I recently got a call from my good friend Torri who’s daughter Kylee has been involved in one of our past cub adoptions. Her gymnastics team was in the middle of planning a team birthday party where gifts are exchanged between the girls, when Kylee came up with the idea of using their birthday money to adopt a cub through Pandas International, instead of giving each other gifts
Torri asked me if I would like to organize this wonderful project and I jumped at the chance!! The girls have a goal to raise 500.00 for their shared adoption. They have even picked out their cub with the help of Carrie Phillips (our adoption coordinator) and are working on ideas for a nickname.
I created a website just for their project. You can access the site HERE or by clicking the panda above.
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Join the fun..be a TEAM CHEERLEADER
(non team members can contribute)
Anyone can donate on the site if you would like to help with these enterprising young girl’s effort, but remember the only names credited to this adoption and who receive a certificate will be the team members themselves. Your help with a $17.00 contribution would be much appreciated

I will post the TEAM CHEERLEADERS who have contributed on the website when the adoption is finalized!!!
Stay tuned and come by the site to read much more!!

BAI XUE October 2010 Photo Courtesy Pandas International
Photo courtesy Pandas International
FROM CARRIE PHILLIPS , OUR ADOPTION COORDINATOR FOR THE YIN YANG TRIBE! THANK YOU!!
You can read more about the process of adopting Bai Xue HERE
Hi Sandra, Please share this update and adorable pictures of Bai Xue with the Yin Yang Tribe. Such a cutie!
BAI XUE
Now your baby’s weight is 112 kg. Every day it has bamboo of about 15 kg, 2,400 g Wowotou, 400 g carrot, 400 g apple and 1 kg bamboo shoot. It has a good appetite. Even though it is very hot these months, it has no influence on it’s appetite at all. But it has less movement. Most of the time, it stays in the den to for rest and sleeping. It goes into the playground to walk when it is cool. It has a good relationship with its keepers. As soon as it hears keepers are calling it, it would go to them. Very cute.
Thank you Yin Yang Tribe for your adoption!
Carrie Phillips
Pandas International

BAI XUE October 2010 Photo courtesty Panda International
And below you will find my latest painting I just finished yesterday, available right now as art cards and a 2011 poster style calendar, which also echos the styling of the Chinese Scroll calendars we see all over in Asia as well Chinese Restaurants in the U.S. The colors are rich and saturated yet with a softness and glow to bring out the best in this sweet child with her panda cub
CLICK IMAGE ABOVE TO FIND THE NEW ART CARDS
PICTURED ABOVE IS MATILDA . I TOOK THESE PHOTOS IN FEBRUARY 2010
After two months of fundraising I am proud to announce to the purchasers of the “In a Perfect World” pendant set, that I am putting 50% of the money raised on this pendant towards the model for the artwork…”Matilda”. That is $200.00 to help keep Mz. Matilda comfie and healthy at Animals Asia Foundation in Chengdu
Matilda (left) is the girl I mentioned who was practically glued to one of her exercise pen mates “Bottom” (right) Thank you to Animals Asia Founder Jill Robinson, Nic and Alice for ID’ing these two bears for me. Keeping track of names was not easy as I was so overwhelmed with bears and Jill’s stories….. and photographing them while I had this incredible opportunity I missed writing down a lot of names
We were on a wonderful overlook platform viewing the bears a distance so the long lens came in handy. I’m really pleased with the closeups I got of the moonbears from such a great distance. Jill on right, Gayle on Left
Above image shows how far the bears were away from where we were standing on the platform. This was new since my 2006 visit and I could have stayed up there for hours observing the bears and their behaviors and antics. What a feeling it must be to have this freedom!!!
Matilda just melts me and I know she will melt you too!!!!
Matilda and Bottom just hangin out and being FREE. Its hard to imagine any of these bears, now rescued, in such beautiful coat weight and condition, having been squeezed into body sized coffin style cages , with no freedom, very little nourishment, sick with infection…. mentally and socially deprived as well.
The trust and lack of fear so many of these bears exhibit are testament to the constant and loving care which the AAF staff and volunteers provide the moonbears in their charge 24/7. The resiliency of the rescued bile farm bears dumbfounds me!!
Animals Asia keeps this pile of crush cages which they rescued the bile farm bears from as a grim reminder of the past for those bears but also a reminder of the new and better life for those who are now free. Some unfortunate moonbears never had the chance to live long following their rescue due to the horrendous condition they were found in…….. but they are also no longer suffering which is a blessing .

