Cultural festivals are great for trying something out of the ordinary. Food, music, entertainment, shopping, and activities fill these days up. You will feel like you’re traveling abroad!
French Fusion
July 17-18: Santa Barbara French Festival attracts over 20,000 Francophiles for two days of French food, music, dance, libations and more at Oak Park with free admission and parking.
Mediterranean Medley
July 31-August 1: The Greek Festival dishes out the sights, sounds, aromas and flavors of Greece. Greek pastries too, my favorite! The raffle is a free trip to Greece, so don’t miss it.
Spanish Celebration
August 4-8: A community tradition since 1924, Old Spanish Days Fiesta is a lively and colorful five-day, city-wide celebration featuring food, drink, music, dance, rodeo and more. Also featuring Mexican-American food, which means sangria AND margaritas!
Dance with the Danish
September 17-19: Solvang celebrates its 74th annual Danish Days with plentiful folk dancing, entertainment, shopping, traditional foods and more Scandinavian flavored fun. Try entering the Aebleskiver Eating Contest!
Mykonos is where spend your days feeling chic and glamorous. Known as one of the poshest destinations in the Greek Islands, luxury travel finds its home here among the white-washed houses and Aegean Sea.
The Belvedere Hotel has rejoined the glamour circuit after 3 years of redesigning their luxury facilities with a new Martini Bar, lobby, private VIP residents’ lounge and new rooms.
Last year, I stayed right next door in a budget pension when this hotel was under construction. I know from experience how amazing this location is for convenience, extraordinary views, and one of the most relaxing holidays possible.
I’ll be speaking at THE 1ST ANNUAL PR SUMMIT BOOT CAMP PRESENTED BY BURRELLES LUCE.
Conference Highlights:
• PR Summit Boot Camp Conference explores the following concepts: ‘How to build community’, ‘Making users into fans’, ‘Guerilla PR 101’, ‘Digital Advocacy & Community Relations’ and ‘Cultivating Evangelists’.
On Thursday, July 22, The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one-day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media and those starting to utilize different media to reach their target audience.
While today’s media landscape is littered with mixed messages and failed PR coups. This conference will provide attendee’s with an opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and the conversation of media experts, who span a wide-variety of vertical markets and industries.
The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals, who work with a variety of both vertical and horizontal markets, will provide attendees with the latest case-studies, insights, tools, fresh ideas and best practices that can be applied to a person’s skill set.
A highlight of the conference will be a keynote address given by Akilah Bolden-Monifa, who is the Director of Communications for CBS 5 I The CW 44cable12 and CBS RADIO. She will discuss the topic of “Combining Generation 1.0 media with 2.0 plus media to get the word out.” Additionally, Dan Martell, Co-Founder of Flowtown will give a talk focused on “Social Media Part II: Monetizing Popularity on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
For more information about participating speakers & panelists and to complete your online registration, please visit www.prsummit.org.
For those Diva’s that don’t have the freedom to travel, throwing a grown up pool party at home is the perfect summer activity. No one knows more about hosting a pool side get together than the pool butlers at the famous Los Cabos resort, Las Ventanas Al Paraiso. With these tips from the pool side experts, you too can create a sensational poolside scene:
Soak and chill face towels with a drop of aromatic oil and offer them to guests to cool off
Set up a rolling care with sunblock, suntan oils and the latest issues of popular magazines
Serve refreshing goodies hourly like tasty drinks and popsicles
Form a stack of fluffy beach towels within reach of the pool and fill a basket with colorful flip flops that guests can use and take home
Fill a basket with cleaning supplies for sun glasses and have someone clean your guests glasses
Place ice buckets between lounge chairs and fill them with water misters to cool guests off
In addition to these helpful hints, you can hire a butler of your own to provide services that will take your party to the next level. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, scurry down to Los Cabos and let the professionals treat you to an amazing pool side experience.
Make 2010 the year you visit the breathtaking Irish countryside. Grab you bags and fly over the pond to a country full of history, elegance and endless travel opportunities. This summer, Ireland has activities and events that will let every traveler experience the true essence of Ireland. Book your trip now and go where Ireland takes you.
Take the Scots-Irish Tour: Enjoy an amazing 13-day Scots-Irish adventure starting at $1,699 per person, which will take you from sweeping seascape to verdant countryside to the teeming cities of Londonderry and Belfast.
Enjoy a Munster Game: Get ready for the fastest game on grass when the Munster GAA Senior Hurling Championships takes place. One of Ireland’s native Gaelic games, hurling, is a team sport full of the passion and pageantry of all Ireland. Get tickets now!
Enjoy Londonderry to your Art’s Content: Come see why Londonderry is a candidate for the UK City of Culture 2013. Walk the historic walls, pass the People’s Gallery featuring dramatic murals and enjoy the architectural splendor that surround you on the River Foyle.
Listen to the Beat of Belfast: Enjoy a symphony of Belfast music on the new Belfast Music iPhone App, available now. With one touch, you’ll be able to stay in tune with contemporary bands, explore neighborhood gigs, and catch up on musical legends born and bred in Belfast.
Cork Week (July 10-16): This is a regatta like no other as more than 500 boats hit the harbor for a week of racing and revelry.
Galway Arts Festival (July 12-25): Music, dance and theater converge triumphantly at the Galway Arts Festival, featuring Josh Ritter and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
Belfast Taste & Music Fest(August 4-8) : The eat goes on as the Belfast Taste and Music Fest heats up the beautiful Botanic Gardens. On the menu, great dishes from top chefs set to live music.
Kilkenny Arts Festival (August 6-15): This eclectic festival has it all—world-class visual arts, theatre, dance, jazz, music, literature, film, architecture and more.
