text:
Restaurant Reservations - Free • Instant • Confirmed
Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Online Reservations
Sign In
OpenTable Home
Minneapolis - St. Paul restaurants
St. Paul restaurants
> Buca di Beppo - St. Paul information
Reserve at Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Party Size
1 person
2 people
3 people
4 people
5 people
6 people
7 people
8 people
9 people
10 people
11 people
12 people
13 people
14 people
15 people
16 people
17 people
18 people
19 people
20 people
Private Dining
Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
See all
Reviews ›
2728 Gannon Road
St. Paul, MN 55116
St. Paul
Getting there ›
$30 and under
More Details ›
Buca di Beppo - St. Paul Details
Dining Style:
Casual Dining
(651) 772-4388
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Thursday: 11:00am - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 11:00am - 11:00pm, Sunday: 11:00am - 9:00pm
Payment Options:
AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Italian, American, Comfort Food
Executive Chef:
Ramon Ruiz
Dress Code:
Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins:
Additional Details:
Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Our full menu is available for Buca To Go and Delivery. If you're hosting a special occasion or group event at your home, office or a local area reception hall, Buca To Go or Buca Delivery is the perfect choice. Our friendly & professional staff will assist you with your order, arrange a specific pick-up time for Buca To Go or deliver your order ($25 delivery fee applies to deliveries). Plates, napkins, eating & serving utensils and condiments are included. No minimum purchase required. Please allow 3 hours for same-day delivery and call for questions/details about our delivery service area.
Special Events & Promotions:
Whether you're celebrating a special occasion, planning a business dinner or having a night out with family and friends, Buca di Beppo is your answer to one fabulous group dining experience! Buca serves authentic Italian family-style meals in an eclectic, vintage setting. Our knowledgeable staff will help organize and plan your group event or meetings with diverse lunch or dinner banquet packages - ideal for groups of 20 or more. Private and semi-private rooms are available.
Getting there
Cross Street:
Between Norfolk and Shepard Road
Public Transit:
Metro Bus Service - Gannon Road stop.
Private Lot
Parking Details:
Free self-parking in private lot for Buca di Beppo guests. Additional parking is also available at surrounding business parking lots.
A word from Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Buca di Beppo serves authentic Italian cuisine in an eclectic, vintage setting. Our dishes are served family-style, meant to be shared by everyone at the table. Two sizes are available: BUCA SMALL feeds two or more and BUCA LARGE feeds four or more. At Buca, guests delight in our lively atmosphere,
enjoy the classic tunes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and admire our decor, including family photos and candid shots of Italian-American icons, such as Sophia Loren and Joe DiMaggio. Our energetic atmosphere, delicious food and friendly staff make Buca di Beppo the perfect place for great Italian food and fun.
Foodspotting photos
See all photos >
Awards voted by OpenTable diners
Diners' Choice Winner
Kid Friendly
Diners' Choice Winner
Special Occasion
Diners' Choice Winner
Most Booked
Buca di Beppo - St. Paul -
Best Restaurants in St. Paul
Diner Reviews
I love this place cause it is
perfect for big family get togethers. We can select what people want and share the experience with everyone. The place is good for babies to adults. My grandmother who doesn't get out much had to get a to go menu so she could tell her friends in her assistant living. She actually wanted left overs which is a seldom thing. Thank you for your great service and keep up the family atmosphere."
Dined on 8/29/2014
Used to love to come to Buca with
bigger groups 10+... Very disappointed this time. The garlic mashed potatoes were bland. They say great for groups... Putting a table for 6 up to a booth for eight along a wall means 5 to 7 people had to constantly get up for one person to get out and come back. One inattentive server for a group of 13 doesn't work! Empty drink glasses constantly, not enough silverware, these are the basics and were never met. Won't ever go back. Food was bland and boring too. We spent almost $30 per person!"
Dined on 8/25/2014
Have been to Buca's on several
occasions, always have fun. Buca's is best for groups food has always been delicious"
Dined on 8/22/2014
food here is great; although many
people enjoy low-lighting, I'd rather be able to see their delicious food."
Dined on 8/20/2014
Bucca was ready to seat us at the
time of our reservation but the party of 4 was not there yet. Two of us sat at the bar and enjoyed some libation. The hostess tracked us down 15 minutes after arrival and got us seated. When our party of 2 arrived they joined us. Lydia our waitress was GREAT! beverages promptly with extra ice for cold H20. She notified us that a huge order got placed ahead of ours and that our garlic cheese bread and chopped salad would tie us over as we would have a longer than usual wait for our entrees. No worries....it was worth waiting for!!!"
Dined on 8/16/2014
We always enjoy dining at Buca and
were once again pleased with our meal, service, and ambiance."
Dined on 8/15/2014
I have been visiting Buca's for
the past 8 years and the food quality has been very good throughout.. However, I see that the service quality has been getting bad... In my last visit, we had the worst experience... the server seem to have vanished for the entire time and showed up at the very end for the check. We needed extra paper napkins and water and after telling a different server, did not get it till our server returned, after the dinner was over. Besides, they always seem to be in a hurry to get your order and every customer seem like a " 1 done, few more to go" type behavior!!!"
Dined on 8/8/2014
the St Paul location. ..there
were several fruit flies at my table and in my food. We told our waiter. .I watched him go to his manager, watched her shrug her shoulders. She came over and told us that was a problem spot, and that they had flies behind the bar and the flies come in the front door. We asked to be moved... she moved us and instructed our waiter to bring the same plates that had bugs on them. The worse part of it.was they immediately seated another guest in the problematic booth. Ifthe flies are that bad... what does the kitchen look like? I have pictures and my receipt. I have patronized buca for years and I willnever again. understand that things happen. . But the managersresponse and seating someone else there."
Dined on 8/7/2014
Not sure why, but Open table sent
the request through for a reservation for the wrong number of people. It went to restaurant as 5 or 6 (don't remember exactly), but we had 8 adults plus kids. I checked on the APP, and confirmed it was showing as 8, but the restaurant had the reservation of 5 or 6. The manager ended up having to wait our table, we were seated with a big group including 4 kids, and ended up being seated in a back room where there was not anybody else there. Not sure why they did not do that right away instead of have us wait with 4 kids for an extra 15min (15min is a long time with kids 1 year to 5 years) Since this room was open, should have been seated quicker. We still had a fine time, food was same as always at Bucca."
Dined on 8/3/2014
I remember past eating experiences
at Buca very fondly, but I learned this time that I am no longer the target market. The food consists of heavy pasta drenched in sauce, and the salads come drowning in dressing. Which is great if that is what you are into, but it is not something that I currently enjoy. Since my last visit (about two years back) they have changed the bruschetta, and in my opinion ruined it. It used to come out on a family style plate with heaps of beautiful tomatoes and a drizzle just waiting to be tasted. Now it is delivered in a cheesy giant martini glass with all the tomatoes and dressing in the middle. Not only does it look silly the bread absorbed so much liquid that several were to soggy to eat."
Dined on 8/1/2014
Buca is on our list of favorite
restaurants to go to with friends, whether it is for a special occasion or just a date night on Friday (as was our latest visit). We always get the same thing and it always tastes great which is why we like to come here: we KNOW that we are going to enjoy the food. The wait staff are attentive and accommodating - we never leave unsatisfied, unhappy or disgruntled. It may not be haute cuisine, but it is good , tasty food in a lively atmosphere with friendly staff."
Dined on 7/25/2014
We always enjoy our dining
experience at Buca's. When we want Italian, we choose Buca di Beppo's in St Paul."
Dined on 7/20/2014
We've been to Buca many times
before. This night the food was good, service was mediocre. I think the waitress we had was just working too many tables and wasn't able to focus on us as much as we or she might have liked. But, we still had a good time, regardless."
Dined on 7/20/2014
Our server was Brooks, great
personality and super friendly/attentive. Horrible at knowing the menu and guiding us on what to order. We asked how many glasses a bottle of Chianti would serve - he said 4 - it was a JUMBO bottle. Same with some entree numbers we ordered."
Dined on 7/12/2014
Great, festive place for a
celebration dinner. Good food and awesome service!"
Dined on 7/11/2014
Whether just the two of us come,
or we have a group, we always order a large Apple Gorgonzola Salad. Granny Smith apples, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries and Gorgonzola tossed with mixed lettuce in Buca's signature Italian vinaigrette--yum!"
Dined on 7/11/2014
The service staff is outstanding.
Our server Derrick was amazing. The manager is rude."
Dined on 7/5/2014
We have gone here many times to
have the kitchen table, and never have we had the poor service as we did this time. Our waiter was MIA all the time. I had to go and ask the manager for him at least 5 times to come back tour table. It took 20 minutes for him to return our check to us after I paid and get my gift card back. This after I chased him down to get it. We will never do this again here."
Dined on 7/3/2014
Was looking for a new restaurant
to check out for our anniversary. Heard many recommendations for Buca and a family member had also dined there. Ended up to be a great find and will become regulars as the food is fantastic."
Dined on 6/25/2014
We has a small party of 5, our
waiter tried but our service was slow, slow, slow as he dealt with other tables. We received our entrees first after a long wait so we asked that our salads be held. We waited again for the bill. We waited . . . ."
Dined on 6/23/2014
My mom's 75th birthday celebration
at Buca was exceptional! My mom hugged and cried repeatedly, which meant she was very happy! I think she even hugged all the staff who sang Buca's version of "Happy Birthday" to her. The food was fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. Pre-ordering for our large group was a great idea. Cooper and Erica (our wait staff) were friendly, helpful, and patient. They did an amazing job in taking care of all our needs and making my mom feel special. We were very happy to be tucked back in our own little alcove so we could move around, mingle, and take pictures. And, the atmosphere was fun for my Italian mother. Everything was fabulous, and my family is so grateful for Buca's part in making special memories for my mom."
