Rosanna's Bi-Annual Warehouse Sale

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6th - 9am to 5pm

It's time once again for Rosanna's fabulous Bi-Annual Warehouse Sale. This year their are more exciting finds then ever, and we are looking forward to catching up with you all. We only open our door two days per year, so take full advantage and stock up.

440 South Holgate Street Seattle, WA 98134 (between 4th and 6th Ave)

*Bring Cash! Visa/MC for purchases over $50 only.

*Do not line up more then one hour prior to opening doors.

*Do not park at the Goodwill Outlet. There is on street parking and
parking across Holgate Street in the gravel lot. You will be able to
pull your car up to our door for loading only.

*No small children,

*All sales final. No refunds or exchanges.

GIVE BACK
We will be collecting canned food for Northwest Harvest. There are so
many families in need this year, please bring what you can.





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Forever Young: A Night in My Daughter's Dorm

As we Baby Boomers get on in years, a frantic scramble to stay young is underway. Plastic surgery, Botox, and Pilates? Forget it. Undergoing expensive cosmetic treatments and following severe health regimens is not the most effective way to get back a little of that radiant sparkle of youth. I say spend time with young people and rejuvenate your soul instead.

After a business trip in New York last weekend, I took the train to Providence, RI to visit my oldest daughter, Alessandra, a junior at Brown University. As those of you with college-age children know, part and parcel of visiting your child is feeding his or her friends at local restaurants normally out of their price range.

My daughter was directing a show, so by the time we were seated at 9:45, dinner had been transformed into drinks and light appetizers. The enthusiasm and vivacity of my daughter and her friends was a delightful breath of fresh air. Two bottles of wine later, we were all up on the dance floor. Sometimes, all it takes is a little time with a couple of twenty-somethings to help us recall the spontaneous joy of our younger days.

That night, I slept in Alessandra’s bed and she slept on the futon. I wouldn’t do it every visit, but staying in the dorm for one night was a kick. Most kids would probably be horrified at the idea of their mothers dancing with their friends and then staying in their apartment, but I’m lucky to have a daughter who has no qualms about inviting me along every now and again. She tells me this is because I’m laid back and silly around her friends, which makes them feel at ease. This leads me to believe that the generational divides between our children and us can be crossed, if only we keep ourselves loose and open.

Don’t miss out on spending time with these kids; this next generation is a wonderful one.






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Rosanna at Dwell

On Saturday Nov. 8th, from 11 am to 1 pm, I will be signing cake pedestals and plates at our Rosanna Destination store, Dwell. Dwell is located at 2716 N 21 St., Tacoma, WA. Tea and Cocoa will be served. It would be lovely to meet you!







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Celebrating Life

Last weekend was my brother-in-law’s 60^th birthday. To commemorate the accomplishment of six well-lived decades, he and my sister invited our entire extended family to a party at their home in the foothills of Mount Hood. In honor of his birthday, Angelo built an enormous teepee in the backyard, which served as the party venue for the evening.

We all sat around the bonfire, laughing, eating good food, and helping the little ones roast marshmallows. We sang snatches of folk songs written by well-loved musicians like Woodie Guthrie and Simon & Garfunkel. The party was by no means fancy or expensive, but with the bonfire, the stars, and my family all around, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time. Especially now, when the world is so uncertain, this gathering soothed my soul, and left me fulfilled and uplifted. I realized that for our collective wellbeing, good times during trying times are unbelievably important.

The guests at the party ranged from 2 to 85 years old, and gatherings like these provide wonderful opportunities to show our children the things that are truly important in life: our relationships to others. After this party, I learned anew the invaluable lesson of joining together during crisis, and finding happiness in sharing in old traditions made new.

To put it simply, a night like this comes down to two words: Celebrate life.

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Rosanna’s Second Annual Tablesetting Contest Results

I am thrilled. Contestants from all over the country sent in their beautifully creative tablesettings and told us their even more amazing stories. Judged on creativity, style and the story behind the design, the winning designs grabbed at the heartstrings and captured what the contest is all about: family, friends and the joy of living.

