreats, CEO/Board Management Transitions, Congratulations, VIP events, Top Secret projects, Retirements, Appreciation, Special gifts for special occasions, One-of-a-kind gifts for those who have everything.
Occasion-marking Gifts: Retirements, Holidays, Grand Openings, Commemorations

About DianaMartinGifts.com
Dianamartingifts.com is a valuable resource for artful gifting with quality and style.

Throughout the site, Diana Martin guests will have the opportunity to shop from the carefully selected Diana Martin Collection of gifts, get all the news about the latest trends straight from the expert herself, and learn how to artfully gift the Diana Martin way.

Additionally, corporate clients will have access to the tools necessary to integrate and manage a successful corporate gifting program with the Diana Martin Client Gift Cycle Program™ - a patented gifting program that can be personalized and managed online at dianamartingifts.com.

Click here to experience the luxury of Diana Martin Gifts – http://www.dianamartingifts.com/

Pixie Dust Decor Launches New Website!

You HAVE to check out the long awaited Pixie Dust Decor website! In addition to the darling decor fabrics for little ones, it features the best in crib bedding, floor pillows (or "poufs" and "tuffets" as designer Stacy McCallum calls them), the softest bibs ever, and more!

Wanted something custom done for your child's space - that is no problem here either. Be on the look out for her new fabric - Chateau Charlotte - soon!

www.pixiedustdecor.com

Allie McKay from KTLA Comes to Halsea to Learn Packing Tips

Getting ready for holiday travel and can't stand the idea of lugging all your stuff through the airport or paying for checked luggage? Sally Bartz of Halsea recently entertained the ever-fab Allie McKay, giving her KTLA viewers all kinds of packing tips.

Check out one of the segments here:http://www.ktla.com/alliemackay

http://www.halsea.com/

Diana Martin Gifts Featured in November Issue of 944

http://www.dianamartingifts.com/

Kristine Taft Jewelry Profiled In Daily Pilot

http://www.kristinetaft.com/

Terra Collection Launches First Line Of Environmentally-Minded Shirts

FROM THE EARTH, FOR THE EARTH
Terra Collection Launches First Line Of Environmentally-Minded Shirts
Costa Mesa, CA – November 18, 2008 -- Terra Collection, an organic T-shirt company with a global mission, is proud to announce the debut of its environmentally-minded t-shirt line – The Terra Tee Project.

With the purchase of each Terra Tee Project t-shirt, a donation will be made to one of several charities dedicated to improving our quality of life on this planet - from cleaning up the air and water to protecting the animals and the earth. The debut collection features four t-shirt designs in styles for women - one for earth, air, water and life. A men's line is set to follow in early 2009.
Consumers have the option to choose which charity they would like to donate to or let Terra Collection determine the beneficiary. The following charities will be the first of the Terra Tee Project benefactors:

Earth- Conservation International, Pesticide Action Network of North America, Earth Island Institute, and ForestEthics
Air -Coalition for Clean Air, American Lung Association, Breathe California, and Clean Air Partnership
Water- Surfrider, ReefCheck, Friends of The River, and Water for People
Life – Children's Hunger Fund, Friends of Animals, African Wildlife Foundation, Operation USA and Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation

With designs inspired by California's miles of picturesque coastline, wild meadows, and blue skies, each t-shirt made right here in the USA of organic cotton is designed to make a statement and feel like your long-time favorite. With a hint of retro and a nod to sophisticated artisan design, a Terra Tee Project tee will be a go-to fashion statement for a night out, a hike in the woods or over your bathing suit when headed to the beach.

"I have been dreaming about this concept for the last three years. Since the birth of my son, I have felt a deepening desire and commitment to protecting the world we all live in." explains Jennifer Capaci, Terra Collection CEO. "This project has become a passion for our whole family. My husband, our friend Sean and I have been working late nights perfecting the designs, lining up the charities and getting the tee shirts to market, and now it has all become a reality. I could not be more excited about this moment."

Available for purchase on http://www.terracollection.com/, the shirts will retail from $59 - $65. Charities who would like to benefit from the Terra Tee Project can also submit their organization for consideration on the website as well.