Dined on 6/16/2014
Food great but it appeared the
kitchen could not keep up. It was nearly 2 hours before we got main course. Waitress good but rushed off their feet. Either understaffed in kitchen or up front. We were not the only people questioning service this night."
Dined on 6/15/2014
Took my family there for Father's
Day. Reservation was at 5 and were sat but we didn't get a server until 545 and only because I went to the front and asked when we were going to get one. Everyone who came after us that were day around us got food and drinks before us. We weren't brought waters until after our food came and nothing was Ever refilled. We were interrupted twice asking if we ordered certain food that wasn't ours. Out food got brought to another table until I caught it and I formed the food runner it was ours. Awful"
Dined on 6/15/2014
Buca (as we call it) is a
tradition now among family and friends, on occasions when we are celebrating in a small or large group. The dining is "family style" and it is fun to decide as a group which dishes to order, and to pass things around. So much food! There are always extra meals taken home for later on. The food is not really "haute cuisine", though quite delicious. The desserts are huge! It is the experience that matters most. If someone is celebrating a birthday, the whole staff comes to sing, with a large candelabra."
Dined on 6/15/2014
Our server, Carrie, was awesome!
We had a large group with a lot of different needs, and of course, separate checks. She was so patient with us and friendly. She made our experience great. We'll be back. Thanks!"
Dined on 6/14/2014
The food was great. Our waitress
was wonderful I wish I remembered her name. It was very loud and hard to have a conversation. On the open table notes I had ordered a cake but it did not come which was fine because we we're too full. I think the cake order was the fault of the open table not the restaurant. I had also noted that my husband was in a wheelchair and they didn't seem to know that either. He had to sit in the isle. But I had that problem with open table before. We made another reservation at the porter house through them for my husbands birthday last year. Everything was confirmed and then 2 days before they cancelled our reservations cause they couldn't seat us because we required a table instead of a booth."
Dined on 6/14/2014
Our waitress was awesome. Great
food, fun employees."
Dined on 6/8/2014
We had my daughter's graduation
dinner here and it was great. Got a back room where we all could sit together and share a meal and carry on a conversation. Good food and good time."
Dined on 6/8/2014
The food was amazing and they are
always super friendly at the St. Paul location. You're always sent home with leftovers as well so you can have it for lunch the next day :) "
Dined on 5/31/2014
We were greeted by the GM, who
seated us, in the bar, WITHOUT bringing us menus. My husband had to get up and ask for menus when she didn't come back, nor had the server stopped by after 5 min. When the GM seated us, she didn't check us in because when our guests arrived they had to wait because the hostess told them we were not there yet. We ordered drinks, which my husband had to get up and get them off the service bar (for both rounds). We had to ask the server to bring us our salad which didn't come with our appetizer. Only 2 of the 3 entrees arrived. The GM told us she was going to go "stare" at the cooks to speed up the cooking. The chicken came, after we were done with our other food. Can't finish the rest of the horrible service "
Dined on 5/29/2014
The food and table service were
fine however when I spoke with the evening manager, she was rude and sarcastic. I recommend holding off on this location until she moves on."
Dined on 5/25/2014
Our family's favorite place to eat
when were out in a big group. This time it was for our son's college graduation and it was no different. Our waiter was fantastic and so was the food. We will certainly be back again."
Dined on 5/24/2014
I have been to Bucca many times at
various locations so I know what to expect over all. I went there for my birthday celebration and it was very infuriating. The wine when it was opened, the server left the metal wrapping on at the top where the wine would touch it when poured, the stem wear was filthy with many finger prints on it, the plates were crusty for half my table, our food at first was rushed out to us with out proper spacing, I requested some between the last course and when it was delivered it went to the wrong table. Throughout the whole evening, our server "tried" to see how we were doing but everyone was too crammed in their seats to notice. We had a reservation for 12 and and a table that really only fit 9! Not happy!!!"
Dined on 5/24/2014
We had pasta shells,vegtable and
bread. The bills was 59.00. The shells were dry, there was no sausage. The bread was not hot. We have never paid this much for dinner. We will never come back and we well let our friends and family know how high the prices were. Thank God we did not have desert."
Dined on 5/23/2014
i have now been to 3 different
locations of Buca and they have all been great. Great food; a fun place for a gathering; no disappointment on decor! The one thing I would suggest is that they do something besides sing for a birthday celebration. A simple dessert for the birthday person is very common in restaurants and this one advertises specifically that it is great for birthdays. So, do something a little more for it!"
Dined on 5/19/2014
A couple of days ago a group of my
friends and I went to dinner at Buca di Beppos in St. Paul. A few of my friends had been to the Mpls location before but not to the one in St. Paul. It was wonderful dining experience. Not only was the food great, the wait staff was very attentive, but not too much. I would recommend Buca di Beppos to others who are looking for good food, casual dining and fun, family atmosphere."
Dined on 5/16/2014
There were 8 of us for Mother's
day at Buca. We got in exactly at our reservation time. Our server was awesome. And on such a busy day, everything was delivered fast, hot and delicious! This Buca is the one to go to. Our last experience at another one in the opposite city left a lot to be desired. Thanks for a wonderful Mother's day venue."
Dined on 5/11/2014
We wanted a place in St Paul that
would be good for a group of 10. I haven't been to a Buca in years because I never thought it had good food. This was a different experience. The pastas and chicken we ordered were excellent! However the calamari and service needed some serious attention..."
Dined on 5/11/2014
We've eaten at Bucca several times
and always have a great experience. This time was no different. Great food and great service. "
Dined on 5/11/2014
I made reservations early in the
week and we (6 adults) went to Buca on Mothers Day. They seated us at a table in a back room which would normally have 4 people. We were EXTREMELY crowded, and that ruined the experience. Also very noisy. It was difficult to converse with anyone else at the table. The food was okay, although overpriced for what we got."
Dined on 5/11/2014
More reviews ›
Feed 4 for $40
All week 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Garlic Bread, choice of Mixed Green or Caesar Salad, and choice of Spaghetti Marinara, Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce, Fettuccine Alfredo, Baked Ziti, Ravioli al Pomodoro. Dine in Only. Excludes Tax and Tip. Available in Buca Large only. ALL DAY, EVERY DAY through 9/29. Special valid Aug 17, 2014 - Sep 29, 2014 all week from 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM. Offer valid August 17, 2014 - September 29, 2014
Send a Gift Card for Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Buy now and deliver it instantly by email, or print a beautiful card to give in person.
Buy one today! ›
Larger map ›
Smaller map ›
Diners' Choice Awards
Minneapolis - St. Paul Winners
Kid Friendly
Twin Cities / St. Paul Winners
Special Occasion
Most Booked
Learn more ›
Like Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Plan your next party here
From Buca's delicious, Italian cuisine to the fun and festive atmosphere, we know how to have a good time! Our dishes are
served family-style, meant to be shared by everyone at the table. We can accommodate any event or budget, from business occasions to casual family affairs.
Great for events up to:
More details and contact info ›
Related Links
See Full Restaurant List
Minneapolis - St. Paul European Restaurants
Make a Reservation at Buca di Beppo - St. Paul
Featured Cities
Atlanta Restaurants
Chicago Restaurants
Denver Restaurants
Las Vegas Restaurants
London Restaurants
Los Angeles Restaurants
New England Restaurants
New York Area Restaurants
Philadelphia Restaurants
San Francisco Restaurants
Seattle Restaurants
Washington DC Restaurants
Restaurateurs: Join Us
Dining Rewards
Private Dining
Diner's Choice Winners
Reserve for Others
Investor Relations
Press Room
Contact Us
Help & Support
© 2014 OpenTable, Inc.
Privacy Policy
OpenTable Terms of Use
Affiliate Program


text:
Hits and misses of DIY projects, both big and small.
Darden describes a family of five who lived on a farm outside of Higdon, Ala., a small community in the northern part of the state. They had no storm shelter, but they did live in a home that he says was well built.
On Saturday, Darden and a partner visited the family. "The mother and three daughters were there at the time," he recalls. Looking at the wall-free ground floor — all that remained of the home—"I introduced myself and said: Thank God y'all were not home. "Her response? "Oh, we were here." With no storm shelter and nothing but a slab foundation left, "I really thought she was joking," he continues. "I asked: Where were you at?"
She led the two men to a spot on the storm-swept slab, where nothing but a small patch of hardwood flooring and a scrap of carpeting remained — parts of each pulled up by the tornado. The rest of the flooring vanished into the vortex and hasn't been found. The patch is all that was left of the interior hallway in which the family huddled. "They were not touched," he says, in a voice tinged with amazement. "They were not sucked up. They didn't have a scratch on them."
— Pete Spotts, "Lessons From the Wreckage: How Alabama Could Help Tornado Preparedness," Christian Science Monitor, May 4, 2011
With thousands of flattened homes and numerous devastated communities in the aftermath of this week's widespread tornadoes, and roughly 1/3 of the population of the United States under a tornado watch today as storms continue across the Midwestern and Southern states, the following tornado safety and survival tips could help save some lives! Though nothing can guarantee absolute safety in the path of a tornado, outside of a shelter with reinforced concrete and steel walls, understanding something about the nature of tornadoes, safety tips for surviving a tornado strike, and which common folklore is to be trusted or ignored, will improve your chances for making the right decision if that day should come when you are confronted by an approaching tornado.
• It is commonly believed that tornadoes happen mostly in the spring, but the peak of tornado season varies with location, and tornadoes can occur any month of the year. For example, the peak of tornado season in the northern plains and upper Midwest is June or July but it is from May to early June in the southern plains, and even earlier in the spring for the Gulf Coast.
