Monday, October 31, 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Vonny Casserole Carriers In All You Magazine's Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are coming when you start to see the holdiday gift guides in the magazines!  All You Magazine just came out with their gift guide, which features Vonny's Casserole Carrier!


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

20TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT PLAYHOUSE® AWARD WIINERS ANNOUNCED

Irvine, CA -- Project Playhouse®, the signature annual fundraiser benefitting HomeAid OC, a nonprofit organization benefiting homeless families in Southern California, has announced this year’s award winning playhouses for 2011.  The 20th Anniversary fantasy playhouses are currently on display at the Edwards Court at Irvine Spectrum Center® through November 11. Project Playhouse Village is open Fridays 12-4, Saturday and Sunday 12-6. Tickets for these dates are $2, children 3 and under are free. www.projectplayhouse.org.

Little Diamond Head by Nicholson Companies -WINNER, GRAND AWARD – BEST IN SHOW. BEST INTERIOR DESIGN AND THE KERMIT DORIUS AWARD – BEST ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Sir Lyon’s Castle by William Lyon Homes – WINNER, THE IMAGINATION AWARD


Tradepartners® Tribute in honor of Chuck Dreyer by Shea Homes – WINNER, GRAND AWARD RUNNER UP AND BEST CRAFTSMAN AWARD


Over the Rainbow Cottage by Team HomeAid – WINNER, BEST LANDSCAPE DESIGN


For a chance to take a playhouse home, tickets for the 20th Anniversary Celebration, held on November 11 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club, are $275 per person and can be purchased online at projectplayhouse.org. Guests will enjoy the spirited live auction, fine dining, and silent auction as well as a performance by Super Diamond, the ever-popular Neil Diamond cover band. The evening will also be a tribute to General William Lyon for his 20 years of dedication to HomeAid.

Pre-bidding for the playhouses will be hosted at www.FRE.com/HomeAid  beginning on October 7 at 5 pm through November 11 at 12 noon. Pictures and complete descriptions of each of the award winning entries are also available on the website.

Visitors to the Project Playhouse village throughout the month of October will also have a chance to purchase tickets for an opportunity drawing to win HomeAid’s Extreme Kitchen Makeover. The opportunity drawing package, valued at $33,000, includes KitchenAid Stainless Steel Appliances donated by Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery, Custom Cabinetry by Hartmark Cabinet Design and Manufacturing and Countertops by Famosa Tile and installation by Epic Stone. Tickets to enter the opportunity drawing can be purchased for $5 each. The winner will be announced at the 20th Anniversary Project Playhouse Celebration. Entrants do not need to be present to win.

Since its debut nearly two decades ago, Project Playhouse has captivated millions of visitors, raised a total of $5.8 million and enlisted more than 10,000 volunteers. The result — 47 housing developments and 1,000 beds, providing 4.2 million bed nights over the last 22 years and 386,535 bed nights in 2010 serving victims of domestic violence, abused children and homeless families.

ABOUT HOMEAID OC
HomeAid Orange County is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by the Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, with a mission to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless men, women and children can rebuild their lives.

Since 1989, HomeAid OC has raised millions of dollars and created partnerships between residential builders and county service providers to achieve a common goal. The total project value of HomeAid OC is an estimated $57,643,176 and three new developments are currently in progress with an estimated value of $9,020,260. The mission continues and HomeAid remains committed to changing lives and inspiring hope in those who need it most. For more information, please visit http://www.homeaidoc.org/.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Vonny Casserole Carrier Giving Back to Feeding America

Los Angeles, CA – Vonny, a tote and accessories designer that mixes Southern hospitality with LA style, is proud to announce its campaign to give 5% of its sales of the popular Casserole Carrier on http://www.vonny.com/  from Nov. 1, 2011 through Feb. 28. 2012 to Feeding America, whose mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. http://www.feedingamerica.org/


Vonny has found success with its line of “fashion for your food” totes by combining style and function when it comes to carrying favorite dishes to family parties, tailgate gatherings and holiday get-togethers. “As family and friends take their favorite dishes to holiday and New Years parties or as they celebrate Valentine’s Day,” says designer Vonny Faucheux. “it is important for us as a company to remember those who need the comfort of a good meal and food on the table. That is why we wanted to give back to Feeding America.”

The Vonny Casserole Carrier has been one of the company’s most popular products, thanks to features in the media such, as the Today Show and Live With Regis and Kelly. Vonny just expanded the line to carry six prints in the casserole carrier including, Magnolia, bright yellow flowers on a pink background; St. Charles, yellow, pink and green stripes; Mardi Gras, colorful dots; Black and White Bohemian, a graphic black and white floral pattern; Carnival (retro red and white sunbursts); and Orange Daiquiri, a colorful striped pattern.

