Joyeux News

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Thank you for your love and support,

Pink Ribbon Month

We all know by now that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Here are a few places that donate a part of their sales to the cause.
has pink ribbon products on their site.

gives to the Breast Cancer Reserarch Foundation with the purchase of items to the Bonnie Marcus collection. A couple of examples.

donates 5% of their sales to the Making Memories Foundation. I wrote about them here.
Origins will donate $35,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation from sales of Peace of Mind® On-the-spot relief sold in North America. This very important contribution supports the research dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime.

Clinique offers this limited-edition Dramatically Different™ Moisturizing Lotion complete with three decorative charms: a silver Clinique “C”, a miniature 3-Step Skin Care and a Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon. $10.00 from your purchase helps support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s quest to find a cure.

There are many more places that have special offers this month. I will feature some of them during October.

Autumn Inspiration

I am from Southern California and here we don't really see the changing of the seasons. September is still hot and sometimes it's hot even into October. Our trees don't change colors and we have to drive for awhile before we can see a farm or pick apples. However, I love the colors and texture of the season. I am also a October baby so I have always been fascinated by Autumn. So this is a little sampling of the feeling of fall even if it doesn't seem like fall where you live and you have to manufacture it.

• A Red Barn all fitted out for a party. {Brides}
• A Leaf Invitation. {Fine Stationary}
• A Leaf Ring Pillow. {Martha Stewart}
• Pumpkin Display. {Hello Lucky Blog}
• Wood Veneer Place Cards. {Martha Stewart}
• Apple Cider. {Brides}
• Fall Cake. {Pink Cake Box}
• Carmel Apples. {Brides}
• Maple Leaf Bout. {In Style Weddings}
• Dahlia Bouquet. {Brides}
• Bridesmaid Dress. {Eden Bridal}

Enjoy,

Beverage Monday. Torani Syrups

Torani has many flavors of non alcoholic syrups. You can use them in a variety of ways, even to flavor foods while cooking. They are what most coffee shops use to flavor their drinks. They also come in sugar-free flavors. Check out their website to see all their flavors.

Italian Soda{mocktail}
2 Tbsp. any flavor Torani Syrup
Soda Water
Combine the ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice.

Comangua Cooler {mocktail}
2 Tbsp. Torani Guava syrup
1/2 cup coconut juice
1/2 cup mango nectar
1/4 cup sparkling water or club soda
Combine all ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice and stir well.

The Wave{mocktail}
3 Tbsp. Torani Watermelon syrup
1 Tbsp. Torani passion Fruit syrup
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sparkling water or club soda
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker glass filled with ice, shake well and pour into a cocktail glass.

Torani Peach Navel{mocktail}
2 tbsp. Torani Peach syrup
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sparkling water or club soda
Combine all ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice and stir gently.

Pomegranate Torantini{cocktail}
1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. Torani Pomegranate syrup
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Torani Havana Night{cocktail}
2 Tbsp. Torani Sugar Free Coconut syrup
1 1/2 Tbsp. Torani Sugar Free Coffee syrup
2 Tbsp. dark rum
6 Tbsp. cream
lime wedge for garnish, if desired
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled and blended. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Cheers,

75th Post

photo courtesy of Bill Ely.

This is my diamond post. 75 is usually represented by Diamonds. So let's talk about them!

The Four C's

CARAT is the diamond weight.

• Carat is a measure of weight not of size.
• One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams.
• One carat can also be divided into 100 “points.” A .75 carat diamond is the same as a 3/4 carat diamond.
• Cut and mounting can make a diamond appear larger or even smaller than its actual weight.

CLARITY How many flaws {inclusions} does the diamond have?

• Naturally-occurring features {inclusion} provide a special fingerprint within the stone.
• Inclusions may look like tiny crystals, clouds or feathers.
• The position of inclusions can affect the value of a diamond.
• Inclusions are ranked on a scale of perfection, known as clarity.
• Some inclusions can be hidden by a mounting, thus having little effect on the beauty of a diamond. An inclusion in the middle or top of a diamond could impact the dispersion of light, sometimes making the diamond less brilliant.
• The greater a diamond's clarity, the more brilliant, valuable and rare it is.

COLOR How colorless is the diamond?

• Diamonds are found in almost every color of the rainbow, but white-colored diamonds remain most popular.
• Truly colorless stones are treasured for their rarity.
• Diamonds also naturally come in intense shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink or red.
• These diamonds are called ‘colored fancies’ and are extremely rare and highly treasured.

CUT is the shape the diamond is cut into.

• Nature determines so much about a diamond, but it takes a master cutter to reveal the stone’s true brilliance, fire and ultimate beauty.
• Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance and it loses its value.
• Cut also refers to shape—round, square, pear, or heart for example.
• A round diamond is symmetrical and capable of reflecting nearly all the light that enters. It is the most brilliant.
• Non-round shapes, are called fancy cuts.

Diamond Facts

• Diamonds were formed long before the dinosaurs were here. The youngest diamond is about 900 million years old. The oldest was formed over 3 billion years ago.
• Diamonds are like snowflakes, no two are alike.
• The rarest diamond color is red.
• The first diamonds came from India over 2800 years ago.
• Each stone usually loses about half of its weight during the cutting and polishing phase.
• Less than 5% of all the diamonds made into jewelry are larger than one carat.

Happy Reading,

The Four C'S and Diamond facts taken in part from A Diamond Is Forever.

Let's JAM

I just went to an industry event called the LA JAM. Here are a few photos of that event. It was held at the Pasadena Convention Center which is in the middle of a renovation. It will be completed in the Spring of 2009.

This is the outdoor lounge and liquid dance floor that greeted you as you entered.

The lounges were furnished by FormDecor. The florals by SPASE Las Vegas.

This food display is by the Pasadena Convention Center catering company Boston Culinary Group.

She is from Champagne Showgirls. Kinda of a cool concept. She had a few different appetizers on her 'table'. They have different costumes for differnt occasions.

This would be a fun Save the Date.

They take two photos of you and then put them together. It was kinda hard for me to take a photo of the two different poses! by Get Flipped.

A lot of photo booth companies are now making scrapbooks/memory books of your guests photos and their well wishes. Some even do them at the event. These are from Four Quick Clicks.

I wrote about Images on Chocolate in June but I didn't have an image of me. So here is my image and my son enjoying eating his mommy's face a little too much!

Happy Reading,

Favors for Charity

fa·vor /fey-ver/1. a small gift, decorative or festive item, often distributed to guests at a party. 2. a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love, etc.

In this age being socially responsible there are several different ways you can favor your guests for coming to your wedding and also help out those in need.
is a company that lets you give to the charity of your choice. They have a list of some of the most common divided by type. You place cards on the tables to let your guests know that you gave a donation to a specific charity in lieu of giving a traditional favor.
is another company that contributes to a favorite charity, but in this case you give your guests a chocolate truffle, boxed and wrapped in a ribbon color of your choice, with a card explaining your contribution. They give a portion of the cost of the truffle to your charity.

The American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association let you make contributions directly to them and they give you scrolls or table cards for your guests. You can also make a donation to the ASPCA.

Happy Reading,