The product of the long-time dream of a gal-on-the-go and mother of two, the Terra Tee Project line was created by Jennifer Capaci as an extension of her commitment to leaving a living legacy for future generations. The Terra Tee Project line and parent company Terra Collection were named as a nod to Jennifer's husband's Italian heritage with the Italian name for "earth."
http://www.terracollection.com/

Holiday Entertaining on a Budget with KABC

We LOVE Jane Monreal of KABC -- Talk about beautiful, fun and professional. She just came to Orange County to tape a "Holiday Entertaining on a Budget" story with the talented Chef Jamie Gwen and the ever-fabulous Brian Dobbin. Chef Jamie made all of the food while Brian brought to life an article about him and his home entertaining ideas for the holiday in Orange Coast's November issue.

Check out the story here: www.orangecoastmagazine.com

12@ELDEN LAUNCH PARTY + GREEN AWARDS INVITE

Save the date

Thursday, December 4 from 6:00-9:00 pm

Come check out bettershelter's latest "hybrid housing" development - 12@ELDEN in Costa Mesa. Not only are they launching the eco-friendly homes that night, they are also hosting the first-ever bettershelter green awards, celebrating the best of green in Orange County.

Think you are green enough to win? There is still time to enter. Call for entries deadline -- Nov. 18th. Go to www.bettershelter.com to download a form.

Thanksgiving Tabletop Tips by stylemaker Diana Martin

According to gift expert and style maker, Diana Martin the Thanksgiving table this year should be all about embellishments, details and the personal touch. The table is more than just a table. It reflects who we are and how we live. It’s the place we break bread, convene with family and friends, celebrate a holiday, toast life’s most important, as well as most private moments. The table is filled with memories of the past and those to be written in the future. It’s a blank canvas inviting your personal expression and creativity.

Diana Martin’s Tips for a memorable Thanksgiving table:
Votives create intimacy ~ people look best in candlelight. Small votives along the table or scattered will enhance the evening’s warmth, mood and conversation
Add your personal favorites to the table ~ an antique silver cup is ideal to hold flowers or a special paperweight for decoration; small is ok!
Create a table as unique as the moment ~ mix and match traditional place settings with art glass, hammered metal, ceramics. Use different surfaces such as a mirror placemat with linen placemats and cloisonne napkin rings.
Comfort is extremely important, even in the grandest of occasions. Create a sense of real luxury and ease by expressing your personal style with your table setting. Items that appear to be imposing, artificial or impersonal are taboo.
Scent is just as important as the visual. Fresh garden flowers, herbs, branches are just as aromatically enticing as the apple pie or roast turkey in the oven.
Quality wine glasses are a must. Riedel offers a wide variety of precisely engineered glasses for all kinds of wines and spirits in a range of prices.
Think about the tone of the evening and your guest list when creating your table setting
Be organized! When you go to someone’s house and they’re not ready for dinner, it’s stressful. Have the table set and platters out. Think about where the guest will sit. When you are organized, you are more at ease and so will the guests.
When in doubt, less is more! Simple is chic. Remember, it only takes one fabulous thing to make your guests feel great. Make one special drink or cook the juiciest roast turkey.


About the pumpkins pictured:
According to Diana Martin of Diana Martin Gifts, “These are one of my most favorite gifts during the Thanksgiving season,. Pumpkins are symbolic of appreciation, thoughtfulness and abundance. That is why they are traditionally given during Thanksgiving, although pumpkins can be given throughout the year.

These pumpkins are all individually hand-blown by an artist. The stems are metallic in silver and the glass is brilliant, warm and inviting. The craftsmanship is flawless. We have commissioned this artist for several projects. The small range in $300 and the large about $900.”

Enter a World of Comfortable Luxury and Artful Living -- http://www.dianamartingifts.com/

BETTER FOR THE EVIRONMENT. BETTER LIVING.

Green. Sustainable. Re-Use. Recycle. No matter what word you use, the newly released eco-friendly homes at 12@ELDEN (2379 Elden Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92627) exemplify the best Orange County has to offer when it comes to green construction mixed with design, style and that hard to come by - hip factor. Making living green user-friendly, 12@ELDEN is the combination of today’s green practices and products mixed with the conveniences of modern life resulting in what bettershelter calls “hybrid housing.”

A community for like-minded people, eastside Costa Mesa’s 12@ELDEN is the latest offering from bettershelter (www.bettershelter.com), the cutting edge development team behind the highly touted, 1.7 Ocean. By mixing green elements into their signature coastal modern aesthetic, 12@ELDEN is an inspired example of smart design coupled with green building techniques and materials, creating a home that is timeless in both design and philosophy.

For the 12 California bungalows on the property, every detail from the building process to the interiors, appliances and grounds were conceived to give home buyers the total green experience including two community organic gardens.

Bettershelter principles Steve Jones and Pete Zehnder, both surf and skate industry veterans, developed 12@ELDEN to give OC’s design savvy buyers a housing option that is both accessible to the beach, promotes the concept of community and embodies the kind of responsible living that most of us aspire to. “12@ELDEN celebrates community and sustainable building practices through thoughtful architecture and landscape design,” says principle Steve Jones. “We all strive to do the right thing; 12@ELDEN moves in the right direction.”

In an effort to minimize the environmental impact of their development, bettershelter maintained the original footprint of the Elden bungalows built in 1963, with each home undergoing a frame-off re-development using environmentally friendly practices and materials. Each home features:
§ Forest Stewardship Council certified flooring or recycled floors
§ Low VOC paint
§ Energy efficient windows and doors
§ Options for solar energy and more.
§ Two bedrooms and one bath
§ Open floor plan
§ Private outdoor spaces
§ Fireplace
§ Garage
§ And more – see attached list.

With lot sizes ranging up to 2000 square feet, each of the homes is approximately 1100 square feet and will start at $529,000. Eight homes have two bedrooms and two baths while four homes have two bedrooms and on bath. There are two models open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment.

Orange Coast Magazine on KTLA

If you ever have to be at work at 4:00 in the morning, Allie McKay of KTLA is the one you want to be with! Hysterical, right on and a total pro, she got the juice from local psychics on Obama's election, the future of the country and what his first 100 days in office will be.



If you want to find out your future, go to Orange Coast's website for the complete list of Orange County's best psychics. http://www.orangecoastmagazine.com/article2.aspx?id=10846

Ouch! No Gifts! Diana Martin Offers Tips On How To Show Appreciation In Tough Economic Times

With these hard economic times, it more important than ever to show your loved ones and those you work that that you care. Diana Martin of Diana Martin Gifts offers tips and gift ideas on her blog. Gifts like the votives, stationery and throw are among her top picks.

Check out the link here: http://dianamartingifts.blogspot.com/

Diana Martin Gifts Gives Entertaining Tips

Diana Martin, a gift and lifestyle expert, offers the following thoughts and tips on entertaining this holiday season.

A sentimental and traditional setting is given a modern twist with style. It is all about embellishments, details and the personal touch.

The table is more than just a table. It reflects who we are and how we live. It’s the place we break bread, convene with family and friends, celebrate a holiday, toast life’s most important, as well as most private moments. The table is filled with memories of the past and those to be written in the future. It’s a blank canvas inviting your personal expression and creativity.

Diana Martin’s Tips for a memorable holiday table:

Votives create intimacy ~ people look best in candlelight. Small votives along the table or scattered will enhance the evening’s warmth, mood and conversation

Add your personal favorites to the table ~ an antique silver cup is ideal to hold flowers or a special paperweight for decoration; small is ok!

Create a table as unique as the moment ~ mix and match traditional place settings with art glass, hammered metal, ceramics. Use different surfaces such as a mirror placemat with linen placemats and cloisonne napkin rings.

Comfort is extremely important, even in the grandest of occasions. Create a sense of real luxury and ease by expressing your personal style with your table setting. Items that appear to be imposing, artificial or impersonal are taboo.

Scent is just as important as the visual. Fresh garden flowers, herbs, branches are just as aromatically enticing as the apple pie or roast turkey in the oven.

Quality wine glasses are a must. Riedel offers a wide variety of precisely engineered glasses for all kinds of wines and spirits in a range of prices.

Think about the tone of the evening and your guest list when creating your table setting

Be organized! When you go to someone’s house and they’re not ready for dinner, it’s stressful. Have the table set and platters out. Think about where the guest will sit. When you are organized, you are more at ease and so will the guests.

When in doubt, less is more! Simple is chic. Remember, it only takes one fabulous thing to make your guests feel great. Make one special drink or cook the juiciest roast turkey.

http://www.dianamartingifts.com/

Love From Lowd Suga

Our favorite cheap-chic jewelry line, Lowd Suga, has just unveiled a few peices from their Valentine's line. Days of our Lives star and Lowd Suga's jewelry designer, Arianne Zucker was inspired by life in LA when designing the pieces. http://lowdsuga.com/

Halsea Brings Coastal Chic to the Great Lakes - November 7-9, 2008

Halsea is taking a road trip!! Bringing Coastal Chic to the Great Lakes, Halsea designer Sally Bartz will be on hand at the Kingswood Glittorama Gift Show in Bloomfield Hills, MI November 7-9, 2008. Check out the flyer below or www.halsea.com for more details!!