Our 2008 First Place winner received an award for “Creative Use of Rosanna in Bringing People Together” in our 2007 contest. This year, she pushed all the way to the top with her “Christmas in August” table setting. Congratulations Ashley Nichols-Lee of Medford, Oregon. You impressed all of us at Rosanna Inc with the way you mixed our vibrant Boho pattern, our Olive Green Napoleon Flatware and the 12 Days of Christmas appetizer plates. Such a surprising combination and a fabulous way of mixing your spring plates and everyday flatware with those special heirlooms reserved for the holidays. And using ornaments for place cards is a great, affordable idea with impact. A big A+ to you!

Second Place goes to Sheena Kelso, “The Invisible Hostess” of Seattle, Washington. Sheena’s “Glam Christmas” table setting was a sophisticated standout, inspired by our Haute Holiday collection and Black Dots plates. The dramatic red and black motif featured black stemware and red roses with mirrored trees.

We simply couldn’t stop there. We had to give out a few other awards to a handful of tables that simply could not go unrecognized.

Our “Portrait of Young Artist Award”* goes to 8 year-old Kendall Weldon of Medford, Oregon. This year she borrowed dishes from Grandma, with the hope of having her own for next year’s contest. Kendall described how fun it was to spend time with her mom participating in the contest. We loved her use of purple in her spooky autumn table. Kendall you’re a star, we’re so happy you participated. We were truly touched. *As you might recall, our Portrait of a Young Artist collection was designed by my 11 year-old daughter Francesca. We thought the award name would be perfect for this up-and-coming talent: Kendall.

“The Heart of Rosanna Award” honoree is Ann Milar of Sacramento, California. Ann’s table shows the sweet theme she created for her daughter’s 5^th birthday. Homemade cupcakes and chocolate-dipped strawberries were served on our Cupcake plates, and lemonade from the beautiful teapot Ann inherited from her great-aunt was poured into our Tea’s Me teacups. This table brings many of our philosophies to life: some of life’s sweetest moments are created at the table. And the sight of a group of youngsters celebrating around a lovingly prepared table with treasures from Ann’s great-aunt too shows us that these tablesettings are not about the “things” on the table, but how we use the “things” in our life to connect to others more deeply.

“Best Accessories” honors go to Julie Seever of Lincoln, Nebraska. Her “April in Paris with Rosanna” table inspired by our Fleur plates and dressed up with our Rococo Noir black cake pedestals has us saying, “ohh la la”. She mixed vintage pieces seamlessly with new finds to create an air of luxuriousness and the feeling of Paris in springtime.

The 2008 “Couture Table of the Year” goes to last year’s overall winner, Tresa Nichols of Medford, Oregon. (Yes, the Medford designers did well again this year.) Her table takes a trip around the world via our Bon Voyage plates, stopping in Paris, Venice, London and New York. Tresa was drawn to sketch-like images of her favorite cities and she accented them with our black Dinner Party dinner plates and Rococo Noir cake pedestals, mixed with fashion-forward pink and a pretty Parisian damask. Simply chic.

“Best European-Inspired Table Award” goes to Helen Casady of Seattle, Washington. We received a number of entries inspired by Europe (which is no surprise since so many inspirations for our collections come from Europe) but this award just had to go to Helen. In her letter she reminisced about her honeymoon visit to London which resulted in her tradition of “taking tea”. Years ago Helen’s sister-in-law gifted her Rosanna Red Dot plates, and over time she’s managed to collect all the pieces of the collection. Taking tea at this table always reminds her of her sister-in-law and the wonderful memories of her honeymoon.

Honorable Mentions go to the following talented women as well:

-Brooke Weldon of Medford, Oregon (Kendall’s mom). She used our Caffe Italia dessert plates and latte cups with a Rococo Noir cake pedestal and mixed them up with some of her other favorites for the ultimate spread for enjoying coffee and cake.



-Amanda Humann of Sammamish, Washington. Amanda immersed herself in setting this table as a cure for her writer’s block. The final design helped her write and illustrate a story she was working on about four witches. (You may notice there’s no flatware on the table. Why? Because witches use wands instead.) Oh, Amanda we absolutely loved it.