This amazing country is the perfect getaway for explorers of every age. For more information on vacations to Ireland, visit the Tourism Ireland web site.
Looking for a new way to explore a country? Try a photography adventure! Improve your photography (no matter what level) and explore un-touristed lands.
An ideal holiday for women who love to explore distant countries on horseback and whose passion for horses puts them behind the lens. Astrid Harrisson is the photographic muse on this trip. Divas can see her inspirational horse photographs on our Creative Adventures website or on her personal website.
Located at Estancia Los Potreros, an exclusive riding destination which was recently listed in ‘The World’s Best Riding‘by UK based Real Travel Magazine. This estancia is ideal for it’s sweeping landscapes, wonderful horseback riding and old fashioned hospitality: this is truly an opportunity to escape!
Both trip leaders, Astrid Harrisson and Kirsty Noble, have done lots of solo traveling and very much encourage adventurous Divas to join them in Argentina.
When: November 8 – 13
Priced at GBP £1,650 (about USD $2,492) and includes the following:
All newspaper writers have heard that the stuff they compose today has an excellent chance of being used to wrap tomorrow’s mackerel. ~Ira Berkow
These days, newspapers should be so lucky!
The state of journalism and in particular, newspapers, is tenuous. With everyone now having a “voice” online – be it blogging, tweeting, you tube, etc. — traditional news channels and the journalists they employ are scrambling to find their footing and a new niche. Newspapers – news actually in printed form on that antiquated standby called paper – have been folding across the nation. The remaining are making the transition to online in an attempt to recapture relevancy and more importantly for survival… an audience.
I am a holdout for the newspaper in its traditional medium. Sundays are relished for the morning ritual: 8 a.m. retrieval from my front door the thick and rubber band-bound New York Times. With a steaming cup of coffee I spend the next several hours prioritizing sections and working my way through the news of the week, the personal profiles, the lifestyle features and inserts. Sitting at the computer scrolling through pages just doesn’t have the same effect. I’ve tried.
Apparently I am not alone in my passion for newsprint. Newspaper dresses were a trend in the 1960s. Since then, I’ve stumbled upon many creative results of repurposing discarded newsprint. From my beloved boots purchased in Paris to a host of fashionable accessories and clothing items, there is a collective ode to newspapers.
Reproducing the print on fabric has met with great success. John Galliano’s collection, launched in 2000 (and worn by SJP on Sex and the City), was inspired by people living on the street and is a theme he has reintroduced through several line extensions (including underwear).
Newsprint by very nature is graphic, often meaningful (depending on content, origin or time period) and surprisingly wearable. Not to mention, in-step with the green movement.
Imagine my delight when I discovered last weekend the LA based Dahli Coles, an artisan who has taken these very pages from newspapers and created an extensive line of accessories. Called “THE NEWS,” the line started six years ago as a school project. Made from recycled newspapers, the material is treated with a water resistant finish and sewn into one-of-a-kind handbags, wallets, pouches and more. The collection numbers about 40 different styles with prices from $18 to $220.00. The hot item of the moment: the clutch.
The next evolution for The News will be to go global with international papers.
Custom items – think local papers or newspapers saved from travels, historical moments, vintage magazines, company publicity, press materials, wedding announcements — are available with turnaround typically 4-6 weeks.
The traditional newspaper may go the way of cassette players, rotary dial phones and typewriters, but this is one obsolescent item you can wear evermore.
About the author: As seen on ABC and in Marie Claire, Lucky and numerous other media outlets, Kate Horan has established herself as a resource for Italian travel and fashion. Following a successful run in public relations, she launched her artisan accessories business, Sorelle Bionde, with an eye toward Italy. Since then, she has immersed herself in the pursuit of uncovering new talent and unique expressions of style to ensure her clients have the most interesting and unique accessories available. Find Kate on twitter @sorellebionde and at her website: www.sorellebionde.com
Explore the epic wonder of the Panama Canal by sailing with Holland America Line cruises. Take advantage of the best fares of the season to see one of the world’s must-see marvels. Glide through magnificent Gatlin Locks, rise 85 feet to Gatlin Lake – and much more. From eco-rich Costa Rica to the sunny Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, experience a rare blend of culture, history and natural beauty.
This fantastic 16 day cruise departs from convenient San Francisco and ends in Fort Laudrdale, Florida, docking along the way in several popular Mexican destinations, including Puerto Vallarta and Huatulco, Mexico. Guests set sail on September 28, 2010 and dock on October 14, 2010 and only pay $1599 for the whole trip!
Dreaming of the Bahamas? Craving the French Riviera but landlocked in the U.S.? Try New Orleans! European traditions blend with Caribbean influences in this lively city.
Before July 15, if you book a Southwest Airlines flight and hotel package of four or more nights, you receive TWO nights free. These summer deals have been coming in quick, so take advantage, Divas!
Participating hotels include Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Renaissance Arts Hotel, Renaissance Pere Marquette, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, W New Orleans, French Quarter Chateau Lemoyne, The Inn On Bourbon, and Holiday Inn French Quarter.
Details: Valid for travel July 9, 2010 through November 5, 2010. Seven-day advance purchase is required.
We’ve all wished for just one more night while enjoying ourselves on vacation before. Luckily, the Red Mountain Resort & Spa in Utah is offering just that.
Details:
When you stay four nights on their Signature Package, they will give you a complimentary fifth night.
You will receive these bonuses:
20% discount at Sagestone Spa & Salon and the Outfitters store
Check-out at 4:00 pm
Choice of Bone Density Test or Actual Age Assessment
To book, call 877.246.HIKE (4453) to speak with a representative, and tell them, “Free night for me, please!” You must book before 7/15/10, and for stays from 6/21/10-8/31/10. So get going Divas!
