Treasures from the Weekend

What a fabulous Sunday I had with the men in my life, my hubby of 13 and a half years and my 5 year old son. We spent the day exploring a deserted beach and got there via a 20 minute drive and then a 1 hour kayak ride on the West End of the island. My husbands nifty iphone application GPS system showed a white sandy beach beyond the initial one we were going to head to. Perseverance Bay is around the corner from Brewer's Beach and just before Fortuna. Paradise! We approached to find huge piles of washed up coral and sea urchins that were white and purple and green and perfectly sunwashed. We packed a lot of food but when we went exploring a coconut literally rolled to our feet. We cracked it open and enjoyed the sweet treat in the warm afternoon sun. I did not want to leave this place. What a memory and to think it was on my little island. There is still so much to explore here after all the years I have been living here. Makes me look forward to the next weekend adventure.

Isola Bella Giving Back

A few weeks ago I received a lovely email from Wendy Bogarde of the blog http://thebogardebuzz.blogspot.com/  She is a fan of Isola Bella and wanted to know if we would be interested in participating in a children's fashion show for a great cause!

Isola Bella is proud to be participating in this event which will raise money for the new Obstetrics ward at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Robin E. Pascal Women's Center. We have donated children's dresses for the fashion show as well as items for the auction from linen pillows, to hobo bags, and stationery.

Wendy: "The event features a fabulous silent auction, and of course DARLING children's clothing from Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines and many other high end clothing lines. Most of the clothing comes from Elizabeth at Crocodile Kids, and is supplemented from Nordstrom and a few other boutiques. The annual event has raised over $30,000. This year's beneficiary is the new obstetrics department at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. The center features comprehensive services for expectant mothers and their families allowing for quality, family-like obstetrics care at BWMC for the first time in over 40 years."

For more info contact Wendy Bogarde via email at wbogarde@comcast.net

That's a Wrap

Do you know what will make the perfect hostess gift this summer? Your favorite bottle of wine or bubbly wrapped in one of our gourmet kitchen towels. Your friend will love this eco-friendly gift wrap to use again and again. Our gourmet towels are smooth, lint free, and high-end cotton thread count. Visit shop.isolabellashop.com for more styles.

Shown here green limes.

We are proud to announce that isola bella gourmet towels and gift and wine totes are now being sold at the fabulous gourmet shops of Taste Unlimited of Virginia Beach. Named one of the top 5 retailers in the country, Taste Unlimited boasts 5 shops in Eastern Virginia. This gourmet company began in 1973 as a wine and cheese shop and today has grown into a gourmet market with wonderful gift items as well. We love that they "live the coastal good life of family, friends, food and fun" Check them out if you are in the Chesapeake Bay area or visit them online at http://www.tasteunlimited.com/

Isola Bella Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Liz Orgera of Shorely Chic! You have won the giveaway! Please email us with your shipping details.  To all of the fans thanks for entering!

OH JOY!

I am so excited to spotlight this fabulous artist on my blog! Elise Francesca Fargnoli is one of the co-founders/designers of FRANCESCA JOY of Palm Beach. This company just started this year and we know it will be here to stay! Her paintings on textiles are an explosion of color and beauty and a must have! You can look fabulous on your next yachting adventure or beach getaway without breaking the bank. Everything in the collection is under $100.-! Elise was gracious enough to share some info about how it all began and where the line is headed.

photos courtesy of FRANCESCA JOY Palm Beach. You cannot use or copy these photos without consent from artist. Copyrighted. All rights reserved. 2010

"I started out as an artist, met with an interior designer to help her design a showroom in Palm Beach, and then we decided to join forces and develop my designs into a brand. We have an extensive collection of designs with tote bags, wristlets, chemises, and t-shirts. We will soon be expanding into home decor. All of our items are made in the USA. I use the finest textile paints and no two designs are alike as each design is hand-painted by me. We love our customers and since we are just starting out (we started mid February as an established brand) like to develop a one on one relationship via e-mail with customers so we can discuss color option, sizing etc. People see our line as a collection, and we are honored when fashionable people purchase from us and see this as a way of 'collecting' my designs, much like an art collector collects paintings."

You can find The Art of Elise Francesca on Facebook and visit the official site here FRANCESCA JOY palm beach 

Mod Island Pillows

My latest pillow designs arrived today from the seamstress. I quickly hurried outside to snap these pics to share with you. These gorgeous Russian linen pillows will transform your abode into an island retreat in a snap. They simply exude Summer. The seafan style is a soothing earthy tone which was inspired by the colors of wet driftwood. The stony coral of course inspired by the colors of the Caribbean sea. These are available in limited qty this month but more to come in May.

"Stony Coral" - color shown Caribbean ~ $68.-

18"- 100% Russian Linen

hand-printed with eco-friendly inks by owner Gina Feddersen of isola bella

"Seafan" shown in color: driftwood - $68.-

Isola Bella Giveaway

It is warming up for many of you now. Time to start thinking about your new Summer gear. I am excited to get this giveaway started as you all have been waiting very patiently! To enter you simply need to comment below this post. For two chances to enter join the Facebook fan page or vice versa and leave your comment under the giveaway link.

Good luck! A winner will be chosen at random next Saturday April 17th. 

You are entering to win this Russian Linen Handprinted Hobo Bag in color: Sand. Perfect for all your beach sundries as well as toting with style around town this summer.

For more fun stuff visit the new shopping site! More to come next month so stay tuned for new designs all Spring & Summer long. shop.isolabellashop.com