Matilda on the left…Bottom on the right

SO THANK YOU ONE AN ALL FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS FUNDRAISER!!!
I hope you all are enjoying your pendants and wear them often!! Every person who asks , “what is on your pendant” opens the door for you all to spread the word about the incredible work Animals Asia Foundation does for the moonbears!!!
IN A PERFECT WORLD pendant peeps are below!
Valerie Gilb
Elise Ney
Rachel Lepree
Christie Harper
Deb Hethorn
Tuula Tammelin
Deonaha Conlin
Michelle Padula
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MY NEW BOOK BLINDSPOT IS ON THE SHELVES!! 100% TO THE PANDAS!!!
CLICK BOOK COVER TO PREVIEW AND PURCHASE
Hello my friends. Oh my goodness there is so much panda news I will have to spoon it out in mini doses with todays being a cubdate on our Wood Tribe cubbie XIAO HUA (“You You”) !! Below is what Carrie received from the Panda Club at Bifengxia about your baby who is growing up SO fast!! Thank you so BEARY much for this wonderful update!!!
Hi Sandra,
I hope you’re doing well! It’s hard to believe that it’s almost the end of September. Please share this recent update and adorable picture of your panda Xiao Hua (You You) with the Wood Tribe. He is so cute and he’s really grown!
You You:
Your baby was moved from Shanghai Zoo to Shanghai Wild Animal Park with other nine “Expo Pandas” on June 28 and met with the visitors on June 30. To welcome them, the park specially built an “Expo Panda House”. The Panda House occupies 10,000 sp. m, of which the exhibition area is 3,000 sq. m and the backyard and the bamboo forest is 7,000 sq. m.
The exhibition area was equipped with running water, trees, wooden swing, slides, etc, for them to play and climb. In a word, the design of the Panda House reflected the concept of ecological environmental protection and fits for the giant pandas’ lively habit. Your baby adapted to the new environment quickly. Now its weight is 64.5 kg. Every day it has bamboo of 12 kg, 600 g Wowotou, a small amount of apples and carrot and milk of two times.
Because of the hot weather these months, many pandas have less bamboo. So does your baby. That’s why it lost weight. On July 6, CCRCGP held a group birthday party for the ten “Expo Pandas” at Shanghai Wild Animal Park. Many of their adopters from all over the world came to the park to celebrate for them and give their best wishes to them. Because your baby is over two years old. The keepers are going to ablactation for them. Now they have reduced the thickness of the milk so that the pandas can finish ablactation smoothly.
Please thank the Wood Tribe for their adoption! We appreciate their support.
Carrie
CLICK THE IMAGE TO PURCHASE THIS NECKLACE AND GIFT TIN SET
AND A REMINDER THAT THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010 IS THE FINAL DAY FOR JOINING OUR MOONBEAR BEFRIENDING THROUGH YOUR NECKLACE PURCHASE.
Your purchase of this stunning limited production moonbear pendant will have 50% of the proceeds going towards helping one of the moonbears at Animals Asia Foundation. Our chosen bear will be announced next week!!
SEE THE VIDEO PROMO FOR “IN A PERFECT WORLD” BELOW
And if all this isn’t excitement enough…………you can see from the sidebar that the long anticipated release of my panda book called BLINDSPOT is on the horizon……coming to the bookshelves THIS COMING FRIDAY, October 1 2010. Stay tuned for my newsletter announcement coming Friday as well.
We are back from our trip to the panda and moonbear centers in China as well as a wonderful warm side trip in Thailand and I have so much to tell I hardly know where to start. If you have been following along on my blog at http://graffitigossip.com you know all about the panda I chose for our next group adoption via PANDAS INTERNATIONAL….a stunning (formerly) wild panda named Bai Xue

ABOVE: ME HAVING MY PHOTO TAKEN WITH “WU JUN” WHO IS TAI SHANS NEW NEIGHBOR
I chose Bai Xue for her unmistakable black “beauty mark” on her muzzle and her history of being a wild child, as she was the panda who disappeared from the panda center she was at for 5 years, then miraculously returned!! Just one look at her Bifengxia clay dipped bum and you know this girl marches to the beat of a different drummer. How endearing can one panda get….and to top it off she is a wonderful mommy at the age or 20 years it is estimated

ABOVE: A photo of our new adoption gal Bai Xue I took on February 8, 2010
SEE THE VIDEO BELOW OF BAI XUE I DID LAST WEEK HIGHLIGHTING THE PHOTOS AND VIDEO I TOOK OF HER IN FEBRUARY
CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO YOUTUBE TO SEE THE VIDEO LARGER AND IN HIGH DEFINITION
I have so much to tell you about all the pandas, moonbears and elephants we met along the way, but this update is for our beautiful Bai Xue, who is asking for your help in completing this group adoption, as we still need 250.00 of the 500.00 required by Pandas International to finalize the sponsorship of our girl
OUR ADOPTION DEN INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS SO FAR:
Eunice Messer Wendy Bouzid David Keen Bonnie Young Diana Hillygus
Lori Love Lois Dubs Patricia Markby Stephanie Smith

