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Blooming Affaire 2007

June 8 & 9, 2007

The Chabot College Foundation proudly presented “La Blooming Affaire” a fundraising program to benefit the college's Fine Arts, Interior Design and Nursing Programs. As in "A Blooming Affaire 2004 and 2006", this event again featured a variety of beautifully designed tables.

Friday evening’s cocktail reception gathered nearly 300 guests who enjoyed diamond martinis, a fabulous silent auction, cool jazz and an array of delicious appetizers from Horatio’s. Our tabletop designers set the mood and the evening was full of color, fabrics, design and passion.

Our distinguished alumnus, Paul Russo and Richard Valle, were truly honored and delivered heartfelt gratitude for the importance of Chabot College in their lives and our communities.

On Saturday our guests were treated to live harp music, La Bloom mimosas and a gourmet lunch. Table top designers were awarded for their creativity and internationally renowned floral designer Ron Morgan wowed our audience with his quick wit, sense of humor and floral design expertise. KTVU Anchor Sara Sidner did a beautiful job serving as Mistress of Ceremonies and auctioning Mr. Morgan's creations.

On display throughout both events were Chabot student artwork, interior design boards and wine glasses hand painted by the art students that were available for purchase.

Not only did we exceed our budgetary projections, but La Blooming Affaire proved to be the most successful event in the Foundation's four-year history.

Thank you to all our sponsors, donors and volunteers for your generous support. Your contribution enabled us to make La Blooming Affaire a blooming success!

Aerial view of 21 Tabletop Designs

Sir Lancelot’s Table After the Hunt
If Lancelot had invited Queen Guinevere to tea after a day of hunting pheasant, he would have served lunch on black and white toile plates and featured a golden candelabrum for romantic light. The table would be draped in rich fabrics, with a wreath of pheasant feathers. And on each draped chair you would find a beautiful wild flower bouquet wrapped in a cornucopia of ribbons.

Suzanne Pershing, Power Presentations & Graphics
***People's Choice Award Winner***

Marie Antoinette’s Masquerade Tea Party
Imagine a tea party put on by Marie herself in the over-the-top Rococo style of the 18th Century. The theme is carried out in gold and pastel pinks and blues. The table features a candelabrum fashioned with a parasol. Did I mention that Ms. Antoinette will be joining us?

Nina Starr, Chabot Art Student

Tea Room, Loire Valley, France
Nestled within an enchanted land of vineyards, floral gardens, and rolling green hills, and dotted with more than a thousand chateaux, sits a small cottage in the Loire Valley, and the site of a small grape-themed tea room. Overlooking a lovely French Garden filled with lavender, gardenia, wisteria, and hydrangea, this high-tea room provides a warm and serene environment to relax in.

Imagine your favorite beverage and enjoying high tea on a gold-rimmed and grape-leaved plate, set onto a gold-beaded charger, and matched with golden utensils.

Chad Mark Glen & Karen Silva
Chabot College

Madeline Visits Chabot College
Celebrating Ludwig Bemelman’s storybook character, Madeline, who lives “in an old house in
Paris covered in vines…” the tablescape is traditional black and white with hints of yellow (remember Madeline’s yellow hat?).

Ludwig Bemelman was born in Austria. After having difficulty at school and as an apprentice for
his uncle, he was sent to the United States. In the early 1930’s he met Mary Massee, a children’s book editor for Viking Press.

The first Madeline book was published in 1939 by Simon and Schuster. Bemelman died in 1962
in New York City at the age of 64. His books continue to be cherished by children to this day.

Bob & Linda Carlson, Chabot College

¡Viva Dr. Cota!
Celebrating 16 years of service to the Chabot Las Positas Community College District and over 30 years of dedication to the community college system, the Chabot College Foundation salutes our Chancellor, Dr. Susan Cota, on her retirement with a tablescape honoring her Hispanic heritage. The only thing missing is the Mariachi band!

Blooming Affaire Committee

Let Them Eat Cake
This tablescape celebrates the lifestyle of Marie Antoinette. After a privileged childhood as an Archduchess of Austria, Marie Antoinette was sent to France at the age of 14 to marry Louis-Auguste, the heir to the French throne. Some people felt she could not be trusted since she was Austrian, and some disapproved of her extravagant lifestyle. This led to malicious rumors and gossip that damaged her reputation. Her coronation as Queen in 1774 only seemed to fuel the
fire of jealousy and resentment.

In 1789, Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI were stripped of power and imprisoned
as part of the French Revolution. In 1793, Marie was beheaded in front of a cheering crowd.

Kat Ott-Davis, Creative Spaces

La Vie en Rose
Imagine yourself strolling through the Left Bank with your “mon amis.” As you see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, your eye is drawn to the café just across the Seine River. The French barges glide by and you wander in to La Vie en Rose café, nestled between Rue de Main and La Boulangerie. Settle in and enjoy the French dining experience.

Lynn Kirby & Tamara Papazian

The Four Faces of My Life
From great-grandmother to great-granddaughter, to mother and daughter, the four faces of my life are represented in an eclectic collection of four generational tastes, thoughts and ideas. Four women, all uniquely different, yet brought together for the ultimate compliment; making one cohesive statement out of four distinct lives.

Look closely…..you will see the one thing they all have in common. Look closely....you will see the resemblance the four faces hold. Look even more closely…..and you will see, through them, the generations who will live forever. You will see the four faces of my life.

Tamara Papazian

La Mademoiselle
On a beautiful and glorious day she pranced down La Rue eager to meet her friends at a fashionable new café. So chic was she, dressed in stunning finery complete with
an elegant polka dot hat to alight her fine head. She felt like a mademoiselle or maybe like Holly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s – a favorite movie of hers. Yes indeed, Ms. Hepburn portrayed the true opulence of La Mademoiselle and, today, that she was.
Diana Cohn