• There is a myth that tornadoes can only spawn and strike in relatively flat areas, but they have actually occurred in high areas of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Appalachian Mountains. Though more frequent in the flatter areas of the plains states and the southeast, tornadoes have been spotted in such varied locations as Vermont, upstate New York, Nevada, and one hiker spotted and photographed a tornado at 12,000 feet in the Sequoia National Park of California.
• A common myth is that trailer parks attract tornadoes. They certainly do not attract tornadoes, but due to their light weight and lack of heavy-duty anchoring to strong structural foundations, trailers are extremely vulnerable to damage from tornadoes.
• Another common myth is that you should open your windows to allow the pressure to equalize should a tornado strike your home. Do not waste your time opening windows. If a tornado strikes, it will blow out the windows, and the last place you should be is near a window, where there is the greatest danger from flying debris and glass.
• There is a common myth that owing to the direction of rotation of tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere the southwest corner of a building is the safest place to be. This myth is totally false. Corners are areas of buildings that are most prone to damage. The safest areas are in the center of the building in a windowless room or closet, and on the lowest level (in the basement if there is one).
• There is a common myth that highway overpasses provide protection from tornadoes. In fact, the underside of a highway overpass often acts as a wind tunnel, channeling high winds and debris, and there are a number of reported deaths of people who parked under an overpass while seeking shelter from approaching tornadoes.
A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) when they have determined that local conditions are ripe for generating tornadoes. Once a tornado watch has been issued, it is advisable to stay tuned to your local radio and television stations for further updates. If you live in tornado country, the use of a NOAA weather radio is highly recommended, especially those models that have a battery backup and can emit an audible warning whenever a severe weather alert is issued. This is the time to turn on the audible alarm switch on your NOAA radio to alert you if the watch is upgraded to a warning. Once a tornado watch has been issued, stay alert using your eyes, ears, and other senses to watch for signs of an approaching tornado, and make sure you have access to a safe shelter. Watch for unusual behavior on the part of pets and animals that might be an indication of an approaching tornado.
Once a tornado has been spotted visually, or on weather radar, a tornado warning is issued. Once a warning has been issued, you should take immediate precautions and seek shelter. If you live in a mobile home or other poorly protected building, you should seek shelter elsewhere, if possible. Bring your radio with you to listen for status updates and an "all-clear" signal when the warning is over.
Note: Sirens and severe weather alerts may provide advance tornado warnings, but tornadoes can occur in any season and without warning!
• If you are at home, seek shelter in the bottommost floor, and innermost area, such as an inner hallway, bathroom, or closet. Stay away from windows, outer walls, and building corners. Do not waste time opening windows.
• If you have a "safe room" (a specially constructed room protected by reinforced concrete and/or steel), a basement, root cellar, or storm cellar, those are the safest places to be. In the basement, the safest place is under a sturdy table or mattress, and in a position that is not directly below heavy items on the floor above, such as a refrigerator or piano.
• Protect yourself as best as possible. Wear a bicycle or hockey helmet, if you have one. Crouching in a bathtub or shower stall can provide improved protection, as can lying under a sturdy table or overturned couch.
• If you are in a car, do not try to outrun a tornado as it can travel at speeds in excess of 70 mph. However, it is worth taking a moment to watch the tornado closely, comparing its motion to a fixed object on the ground, so as to gauge its direction of travel. If you see it moving to one side or the other, and can travel in the opposite direction, then do so. If it does not appear to move to the left or right, it is headed straight for you. In that case, you must make a decision. If you have the option of traveling to the right or left, then do so, but if you are stuck in traffic, or the tornado is very close, you must abandon your vehicle and seek shelter, since tornadoes can easily pick up cars and even tractor trailers, sometimes throwing them hundreds of yards. If possible, pull your car to the side of the road and do not park in lanes of traffic, since with the heavy rains that often accompany tornadoes, a driver traveling at high speeds might not see your car parked in the middle of the road.
• If you are stuck in your car with an impending tornado strike, crouch down as low as you can, with your seatbelt buckled, staying away from the windows, and shielding your head with your arms and hands.
• If you are in the open, perhaps having abandoned your car, seek shelter in a building or culvert, or lie down flat in a ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Not a pleasant thought, but people have survived tornadoes by doing this! Stay away from cars and trees, since they will become heavy flying objects with the power to kill and maim.
• Do not park under an overpass, since these tend to act as wind tunnels funneling debris and magnifying winds.
• Avoid shopping malls, theatres, gymnasiums, and other buildings with large open interior spaces where the roof might easily collapse. If inside of such a building, with no time to seek shelter elsewhere, seek shelter under a doorjamb or next to an interior wall that may provide some structural support and protection in the event of a building collapse.
This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival by Matthew Stein
Filson and Rohrbacher's AtFAB line of do-it-yourself furniture allows anyone with access to a CNC (computer numerical control fabrication) machine to build stylish, modern pieces.
You can select and download a pattern via the AtFAB website, then cut the separate components from any flat material with the use of a CNC machine. After the different pieces have been cut, construction of your new piece of AtFAB furniture is as easy as sliding the interlocking pieces into place and securing them with a handful of hardware.
Patterns for each piece are optimized to create as many components as possible from a single sheet of raw material, and fall under the creative-commons license. The company explains that the entirely digital process "eliminates the energy-intensive waste of global shipping, dispenses with middlemen, and creates local manufacturing jobs."
Don't have a CNC machine lying around the house? Filson and Rohrbacher has your back. The company suggests finding locations of public fabricators near you at 100kGarages as well as Fabhub.
Houses take a lifetime to pay off these days, and even a prosaic shed, barn or coop requires a heavy investment of money, time, skilled labour and imported materials. For thousands of years, though, people around the world used an ancient technique to build homes and other structures quickly, using nothing but local material and simple, easily learned skills.
"Wattle and daub," as it's called, takes its name from its two components; a "wattle" was a wicker fence or wall, and the "daub" was the clay plaster – often containing hair and straw -- used to fill in the cracks of the wicker for insulation and privacy, until a smooth wall was created.
Even without the daub, wattles were useful by themselves; farmers could make them as modular, lightweight "hurdles" a metre or two high and across, and then uproot them, carry them to a new position, and stamp them into the ground where needed.
According to author Una McGovern, farmers usually began building wattle hurdles by putting the posts – called sails or zales – into place. Boards of wood with post-sized holes in them, called gallows, kept the posts steady while the farmer wove slim cuttings – "withies" – of willow or hazel back and forth between the posts. At the end of the hurdle the withy would be twisted for greater flexibility, wound around the last zale, and woven back in the other direction. Usually a gap would be left in the middle of the hurdle, called a twilly hole, which allowed a shepherd or farmer to carry a few hurdles as a time on his back.
McGovern writes that hurdle fences were vital to medieval agriculture; by keeping sheep confined without the need for permanent infrastructure, they allowed tenant farmers to graze sheep on a patch of land, letting them manure the fields one by one and deposit the fertilisers necessary for cereal crops. (1)
The same technique could form the walls of a house; typically logs or timbers formed a skeletal frame, with zale posts set in a row between the floor and ceiling. Builders wove wattle between the posts and smeared in the daub, which hardened around the wattle like concrete around rebar.
Not all ancient builders loved it; the Roman architect Vetruvius, in the first century BC, moaned about its hazards in hisTen Books on Architecture:
"As for 'wattle and daub' I could wish that it had never been invented," Vetruvius wrote testily. "…But since some are obliged to use it either to save time or money, or for partitions on an unsupported span, the proper method of construction is as follows. Give it a high foundation so that it may nowhere come in contact with the broken stone-work composing the floor; for if it is sunk in this, it rots in course of time, then settles and sags forward, and so breaks through the surface of the stucco covering." (2)
Vetruvius' disdain notwithstanding, however, the technique proved popular throughout the ancient world, among Sumerians, Chinese and Mayans alike. If kept dry the walls would last for centuries, and even now restoring or demolishing old buildings in Europe sometimes reveals wattle inside the walls.
The technique is similar to building in cob, that mixture of sand, straw and clay, mixed with water and squeezed together – usually by humans walking on it. In cob building, handfuls of the mixture – the word "cob" comes from an Old English word for "lump" – are stacked them on top of each other in a row, stomped solid by people's feet, and then another layer of cob added, until people have a wall.
The straw binds the clay and sand together; instead of a wall's mass hanging on a few large structures like girders or beams, it hangs on the many tiny structures of the straw. Once the cob dries it can be almost as durable as stone. Bricks are basically cob that has been baked in an oven, and concrete uses a similar principle with gypsum powder, sand and gravel.
Wattle and daub shares most of the advantages of cob: It is completely ecological, requiring no chemicals, no pollution, no machines, generates no toxic waste and is, one might say, dirt cheap. Such walls share cob's ability to act as a thermal mass, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly at night. Moreover, while cob walls are often very thick to hold the weight of the house, wattle walls can be much thinner and require less material.
Of course, wattle and daub is probably not suitable for modern homeowners unaccustomed to mud walls. That doesn't mean, however, that it has no relevance to today's homesteader; animals don't tend to mind such all-natural surroundings, as long as the interior remains warm and dry, and neither do garden tools.
Such do-it-yourself building methods require almost no money and little skill, only time and labour – which made them practical choices for thousands of agrarian years, but impractical in an age of wealth and convenience. In this age of widespread unemployment, however, many households have less money and more time than they are used to, and might find some older techniques to be viable once again.
1 – Una McGovern, Lost Crafts, published by Chambers, 2009.
2 – Vetruvius, Ten Books on Architecture, Chapter 8, Section 20.
Top photo: Partially daubed wattle. Courtesy of Wikicommons.
