Olympic Sentiments

The Olympics are always an exciting event to witness. As a testament to the jubilant attitude surrounding The Games, we received this message along with a photo of one of our factory suppliers who produce Rosanna in China:



Dear All,
The Olympic Games will be held in Beijing today, all Chinese people are excited.

In order to celebrate this important day, our whole department took photos together.

Here, I send you picture to share our joy with you!



I love this photo of everyone decked out in the Chinese colors of yellow and red. I think it says a great deal about our global community. It gives a human face and feel to a country which is so often misunderstood, and as a result, maligned. This photo sheds light on the people of China. Their pride at being part of the global community through their enthusiastic hosting of the 2008 Games (did anyone see that opening ceremony??) is so evident. It's a photo that goes a small ways towards showing that we are one world. It is exactly what The Games were created to do: break down barriers and bring us all closer together.








www.rosannainc.com

Mexican Glass

Exciting news! Our Spring 2008 collection is now available on the Web! I am very proud of the ingenuity and hard work our designers put into these lines, and I encourage you to visit our website and explore all of the new items we have to offer.

There are five lines in particular I want to tell you about, all made from raw recycled glass. These pieces are mouth-blown out of recycled Coke bottles in a Spanish colonial town in central Mexico. We recently visited the factory where the owner took us on a tour, showing us how the artist's make these pieces. The process is extensive and involved! All of the designs are hand-etched on to each piece after it's blown. Seeing the process in action, I have such great respect for the artistry and painstaking attention to detail that goes into each new piece. I also love our Mexican glass because it is a sustainable, beautiful product with soul and integrity. Already, the lines have sold enormously well in Europe and America. We hope the glass will continue on this trajectory because already our commerce has created 25 new positions at the factory in Mexico. We would love to employ as many people as we can through the production of these lines.

Now, without further ado, here is our beautiful new glass!

Madre Terra is the purest of the organic genre. These pieces maintain the original color of the coke bottles they're made from. They feature lovely renderings of birds and butterflies that gracefully swoop and flutter across the clean surface of the glass.

Mondo Glass is currently our number one seller. The designs for this line were inspired by traditional motifs from six countries around the world-- India, Spain, Africa, Greece, Bali, and Morocco. They compliment our Mondo dinnerwarebeautifully.

The Beach Cottage Glass tumblers and votive holders were also designed to be paired with another line. Match them with our Beach Cottage dinnerware for a beautiful table setting perfect for enjoying meals in the midst of burgeoning nature.

Cin Cin! (which means "cheers" in Italian) is a versatile line that can to be paired with a range of collections from our classic green Dinner Party Place Settings to our more festive Pasta Italiana lines.

Lastly, we have our whimsical Darjeeling Glass in a gorgeous turquoise jewel tone that provides a striking contrast to simple white dinnerware, and makes an already opulent table setting even richer.

I certainly hope you enjoy our new Spring Collection as much as we do. We also love to hear back from you about lines you feel especially love, and, of course, about the traditions you create through our tableware.

Warmly,





www.rosannainc.com

Cross Continental Connection

As many of you who have been following the blog already know, we were in Europe for two weeks earlier this month, including February 14th. On Valentine's I was sitting in our hotel lobby in Milan with my daughter Francesca having tea and exchanging small gifts. The German couple next to us exclaimed that what we were doing looked more like Christmas than Valentine's day (how American of us!), and we struck up a conversation.

As it turned out, the couple has come to Milan to celebrate their anniversary. Because she was an opera lover, her husband had brought his wife to Milan to see a show at the famed La Scala opera house. At this point, I asked which piece they were seeing. "Placido Domingo is playing the title role in "Cyrano de Bergerac," the woman explained. I immediately became very excited at the prospect of seeing this amazing performer in one of the most eloquent classical love stories. So, I inquired at the hotel's concierge desk about tickets. As luck would have it, there were still seats available-- THREE ROWS FROM THE STAGE.

The opera was breathtaking. It was the performance of a lifetime. It was not only Placido Domingo's voice that made his portrayal remarkable. He is also a virtuosic actor. When the show ended, the audience sprang from their seats. The cast received 15 curtain calls.

Placido Domingo as Cyrano.



This post is not just about the profound emotional effect of beautiful art, which is of course a very worthwhile topic on its own. This post is also about a story. It is about connecting across cultures. By engaging with two people whom I did not share a country, a language or a culture, I was able to learn about an incredible opportunity. I took this encounter as a lesson. If we keep ourselves open, and we are unafraid of reaching out, we can learn so much about how to live a better life.





www.rosannainc.com

Welcome to the World

The month of February finds us on another rapid-fire tour through Europe for three different gift and trade shows. Thus far, we've stopped in Birmingham, England and Frankfurt, Germany. We are now at the last stop on our circuit in Milan.


