Gifts from the Heart

Santa Clarita Artists’ Association (SCAA) has moved into new, bigger gallery in the Town Center Mall.  The new address is Suite 110 near the Mall’s roundabout, across the street from the food court.
Enjoy the Zing to Spring! floral art show now on display at the new location.
“Our Wine Reception on Friday, June 6, will feature the SCAA Art Scholarship winners.

June is here.  The graduations are over, summer vacations have begun.  June also means Father’s Day.  That time of year when we have the opportunity to let dad know how much we appreciate all he does for us.  It can be difficult to find that special gift that truly reflects how we feel about dad.  The cards are nice and sometimes help us to put our feelings into words but they just aren’t enough.

After serving the Santa Clarita Valley for more than 36 years, Clarice’s Cake & Candy Supplies is the ultimate resource for all of your cookie, cake, cupcake, and candy needs. If you need it, more than likely, Clarice’s has it.  From cake decorations, different kinds of flavors or fillings, ingredients, kits and more, you won’t be disappointed in their selection. Whether you’re a gourmet chef or a home baker, Clarice’s will meet all of your baking needs. Not really a chef? No problem! Clarice’s also specializes in custom cakes that taste as great as they look.

Summer break is almost upon us – and its arrival leads many parents scrambling to fill up their days with engaging and fun activities for their children.  Outdoor activities are always a key part of summer fun, but when the temperatures rise or the “June gloom” hits, consider filling the time with an afternoon of creative playtime.
Kids of all ages can create a simple scrapbook with just a few basic supplies. 

Graduating school is tough – it’s a lot of hard work, dedication and late nights.  You start high school or college as a freshman, and your first year can be a real wake up call if you are not prepared.  Now I know everyone has been telling you that being prepared is the key to life, but guess what, they are right!  Luckily in Santa Clarita we are fortunate to have excellent schools, dedicated teachers, involved parents and family-oriented community support.

With over 25 years in the watch industry, the Valencia Time Center is your neighborhood watch store that can handle any job. The store has been servicing the Santa Clarita Valley for over 16 years and was just recently remodeled. The specialty store handles sales and repairs of all watches.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Family Promise SCV one of over 180 networks across the country affiliated with Family Promise, a national nonprofit organization committed to helping low-income families achieve lasting independence. 

This month I am writing with a heavy heart. Some of you may not know, but I ran for SCV City Council, and lost. I put everything I had into the last four months, hoping to overcome incredible odds, to win one of the three seats that were open. Why you ask did I do this? Simple, I wanted us, the regular folks to have a voice on the Council.

They are four crafty gals who have taken their love for the art and created Craft Envy, your “go to” store to find all your scrapbooking and card making supplies, mixed media and art supply projects, a place where you can find just about everything your creative heart desires.  From papers to stickers, die cuts and more, you won’t be disappointed.

Soon it will be June graduation time. Give your graduate’s academic degree the importance it deserves by putting it in a custom frame.  Not only will the proper frame help preserve this precious document for the future, it will create a beautiful presentation to enjoy now. 

As of last month, it was official.  Ma Maison is now under new ownership.  While Ma Maison has been serving Santa Clarita residents for over a decade, long time Santa Clarita resident and business owner, Denise Myers, is excited to take on this new venture, maintaining a tradition of outstanding personalized customer service while also bringing in new inventory, a fresh new look, and as always, complimentary gift wrap. 

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the special women in your life. Whether she’s your mother or grandmother, it’s important to show these ladies how much we care. Giving them unconditional love and support is a good place to start, but sometimes it’s nice to go above and beyond and spoil them with gifts. You can never go wrong with a handmade card or fresh flowers, but don’t those extra special ladies deserve something a little more? Whether she needs to be pampered at a salon, has earned herself a new outfit, should be covered in beautiful jewelry, or just wants to be reminded of how much her family loves her, this gift guide will help you pick out the perfect gift for the mom in your life!

A few months ago, I was perusing an online dating site. I began expanding my search. Going outside the city of Santa Clarita. I was either exhausting all the single women out here, or most were not even online. There is a wealth of single people right here in Santa Clarita. Dating sites are lucky if they can get five percent of singles in an area.

The days and years go by and suddenly our children are grown.  We wonder how the time passed so quickly and find ourselves wishing we could slow it down just a little.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to capture a few of those moments in time forever?  Photographs capture that special moment letting us go back and relive it over and over with a glance. 

After 50 years on the job, most people are looking at their retirement options. Not Albert Naber. This June, he’ll celebrate 50 years as a tailor and he has no plans to retire any time soon.
Albert and his wife, Antoinette own SCV Cleaners. Residents of Santa Clarita Valley for more than 30 years, the couple opened for business in 2007 and have become a go-to for anyone needing top-notch tailoring and dry cleaning, including scores of law enforcement and emergency personnel.

The 48th Annual Premier Volunteer Recognition Event, Santa Clarita Valley Man and Woman of the Year dinner, will be held at 6:00 p.m., on Friday, May 2, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.  Nominees for 2014 were presented at a recent Paparazzi Party. 

Recently I was talking to a community resident about why the visual arts are important to us and how they are around us every day.  Eighty to ninety percent of the information we receive is acquired visually.  Every day the things we see in the visual environment are a large part of our life.  Therefore, it is important for policymakers in Santa Clarita to provide the opportunity for the creation of a Cultural Arts Center as part of the visual environment we can be part of each day. 

Ma Maison is ushering in the spring season with a bang this year because now we have an outside garden with live plants and garden accessories.  This spectacular addition to our store has afforded us a new palette to bring you interesting yard art, birdfeeders, topiaries, garden stakes and much more.  We are adhering to the needs of our environment and offering low maintenance and drought tolerant solutions for your yard too.  We have beautiful arranged succulent plantings ready to go and below are a few tips to keep your cacti plants flourishing.