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Hey Divas,

We all like to save money and with Mobil Spinach you can save an additional 25% on the Fillmore Street Stroll.

$15 for $20 tickets to Fillmore Street’s 7th Annual Holiday Stroll. Dec 5th 1-6 pm!

Sign up for Mobile Spinach for free and get your discount plus deals on tons of stores on Fillmore Street!

Mobile Spinach offers deals on local restaurants, spas, bars, events, hotels, boutiques & salons all on your mobile device.
Sign up for free at m.mobilespinach.com and receive deals via SMS text if you want or browse for deals to buy from your mobile device. You’ll then get your Mobile Voucher to be redeemed at time of purchase.

Check out these great deals you can get on Fillmore Street:

• $20 for $40 of food and drinks Elite Cafe!

• $10 for $20 of food and drinks at The Grove!

Signing up for Mobile Spinach is free. Join now to get amazing deals in your Mobile Wallet!

The holiday shopping season has officially begun. There seems to be more deals offered earlier in the year.
Here’s some of the best promo codes for Black Friday & Cyber Monday.

Start out by investing your money for the power of good
Kiva.org has a great deal on Groupon right now.
You can buy a $25 micro loan gift for $10 off.


American Eagle Outfitters : 46932235
Thanksgiving Day Only, Nov 25,
25% off site wide + free shipping, online only.

77 Kids : 46932285
Thanksgiving Day Only, Nov 25,
25% off + free shipping sitewide

Aerie : 46932285
Thanksgiving Day Only, Nov 25,
20% off plus free shipping online only

Apple
Nov 26, one day online sale

bebe
Nov 26, before noon in store only
20% off select styles + $4.95 shipping

Ultrecht
Nov 26, 8:30a – 12:30p one day in store sale throughout USA
40% off Utrecht Canvas, Paint & Paper, except sale & clearance items.

Opening Ceremony
Nov 26 only
40 – 60% off select items
High end, often international limited edition giftable gear for men & women

Gizmine
Nov 26, one day sale
Discounts are substantial, while supplies last.
The ultimate electronic gadgets & gizmos direct from Japan,
guaranteed to work for US consumers.

Le Sportsac : BLACKFRIDAY20
Nov 26, one day sale
20% off sitewide

Brew City
40% off sitewide wed nov 24 – sun nov 28
The snarkiest t-shirt gifts from those sly folks in the midwest.
Including the ever popular “Touch My Junk” t & the patented
“Beer Pouch” hoody.
The best.

French Connection: FCBFFS
Up to 40% off plus free shipping on orders over $125.
Styles for men & women.

Shopbop : BIGEVENT
$50 off orders $250 and more

80s Purple : BLACKFRIDAY
Take 25% off, free gift with $99 purchase.
In case you didn’t get enough of 80′s fashion the first time around.

Banana Republic : BRTHANKS
25% off sitewide, every day free shipping on orders over $50.

J Crew : TURKEY
25% off orders of $150 or more on Michelle Obama’s favorite store.

Coutour Candy : THANKS
20% off

ChickDowntown : up to 70% off MSRP
pricey designer clothing & accessories
each item has a unique promo code
for example, Coach Glasses, 80% off : WMP112410110781848

Destination Organics : HOLIDAYS
25% off orders over $65
Eco-friendly , non-toxic, cruelty-free men’s & women’s products.

Singer 22 : THANKS50
Take $50 off purchase of $250
This weeks fashions for women.

Luv Charlie : THANKS
30% off sitewide.
Women’s boutique

Goldyn : FRIDAYMONDAY
Designer Deals.
35% off sitewide

Kaight Shop : Thanks30
30% off sitewide.
Eco-friendly NYC style.

Conran Shop
20% off home accessories & gifts
15% off furniture & lighting
Discount price listed with each item.
Large selection of gifts for men, women, children.

Wine.com : blackfriday
15% off case

Shop on !

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Bring your family for an afternoon of fun

For $20

POSE for a photo with Santa
Enter to win great raffle prizes
Sample yummy holiday sweets
Listen to live jazz on Fillmore
Sip hot apple cider & wine
Enjoy special discounts

Children under 14 are FREE

BUY TICKETS HERE

Participating Stores:

* 1300 on Fillmore: Offering 10% off bill when participants show a receipt from a store on Fillmore.

* Clary Sage Organics: Offering a 20% discount.

* Citrine Salon: Serving sweets, offering 10% off any purchase and raffling a $50 gift certificate.

Copy.net: Offering 15% off printing of personalized greeting cards.

* Crossroads Trading Company: Offering 10% off one item and doing a raffle.

* BeneFit Cosmetics: Serving cider and sweets, offering a gift with a 3-item product purchase and entry into a drawing to win a BeneFit Beauty Bash for 10 friends.

