Blogger's Auction for *Visual*Vamp*

Valorie Hart, of *Visual*Vamp* fame is one of the design blogosphere's most colorful members. Currently, she is in need of help and Laura Ingalls Gunn of the blog Decor to Adore came up with the idea of creating an auction where bloggers will auction off items of their choice and ship it to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go to Valorie and her husband Alberto, to help them raise money to take a medical flight back to New Orleans from Calgary, Canada. They were traveling to Calgary last weekend to give a Tango class when Alberto suffered a major heart attack just as they got off the plane. He's shown some improvement and has been cleared to travel back to the states, but only on a medical flight. And so, they are in need of financial help to make this happen as soon as possible. After all, when we're sick, we want to be in our own homes with our family and friends and doctors nearby.

All monies raised via auction or direct donation will be placed into a PayPal account set up for Valorie and Alberto:

boutique@planet-tango.com

My contribution to the auction is this vintage silver mini-Champagne bucket that I will fill with surprise treats for the winner. The bucket is approximately 9" to top of handle, 5" diameter.  Value of the silver champagne bucket is approximately $40.00, more with the surprise treats.

If you would like to bid on this sweet little champagne bucket (US & Canada residents only, please), please leave me a comment. I'd like to start the bidding at $20.00. Bidding ends Monday morning, November 8th, at 10:00am. Bid high! I love this bucket!

Edited to ad: As of Monday, Nov. 8th, Alberto was flown home on a medical flight and has had stent surgery and is doing well. But the flight cost Valorie & Alberto over $10,000 which is not covered by insurance or Medicare.  So, Decor to Adore has extended the auction another week and I agree. So,  please keep bidding if you're interested in this item - or one of the many other fantastic items on auction. If you're not in a position to offer an item or place a bid, simply spreading the word (Facebook, Twitter, blog post, emails) will be a huge help. Thank you!

Please leave your email address or link to your blog in the comments so I can reach the high bidder.


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New Jingles for the Holiday Season!

"It's gonna be a wild, wild Christmas when you're with me..." - HCo. Christmas 2010 playlist

The playlists for all our favorite Abercrombie & Fitch brands have now been updated with new music for the holiday season! They are full of jingle and Christmas lyrical fun to get you into that warm holiday feel while you shop for cozy hoodies and more. Gilly got ahead of the game with new tunes launched on Wednesday while the rest of the family tagged along on Thrusday in time for the opening of A&F Copenhagen. They are all awesome...let's gear up for a really incredible Christmas 2010, everyone!

Copenhagen Just Got Cooler!!!

Fans croud inside the all-new A&F Copenhagen flagship store upon opening doors.

Where in the world were you at today? If not in Copenhagen at 10:00am, than that is just too bad! You missed out on the grand opening of the all-new Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store in Denmark's awesome capital! As with every A&F flagship opening, there was a massive croud outside the doors. People began queing up three hours before hand at 7:00am. A&F felt really Christmasy, too, and gave out 150 dkk ($29 USD) gift cards to the first 200 people in line! It's not much, but it's a way better deal than just the mere posters that the firts 500 people recieved awaiting the opening of A&F Ginza in Tokyo last year. I figure they also felt it appropriate since the poor fans had to wait in the cold rain, as well. Really, it was a smart promotional move meant to get people storming in over for a rare chance at a discount from hat has become a luxury, high-priced brand overseas.

The new flagship store is located at Købmagergade 11 and offers up 16,000 square feet of Abercrombie & Fitch FIERCE shopping paradise. Built in 1910, the building meets the requirements of architectural integrity a structure must poses in order to be eligible as a location worthy of an A&F flagship. Abercrombie & Fitch announced the acquisition of the property (on 9 May 2008) and its plans to open A&F Copenhagen sometime in 2009. In the end, however, the date was pushed back to 2010, in favor of opening A&F Milan, instead. Købmagergade 11 is a building of neo-classical Danish architecture. Selldorf Architects oversaw the structural renovations and implemented the always mesmerizing interior of romantic dim-lighting, wooden shelves, and other aspirational A&F iconography associated with A&F flagships worldwide. There is, ofcourse, another marvelous mural inside, too, where you pose next to the hot A&F model! Unforgetable experience promised!

On its Facebook page, Abercrombie & Fitch has upload some pretty nice pictures of the promotional event that was held days before the opening as well as pictures of the big day! Check it out by clicking on the links below:
•Copenhagen Countdown! http://www.facebook.com/abercrombie?v=app_172004702810592#!/album.php?aid=249290&id=25601085377
•A&F Copenhagen: Now Open http://www.facebook.com/abercrombie?v=app_172004702810592#!/album.php?aid=249512&id=25601085377

A&F International Gets Interactive!

Check out the new A&F International content on A&F's Facebook page!

To mark the opening of A&F Copenhagen, Abercrombie & Fitch has revamped the A&F International tab on its Facebook page. A&F International now features interactive media that provides cool info on what's going on with A&F around the world! Right now, you get to vote on where A&F should open up another location (Dusseldorf, Rome, Brussels, or Hong Kong). I voted for Hong Kong, BTW, since a location in China is long overdue! Also, A&F International provides news feed which so far has been posting on the Copenhagen opening day. A&F International now also includes a map to show you where Abercrombie & Fitch will been opening around the world, as well. Enjoy!

Prepping Up London for Upcoming GH Store!

The GH team pose for a picture in front of the upcoming Gilly Hicks store facade in White City mall.

Gilly Girls & Guys hit the streets of London to promote the opening of Gilly Hicks' first ever overseas location. It will be located in the White City mall where the crew posed and handed out promotional material in front of the GH facade. The GH team of hotties also made a stop by the A&F flagship on Savile Row where a line of people (awating to enter the coolest shop in London) is a now familiar sight. Pictures of the promotional event are up on Gilly Hicks' official Facebook page, and you should totally check it out if you haven't done so already - don't forget to spread the word to your friends about Gilly Hicks, the cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch!

Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=558281&id=269973415284

In Gratitude: Lessons of our Fathers

 Chateau de Chenonceau (2001)

November is Gratitude month  and here in the States, we celebrate Thanksgiving as well.  I am planning on offering up a daily expression of gratitude in some manner as an exercise in reminding myself how much I have to be grateful for. I won't be doing a daily blog post -my expression might come in the form of a Tweet or a Facebook comment. Or something more personal.

So today, I'd like to start by saying thank you to some pretty great Dad's whose daughters miss them terribly. To Meg's Dad who taught his children to look up; and to Megan's Dad, who passed away just this week, who taught his children about passion - passion for design and passion for family; and to my Dad, who taught his children to do the job right and to always be grateful.

Cheers to the Dad's.


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There's always "Room to Dream" for kids in need

The mission of the Room to Dream Foundation is to create healing environments in hospitals, communities, and homes for children and adolescents who are facing chronic illnesses. As they recuperate and recover, the hope is that their renovated spaces will improve their quality of life, promote strength, imagination, self-worth, and aid in their recovery processes.

The Room to Dream Foundation focuses its services on children and families living in low- and moderate-income urban and suburban areas. In order to complete each renovation, the Foundation purchases all of the furnishings and supplies. Every purchase is tailored to the specific needs of a child or family. Through a caring staff of professional and amateur artists, interior decorators, and volunteers, Room to Dream creates living spaces that give children and adolescents room to dream of a healthier future.

A little about the work Room to Dream does:

There are still a few tickets left - I hope to see you there!  Purchase Tickets Here. 


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