Gifts from the Heart

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate and honor motherhood, and the influence these special women have in our lives.  It is typically celebrated on the second Sunday of May, and this year, it will be celebrated on May 12. 
In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked our readers to submit a letter and photo telling us about their mother and why she is extraordinary.  We received many wonderful letters and photos.  Thank you all for your submissions.

Ma Maison Santa Clarita is happy to announce the latest addition to our ever-growing dream, Mon Jardin, or My Garden, is now open in our Newhall location.  Ten years ago when we opened our boutique we had always had the vision to integrate the outdoors but it was not possible in our old location.  Now with our move to Newhall the addition of a tranquil garden could be accommodated and after finalizing the construction we are happy to introduce our very own backyard garden.

At the end of 2012, some long time Newhall merchants decided to create an event to draw attention to the Old Town Newhall area which has recently undergone many visible improvements.  Pulchella Winery co-owners started an Old Town Newhall Block Party that included the merchants on Main Street between Market and 6th Street.  Initially, this cross marketing campaign included a day of shopping, drinking wine and free raffle gifts for patrons which was a fabulous way for people to see first hand the camaraderie amongst this burgeoning Newhall neighborhood.

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?  To us at FASTFRAME, this is what photographs do. 

Having owned and operated Clarice’s Cake & Candy Supplies for over 25 years, Nanci Olmos continues to share her skills with others, teaching cake decorating, cookie decorating and candy making to children and adults.  With all the baking shows on television and the Internet, the popularity of baking continues to increase, and her business continues to grow.  So, too, do her classes. In fact, the small classroom is no longer big enough to accommodate everyone.  “My dream was to have a proper classroom, not a room to share as a work room with my employees,” states Nanci.   

A watch is an object of exceptional complication and beauty that requires regular care to work properly.  Standard maintenance includes safeguarding the movement, protecting the watch from water damage and cleaning the case and band.  The following tips will help you care for and preserve your timepieces for generations to come:
For watches with a manual (or hand-wound) mechanical movement, be sure to wind the watch once a day, at the same time of day.  Be careful not to over-wind the watch. Stop winding the watch as soon as you feel resistance – this indicates the spring has reached maximum tension. 

Whether it’s capturing a certain emotion in time, demonstrating to a loved one how much you care about them, or for no apparent reason at all, giving the gift of jewelry is a great way to make sure someone knows that you’re thinking about them.
As one of the best specialty jewelry brands in Santa Clarita, Ro, Ma knows that offering fine jewelry at a great price is only part of the story. 

You will be amazed at what’s happening on Main Street in downtown Newhall.  There’s an exciting buzz with new stores opening and the “old town” feel of yesteryear.
The recent opening of Closet on Main and their introduction of Shelley’s Fashions is no exception.  You may have met Shelley at one of the many fundraising events she participates in throughout the year, where she has raised over 1.5 million dollars for hundreds of charities, including many in the Santa Clarita Valley, such as “Soroptimist International” and their “Bras for a Cause” event. 

Many of us love the convenience and quality of Trader Joe’s and it has become our “go-to” store whenever you need something special, quick and easy and/or healthy for a fair price.  Ma Maison hosts many of our parties using the offerings from Trader Joe’s, so when we came across the I Love Trader Joe’s Cookbook, we ate it up!  We have carried this cookbook for many years now and not only are the more than 150 delicious recipes good for special events and entertaining, they’re great for every day, too!

Mirrors can make the greatest change of all.  There is nothing that can date a home more than the look of the bathroom or the kitchen.  Yet if you’re anything like us, the thought of remodeling any part of the house is a frightening and disruptive process.   When we moved into our home here in Santa Clarita over 19 years ago, all of the new homes being built put in those large, flat mirrors over the bathroom vanity. 

Flowers from the heart, say it the best.  At Family Florist, we make giving easy.  Our professional staff is dedicated to making your floral gift special and perfect.  We have a great team of designers with a combined 49 years of experience.  We are passionate about the quality and guaranteed that each bouquet we make will have the highest quality of freshness.  The designs of arrangements range from traditional, contemporary, tropical, and high style.  Family Florist is a full service florist that is family owned and operated.  In this month of April we are celebrating our 7th year anniversary, we have love and respect for nature and we show it with creation and colors through our designs.

Babies are born everyday but these are a few born from jan to feb! If you or someone you know has had a baby please send it to Stephanie Elgin at selgin@santaclaritamagazine.com with the date your baby was born and who the parents are. and how big your baby and send a photo!

When you are planning on purchasing a diamond it is important that you know as much as possible about how diamonds are classified.  There are four topics you need to become familiar with – Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight.

A few years ago my youngest son gave me a toy called The Evolving Darwin Playset.  Consisting of five plastic figures representing the emergence of terra-based life from the sea and progressing to a bearded figure wearing a waist coat, this was my son’s tip-of-the-hat to his father’s “geekness.”

Ma Maison is so excited to have moved from Valencia to downtown Newhall on Main Street.  Our little neighborhood down here has such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.  You would not believe how darling the area has become and it is only improving daily.  Some of you may remember the good old days in Newhall when this area was a bustling center of town for the entire Santa Clarita Valley. 

Bankruptcy can be overwhelming, and getting out of debt can be a nightmare.  A once struggling law student, Ray Bulaon, ESQ, Santa Clarita Valley debt relief attorney, launched a new book, Consumer Guide: What You Need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy. 

When searching for a frame shop there are a lot of things to consider.  At FASTFRAME we pride ourselves on some of those services that make us stand above the rest.  We are Nationally known but locally owned.  Having been members of the community for over 19 years, our customers are our friends and neighbors.