-Maree Sperle of Austin, Texas. Maree told us all about her love of everything 12 Days of Christmas. Her table brought together our 12 Days of Christmas appetizer and dinner plates with many of her other 12 Days collectables including napkin rings and pear placecard holders.



-Jamee Bryant of Indianapolis, Indiana. Her “Ready to Wear” table setting was a vibrant hot pink and apple green girl-fest complete with dress forms and handbag table décor, Gerber daisy napkin rings, shoe-shaped salt and pepper shakers and Rosanna plates with various dresses.

-Anu Kapur of New York, NY. Anu loves throwing coffee and tea parties for friends. She set her table with Rosanna Cupcake plates and Caffe Italia latte cups with a gorgeous silver teapot and matching sugar bowl.


-Lyn Ferriero of Reston, Virginia. This past Mother’s Day Lyn threw a poolside luncheon for her “mom” friends to celebrate their accomplishment: their children. Lyn created an absolutely stunning table using our Black Dot plates. She hand-painted a wine glass for each mom with black dots and a personalized pink monogram initial, and her floral arrangements featured pink Gerbers and roses with green hydrangeas.


I would have loved to give every entry an award. Women around the country put so much time and creativity into their incredible table settings. We hope everyone involved will join us again next year, as we dare you all to take on those fabulous Medford, Oregon ladies! Get your friends and families together, pool your dishes, inspire each other and practice all year long.

With my deepest gratitude for the inspiration you’ve shared,

www.rosannainc.com

Olympic Sentiments

The Olympics are always an exciting event to witness. As a testament to the jubilant attitude surrounding The Games, we received this message along with a photo of one of our factory suppliers who produce Rosanna in China:



Dear All,
The Olympic Games will be held in Beijing today, all Chinese people are excited.

In order to celebrate this important day, our whole department took photos together.

Here, I send you picture to share our joy with you!



I love this photo of everyone decked out in the Chinese colors of yellow and red. I think it says a great deal about our global community. It gives a human face and feel to a country which is so often misunderstood, and as a result, maligned. This photo sheds light on the people of China. Their pride at being part of the global community through their enthusiastic hosting of the 2008 Games (did anyone see that opening ceremony??) is so evident. It's a photo that goes a small ways towards showing that we are one world. It is exactly what The Games were created to do: break down barriers and bring us all closer together.








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Second Annual Table Setting Contest

Our Second Annual Table Setting Contest

Friends and customers often share stories with us about how they weave Rosanna collections into their lives. Inspired by what we’ve heard, we held our first Table Setting Contest last summer. The results? A bounty of creative tabletops that truly impressed us.

Last years 1st place winner was Tresa Nicols of Medford, OR

With such a tremendous response, we knew we needed to throw-out the challenge again! Show us what inspires you… how you like to entertain… and how you create an award-winning table setting. Be creative and mix-in those precious family heirlooms and personal treasures with our newest and most fashion-forward collections. Tell us how your family and friends enjoy your beautiful tablescapes. And show us what you have designed.

Last years 2nd place winner was Donna Green of Kingwood, TX.

Entering is simple and there’s no purchase necessary to win.

1. Design the most amazing table setting— only one entry per contestant please.

2. Photograph your design as best as possible, although you will not be judged on the photography. You are allowed up to three photos of your table setting.

3. No later than August 31st, 2008 send your photos along with a message about the inspiration for your design to:

contest@rosannainc.com or Attn: Contest 440 South Holgate Street Seattle, WA 98134

I will judge the contest personally and we will reward prizes including:

1st Place
A $300.00 gift certificate from Rosanna, Inc. and your table setting featured as the homepage on our website which is viewed by more than 11,000 people each month.


2nd Place
A $150.00 gift certificate from Rosanna, Inc. and your table setting featured on our blog.

There will be other undisclosed prizes and awards to be announced.

Each entry will be judged on creativity, use of inspiration and personal style. The winners will be announced on our blog by Friday, September 5th.

To view all of last years winners click on "contest" under labels.





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