* Betsey Johnson: Serving tea, cider and cookies and offering a 10% discount.

* Black Fleece: Offering a10% discount off any purchase.
* Blooming Floral Design: Doing a raffle at Pet’s Unlimited for a $50.00 gift certificate.

1 – 4 pm *BoConcept: Hosting photos with Santa, serving desserts from OTD and Terra Savia wine, giving candy canes to children, offering 25% off gift ideas and raffling a $50.00 gift certificate.

* Design Within Reach: Hosting wine tasting by Burly Winery, offering free delivery anywhere in the US and raffling a signed copy of the new hardcover book “Mid-Century by the Bay” by Heather David.

* DOSA: Offering a taste of DOSA cuisine and spice route cocktails from 1 to 3 pm and 10 percent off the brunch menu for the day from 11:30 to 3 pm and doing a raffle.

* Eileen Fisher: Serving sweets, doing a raffle and offering double points.

* Fillmore Bakeshop: Doing a raffle.

*Fraiche Yogurt: Sampling Callebaut hot chocolates and doing a raffle.

* Gallery of Jewels: Hosting a trunk show with Anne Sportun, 20% off specific merchandise and serving wine.

* Gimme Shoes: Serving holiday goodies and offering a10% discount.
* Goodwill: Offering a 20% discount.

* HELLO by Candystore Collective, 2226 Bush St: Hosting an Austrian wine tasting by Winemonger, offering 10% off and raffling a $100 gift certificate and a one-hour session with a personal shopper.

* Heidi Says, 2426 Fillmore: Serving sweets from Chouquet’s, raffling a $50 gift certificate and offering a 10% discount at all 3 stores.

* Hlaska: Serving sweets, doing a raffle and offering a 10% discount on Hlaska products.

* International Orange: offering 15% off product purchases.

* James Perse: Serving wine and beer and doing a raffle.

* Jonathan Adler: Serving holiday refreshments and doing a raffle of holiday gifts.

* 12-3 Jurlique: Offering mini-facials and doing a raffle.
* Kiehl’s: Hosting wine tastings, serving treats and doing a raffle of a box of Healthy Skin Essentials.

* LIMU: Serving desserts from La Mediterranee offering a 10% discount and demonstrating ways to update your black dress.

* Margaret O’Leary: Serving champagne and treats and offering special promotions.

* Marc by Marc Jacobs: Serving goodies and doing a raffle of a handbag.
Mio: Offering a 10% discount.

* Mrs. Dewson’s Hats: Serving wine and refreshments, offering a 10% discount and doing a raffle.

* Papyrus: Offering 30% off all merchandise and 20% off all custom-printed orders and raffling a stationery/book/candle gift set.

* Paolo Shoes: Serving drinks and sweets, doing a raffle, offering a 10% discount.

* Pure Beauty Salon: Serving sweets, cider and wine and raffling a free haircut and a free facial.

Queen Anne Hotel: Bring a current receipt from any Fillmore store and receive $20 off your stay (through Dec 30th, 2010).

* Renaissance Salon: Selling baked goods (doggie treats too!) made by the RS Salon staff with ALL proceeds going to Pets Unlimited. Doing a raffle and offering product demos/styling tips for Holiday hair.

4 pm * Repeat Performance: Offering a 10% discount and a surprise in-store raffle.

* Ruby Livingdesign: 20% discount off retail, including special orders, and raffling a $50 gift certificate.

* The Shade Store: Serving refreshments, offering $50 off orders over $500 and raffling a $500 gift certificate.

* The Institute for Health & Healing at CPMC: Offering $10 off a 50-or 80-Minute Therapeutic Massage and 15% off all products and supplements.

* Thomas Reynolds Gallery: Hosting a “meet the artists” reception and offering a 10% discount.

2 – 5 pm * Timeless Treasures: Sampling yummy Toffee Talk candies with local toffee maker Catherine Hughes, offering a 10% discount and raffling a $50 gift certificate as well as tins of toffee.

2 – 4 pm * Toujours Lingerie: Hosting lingerie fashion shows, raffling a $50 gift certificate and offering a 10% discount.

* Seconds To Go: Serving chocolates, raffling a $50 gift certificate and offering 20% off all purchases.

* Studio D: Serving sweets, offering TAX FREE off all purchases, and doing a raffle.

* Vitamin Express: Serving Eclectic Institute “Powder” drinks and healthy “Kettle” popcorn, offering 10% off any purchase and raffling a Vitamin Express Sample Basket.

* Zinc Details, 2410 California: Serving sweets, offering a 10% discount and doing a raffle.

