Brewing Happiness On Every Table

In a previous post, I mentioned how there are so many details that make this luncheon special and unique. At the WWW luncheon, one of those special things is the centerpiece you’ll find at all of the tables. Each year, there is a new theme and different design by a member of the Bella Vista League. And this year’s showpiece was the brainchild of Stephanie.

“Brewing Happiness”, this year’s theme, sparked Stephanie’s first thought of a cauldron. As she mulled over various ideas for witches, a witch having a bit of light-hearted fun took root in her mind. She researched the many witches that could embody her concept and found Olivia swinging in a tree. With the slight smile on her hand painted porcelain face, Olivia seemed the perfect expression for her ideas.

Olivia is part of the Witches of Pendle collection imported from the United Kingdom. A popular collectible, you can read all about the 17^th century witch trials that surround this set of witches in a small booklet that comes with the piece.

The other major part of the setting was the tree. A black tree would complement the color scheme well but still needed to accentuate the playfulness of the scene. Stephanie found such a tree with branches angled in such a way to appear “alive” and had purple lights added to the ends of each branch for drama and color.To complete her vision, Stephanie created a “Brewing Happiness” sign, found colorful butterflies and birds to perch on the branches, and added a bit of tulle to mimic steam from the cauldron.

This stunning work of art is available for purchase for $95 each at the luncheon. Only a limited number of centerpieces is available, so don’t miss out! I already bought one of the centerpieces to add to our collection of Halloween décor and am looking forward to placing it center stage on our dining room table after the event. [Overall dimensions – 31″ tall and 14″ wide]

[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28^th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose.]

 

Menu of Autumn Delights

From the creative culinary mind of Chef Anthony Hsia, Executive Chef of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, guests and potential guests of the Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon fundraiser will savor a delightful menu that embraces the unique seasonal flavors redolent of an Autumn harvest.

First, guests will start with a Fall Salad of spinach, arugula, cucumber, mandarin orange slices, pecorino cheese, pepitas and pomegranate seeds with balsamic dressing.

Then, diners may choose either a chicken or a vegetarian entree:

• Grilled chicken breast with shallot jus, butternut squash riceless risotto with seasonal vegetables or…

• Butternut squash risotto with seasonal vegetables

And what better way to end a delicious meal than with samplings of a few tasty sweets:

• Trio of desserts:  Small bites each of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, blueberry cheesecake with berry sauce, chocolate bit

Please join us for lunch and support the wonderful work of My New Red Shoes, WANDA, and CASSY in bettering the lives of women and children in need.

[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Tickets are on sale now until October 23rd.]

Spotlight on My New Red Shoes

The personal stories of the women and children served by the organizations supported this year by the WWW luncheon fundraiser reminds us quite humbly, how important are our collective efforts.

Here is one such story from My New Red Shoes:

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Rathana and his mother arrived with only a single duffel bag containing both of their belongings. Leaving their abusive home in a state of emergency, Rathana was unable to grab all of his possessions including the shoes he uses to play soccer. To ensure his mother’s safety, he willingly took temporary leave from school (sacrificing his old friends) to relocate to our shelter. Traumatized and financially-stricken, Rathana’s mother worked with a family advocate to access resources and slowly rebuild their lives. During this time, Rathana had little motivation to play soccer, a game he once loved. Instead, he spent most of his time playing video games and kept to himself. Thanks to My New Red Shoes, Rathana received a pair of shoes that he could play soccer in. This has encouraged him to make friends at his new school and return to his old hobby. He now plays soccer every day after school. 

These simple gifts of clothing and shoes to children in need boosts their self esteem and gives them the confidence to engage with other kids at school and perform to their best abilities.

Please join us in helping My New Red Shoes to continue to support these kids by attending our Wonderful Witchy Women With a Cause luncheon fundraiser. Tickets are on sale now until this Sunday, October 23^rd. Hope to see you there!

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[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Tickets are on sale now.]

A Spectacular Scene of Wonderful Witchy Hats

What makes the Wonderful Witchy Women with a Cause luncheon fundraiser so entertaining and unique? Well, there are so many details to choose from but let’s start with the most obvious of them all – the original, stylish, eccentric, chic, outrageous, whimsical, haunting, darling, fascinating, inventive, and downright fabulous witch hats that grace this annual event

These are certainly not your run-of-the-mill Halloween witch hats. No, no, no…simple black pointed hats are not for this crowd. Many spent hours and hours of creative energy designing their masterpieces (some in big groups with a theme)…while others (such as myself) shopped around and found a few pre-made showpieces. And if you’re looking for a special witchy hat yourself, check Out of the Envelope in downtown Los Gatos for some interesting ideas.
The result of such careful planning and creating is a veritable fashion show of witch hats you won’t find anywhere else…and won’t want to miss! See you at the luncheon!

[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Tickets are on sale now.]

Join Us for Luxe Nite at Santana Row

Mark your calendars and join us for Luxe Night at Santana Row this Thursday, October 6^th, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. It’s a fabulous opportunity for the community and all Witchy supporters to meet representatives from the 2016 charities that will be sponsored by the annual Wonderful Witchy Women luncheon and fundraiser this year on October 28th.

At three neighboring Santana Row boutiques, you have a chance to learn more about each charity over libations and delicious bites of gourmet appetizers, and participate in raffles to win fabulous prizes sponsored by each store during this FREE event.

Participating stores in Luxe Nite at Santana Row and charities are:

• Lululemon, a well-loved brand of women’s activewear, will welcome My New Red Shoes, a non-profit organization that supports children in need;
• Kit & Ace, a store that sells casually luxurious streetwear for men and women, will host representatives from CASSY, a non-profit organization that provides counseling and support services for Bay Area youths and;
• Kendra Scott, a unique line of gorgeous custom jewelry, will have representatives from WANDA, a non-profit organization supporting low-income single mothers to become economically self-sufficient.

Start your journey at any of the three stores to pick up your passport booklet. With each stop at Luxe Nite, you will have your passport stamped, enabling you to participate in the store raffles. At Lululemon, you will be hydrated and filled with vitamins with healthy sips while lucky raffle winners will receive yoga packages at the hottest yoga studios in town. At Kit & Ace, you will be spoiled with delectable appetizers from Roots & Rye and free-flowing glasses of wine as prizewinners of the drawings for pieces from their collection of “technical cashmere” are announced. At Kendra Scott, champagne and tasty cupcakes will abound at Santana Row’s popular new jewelry boutique. Kendra Scott will donate 20% of the evening’s sales to the Bella Vista League to support this year’s three charities. You do not need to be present to win.

We hope to see you there! In fact, share the fun and invite your significant others and friends. We’re very excited to spread the word and promote this year’s Wonderful Witchy Women with a Cause event in First Class style, lifting up three incredible charities we are serving this year. See you there!

[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Tickets are on sale now.]

Join Us for the 2016 WWW Luncheon and Silent Auction!

It’s that time of year again for the popular Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. If you’ve been to past events, then you already know how unique and fun this event is. If you haven’t been yet, then read on…and I hope to see you there!

First and foremost, this event was created to bring awareness of and financial support to the local non-profit charities working everyday to better the lives of women and children in need in their unique way.

A spokesperson from each of the sponsored charities relates personal stories from the people they support to demonstrate how their work  transforms the lives of many local women and children in need for the better  [never a dry eye in the audience]. This year’s supported charities include My New Red Shoes, WANDA, and CASSY. While each organization deserves its own blog post (stay tuned for personal stories in future posts), here’s a short introduction to each:

• My New Red Shoes – helps low-income and homeless children start the new school year with pride and self-confidence with gifts of new shoes and new school clothing.
• WANDA – Women’s Achievement Network and Development Alliance – increases the economic self-sufficiency of low-income single mothers through education, networking, and a savings program to achieve personal goals such as owning a home, education, or retirement.
• CASSY – Counseling and Support Services for Youth – partners with local schools to support students’ social and emotional well-being through counseling, crisis intervention, and mental health education.

Please visit their web sites for more details on their organizations.

And now for a riddle – what do Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Bailey Flight, a Candy Man, and diamonds have in common? [cue the drum roll…]

YES! You guessed it! All can be found [in one way or another] at this year’s Wonderful Witchy Women With a Cause luncheon and silent auction.

And no, I’m not going to leave you guessing. Stay tuned to this blog to hear more about what you’ll enjoy at the luncheon and silent auction and learn more about our sponsored charities.

[This is an original post to Witchy Wonderful, the official blog of the Bella Vista League, the non-profit organization behind the annual Wonderful Witchy Women With A Cause luncheon and silent auction. This year’s event will be held on October 28^th, 10:30am – 2:00pm, at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Tickets are on sale now.]