Bottom photo: 15th-century woman using a wattle hurdle. Courtesy of Wikicommons.
When a storm threatens in the country, you know the power is likely to go off at some time – it's really more a question of when and for how long rather than if, so those of us who have lived out here long, know it's best to get ready. We keep a lantern on our bedroom dresser all winter, candles and matches in ready supply, a plug-in flashlight – that turns itself on immediately when the power goes out so that there is a little light while you get things together and the trusty Coleman stove with filled propane tanks. Since the well water (powered by electric) will not be working, filled coffeepot and jugs of fresh water have to be stored nearby.
We usually keep our entry full of firewood but at this particular time it was low, so Rolfe shoveled a trench through the 14" to the wood storage area and we loaded up a couple wheelbarrows-full of wood and brought them in for immediate use. Another way he spent his day was in shoveling snow off the roofs of our two greenhouses. They are made of plastic and aluminum and 14" of snow is a little heavy for sitting atop them! He has a long-handled broom for this purpose and had to pile up and pack the snow to make him taller so he could reach nearly to the top of the greenhouses. This task had to be performed more than once daily, so even though he's skipped his exercise in the morning, he felt assured that he'd gotten more than enough of a workout by day's end. In the greenhouses, in fall, we install some extra posts for holding up the greenhouses in case of these events, but in times of deep snow, one must do more! If the snow is soft, you can tap gently on the ceiling from the inside to get the snow to slide off, but this snow was not going anywhere without his help!
When we lost the electricity, it was 5 o'clock or so, so we decided a vodka-lemon-tonic was in order. And, since the work day was done – it was time to celebrate the night!! Happily, I had shopped on Wednesday, for food and supplies to bolster us through the coming weather. Rolfe and I have two different methods with our computers when the power goes out, he (intelligently) has a backup battery on his computer which gives you a couple minutes to save everything and then turn it off. I, on the other hand, just save like crazy at the first sign of a "brown out" or "flicker" of lights and turn everything off 'til things become more reliable. Anyhow, the computers were safely shut down and it was time to relax! We got out cards and played, til time to "rough it" and make dinner on the Coleman stove. But, after dinner, we wanted to relax and began to think a little harder.
We invested in a generator several years ago, it was a used one and unreliable to begin with, but we followed up with investing in a total tune-up (a must) and we were ready to put that baby to use. A benefit of Rolfe's earlier shoveling to the woodshed was that the generator was in a building nearby and it wouldn't be very hard to hook up and give us availability to a movie night! We had a heavy-duty extension cord already coming across the drive nearby (relative to our fairly recent Christmas lights – serendipity rocks!!) so with a quick trip down the trench, we were soon set up for a night of relaxation with all the creature comforts. I must admit, the more ready you are for a winter storm, the more life in the country remains a fun and glorious adventure. We've also weathered storms without these comforts and trust me, it is sometimes much less enjoyable. In particular I am reminded of a November storm in the 90's where my parents were visiting. We hung very close to the fireplace, working on puzzles while we had daylight, to the point that my Dad commented that he really needed the power back on so we could "quit having all this fun having to work on puzzles", not his favorite pass-time. We had given he and my Mom our master suite upstairs (we lived in another location), where we had a skylight over our waterbed, on the floor, and we laughed at their challenges of getting a wave going to surf their way out of bed.
As husband dearest and I laid on the floor of the living room "sleeping", I spent the night awake, listening to the trees as they groaned and bent and swayed dangerously and limbs crackled to the ground, and pretty much trying to hold up all the trees and spare my parents having a great one crash in through their skylight! In the morning, when I inquired how their sleep was, they said great!! They had the blessing of being sound sleepers and while I waited up and worried, they slept the night away, no problem and had not even been aware of their imminent danger.
As we finished the movie, the power came back on – what a happy surprise, we could turn off the lantern, brush our teeth with the lights on, wash our dishes, flush our toilets, refill our water set-ups and in general celebrate this moment of power but get set up for the power when it was gone again, and settle in for a great night's sleep.
And, as quickly as the power returned, it was gone again. By morning we were back in pioneer mode without computers, lights or power and this time, a first in my memory, the phones were down too. (We live in a cell-phone free zone). When you can't be on the phone, it's very different than not wanting to be on the phone! We did use the snow to our advantage, though, and did a "flash chill" on some red-beets for lunch - they just taste better cold!
We put on boots and suited up to go down to get the morning paper – surprise – it wasn't there. But, already our exercise for the day had begun. As I mentioned, each time we ventured out, it was more comfortable to be out in the snow and at this point it was still all intact and virgin looking except for the few trenches that we'd constructed. In addition to the trench to the woodpile/generator, we had to dig our way out to the chicken house. In these cold times, their water freezes and has to be served up fresh and food must be supplied. We did not choose to let them out of the house to walk in the 14" of snow, so they too were stuck indoors. And, the path to the greenhouses, so we could check on the temperature and keep the roofs snow-free. The only other sign of us was boot tracks from our trudging. As lovely as everything was, this storm came with no sun or blue sky, so photography was difficult, things were mainly in shades of black, and white and gray.
Rolfe feeds the birds and though we threw out bird seed, it was getting sunk down in to the snow and our little friends were having a hard time retrieving it. So, we cleared off the entry porch and fed the birds there, a real joy to have them so close as we lay on the couch to read – our only possible entertainment being once again without electricity, and not wanting to run the generator all day.
I was snuggled up with a blanket, deeply involved in my book, as was Rolfe, enjoying our little mini-vacation where no one ventured out. There were still no sounds of vehicles going by and our driveway was still 14" deep with now, our little car buried. Then, to my amazement, there was a knock at our door. A friend of ours said that they were on their way to Portland (2-1/2 hours north of here and experiencing a much deeper snowstorm) and had a flat tire and their jack wasn't working so since they were sitting in the middle of the highway, could we please help them out. So, off the couch we go, Rolfe had to brush the snow off our car to get into the trunk and locate our car jack and as they returned to fix it, another car had happened along and by the time we reached their car, the problem was already taken care of.
We advised them to go back home (only 15 minutes into their journey) and forget the long aggravating, possibly car or life threatening task ahead of them. But, she is a new Grandma and it was baby's first birthday party. So, who knows which way they decided to head. I have an e-mail in to her to find out how that story wrote itself. But, the funny thing is, even living way out in the country, you are really never alone. Someone can come by even when you least expect it!
By Sunday at 12:30 in the afternoon, our power came back with the phones not far behind and it is amazing how quickly we forget what it's like to be without power. But, on this occasion at least, we had found this to be an excellent, restful, but with busy-ness holiday from normal life.
And, now it's Tuesday. Amazingly, due to a little warm up in temperature, and the beginning of rain the snow is almost gone and we can go about our normal lives – driving, computing, etc. But, with a heavy winter rain storm, the creeks arising, and I gotta go do dishes and fill water pots. It's not only snow that causes power outages!
Coleman stove
Extra propane tanks for lantern and stove
Filled teapot for coffee and filled jugs of water
Generator, filled with gas
Extension cords to run generator
Groceries and necessities so you don't need to go out
A good book to read
Backup batteries for flashlight
We moved out to the Pacific Northwest from Ohio oh so many years ago for many reasons, but one of the big ones was a milder climate. At that time, Rolfe (husband dearest) was a builder and the winters seemed mighty long to his cold fingers, toes, legs, ears, nose, well, you get it. Anyhow, most years, we are blessed with receiving that mild kind of weather but this year, along with the whole rest of the country we received the Artic Snowfreeze Storm. It landed on Thursday and shut just about everything down. Then, it continued on Friday and by Saturday we had 14" out here in our mild climate.
I had a lot of fun watching the depth grow and change – looking out the window behind my computer, I could see the snow fast overtaking everything. Our espalier (pruned early this year and looking great!) had almost no remaining trunk with all that snow, and looked like it sprung out with its side-flowing branches almost immediately from the ground. My little fig tree (not even knee high yet) kept building snow until less than 1" of its highest limbs were showing – could determine its location mainly by the marker stick beside it. We live over a mountain pass off a State Highway where they take great care of the road, but during this particular storm, things became mighty quiet and there was hardly any sound of passing cars. This storm was serious, and a time for all to be home.
We hunkered down, happy to still have electricity – an iffy thing during our infrequent storms. Workers were called off; after all, even if they could make it here, how could we know what conditions would prevail by the time they wanted to return to their own home. And, much of the work is outdoors. What's a person to do under 14" of snow? The first day, I could barely stand to go outside. It was cooooooooooold and we'd recently returned from Mexico where we experienced 85 degrees daily. So my body was quite rebellious to the whole outdoorsy idea. But, there are necessities that draw you out (we are, after all, a mail-order seed business — www.ThymeGarden.com — with a functioning computer and thus wanted to get those orders off to our customers at the earliest possible moment.
Each time I ventured out, I became more accustomed to the temperature and began to find it more and more delightful with each experience. Rolfe may not have found it quite as pleasant since he was the one who was in charge of getting up on the 8 ft ladder with a push broom to get the snow off the greenhouses so that they wouldn't collapse. That's tough work but he survived and the greenhouses did too. Sadly, many in our area did not fair so well.
We also were very proud of our post office and delivery person for staying open and carrying on following their old adage "Through rain, and the sleet and snow……." It is hard to imagine fulfilling one's job under these conditions – pulling over to each unshoveled individual mailbox to deposit our orders and bills and junk and to take away our fulfilled orders. Kudos to the mail-persons!! And, it was actually a treat for my husband and I to work just the two of us, a rare event these days in our business. Happy is the couple who can work together after 41 years and call it a treat! As darkness drew near, real darkness came when the lights (and all electric) went out in late afternoon. Then, our "pioneer" skills were really called upon.