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

Over two million brilliant lights illuminate the City of St. Augustine! Get ready for ten weeks of festivities and holiday events throughout the area. The local crafts, art, music and song combined with a spectacular bay view and endless dining options around every corner make The Nights of Lights a magical Florida tradition that should not be missed! 

For a touch of romance, enjoy an intimate horse drawn carriage ride along the bayfront and hidden oak lined streets. Or perhaps, share a little bubbly on the water with a sunset or starry night moonlight cruise.

For the ultimate in family fun complete with cookies, cocoa and Santa’s Elves, board the special Holly Jolly Holiday Trolley for a festive unforgettable tour of the city. 

The Inns of Elegance, a collection of bed & breakfast properties, are offering a special gift to guests - a train ride and a glass holiday cheer at the popular Tini Martini Bar - included with any 2 night stay Sunday thru Thursday (November 28, 2010 – January 27th, 2011). 

For a complete Nights of Lights schedule, visit website: Florida’s Historic Coast.

The travel world is a community. Everyone has a story to tell or experiences to share. Learning about fellow travelers will better your own travels and give fresh insight. That’s why, each month, we feature a different Tango Diva member.

About Ekua:
Sometimes I wonder when I’ll tire of travel, but I don’t think I will. I can’t get enough of discovering new corners of the world and getting to know places I hear about firsthand. This passion for travel feeds into writing and photography, two of the things I love to do the most. When I am not traveling, I work in education and always try to find ways to keep my traveling spirit alive at home.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Audacious, creative, observant

How do these words inspire your travels?
Getting the nerve to go somewhere is not always easy. When I have an opportunity to travel, I usually take it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a fear of the unknown, especially when I travel solo. But audacity begets audacity, and the more I’ve worked up the courage to go somewhere new, the more I am emboldened for future travel.

Being observant and creative go hand in hand for me. I feel that being present and aware when I travel enables me to write about and photograph the locations I visit more honestly and vividly.

What inspired you to travel originally?
Traveling has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. In my formative years, I had a few significant travel experiences and also moved a few times, so my eventual wanderlust was cultivated early. A couple years ago, I found something I wrote as an 8 or 9 year old that read, “I like to see new places and hope to travel the whole world someday.” I doubt I knew what that really meant at the time, but regardless, I have been making that a reality, one country at a time.

What is your favorite destination?
So far, my favorite destination is the state of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil. I am Ghanaian-American and I felt at home in the mix of West African and Euro-American influences I found in the Afro-Brazilian culture there. In addition to that, the climate was was wonderful, the food was spicy and there was music everywhere.

How do you deal with stress while traveling?
If I get stressed out when traveling, it probably means I am trying to do every possible thing there is to do in a certain destination. In those moments, I have to step back, realize I can’t do it all and take time to rest.

What are you favorite activities while traveling?
I enjoy walking around cities and seeing how people live their lives. You can learn a lot about a city just by riding public transportation or spending time in a plaza. If there’s a well known site wherever I’m going, I’ll typically make the time for it. I also love nature-filled places and being able to see animals in their natural habitats.

What is your future travel goal?
I’d like to live abroad at some point. Passing through a place is one thing, but I think taking the time to settle in and immerse myself in a culture for a longer period of time would be a rewarding challenge.

To follow Ekua’s adventures, check out her blog: Girl, Unstoppable and her Tango Diva profile.
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Do you want to be profiled? Let us know! Login to your Tango Diva account and send AlexCanedo a message telling her you would like to be interviewed.

A perfect rainy day activity would be to grab your girlfriend (best to leave hubbie at home unless he’s one of those precious few who would enjoy perusing a designer home) and pick up two tickets and hurry over to the final weekend of the Elle Decor Showcase, holding court in a prestigious St. Francis Wood Mediterranean home. The 5,000 sq.ft. mansion features the talents of the Bay Area’s top designers, all handpicked by the ELLE DÉCOR staff and they have done a stellar job.

To whet your appetite go to Elle Decor for an incredible 360-degree tour of the mansion, room by room, down to the most minute detail. One of my faves was Erin Martin’s family room. My interest piqued, I read her bio where I learned that “early in her professional career, she spent four years working in orphanages in Morocco, Romania, Israel, and Hungary, drawing inspiration from the unique architecture and style of each place.” Wow- now that’s certainly an eclectic beginning.

Weekends November 6th through November 21st
10:00am through 4:00pm
Admission $ 30.00 Proceeds benefit the San Francisco Junior League.
For tickets please visit the Junior League.

Curly Girl Designs will Capture your Heart this Holiday Season

 

Creatively Fresh and Funky themes guaranteed to inspire and delight…are core to the Curly Girl gift line. Curly Girl Creator, Leigh Standley’s whimsical artwork graces eco-friendly greeting cards, writing journals, wall decor, t-shirts, and more. 