Our appearances at each of the shows have been fantastic successes, in large part due to a diverse array of new international customers. It has been an amazing experience to meet and work with people from around the world. After this trip, Rosanna product will be appearing in a host of new locales. Here is a sampling of places you will be able to find our products internationally:


South Korea
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Cyprus
Dublin, Ireland
Scotland
The Black Forest in Germany
New Delhi
Berne and Zurich, Switzerland
Japan
Kuwait
Dubai

It has been a pleasure to learn more about these countries through our customers, and I'm thrilled that the Rosanna message is appreciated by a community so rich with cultural diversity. I love the fact that so many people are excited by the lifestyle and philosophy we encourage through our product design. We are delighted to be a part of the global community.

Regards from abroad,





www.rosannainc.com

A Trip Across the Universe

Last Wednesday night, I had the most amazing experience. I saw Julie Taymor’s "Across the Universe," a film that revolves around the generationally transcendent music of The Beatles. I came out of the movie theater positively euphoric and profoundly moved. The reason that I was inclined to post about this film is because of how closely it corresponds with our philosophy at Rosanna and with the products we create.

Of course, the most immediately striking thing about the film is the delicious aesthetics. Julie Taymor's recreation of 1960’s America is an intricate visual banquet, equal parts beauty, wonder, and nostalgia. The color palettes are varied and rich as you are swept along on a journey starting in Small Town, USA to the swirling, revolutionary, painful, and chaotic atmosphere of New York City in the throes of the Vietnam War era.

However, Across The Universe is not solely gorgeous imagery. There is a real heart beneath the surface of the film, a presence that's felt right from the opening scene. This film has soul. There is an innate hopefulness for the salvation of the world that runs through it.

The marriage of the soul and the visual in this film reminded me so much of how we think at Rosanna. We create products that are lovely to look at, but there is always more than just the design to each of our collections.

Across the Universe also contains an important message. We must continue to be curious, questioning, and aware of what is happening in the world around us, even when it changes so quickly we feel that we cannot keep up. Human connection, compassion, creativity, self-expression, and protest of unjust, dishonest, and damaging actions are all vital components of a healthy and harmonious global community.

At Rosanna, we strive to do our part in the small ways we can to make the world a better place to live. Our Spring 2008 Collection encourages social awareness with a new line of recycled Mexican glass, as well as with several other collections whose proceeds will be donated to a selection of environmental and human relief projects.

If you haven’t yet seen Across the Universe, take an evening to see this remarkable piece of art. It will remind you that Jon, Paul, George, and Ringo had it right, “All you need is love.”

Click here to see the film’s trailer.






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The Pacific Northwest- A Lifelong Love Affair

As many of you who collect Rosanna already know, I find much of my inspiration for our collections in the rich history and soulfulness of Europe. Paris, London, and a number of locales in Italy provide me with a cornucopia of fresh material to fire the imagination.

However, while the allure of Europe lies in its years of deeply ingrained culture, I will always have a tender spot in my heart for the place I grew up- the Pacific Northwest.

Having just returned from a three week whirlwind Europe trip, that took my husband and I through Milan, Verona, Bath, London, and Paris, I suddently realized how much I missed the landscape of home.

I spent my childhood in Portland, Oregon and was exposed at an early age to the stunning beauty of the Oregon Coast. Then as an adult, I experienced the unique intersection of thriving nature and vibrant city life in Seattle, Washington, where my family and I currently reside.

Having traveled extensively over the years, I've come to appreciate the truly extraordinary intersection of natural beauty and city life that one finds only in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is a remarkable city because it borders the Pacific Ocean, contains a gorgeous lake in the city proper, and is situated practically at the base of Mount Rainier; a mountain every bit as majestic as the famed Mount Olympus.

You would be hard-pressed to find another place in the United States with such a range of breathtaking geographic variation in such close proximity. When the relative youth of the Northwest region and its lack of history comes up in discussion, I like point out that while Rome may have the Pantheon and Paris the Eiffel Tower, we have our national monuments too- the mountains, the ocean, and the beautiful abundant greenery give the Pacific Northwest a mark of distinction that can be found nowhere else.