Above: another photo taken on our visit in February 2010
I decided to extend the deadline until APRIL 1, 2010 and you may easily pay 25.00 or more for your adoption pledge via Paypal or a check or money order
For Paypal, use the CHIPIN widget in the right hand column on the PANDARAZZI BLOG….CLICK HERE
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OR SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE OUT TO PANDAS INTERNATIONAL TO:
Sandra Miller
818 SW 3rd Ave #226
Portland , OR. 97204
WHERE DOES MY ADOPTION MONEY GO?????? CLICK HERE FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION
ABOVE: Bai Xue and one of her 2008 cubs. Photo by Pandas International
Regardless of how you choose to pay, each of the contributors will be receiving a downloadable panda artwork I designed just for our group with a value of 45.00. You may print this artwork as cards or a make a framed print for your own use ,as a thank you from me for your generosity and caring .
This very special panda art design will not be sold anywhere at any time, so it will be a collectors item. I will reveal the design as soon as our adoption is finalized.
ABOVE: PHOTO BY PANDAS INTERNATIONAL OF ONE OF BAI XUES 2008 CUBS

ABOVE: 2008 CUB OF BAI XUE…PANDAS INTERNATIONAL PHOTO

ABOVE: 2008 BAI XUE CUBBIE…PHOTO COURTESY PANDAS INTERNATIONAL
Thank you all so very much for your support of the group adoptions at PANDARAZZI. My dream is to continue to be able to provide a way to help others be a part of these unique adoptions of the China pandas by making then affordable for all who wish to participate. A 500.00 adoption can be out of reach for many caring panda people who would love to be involved. Being part of the “adoption den” you really see your donation dollars in action!!
By providing a platform at PANDARAZZI where we all can shake down our piggy banks and pool our resources as a team , we all benefit from one anothers involvement in in turn help each panda we sponsor with plentiful bamboo, medications, round the clock TLC by the nannies and keepers. Not to mention the AWESOME updates and photos which Carrie and the Bifengxia photographers provide us during the course of the year!!j
BAI XUE SENDS HER PANDA LUV AND THANKS YOU ..XIE XIE !!!!!!
Hugs, Sandra Miller

LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT OUR CHINA TRIP STARTING FEBRUARY 6TH HERE
As if being a part of our amazing journey as an armchair tourist isn’t adventure enough……think what a lasting memory you can give to yourself or a loved one for Valentines Day or Chinese New Year by being a part of our YIN YANG TOUR GROUP PANDA ADOPTION !!

In cooperation with PANDAS INTERNATIONAL and Bifengxia Panda Base in China, and our incredible adoption coordinator Carrie Phillips, I am proud to offer this exciting opportunity to a very special group of individuals (thats you guys…my blog readers!)

We will SHARE in the one year adoption of not only a panda………but a panda you will be meeting on our visit to Bifengxia on February 8, 2010 (7th China time) via this blog. What a perfect way to help this endangered species and be a part of a $500.00 adoption that can be out of reach for many in this economy..AND you are getting a bonus virtual vacation to China and Thailand to boot!!!

Each person donating a minimum of $25.00 USD will receive an adoption certificate from Pandas International and be listed on my website under the adoptions tab at PANDARAZZI MAGAZINE
As she always does, Carrie will be sending us updates as she gets them from the Bifengxia Panda Base
OUR DEADLINE FOR RAISING $500.00 IS MARCH 1, 2010
In the event we go over 500.00 we will apply that towards the same pandas care.
PANDAS INTERNATIONAL PHOTO

DONATE 25.00 OR MORE VIA PAYPAL ANY WHERE YOU SEE THIS CHIPIN WIDGET ON MY BLOG..FUNDS GO DIRECTLY TO PANDAS INTERNATIONAL AND ARE TAX DEDUCTABLE .
NON PAYPAL USERS CAN SEND YOUR CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO ME BY MARCH 1. 2010
Please make your check out to PANDAS INTERNATIONAL
Send to: Sandra Miller
818 SW 3rd Ave #226
Portland, Oregon, 97204
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANY SUPPORT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EXCITING PROJECT.
PARTICIPATION IN THIS GROUP ADOPTION IS NOT AT ALL REQUIRED TO ENJOY AND PARTICIPATE IN THE TRAVELBLOGUE. THIS IS JUST A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE WANTING AN EXTRA SPECIAL “MEMENTO” OF THEIR VIRTUAL CHINA TRIP





