You will absolutely crave one of everything! And, don’t miss the perfect diva stocking stuffer - a cute mini snow globe ornament honoring Leigh’s magical mantra ” I am fairly certain given a cape and a nice tiara.. .I could save the world”. You Go-Girl! We Divas are right behind you … ready to share the love with some retail therapy. 

More Curly Girl Designs and Travel Gift Books to Peruse

Not only will you and your buds have a blast at this community event (jammed packed with fun stuff like live entertainment and music, wine tastings & cocktails, lots of delish nibblies, raffles and lots of super holiday gifts to buy at discounted prices) but by “shopping local” you’ll help support all the nabe businesses, from oldies like Judy’s Cafe to newbies like SusieCakes. So keep those footprints small and come have some shopping fun. Just think how smug you’ll feel come the end of December, knowing you already bought your prezzies!

Who: Sponsored by The Marina Merchants Association and the San Francisco Bay Guardian

When: Thursday, December 2nd from 6-9 p.m.

How: Sip & Shop attendees will receive a wristband for I.D., a wine glass, a detailed street map and the evening’s program upon checking into one of the three designated locations.

Tickets: Tickets for Sip, Snack, and Shop on Chestnut are $30 and available at http://sipsnackshop.eventbrite.com/
Tickets will also be available the day of the event at the following pick up locations :

Eastside West – 3154 Fillmore Street (at Greenwich)
Wells Fargo – 2197 Chestnut Street
Kelly Keiser Splendid Interiors – 2381 Chestnut St.

****Please note: Sip & Shop is a 21 and over only event and IDs will be checked upon arrival.

If you’ve never tasted a truffle and wonder what all the fuss is about, the best answer comes straight from the truffle’s mouth:

“The most learned men have been questioned as to the nature of this tuber, and after two thousand years of argument and discussion their answer is the same as it was on the first day: we do not know. The truffles themselves have been interrogated, and have answered simply: eat us and praise the Lord.”
Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)

The American Truffle Company proudly introduces The Napa Truffle Festival, destined to be North America’s premier truffle event. This unique event honors the black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) and the black summer Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum/uncinatum) in all its fungi finery.

A plethora of Michelin star chefs and the world’s top truffle scientists will offer a variety of cooking demonstration classes and truffle cultivation seminars.

Any serious foodie worth a whisk will not want to miss the highlight of the weekend:
An exclusive six-course truffle dinner hosted by Michelin Star Chef Ken Frank (La Toque) restaurant and a Michelin Star Chef dream-team (totaling an amazing 13 stars between them) including Josiah Citrin of Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA; David Kinch of Manresa, Los Gatos, CA; Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern, New York, NY; Nancy Oakes of Boulevard, San Francisco, CA; and Sylvain Portay of Le Louis XV (Monte Carlo), Mix (Las Vegas) and Adour (NY).

Who should attend:

Gourmet cooks will be able to get to see their fave Master chef in action at the demonstration cooking classes held at the Culinary Institute of America.

Oenophiles will want to join Michelin star chef Ken Frank of La Toque Restaurant and Wine Director, Scott Tracy, in The Art of Wine-Truffle Pairing, as they discuss the key principles in pairing these tricky fungi with wine.

Science geeks will have the opportunity to learn all about Dr. Alexander Urban’s work on “In vitro mycorrhization of clonally propagated woody plants” as well as hearing from other top truffle scientists.

Epicurean entrepreneurs can learn all the inside secrets to starting your own truffle orchard, which can be highly profitable, while touring Robert Sinskey Vineyards’ new organic and biodynamic truffle orchard.

And Trufflemanians will be able to pig-out (a little truffle pun) to their hearts content at La Toque’s truffle lunch, a decadent Champagne truffle brunch, and the Michelin Star Truffle Dinner. I venture that even Curnonsky would leave satisfied.

When asked by a social-climbing Paris hostess how he liked his truffles, Curnonsky replied “In great quantity, madame. In great quantity.”
Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland)
French writer (1872-1956)

Various packages are available (but better hurry before they are sold-out) and start at:
The Epicurean Marketplace – $15
— Sample & shop a village marketplace in the Courtyard of the Westin Verasa
— Live music and demonstrations will add to the festive scene

all the way up to a culinary weekend you’ll never forget:
The Truffle Gourmand – $1,325
— All-inclusive 3-day pass to all events, and the Michelin Star Truffle Dinner
— You may mix and match activities on any day
— Best value and most flexible

The luxurious Westin Verasa in downtown Napa will serve as the host venue and offers a special discount rate for the festival weekend. (Their signature Heavenly Beds® guarantee a restful night’s sleep, while visions of truffles dance in your head.)