Posted by Janet
Continued next time. . .
When I was growing up in the USA, people used "basket-weaving" as slang for insultingly easy busywork, like the college courses given to ringers on the football team. The implication was that weaving a basket requires no intelligence and has no purpose – the ultimate time-waster.
Few people today have ever woven a basket --- even the insult sounds antique, a relic of an age when schools taught practical crafts. Fewer people still have any idea how vital basketry was to human survival for tens of thousands of years, or how many things can be made from basketry beyond decorative containers.
For example: Animal traps. Armour. Beehives. Boats.
Cages. Chairs. Chicken coops. Coffins. Fences.
Hand tools. Hats. Huts. Sheds.
Tables. Wagons. Walls. Weirs.
You get the idea. Basketry has been used to make all these things at one time or another, and a few aficionados still make many of these things out of woven wood here in rural Ireland.
Because wood decomposes, we don't dig up basket bits as often as we do arrow heads or sculptures, but they were probably much more commonplace and vital to our ancestors. Archaeologists have found basket pieces as old as 13,000 years ago, and woven impressions on ceramics – indicating fibres or baskets – from as much as 29,000 years ago. (1) We also know that humans reached Australia at least 40,000 years ago, and must have either woven a basket-and-hide boat, as the Irish did into the 20th century, or made a raft with the related technology of knots. For all we know, the technique could be as old as hominids; certainly some apes use primitive tools, and I know of no reason that Australopithecines could not have woven baskets.
Thus we know that at least some of our forebears practiced the craft while they still lived alongside mammoths and sabre-toothed cats, and might have slept in basket-framed huts, and kept predators out with basket fences. Some might have caught eels in basket traps, which they might have gathered while paddling rivers in a basket-frame boat. They might have begun their lives rocked to sleep in basket cribs and returned to the earth in basket coffins.
"The technology of basketry was central to daily living in every aboriginal society," wrote Neil Sugihara, and baskets "were the single most essential possession in every family." Early humans must have regularly cropped basketry plants as they would edible plants, and burned woodlands to encourage their growth, according to anthropologist M. K. Anderson. Anderson even proposes that some of the first agriculture might have been to grow basketry crops, not food crops – baskets might have created civilisation. (2) (3)
Let's clarify some terms: basketry involves weaving thin sticks or wood strips in some way; if it used only plant fibres, it would be "cloth." Baskets can be woven with any one of hundreds of plant species; here in Ireland writers spoke of using dogwood, privet, larch, blackthorn and chestnut branches; broom, jasmine and periwinkle twigs; elm, and linden shoots; ivy, clematis, honeysuckle and rose vines; rushes and other reeds, and straw. Perhaps the most popular, however, was willow -- highly pliable when steamed, lightweight and tough when dried, and growing so quickly that a new crop of branches up to two to three metres long can be harvested each year.
Weavers here in rural Ireland traditionally cut their willow from massive century-old stumps that had never been mature trees, but kept growing each year, fed by their roots and new shoots. The shoots were trimmed each winter and left to dry for several months, then steamed to make pliable again – the wood shrinks as it dries, so simply weaving the green shoots would result in a loose and rickety basket.
Baskets come in several types, classified by the way they are woven, like coiled, plaited, twined or wicker. Modern Westerners are unlikely to have seen most of these, although once I knew what "twining" was I realised I had seen it in home-made floor mats. In twining – an old Native American technique -- are wound around a stick, twisted, and wrapped around the next one, until a row of fibres going in one direction wrap a row of sticks going the other. The sticks would seem to limit this approach to flat surfaces, but bending and shaping the sticks allows twining to create a variety of containers and shapes.
Coiled baskets wind flexible wood strips or fibres in a spiral, starting in the middle and working outwards. The spiral pattern limits them to circular objects like bowls or hats, but that still leaves many uses. For thousands of years beehives were made this way, called skeps – it was only in the 19th century that humans discovered how to make modern beehives with slats that can be removed, allowing beekeepers to collect honey without destroying the hive. Straw hats are still made this way, using bits of straw that are plaited – braided – together and then sewn into a spiral. Victorian children earned money this way, and contemporary writers described gangs of teens loitering on street-corners gossiping while folding straw together, as teens today might stand around texting.
Wood and other fibres could also be plaited, with flexible materials criss-crossed like threads through cloth. The Irish flattened and plaited bulrushes for hundreds of years into mats and curtains; rushes were harvested each year, flattened and interwoven, and set to dry. Here too, the approach would seem to limit plaiting to flat surfaces, but as the rushes must be woven while green and flexible and harden as they dry, they can be plaited around a mould to create boxes, bags or many other shapes.
Wicker, however, probably remains the most versatile technique, weaving flexible but sturdy material like tree shoots around upright sticks that provide support. Wicker is the form used for fences, walls, furniture, animal traps and most containers – when I say "basket," you're probably picturing something fashioned wicker-style.
All of these techniques could be practiced today, and while that's true of many traditional crafts, most of those require substantial training, infrastructure, and an investment of money and time. Basketry, however, requires only a few days of training to learn basic techniques, and can use materials that be harvested naturally from almost every biome on Earth. It can be practiced around a modern working schedule, and can beautiful, durable and sustainable tools and furnishings for all areas of life.
(1) Archeologické rozhledy, 2007, Baskets in Western America 8600 BP: American Antiquity 60(2), 1995, pp. 309-318.
(2) Fire in California's ecosystems, By Neil G. Sugihara, p. 42
(3) Anderson, M.K. – The fire, pruning and coppice management of temperate ecosystems for basketry material by Californian Indian tribes. Human Ecology 27(I) 79-113. 1999.
This article was originally posted in Instructables and is reposted with permission from Scott D. Reinhardt.
Most of the time I work alone, so clamps are my imaginary helper.
Sometimes my ratchet clamps break. Not being a person to throw things away, I keep them in a scrap box.
Well, I was in the need of clamping some oddly shaped items and I remembered my box full of broken clamps.
I came up with a simple solution. I bent some S-hooks onto an O-ring and mated them with the broken ratchet clamps. This allows me to clamp in many directions for oddly shaped items.
In this configuration I am using three clamps, but I could add more if I wanted to. In the past I've made several holding fixtures and most of them take up valuable space when not in use. This assembly breaks down for easy storage and to create other configurations.
You'll need the following components and tools for this bar clamp project:
Here's how I bent the S-hooks so they'd work for this bar clamp project.
First, I placed half of the S-hook into the vise. Using the 15-inch adjustable wrench, I put a 90-degree bend into it by pulling the wrench towards me.
I repeated this process on all 3 S-hooks.
Then, I put the same part of the S-hook that was in the vice onto the O-ring.
Using my large Channellock pliers, I closed the end permanently to the ring. I did this for all 3 S-hooks.
I choose to keep them mounted all in the same manner and direction.
I choose to make a 3-clamp multidirectional ratchet bar clamp system. (Wow, that's a mouthful.)
Because I designed this bar clamp to take apart, "assembly" is a loose term.
The clamps have holes in the end of the bars; the bent S-hooks are mounted into these holes.
The S-hooks on the ring are all facing in the same direction, so all the clamps are positioned correctly to close around an oddly shaped item.
Note: Setup for clamping might be easier if you permanently squeeze the S-hooks to the ratchet clamps. I didn't try this myself, but I do know that if they were kept permanently all together, the bar clamp would collapse nicely to hang on a wall.
Keep in mind that I used ratchet clamps from my scrap box. I'm pleased to have a new use for them.
Different lengths of bars and different size clamps, along with different rubber pads, can be used for specific applications.
You can see more photographs of this project on my original Instructables post. Check out other projects on my blog, Fikjast.
Ask the Builder
The Hardware Aisle
Popular Mechanics
Steve Maxwell
MOTHER EARTH NEWS is the guide to living — as one reader stated — "with little money and abundant happiness." Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. MOTHER EARTH NEWS helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.
At MOTHER EARTH NEWS, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $12.00 (USA only).
You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $17.00 for 6 issues.
Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved | Ogden Publications, Inc., 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, Kansas 66609-1265
Special Interest Websites :
Great Green Careers •
Community Chickens •
Mother Earth Now •
Good Things to Eat •
Utne AltWire

subset: commoncrawl


text:
reviews for: listing #70306 - Playa del Carmen, Yucatan Studio rental
- bedrooms 3
- pool yes
- type Studio
- baths 3
- hot tub no
- community playa del secreto
- sleeps 9
- pets allowed no
rates (USD)
$1,780 - $2,000 /wk
Casa Chanty is a memory we will always cherish
Review submitted: May 24, 2012 Date of arrival: March 27, 2012
Alberto y Christina, Angelica ~
Your 'casa' on the beach was the perfect place for our stay in Playa Secreto. Whether listening to the waves breaking on the beach at night; the breezes flowing through the 'casa' keeping us cool; lounging in the beach chairs at night spying out the constellations; walking the white sand beach at sunrise; delighting in the tiny sea shells and the multitude of coral pieces on the beach; bogey-boarding in the turquoise blue water or sitting at the water's edge exhilarating in the feel of waves splashing over us . . . this was our idea of heaven.
We enjoyed the bohemian simplicity of the 'casa'. It was a clean, relaxing 'home away from home' with all the amenities we needed. We loved the vibrant colors of the furnishings and the way the sliding windows opened to the beautiful view of the ocean and the refreshing breezes. We especially enjoyed sitting on the patio where we were shaded from the sun but could still feel the breeze.
It was nice to have the option of catered meals. We thoroughly enjoyed Chef Miguel's cooking, especially when we arrived very tired the first night.