Here's to the Pacific Northwest!





www.rosannainc.com

Making The Difference

When we hire employees at Rosanna, we look at the entire individual. And as a result, we have cultivated a work place atmosphere in which everyone is supported and celebrated for their diverse beliefs and lifestyles. We function as a family comprised of many different components.

I feel very lucky in our group of employees at Rosanna. All of them are highly competent, hard-working, innovative, and motivated. They also possess strong social consciences that have helped us infuse the company with more awareness of difficulties in the world, both local and international in scale.

The work our employees are doing is admirable and inspiring, and I wanted to share with you the causes they're passionate about, as well as what Rosanna is doing as a company to make a difference.

Volunteering and Community
Our employees are involved in a wide variety of organizations, many of which are based out of the Seattle area.

Natalie, one of our designers, just finished a great project at Children's Hospital. She led a group of young patients in the creation of a painting that was auctioned off to fund uncompensated medical care for families unable to afford the cost of medical treatment. The project was a success, raising a sizable amount for the cause.

Lauren, our PR and Media Coordinator, is an avid volunteer at Eastside Domestic Violence Program as a crisis line advocate, at Broadview Homeless Shelter for Women and Children as a tutor, and is beginning to volunteer at Planned Parenthood as well.

Heather, our operations manager, has channeled her enthusiasm for drill team by starting her own squad for 8-18 year olds, a great community builder and extracurricular activity for girls.

Our accountant Jen does her part by volunteering for Upward Bound, a national program that provides support for low income college bound students, as a motivational speaker and theater instructor.

One of our sales associates Sharon is a regular volunteer at Teen Hope, a homeless shelter located in downtown Seattle for teens from 13-17. She prepares meals, and helps the kids with homework and job applications. She also has an ongoing clothing drive at the office for Teen Hope. However, Sharon is also involved with the crisis in Sudan. She has just returned to the office after completing Bike for Sudan, a two month-long ride across the country, 4000 miles in 51 days. The donations she collected went to the construction of a health clinic and a well in a village in southern Sudan.

Lifestyle
As well as having a group of committed volunteers, Rosanna has growing constituency of vegans and vegetarians. Their choice to abstain from eating meat, or any animal products at all, is socially responsible not only because it promotes animal rights, but because the meat industry in particular is a significant drain of natural resources.

To do their part in keeping the environment as well as their bodies healthy, we have a number of employees who are choosing to use alternative modes of transportation. Another of our designers, Jacqui, rides her bike 3 miles to work everyday. Sharon drives a hybrid Prius, and Heather and our warehouse manager Matt, who are married, use bio-diesel fuel in their car.

In Office
Annice, another of our designers, has started an office-wide recycling campaign. Now, we recycle plastics, glass, and any kind of shopping bags and magazines in addition to plain paper. Annice is also our office-wide food drive organizer. We have two drives a year, with the food we collect donated to Seattle's Northwest Harvest Food Bank.

Profits and Proceeds
In addition to changing our daily habits around the office, we have also begun to donate a portion of our proceeds to various organizations. Currently, a percentage of the profits from our Beach Bottles line goes to the Nature Conservancy. We are also working on a few lines that will be unveiled for next spring with proceeds going to nonprofit organizations that benefit the environment, increase world health, and fight hunger in the United States.

Because our offices are located very near to both of Seattle's major athletic stadiums, we are also looking into renting out our parking lot out for extra parking on game days. If approved, we'll divide the proceeds among the various organizations our employees are involved with for donations.

I am very proud of everyone at this company for their generosity and altruistic spirit. At Rosanna, we are committed not only to creating unique products, but to supporting each other, giving of ourselves, and making a difference in the world.





www.rosannainc.com

Momaboma

While I was shopping in Perugia during my vacation in Italy, an unusual handbag caught my eye. As I examined it, I discovered the name of the company that makes it, Momaboma.

Momaboma is a company that takes vintage magazines, old records, t-shirts, even old classroom notes and creates wallets, handbags, portfolios, and messenger bags. Maurizio is the man behind this creative company and is inspired by the idea of constantly recycling to create new products. Momaboma's tag lines of "RecycledEstEthic" and "Invert the World," make it clear that his art has a purpose- to help the environment and to turn another man's trash into treasure.

I especially love the detail on his different creations- whether it's real shoelaces on his T-Shirt handbags or his personal classroom notes- every bag is unique and feels so fresh.

It's eco-friendly with an edge.

Although these creations are not available in the U.S., you can still view his wonderful and earth friendly collections right here.



Ciao,





www.rosannainc.com