More about the Vonny Casserole Carrier:
Available for $48, the casserole carrier is the perfect way to tote your favorite dish to gatherings, family and tailgate parties and potluck dinners with friends. Completely insulated to maintain food’s temperature whether hot or cold, the vonny Casserole Carrier is made with a laminated printed canvas exterior for easy maintenance and a bright colored interior designed to fit a standard 9x13 dish generously. It also features an exterior pocket large enough to hold your serving utensils, an interior pocket for hot/cold packs and a convenient Velcro handle. Available at http://www.vonny.com/

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Orange County Register Writes About Project Playhouse

Roxanne Hack of the Orange County Register just wrote about this year's Project Playhouse at The Irvine Spectrum.  So this weekend I took one of my kids to check out the finished project since the last time we posted a story, it was on installation day

The home builders behind each playhouse are so creative and the finished product is inspiring. Below are some of our shots of the playhouses: Little Diamond Head by Nicholson Companies, TradePartners Tribute in honor of Chuck Dreyer by Shea Homes, Over the Rainbow Cottage by Team HomeAid and Sir Lyon's Castle. 

Sir Lyon's Castle:







Little Diamond Head:





Trade Partner's Tribute:






Over The Rainbow (sorry that I don't have any interior shots - they all turned out blurry for some reason!):





Friday, October 21, 2011

NINE ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN CREATE A HOT SPOT TO SHOP WHILE BUILDING BRANDS

What happens when nine women pool their resources and creative genius? One hot spot to shop for gifts, fashion, décor, beauty and accessories.


Nine women, most of whom were friends already, joined together one year ago to create their own shopping center by rehabing a building that had been sitting vacant for nearly five years and turned it into one of Orange County’s hottest shopping spots (as named by local lifestyle guide

Orange Coast Magazine). The Cove, a hip and newly re-purposed shopping destination on Newport Beach’s Mariner’s Mile, is home to local designers and lifestyle and retail brands focused on women, children, home décor, jewelry, beauty and fashion, including: Blend, Clarity RX Skin Wellness Boutique, Laura Matthews Designs, Little Relics, Little Stylings, MerMade Designs, Posey Couture, Studio Fringe, and The Hat Loft.

For jewelry and accessories designers like Laura Matthews, Caitlin Whelan (she’s only 20 years old!), and Paige Van Rensselaer-Kunkle is was a chance to have a shop to showcase their creations. For others like Beth Zehnder and Amy Rosten, opening a shop at The Cove fulfilled a lifetime dream of owning their own retail store. For Karla Keane, Merideth Fleener and Pam Terry, they already had established, successful businesses for years but wanted a headquarters and storefront that could be open to the public.

There is something for everyone at The Cove from fashionistas and beauty product addicts to gals-on-the-go, aspiring interior designers and the stylish, eco-responsible kid.

 
Blend (Beth Zehnder) – Contemporary women’s clothing with a focus on easy to wear weekday to weekend clothes for the gal on the go. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blend/160278977347077  


Clarity RX Skin Wellness Boutique (Karla Keene) - Skin wellness boutique featuring the owner’s unique, patented line of high quality cosmeceuticals, which have been formulated for results-driven benefits to the skin, resulting in a smooth, youthful, supple, toned and radiant appearance. http://www.clarityrxskinwellnessboutique.com/

Laura Matthews Designs (Laura Matthews) – Original, handmade jewelry with a funky edge, designer handbags, belts and accessories. http://www.facebook.com/pages/laura-matthews-designs/117112398324097

Little Relics (Caitlin and Donna Whelan) - Antique Jewelry and Found Objects; based jewelry line Of recycled repurposed antique pieces. http://www.littlerelicsjewelrystudio.bigcartel.com/

Little Stylings (Melinda Hovee-Harlan). Newborn - 16 years plus maternity, Little Stylings is a high end children’s consignment for moms to be economical, fashionable, and live a little lighter on the planet. http://www.facebook.com/pages/LITTLE-STYLINGS/186104404941

MerMade Designs (Merideth Fleener) – Sea inspired home décor and gifts - Coral, seashells, handmade treasures. http://mermadedesigns.com/merdesigns/index.asp

Posey Couture (Paige Van Rensselaer-Kunkle) – Pearls, Vintage & "Haute" Costume Jewelry, Sugar Factory Couture Lollipops, and all things bling. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Posey-Couture/110345382327146

Studio Fringe (Pam Terry) – A full service interior design studio, unique linen pillow collection, home furnishings, fine art and textiles. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-fringe/158949867496990

The Hat Loft (Amy Rosten) – Designer hats, caps and fine millinery. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hat-Loft/102818689797486


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Project Playhouse Installs The Playhouse Village & Gets Ready For The Open House on October 8

After working all night to install the Project Playhouse Village...

Good Day LA arrived as the sun was coming up.
Then truck loads of flowers, plants and trees came to transform the playhouses.  And as we speak, the details are being installed and finished. I can't wait for the final reveal but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak!