Burford Designs

Who Wants to Win a Trip to Paris?

I know that I surely do.  Of course visiting Paris is on my "dream list" but I really want to visit and have someone along that "knows" the place, at least for part of the trip and that just happens to be part of this prize package (check out the link below where you can enter and get all of the details).

Jordan is a party planner and letterpress printer from San Francisco who currently lives abroad with her husband and children.  This is what she had to write about why she decided to give this fabulous prize away, "As a thank you I am doing a giveaway for a 7 DAY TRIP FOR TWO TO PARIS, FRANCE! It’s true. I’ve put together a major giveaway that includes 7 night stay at Mama Shelter, the hippest boutique hotel in Paris. Roundtrip Airfare from the continental United States to Paris, France. And on top of that I will personally host* the winner for two days and take them around to my favorite spots in Paris."

If you want a chance to win as well (and there are four different methods of entry which means four different chances to win) all you need to do is head on over to Oh Happy Days.

Bonne chance everyone!

(Although I am already off to plan what I'm going to take with me.)

A Lovely Trip To Portland

Twelve years ago I took my very first vacation when I went on a cruise to Mexico with a group of friends.  Just a month shy of that twelve year mark I took my second vacation, this time Mommy and I spent four days in Portland, Oregon.

 

I had wanted to visit Portland for as long as I could remember.  I researched places to stay and places to visit and even figured out the best way to get there.  I memorized different stops on the MAX so that I could get around the city without having to drive everywhere.

Horizon Air ran one of their flight specials so Mommy and I decided that it would be a good time to get away for a little bit and see the city.  We booked our flight and hotel and just waited for the day to arrive.  Because of other commitments we were only able to be there for four days but it was enough to whet our appetite and want to go back for more. 

 

I made sure that we would be there for at least one day of the weekend because I really wanted to visit the Portland Saturday Market.  I also decided that since we would be there for at least one weekend day it would be easier if it was in fact a Saturday that way we would be there for a long weekend and take in several things that were happening like First Thursday.

Because this was the first getaway for Mommy in a while too, we really rested more and just let things happen, so I didn’t get to see or do as many things as I really wanted to.  I guess that’s a really good thing too because it makes me want to go back even sooner.  We are already talking about taking another trip this spring or early summer once school is out. 

 

We both fell in love with Portland and it really makes me want to move there or at least a lot closer to there.  I love everything cities have to offer even though I never thought I’d want to live in one.  Portland has a completely different feel to it and I like that.  I look forward to visiting again and seeing what else that great city has to offer.

Fine Living Network’s Travel Tips

Another special being featured this month on Fine Living Network is titled Top 20 Travel Tips.  I found a lot of the information very useful and there were several tips that I didn’t know about before watching this special.  If you have a chance and travel (or plan on traveling) then you should check this out.   The following excerpt is from FLN and they even have a page on their site the lists the tips, very helpful.

Top 20 Travel Tips
If you're a frequent business traveler, a global explorer, or just a tourist for two weeks each year, Fine Living Network's Top 20 Travel Tips has the very latest information worth knowing before you plan your next trip. In this fun fast-paced hour, you’ll get insider tips from seasoned travel experts from Fodors, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, National Geographic Traveler, and Town & Country Travel, combined with an eclectic mix of comedians with their own humorous travel tales. Find out how to book a room at a "sold-out" hotel and properly pack that all important carry-on bag. Learn why calling a hotel’s toll-free number is a mistake, and why mailing luggage in advance just might be worth the cost. Take your traveling skills to the next level with Top 20 Travel Tips.

 

IN THIS EPISODE: •Fine Living's Top 20 Travel Tips • Watch this special online now >>

 

Here are the air times:

• November 08, 2009 6 PM EST • November 08, 2009 10 PM EST

• November 09, 2009 2 AM EST • November 15, 2009 7 PM EST

• November 17, 2009 6 PM EST • November 21, 2009 7 PM EST

• November 22, 2009 5 PM EST • November 28, 2009 6 PM EST

• November 29, 2009 9 PM EST • November 30, 2009 1 AM EST

 

Man Shops Globe

It has been a year since I first heard about this amazing show that follows Keith Johnson, the buyer for specialty retailer Anthropologie, as he travels across the world in search of unusual decorative objects, furniture, and textiles, as well as artists and crafts people.  The show is called Man Shops Globe and will follow Keith as he shops flea markets, villages, and art studios anywhere from Paris to Turkey to South Africa and Brazil.

This is the link that I originally found, although I have seen many blogs with the same info.  From the Futon Critic’s Breaking News (last year):

“[10.03.08 - 02:47 PM]
SUNDANCE CHANNEL GREENLIGHTS "MAN SHOPS GLOBE" (WORKING TITLE) FOR 2009
Released by Sundance [NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

Sundance Channel Greenlights "Man Shops Globe" (Working Title) for 2009

Eight-Part Original Series Produced by World of Wonder to Follow Buyer/Explorer Keith Johnson on Worldwide Quest

New York, October 3, 2008 - Sundance Channel has given a green light to a new original series starring Keith Johnson, the antiques buyer for the innovative specialty retailer Anthropologie. One of the largest purchasers of decorative antiques in the world, Johnson globe trots six months out of the year to find unique and beautiful items. The eight-part, half-hour series "Man Shops Globe" (working title), follows his high-pursuit, ends-of-the-earth excursions, from flea markets in Paris to remote villages in India to obscure art studios across the globe. The series is produced by World of Wonder ("Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood," "Show Biz Mom & Dads," "One Punk Under God").

"Sundance Channel's audience loves travel and design so we are very enthusiastic about offering our viewers an inside look at Keith's adventures and an appreciation of his dedication to nurturing artists, as well as an understanding of what makes his eye so unique. His charm, coupled with his knowledge of the gorgeous objects and antiques he finds are sure to have our audience salivating for more," said Sundance Channel GM Laura Michalchyshyn. "We are also thrilled to be working with World of Wonder again; it is always a great collaborative process resulting in good work!"

In each location, be it China, Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, France, England, India, or Scandinavia, Johnson hits the ground running with a different team of local experts and artists who help him acquire and re-imagine a new life for the eclectic objects he finds. Working against the clock and driven by his own competitive spirit, he is inexhaustible in his search for uncommon design. This series is also distinguished by Johnson's appreciation of the creative process: each episode will showcase exquisite and delightful objects as well as the artists and process behind the work.

Whether he discovers an antique table or wealth of original works in an undiscovered artist's studio, viewers are sure to be fascinated with Johnson's knack for finding covetable, one-of-a-kind pieces.”

This led me to search out more about Keith and this series.  My find was, Jeremy Simmons who blogs about his adventures on The Solitary Cameraman where I found this post.  Whether you are a buyer or a seller I have always believed that just about everything has a price, apparently Keith agrees, “In Keith's world, everything is available for purchase.  <It’s> not just the bracelets that the lady is selling, but maybe her sari, or perhaps the shelves on which they lay. Where most of us direct our attention to what is displayed in a store, Keith sees it all. He buys signage used to advertising a sale, lighting fixtures, carts used to haul the merchandise - anything is potentially a new product. It's the ability to see things that one would normally edit out - and envision it in a totally different way.  Keith thinks of his job as an editor - distilling down a mountain of merchandise to the very best of the best - but really, he is opening up my world. I had been subconsciously editing things so many things out.” 

Here’s a great article from 1stdibs about Keith and his partner Glen Senk.

The series begins Wednesday, October 7^th on the Sundance Channel.  Since I have satellite my showings are at 7 and 11:30 PM, so that would be 10 PM EDT and PDT and Thursday, October 8^th at 2:30 AM.

I know that I’ll be watching.