Celebrity Inspires Charity

I was saddened this morning when I heard the Farrah Fawcett had passed away after a very challenging and public battle with cancer. She really fought to the end and her beauty both inside and out will be remembered by many.

As such I am dedicating this months profits (July 2009) from our Read, Recycle and Give program to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

READ, RECYCLE, GIVE

WHAT KIND OF BOOKS

1. We need books in good quality so that they will get bought. Any books that are damaged will not be sold on the site but will be donated to foster homes, children’s homes and homeless shelters.

The golden rule is: If you wouldn’t want them on your living room shelves, very likely nobody else will either so please help us by sending books that you would buy.

2. Cute-ture focuses on children’s lines, so the books should be for children (from 0 up to 12 years old)

3. Send the books!

Simply mail the books to:

PO Box 575
Beverly Hills, CA, 90213

Each month, we will do a random draw from those who have donated that month, and you could win a wonderful item from Cute-ture's site.

4. Check out our recycled book list regularly as each purchase will go 100% to charity!! Voila – you have helped us full cycle. This is the link - but as you will see - there is no books yet (since this is the first week) so please bookmark it and keep coming back. Read, Recycle, Give.

Weekly Give-away

Today we are giving away ONE fantastic toiletry bag from a New York Designer. All you have to do to for an entry and chance to win, is either of the following (or do both if you want to double your chances)

1. Get two friends to become FANS of Cute-ture on our Facebook and email me the names of those two friends so I can confirm they did. What's in it for them (other than all the lastest news on the cutest things ever) is that they also automatically entered.

2. OR – leave a comment on our blog about what has inspired you this week (friends, pets, shopping etc) and/or made you smile. Don't worry - your email address will not appear on the blog.

Its that simple!!

Read, Recycle, Give

I have been in super drive lately and woke up one morning with an idea for how Cute-ture can do two very important things:

1. Provide more $$$ to charities
2. Get kids reading

And I also thought that my friends – those of you out there who are family, Cute-ture shoppers or just really good people – could help!

As of TODAY I am launching Cute-ture’s Read, Recycle and Give program.

You can donate your children’s books that are in good condition to Cute-ture and we will resell them. The entire profit of each book sale will go to the charity we are supporting that month (see below some of the charities we support).

WHAT KIND OF BOOKS

1. We need books in good quality so that they will get bought. Any books that are damaged will not be sold on the site but will be donated to foster homes, children’s homes and homeless shelters.

The golden rule is: If you wouldn’t want them on your living room shelves, very likely nobody else will either so please help us by sending books that you would buy.

2. Cute-ture focuses on children’s lines, so the books should be for children (from 0 up to 12 years old)


3. Send the books!

Simply mail the books to:

PO Box 575
Beverly Hills, CA, 90213

Each month, we will do a random draw from those who have donated that month, and you could win a wonderful item from Cute-ture's site.

4. Check out our recycled book list regularly as each purchase will go 100% to charity!! Voila – you have helped us full cycle. This is the link - but as you will see - there is no books yet (since this is day one) so please bookmark it and keep coming back. Read, Recycle, Give

The charities we support include the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Global Green USA (and many more)

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation seeks to prevent pediatric HIV infection and to eradicate pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs.

Global Green is working to address some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. In the United States our work is primarily focused on stemming global climate change by creating green buildings and cities.

Internationally, Global Green and its affiliates are working toward:

* Eliminating weapons of mass destruction that threaten lives and the environment
* Providing clean, safe drinking water for the 2.4 billion people who lack access to clean water

Relaxing At Home

After the most gorgeous sunny weekend relaxing at home and lounging around on Sunday in our backyard with my girlfriends, I feel inspired by all things home!!

We started the day with pancakes and fruit on our homemade (by the fabulous husband) kitchen table and then ventured outside for some luxurious time in the sun on the sun lounges.

Two weeks ago, Joey with my father Stan and also Joey's brother in law Jeff, built a deck of the back of our house and set up the BBQ surrounded by stunning iceberg roses. This made for perfect weekend time.

At lunch, Joey got the BBQ going and we set up the outdoor table with a vintage chintz cloth and loaded up our wooden trays with condiments and cutlery and had a wonderful meal.

It was my first true Sunday in some time - outside, relaxing with friends enjoying the work we have put into the house and using the preloved vintage homewares I have collected over time.

It reminded me to share our new books that I have bought for our online store - books that are inspired by simple chic, vintage style and old fashioned homemade meals.

A selection are below.

The Relaxed Home



Atlanta Bartlett shows you how to create a relaxed ambience in every room in your home. Relaxed Simplicity is a softened, pared-down look; Relaxed Romantic gives pretty floral fabrics a fresh new feel.

Junk Style



Melanie Molesworth shows you howto create an individual look in your home by using discarded objects. Pieces are chosen for their intrinsic beauty, whether derived from quality of workmanship, quirky styling, or the colors and textures created by the patina of age.

The look is neither too coordinated nor too precious: things can be mismatched, patched, or frayed.

Vegetarian Food For Friends



Jane Noraika offers delicious vegetarian dishes for your friends and family. Fingerfood includes Wild Mushroom and Almond Moneybags and Tandoori Tofu, while Little Meals and Tapas could be Sesame Sweet Potato Wedges. The Barbecue needn't be meaty; try Eggplant and Smoked Cheese Rolls. There are chapters on Buffets and Casual Lunches; for Formal Dinners, try a show-stopper like Moroccan Tagine with Couscous Fritters and Harissa. Finally, for Family Sunday Lunch you'll have to make double servings of Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Layers, or a delicious Red Onion and Taleggio Tart.

Someday

This morning I picked up one of our new books that has come in and glanced through it. It is a beautifully illustrated hardcover storybook for children and I found that half way through it that I just needed to share it. So I called Joey in and made him (my husband) settle in so I could read him the story.

The book was written by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Peter Reynolds and is a touching journey of a mothers dream for her child. It starts with her simply talking to her baby and then envisioning and sharing her someday dreams for her child.

Quite literally, this simple story has such powerful ode to the potential of love and life that I started to choke up on the last page and then looked up to find my husband teary as well.

I just wished I had ordered more for our store as I think I will be giving a lot of these away to the people I love! Absolutely the most beautiful and moving children’s book I have read this year.