How cute is this?

Colin in his gi, ready for karate!

Summer Gift Guide and Giveaway!

The summer edition of the Handmade in California Gift Guide has launched! Check it out - it's full of beautiful items!

And it's giveaway time... every week look for something new! All you need to do is sign up for the mailing list and you're entered. Only a few emails a year are sent, and the list will never be sold or shared with anyone!

Ups and Downs

This week has been a very emotional one. A greatly respected artist on Etsy, Slavko, suddenly passed away this week. For those of you who are not familiar with him, he was always very supportive to fellow Etsians either through his beautiful treasuries or with suggestions and kind words in the forums and convos. I am lucky enough to have several pieces of his artwork that I will cherish. I would probably no longer be selling on Etsy if it hadn't been for his support. Slavko will be greatly missed. To read his tribute, please click here.



On a happier note, my beaded apple has been noticed by Etsy admin and included in the gift guide for teachers! I am very excited about this! Thanks, Slavko, for your encouragement!

We've had a busy week!

So much going on this past week - I think I'm so tired I could sleep like this guy...


Last Saturday we stood in line for over 3 hours to see Disney's Christmas Carol Train. It wasn't too bad, really. And Colin just loved it! You can see more pictures here.


The next day our plans changed at the last minute, so we headed to Travel Town in Griffith Park to ride the trains and have a picnic. We also rode the other train at Griffith Park, over by the pony rides. Colin also tried out a simulator ride and loved it, so we plotted when we could get him on Star Tours at Disneyland..


And this week was also Colin's last day in preschool. I guess he's officially a kindergartner now.. My baby is growing up! His class went to Wilson Park here in Torrance, for a train ride and playtime.


Yesterday was a very big day for my husband - he received a Civilian Career Service Award from the City of LA. Colin did well through the two ceremonies, even though he was bored silly.



Afterward we headed to Disneyland, where we met up with friends for a few hours of fun. And Colin did indeed ride Star Tours for the first time!

Add to that swim lessons, doctor appointments and physical therapy... am I glad this week is over! I now have a little less than a month to get the house cleaned and get packed for our trip to visit our parents.

But for today, I think we will simply hang out at home. :)

Everything is just beachy...

We had a lovely day yesterday - we went to Bolsa Chica State Beach! When we left home, it was hot and sunny. Then we got to the beach - chilly and foggy! We didn't even bring jackets, but we had fun anyway!





Colin played in the sand and went for a walk by (and in) the ocean with Daddy. We started our bonfire and some friends joined us. We cooked hot dogs and had s'mores. The kids all had a really good time, and we adults had a very relaxing
evening.



Hope you all have a good week leading up to the long weekend!

Chainmaille - not just for knights!

I have been playing around with chainmaille for a while, and I have finally listed my first piece! I know there are some of you out there who hear chainmaille and think of medieval knights.. It is such a versatile craft that you can make just about anything - I'm choosing jewelry for now. Watch my shop closely over the next month for new items!

Be the First!

I will be at my first show of the year this Saturday! If you are in the LA area, please stop by to say hello! If you do, you will be the first to see my new line of chainmaille jewelry! Included in the new items are bracelets, earrings, pendants, stretchy cuffs and a necklace. I am very excited about the new line! (so excited, in fact, that last night when I was having issues seeing the little rings to weave them into maille, I realized my contacts were in the wrong eyes!)

Update on my knee: I finally had an MRI this past week, and will find out results tomorrow. I'm hoping it will be something that can be fixed without surgery. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers for a good outcome! UPDATED 4/30: No surgery! I will be going to physical therapy instead! :)

Update on my favorite little guy: My son went to Kindergarten Roundup this week. My baby is growing up! He seemed very happy - not sure he'll be so happy at this time next year when he's learning the basics of geometry, algebra and statistics... We definitely did not do anything like that when I went to kindergarten! It's a bit intimidating. On another note, we now have 5 butterflies! Colin has been waiting rather impatiently for his caterpillars to turn into butterflies. We'll take them to preschool Friday, and perhaps release them with his whole class.

Once this show is over I'll be posting a bit more regularly, and I will be starting artist features once a week. If you would like to be featured, please let me know!