We, also, enjoyed Alberto's company, his helpfulness and his entertaining stories. And your property manager, Damian, is a gem. He's always there to help with every need . . . from fixing a 'dead' TV to finding hidden beach treasures for us. I especially enjoyed his artistic touches when cleaning the 'casa'.
Our vacation at Casa Chanty is a memory we will always cherish. And – God willing – we will return soon.
Con un abrazo ~
Memo, Marta y Pepito Guevara
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 2 / 6
Our vacation was fantastic
Review submitted: May 9, 2012 Date of arrival: April 20, 2012
Hi Cristina & Angelica
first of all thank you for renting your beautiful villa and condo to us.
apologies for not sending this sooner but being back to work with all its issues has kept us very busy and this is the first opportunity we have had to sit down and e-mail you.
Our vacation was fantastic, we arrived on the sat and were met by Damien and shown to your villa, Damien throughout the 14 days was an excellent host and catered for all our needs, questions and queries.
The villa and condo were everything we hoped they would be and were perfect for a hassle free, relaxing vacation.
we made friends with people, we shopped and dined in Puerto Morales and Playa Del Carmen and even ventured up to Cancun. The weather was a little windy in the first week but alaways in the 30s.
thank you again for the rental and we hope in the future to rent accomodation with you again.
attached are a few photographs and we will write a glowing report in trip advisor for you
thanks again
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 0 / 4
Casa Chanty Getaway
Review submitted: May 17, 2011 Date of arrival: May 5, 2011
This was a new community to me. As a regular to Cancun/Playa Del Carmen I was looking for something very quiet and away from the usual tourist hustle & bustle. This place is a small gated community right on the beach. Casa Chanty was perfect for us. It has facilities for 3 potential group visits. The two units downstairs are 'studio' style (2 ppl) and there is a larger unit that sleeps 8 upstairs. We had one of the studios and were the only guests there that weekend. It was wonderful to be able to go on the beach and not have to contend with others.
Damian (site manager) altho limited in his english was very friendly and helpful. (my Spanish is muy mal) We enjoyed the catering service offered thru the website and the meal was amazing. Transport from the airport was easily arranged and very punctual. Taxis to PDC or P. Moreles need to be arranged thru Damian, but they were ok. No shopping nearby, had to go to town to purchase food.
I'd love to come back. Not recommended for families w/teens as there is no 'nite life' close by. Sun, surf and quiet nights.
Recommended for: girls getaway, romantic getaway
Owners response: Dear Elaine, thank you very much for the posted review, I was very very happy once I read it, as Im always thinking to all my guests once they are there, for me is wonderful that you had a good time there, and find it perfct for you, thank you to let me know. I feelthe same of you for the place, every time I go there, we take a walk to playa some night , but than like you I'm soo happy to go back in Playa del Secreto and wake up early in the morning with the ocean and the sunrise right in front, just really few people around, lot of quiet, Im glad to share with you this experience (Sorry my english is not very good). Best wishes for you and all your family thanks again for all.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 1 / 6
Enjoyable Honeymoon
Review submitted: December 14, 2010 Date of arrival: November 17, 2010
Hello Christina & Chantal,
This is josh emailing you in response to our stay at casa chanty in november.
my wife suzanne and i would like to thank you and alberto for an enjoyable honeymoon.
the bottle of wine was very nice of you, and a nice way to start our first night in mexico.
The ocean view was Fantastic, the weather for the most part was good, it was fabulous to just relax and
enjoy the sun. Damian and family were very nice and helpful even though they do not speak too much english.
It was good for me to learn more spanish as well.
I tell my friends about casa chanty, so if they want to take a vaction, i will have them contact you.
when we decide to take another trip to mexico in the future, we will contact you again.
thankyou again.
josh beinert
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 2 / 4
wonderful experience
Review submitted: May 19, 2010 Date of arrival: December 22, 2009
Hi,I'm sorry it has taken so long to write this to you but we have been so busy with the Holidays and work not to mention fighting off bad colds. We had a wonderful time in your beautiful home in Playa del Secreto! The pictures on your web site do not even come close to the amazing vistas and atmosphere we experienced. The white sand beach, the carribean colors of the water were so relaxing and your house was perfect for all of us. it was a wonderful vacation.
We are thinking of planning our next trip to stay again at Casa Chanty so we can see them in December when they come to visit so we have more time with your friends.
Thank you again! We'll be planning our next trip around March so we'll be in touch.
All our best to you.
Mark & Marci
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 4 / 6
Amazing !!
Review submitted: May 19, 2010 Date of arrival: August 5, 2009
My family and I stayed at this amazing house last year 2009. The pictures truly do not do it justice. The view is absolutely amazing!! It is the perfect place if you are looking to relax and avoid the high traffic tourist areas that crowd some of Mexico's beaches. It is a 5 minute drive into Puerto Morelos which is a small fishing town just north of the house. Playa del Carmen is a short drive south from the house as well. The beach where the house is located is very private and secluded. If you are looking for a place with an amazing view and a quiet location, this is definitely your place!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes No
Helpful votes: 3 / 4
Reviews are the subjective opinions of VacationRentals.com travelers and not of VacationRentals.com, Inc.


text:
The ACC announced Monday that it has reached an agreement to keep the league's football championship game in Charlotte through the end of this decade.
The agreement covers the next six championship games, beginning with this year's 10th Annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship, and concludes after the 2019 season. The announcement was made at an 11 a.m. press conference at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the site of the last four ACC title games.
The additional six years provides that, at the conclusion of the current contract in 2019, the ACC Football Championship Game will have been played in Charlotte for 10 consecutive years.
"We are pleased to announce that Charlotte will continue to be the home of the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship through the 2019 season," said Swofford. "The Charlotte Sports Foundation, Bank of America Stadium, the Carolina Panthers and entire City of Charlotte have been outstanding partners and continue to facilitate the growth and success of the game and our many ancillary events. This annual weekend is a true celebration of ACC football."
The four games which have been held in Charlotte have averaged 69,632 fans. That includes sellout crowds in both 2010 and 2011 and an ACC Football Championship record crowd of 73,675 in 2011.
The dates of the six games in the agreement are:
1732 Valley View Dr.Birmingham, AL 35209
Telephone: 205.933.1313
Fax: 205.323.3314
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
@FGCU_MTEN Sends A Pair To The Finals After Day Two Of The FGCU Invite
FORT MYERS, Fla. – With day two of the FGCU Fall Invitational in the books, the FGCU men's tennis team seems to be on track for a repeat sweep of the both the singles and doubles top draw titles as two of the four players competing for the two trophies represent the Green and Blue.
Picking up two wins and a spot in the finals of the doubles blue draw was the team of Jordi Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) and Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS). The pair started day two with a dominating 8-3 win over Boston College's Kyle Childree and Matt Wagner before pounding Barry's Renato Lombardi and Leo Vivas, 8-2, for a spot in Sunday's finals. The two Eagles will face Ahmed Tricki and Fabian Groetsch of Barry in the championship match looking to keep the trophy in The Nest.
"It is really exciting to be in the position that we're in," head coach C.J. Weber said. "To have two guys in the top flight and for both of them to be in the finals is remarkable. It's exciting for both of them. They play against each other a lot in practice, and they compete hard, but this is a real match so it will be a lot of fun for the team and for our fans."
"I'm really excited about playing tomorrow for the title," Vives said. "I think Bao and I have a good opportunity to win the doubles draw against a good team. We played really well in both our matches today and we expect to do the same tomorrow."
Also playing in the blue doubles draw were Lucas Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) and Dean Tsamas (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay HS), dropping a point-for-point match in the first round to Tricki and Groetsch, 9-8 (3). Vaz and Tsamas continued on to consolation play, dropping another tight match to BC's Adian McNulty and Phil Nelson, 9-7.
In the first round of the gold doubles draw Lance Lvovsky (Dania, Fla./Broward Virtual School/Jacksonville) and Chris Perrigan (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay HS) suffered an 8-3 defeat to Miami's Jack Murphy and Will Albanese, but were able to bounce back in consolation play as they put a powerful 8-3 win on BC's Hank Workman and Christian McKean.
After dominating the doubles field, Bao and Vives extended their winning streak as they both claimed wins in the blue singles semifinals in straight sets. Facing Arkansas' Jovan Parlic, Vives took his opponent through a back-and-forth first set before claiming the tiebreak 7-6 (2). The second set showed a change in pace as Vives cruised to a 6-2 win. On the opposite side of the FGCU Tennis Complex, Bao took Phil Nelson through a grueling first set but came out on top with a 7-5 win. As Bao began to control the second set pulling ahead 3-1, Nelson retired from the match due to injury.
Vives and Bao will face off for all the marbles as they play against each other in the blue singles finals Sunday morning after uniting for a chance to win the blue doubles draw to start the day.
"Both Jordi and I have played really well this weekend," Bao said. "I think both of us deserve to be in the position we're in, playing for a shot at the title. We just want to go out there and play with all we've got and put on a good show."
Playing in the semifinals of the gold singles draw was Lvovsky, who despite pulling ahead 4-1 to start the first set, suffered a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Nicco Dreer of Barry.
The Eagles will return to tomorrow the doubles finals beginning at 9 a.m.
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis at the FGCU Fall Invitational, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day.
Blue Singles First Round
Jordi Vives (FGCU)def. Aidian McNulty (BC)—6-1, 6-2
Tianyu Bao (FGCU)def. Jonathon Raude (BC) – 7-6 (5), 6-2
Blue Singles Second Round
Jordi Vives (FGCU) def. Ahmed Triki (BU) – 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Tianyu Bao (FGCU) def. Gabriel Flores (UM) – 6-4, 6-3
Blue Singles Semifinals
Jordi Vives (FGCU) def. Jovan Parlic (UA) – 7-6 (2), 6-2
Tianyu Bao (FGCU) def. Phil Nelson (BC) - 7-5, 3-1 (Nelson retired due to injury)
Green Singles First Round
Gabe Echevery (FGCU) def. Alexandre Thirouin (BC) – 6-4, 6-4
Luca Vaz (FGCU) def. Robbie Dubuque (FAU)—7-5, 6-4
Dean Tsamas (FGCU) def. Reece Acree (UCF) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Green Singles Second Round
Chris Barrus (UCF) def. Gabe Echeverry (FGCU) – 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
Henrique Tuskamoto (UM) def. Lucas Vaz (FGCU) – 6-0, 3-6, 6-0
Pete Thomason (UA) def. Dean Tsamas (FGCU) – 7-6 (7), 7-5
Green Singles Backdraw
Eduardo Alfonzo (BU) def. Lucas Vaz (FGCU) – 6-4, 7-5
Gold Singles First Round
Lance Lvovsky (FGCU) def. Stefan Burnett (FAU)—6-2, 6-1
Gold Singles Second Round
Lance Lvovsky (FGCU) def. Jack Murphy (UM) – 7-5, 6-4
Bernard Tefel (UM) def. Chris Perrigan (FGCU) – 6-3, 6-1
Gold Singles Semifinals
Nicco Dreer (BU) def. Lance Lvovsky (FGCU) – 6-4, 6-2
Blue Doubles First Round
Triki/Groetsch (BU) def. Tsamas/Vaz (FGCU) – 9-8
Vives/Bao (FGCU) def. Childree/Wagner (BC) – 8-3
Blue Doubles Semifinals
Vives/Bao (FGCU) def. Vivas/Lombardi (BU) – 8-2
Blue Doubles Backdraw
Nelson/McNulty (BC) def. Tsamas/Vaz (FGCU) – 9-7
Green Doubles First Round
Murphy/Albanese (UM) def. Lvovsky/Perrigan (FGCU) – 8-3
Green Doubles Backdraw
Lvovsky/Perrigan (FGCU) def. Workman/Mckean (BC) – 8-3
Sunday, October 27:
Play begins at 9 a.m.
Doubles finals
Singles finals
Consolation play
|Copyright ©2014 FGCU Athletics. All Rights Reserved.


text:
We want to hear about your experiences at Rockingham Memorial Hospital.
There are two easy ways to participate:
1. Comment on any RMH Healthcare Blog post. We moderate all comments before posting them live based on our blog participation guidelines.
2. Share your RMH story. If you'd like to submit a story based on your experiences at RMH to be considered for the blog, please e-mail it to the blog editor at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please include your name and phone contact information so we can follow up with you.
Note that any comment or story you submit can be published for the world to see. With that in mind, and to protect your and your family's privacy, think about how much detailed personal information you want to include.


text:
Red Metallic Eyelash Fabric
Metallic Eyelash Fabric RedGSCEYE RED
In Stock - 1 business day processing+shipping
Your Price: $62.99 20 yd roll
Qty. of 1 - 4 price $62.99 20 yd roll
Qty. of 5 + price $60.99 20 yd roll
Metallic strands are woven into fabric to make the Red Metallic Eyelash Fabric a great decorating tool for instant room transformation. Use Red Metallic Eyelash Fabric to cover walls, tables and more. Each roll is 58 inches wide and 20 yards long.
Please allow ample time for delivery. Our ship date for this product is noted in your shopping cart. Many items are shipped separately, so please allow extra time for these items to arrive. Shipping charges are based on the value of the merchandise and not the number of shipments. For additional shipping information, contact our Customer Service Department at (email@example.com or 1-800-227-2789).
Detailed shipping information
Detailed shipping information


text:
van Darren Roberts
Loading ...
Panoramische foto door Darren Roberts Genomen 10:59, 31/08/2012 - Views
View from Conwy Mountain
Conwy Marina, Wales
The ruins of Conwy Castle in Conwy, Wales. This parnorama was taken August 19, 2007 with a Canon 350...
A lot of people come to visit the castle in Conwy. Not so many actually take the little path which le...
Conwy Suspension Bridge.More amazing panoramas athttp://www.rozenek.comThank you!
Wales (Cymru in the Welsh language) is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The major cities are Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Bangor. The city of St. Davids is the smallest city in the UK with a population around 2000. Wales itself has a population of around 3 million. The Welsh language is spoken by around 20% of the population.


text:
Listen Live, 24-7, Online!
Whats on WATD now:
- Wide World of Blues w/ Peter BlackStarts: 10:00 pmEnds: September 2, 2014 - 2:00 amDescription: From BB King, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy to Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt, the Wide World of Blues features both traditional and contemporary blues artists. Visit http://959watd.com/programming/wide-world-of-blues for more information.
Precision Weather Forecasting
WATD Remote Broadcasts
- Remote Broadcast: Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth on Saturday, September 27th from 12-3 PM
- Remote Broadcast: The Lobster Hut in Plymouth on Friday, September 5th from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
- Remote Broadcast: The South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell on Saturday, September 13th from 12-2 PM
- Remote Broadcast: SSMN live from Scituate on Friday, August 29th from 6-10 AM
Like WATD-FM on Facebook
959WATDFM on Twitter
- RT @goldiebounce: @959watdfm Will Perry #photobombing @WATDSSMN Liza Churchill as she interviews @DBChampionship #winner Chris Kirk http://… about 2 hours ago from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
- WATD's golf reporter Liza Churchill in Norton with today's Deutsche Bank Championship PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk.... http://t.co/aclXsIdPR5 about 4 hours ago from Facebook ReplyRetweetFavorite
- Remote Broadcast: Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth on Saturday, September 27th from 12-3 PM: Join Rob Hakala fr... http://t.co/b28Kh3dmSU about 9 hours ago from twitterfeed ReplyRetweetFavorite
- #WATD Middleboro: Fire at Ocean Spray plant: Authorities are investigating a weekend fire... http://t.co/xz6AHSNYi3 via @SouthShoreNews 03:20:05 PM August 31, 2014 from twitterfeed ReplyRetweetFavorite
Great local savings!
- For Email Marketing you can trust
About WATD-FM WATD is one of those seemingly impossible ideas which actually worked and has now endured for over three full decades. The idea for the station in Marshfield emerged as the result of a prospecting trip Carol Ebert Perry and Edward Perry made in December of 1972.
Click here to learn more...
WordPress Powered Website - ACTSmart, Inc
Copyright 95.9 WATD FM. All Rights Reserved.
WATD Business Phone: (781) 837-1166 WATD News Room: (781) 837-1169 WATD On Air Phone: (781) 837-4900
Click to view our FCC filings regarding EEO Fair Employment Law
WATD EEO Report
95.9 WATD, Marshfield Broadcasting Company, 130 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050
chequessett Archive
Local New England Golf Day-Cations
Goldie's Golf Getaways: Wellfleet on Cape Cod's Outer CapeNo Comments


text:
Fact-checking claims about the individual mandate
By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at 1:53 p.m.
With the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the health care law's individual mandate, we thought it was time to revisit the many exaggerations, distortions and outright lies surrounding it.
The key provision that the court preserved was the individual mandate, a requirement that every American have health insurance coverage of some type. The court said the requirement was permissible because, at its heart, the individual mandate is a tax. People are free not to buy insurance and simply pay the tax.
Critics of the law said the mandate was government overreach. But we have sometimes found they exaggerated with some claims, such as when they said the law meant people would be jailed if they didn't buy insurance.
"The federal law compels American citizens to contract for health insurance they do not want, do not need, or find morally objectionable," wrote Bob Marshall, a state legislator in Virginia. "Persons who decline to buy the coverage face fines and imprisonment."
We rated the claim that people could be imprisoned as Pants on Fire. In fact, the law specifically states that people who don't pay the fine cannot be charged criminally. It also forbids liens or levies placed on property for failure to pay.
That incorrect claim, though, was repeated often. When Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly denied that the charge was said on Fox, we fact-checked that, too, for another Pants on Fire rating.
Still, the mandate has never been popular. Rick Santorum, a Republican candidate for president, said "Polls show Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Obamacare, especially the individual mandate." We rated that Mostly True: Polls do show people oppose the mandate. We deducted a notch on the Truth-O-Meter because opposition to other parts of the law were not quite as strong.
In some ways, the furor over the mandate was ironic: President Barack Obama had actually opposed the mandate in the 2008 Democratic primary. We gave him a Full Flop on our Flip-O-Meter when he changed position in July 2009 and said he would accept a mandate.
Another bit of irony: Some Republicans had supported a plan with a mandate in the early 1990s as an alternative to a health care plan proposed by then President Bill Clinton. Liberal commentators pointed out that Sen. Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a 1993 health care bill that had an individual mandate. PolitiFact rated that True.
One Republican supporter who changed his position was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. During the Republican primary, candidate Michele Bachmann charged that Gingrich "first advocated for the individual mandate in health care. And as recently as May of this year, he was still advocating" for it. We rated that Mostly True; Gingrich had expressed flexibility on the details of health care.
Still, some claims about Republican support for the mandate exaggerated. A Facebook post claimed that "In 1993 the Republicans embraced a health platform that proudly features an individual mandate as its main component." Actually, only some Republicans embraced it -- there was always a contingent of Republicans (particularly libertarian-leaning ones) who opposed it. And, the Republican mandate tended to kick in only if certain benchmarks for health coverage weren't met. We rated the statement Half True.
More accurate were some claims about the current Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, who signed a bill into law in Massachusetts that enacted a statewide mandate. We looked at a statement from Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty who said that "Obamacare was patterned after (Mitt Romney's) plan in Massachusetts." We rated that True. The laws were highly similar in their structure, and both had a mandate.
See individual checks for complete sources.
Researchers: Becky Bowers, Angie Drobnic Holan, Louis Jacobson, Molly Moorhead
We want to hear your suggestions and comments.
For tips or comments on our Obameter and our GOP-Pledge-O-Meter promise databases, please e-mail the Obameter. If you are commenting on a specific promise, please include the wording of the promise.For comments about our Truth-O-Meter or Flip-O-Meter items, please e-mail the Truth-O-Meter. We're especially interested in seeing any chain e-mails you receive that you would like us to check out. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.
Keep up to date with Politifact :
- Sign up for our e-mail (about once a week)
- Put a free PolitiFact widget on your blog or Web page
- Subscribe to our RSS feeds on Truth-O-Meter items
- Subscribe to our RSS feeds on GOP Pledge-O-Meter items
- Subscribe to our RSS feeds on Obameter items
- Follow us on Twitter
- Fan us on Facebook
- Advertise on PolitiFact
- Shop the PolitiFact store for T-shirts, hats and other PolitiFact swag


text:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has called a news conference Thursday morning to discuss a growing scandal in his office, and State Senator Ray Lesniak has also told CNN he will formally request an investigation into the Christie administration over the George Washington Bridge controversy.
(CNN) This isn't the first time critics have called Christie a bully, but now the man many consider a Republican presidential frontrunner is on the defensive, scrambling to distance himself from an erupting political scandal that threatens to tarnish his image well before the 2016 elections.
E-mails that surfaced Wednesday suggest top Christie appointees orchestrated traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge as part of a political vendetta to punish a local mayor who wouldn't support him at the polls. Lane closures around approaches to the country's busiest bridge snarled traffic for days in September in Fort Lee, New Jersey -- a problem the governor and his administration had originally blamed on a mishandled traffic study.
In response to the e-mail firestorm, Christie said Wednesday that he was misled by staff. He called the conduct outrageous and said he knew nothing about it. "This behavior is not representative of me or my administration in any way," he said, "and people will be held responsible for their actions."
Even if he had nothing to do with the traffic snarls, the allegations could have serious consequences for Christie, analysts said. "There's something about this that's so petty and so vindictive and it feeds into this narrative that he's a bully. ... He's going to have to find some way to defuse this to prove he doesn't run a shop like that," said CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen, a former adviser to several U.S. presidents.


text:
— Stefani Nicole Thomas and Cody Garrison Stokes have plans to wed on Sept. 14, 2012, at Tennessee River Place in Chattanooga, Tenn.
She is the daughter of Vickie Bennett Thomas, and the daughter and stepdaughter of Doug and Susan Thomas, Kokomo. She graduated from Western High School in 2003 and from the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation science. She graduated from the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga with a doctor of physical therapy degree in 2009 and with a master's degree in business administration from Bethel College in 2012. She is the in-patient rehabilitation director at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Cleveland, Tenn.
He is the son and stepson of Joseph and Patsy Banther, and Ed and Geraldine Stokes, both of Chattanooga, Tenn. He graduated in 2005 from Central High School, Chattanooga, Tenn., and is a partner in Lawn Barber Landscaping. He is finishing his degree in education and history at the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga.


text:
Sophie Theallet
When she won the 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award (and along with it, $200,000 and Oscar de la Renta's mentorship) she tweeted, "My American dream comes true tonight." And First Lady Michelle Obama has been repeatedly photographed in Theallet's designs—truly one of the most influential feathers in any designer's cap.
The only girl among five brothers, Theallet grew up a tomboy. She liked to play in the dirt, as well as dress her dolls. On a trip to London at the age of fourteen, she discovered Vivienne Westwood and the punk scene, and that is what really sparked her interest in fashion. Educated in Paris at Studio Berçot, she worked for Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa before l'amour (what else?) drew her to her new home in New York City. There, she worked with a handful of American designers and continued on as a consultant to Alaïa, before launching her own line in 2007.
Sophie Theallet born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, one of six children. "I grew up in France listening to Janis Joplin, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan," she later says, adding that her five brothers were "complete hippies."[2]
A visit to cousins in London is a turning point. "There, I fell absolutely in love with the British punk scene," she later says. "I landed at Vivienne Westwood's boutique, where I discovered all that Malcolm McLaren stuff, and I adored that universe. Upon my return, I told my mother that I wanted to do fashion. She was a bit scared because I had returned with orange hair and I was only 14 years old."[3]
Moves to Paris and enrolls at Studio Berçot, a fashion-design school. Her personal style then, she later tells Vogue, was very Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Having graduated a year early, receives the National Young Designer Award and is given the opportunity to design a line under her own name for Le Printemps. It's a sellout success, grabbing the attention of Jean Paul Gaultier, for whom she will soon work for four years (concurrently with Martin Margiela). "Jean Paul taught me how to play with color," Theallet will later tell The Daily Beast, "and that if you believed in something, not to be scared."[4]
Begins a ten-year tenure at Azzedine Alaïa. "All the fittings, the rigor of the clothes, the need for perfection . . . working for Azzedine was like taking your religious vows. It was a very difficult apprenticeship, but worth it," she later says.[5]
Moves to New York and takes up residence in the Chelsea Hotel (in an apartment rented from the model Iman). "It was craaaaaaazy at that time!"[6] Theallet later says. Continues to consult for Alaïa and freelances in New York for, among others, Diane von Furstenberg and Rachel Roy.
Collaborates with makeup king François Nars on a line of resortwear named after his private Tahitian island, Motu Tané. "I try to mix the artisanal feeling of the island with what I learned in couture,"[7] she tells W.
Her son Léon is born.
Establishes her own label with her husband and business partner, Steven Francoeur, an American "gypsy jazz" musician she met at a dinner at Alaïa's.
February: Shows first collection under her own name. September: Makes runway debut for spring, featuring an all-black cast of models. "I didn't think to question it; it seemed natural to me," she tells a French news source. "It wasn't at all a political statement, because when one makes a runway show only with white models, for example, no one reacts. This was also an homage to Yves Saint Laurent, who had just died and who was the first to have black models. During the show the models we chose were magnificent, they resembled princesses, and the colors were magnificent against their skin."[8]
April: New First Lady Michelle Obama wears Theallet to the unveiling of a sculpture of abolitionist Sojourner Truth. July: The First Lady wears Theallet again, on a visit to Ghana. "I was much honored that she wore my dress," the designer tells Vogue, "especially because I was genuinely inspired by the diversity and beauty of African women when I created it."[9] November: She wins the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. Oscar de la Renta becomes her mentor.
January: Anna Wintour, Vogue's editor-in-chief, declares Theallet to be "a very rare creature in fashion these days," adding that her "success is a reminder that a strong technical foundation is priceless."[10] February: Theallet named one of the twelve inaugural tenants of the CFDA Fashion Incubator. Launches knitwear with her fall collection. May: Actresses Jessica Alba and Vera Farmiga wear Sophie Theallet for Gap to the opening of the "American Women" exhibition at the Met's Costume Institute.
- A Photographer's Perspective on New York Fashion Weekby Kevin TachmanSeptember 14, 2012
- Image and Reality: Former CFDA/Vogue Fashion Funders Create Gowns with Gap for the Costume Institute Galaby Molly CreedenMay 4, 2010
- "Ten Questions for Fashion Fund Winner Sophie Theallet"by Patricia GarciaNovember 18, 2009
- "And the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winner Is . . . Sophie Theallet"by Mark HolgateNovember 17, 2009
- "Meet the 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists: Sophie Theallet"by Florence KaneAugust 27, 2009
- Fall 2014 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2014 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Fall 2013 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2013 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Fall 2012 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2012 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Fall 2011 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2011 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Fall 2010 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2010 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Fall 2009 Ready-to-WearNew York
- Spring 2009 Ready-to-WearNew York
- ^
"Très Tree-Lined Chic." Observer.com, November 11, 2008. http://www.observer.com/style-magazine/tr-s-tree-lined-chic
- ^
"Woodstock at 40: Rock Stars and Designers Weigh In," by Amanda Fitzsimons with contributions from Marcy Medina, Bobbi Queen, Anne Riley-Katz, Nick Axelrod, Sarah Haight, Alessandra Codinha. Women's Wear Daily, August 12, 2009. http://www.wwd.com/lifestyle-news/woodstock-at-40-rock-stars-and-designers-weigh-in-2236329#/article/lifestyle-news/woodstock-at-40-rock-stars-and-designers-weigh-in-2236329?full=true
- ^
"La Touche de Sophie Théallet dans la Mode Américaine," by Danielle Delaloye. France-amerique.com, January 26, 2010. http://www.france-amerique.com/articles/2010/01/26/la_touche_de_sophie_theallet_dans_la_mode_americaine.html
- ^
"Michelle's Secret Weapon," by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni. Thedailybeast.com, June 4, 2009. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-04/michelles-secret-weapon/2/
- ^
"Michelle's Secret Weapon," by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni. Thedailybeast.com, June 4, 2009. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-04/michelles-secret-weapon/2/
- ^
"Très Tree-Lined Chic." Observer.com, November 11, 2008. http://www.observer.com/style-magazine/tr-s-tree-lined-chic#
- ^
"The Month in Fashion," by Marc Karimzadeh. W, September 2005.
- ^
"Sophie Théallet: Fashion Designer," by Thibaut Estellon. Frenchcreativeconnection.com, February 25, 2009.
- ^
"International Arrivals." Vogue, September 2009.
- ^
Letter from the Editor, by Anna Wintour. Vogue, January 2010.
- ^
"Sophie Theallet Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear Preview," by Mark Holgate. Vogue.com. http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2011/sophie-theallet/preview/