Gifts from the Heart

Why do the arts matter?  Simply put, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of our society.  The arts continue to demonstrate their ability to provide categorical evidence of their impact on social issues that concern virtually every facet of American society.  The arts are especially important for our children. 

At a recent general meeting at The Tea Gardens, AAUW installed new officers.  The slate of officers for 2011-2012 includes President - Kelly Burke, President-Elect and 1st VP Programs - Diane Bartley, 2nd VP Membership - Barbara Oliver, 3rd VP AAUW Funds – Bernie Gilbert, Recording Secretary - Dot Toral, Treasurer - Jenewyn Van Wie and Public Policy - Linda Hart. 

The contribution made by James Coleman to the world of art over some 30 years, both in film and fine art, makes him one of the most collected and sought after artists around the world.  James Coleman pieces can be found in many fine personal and corporate collections including that of the Disney family.

So why would a group of people want to wallpaper oversized children’s faces onto a 130‘x18‘ surface?  It certainly is a big job that takes much effort, coordination and an army of volunteers.
Well it’s no secret that the ARTree believes in spreading its message and planting seeds concerning the arts in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Sometimes the only way to communicate a message is to do it in a big way. 

When you have a collection of photos, artwork and other special items to display, how can you get the most impact from them?  Framing them is a great way to emphasize these pieces, while protecting them at the same time.  The design options with custom framing are virtually endless.  Depending on your personal tastes, you can have the items framed in a coordinated fashion for a matching, streamlined collection, or if your style is more eclectic, you can create a grouping with differing frame styles.

What attracted so many of us to move to Santa Clarita is the fact that it is a great place to raise a family.  The community provides great schools, free children activities and family oriented communities.  With new little angels arriving daily we all probably know someone having a baby and perhaps you are on the lookout for the newest baby gift idea.

For 30 years, Dave and Barbara Joseph, owners of B & R Gallery and Museum Framing, have provided the superior service to the community, committing themselves to promoting the world of art and the beauty of it to the public.
Their 6,000 square foot Gallery & Custom Picture Framing facility space features original paintings, watercolors, posters, limited edition prints and much more.  At B & R Gallery, you can also get custom framing to suit your needs.  The professionals at B & R will give you the individualized attention and the care your artwork deserves.

Self-defense starts with you.  Victims of such crimes as robberies and rapes for example, are chosen by criminals in part because they perceived the victim to be an easy target.  Keyword here is “perception.”  Even during your mundane tasks such as going to the grocery store or to the gym, you can take measures to improve your personal safety.  We like to assimilate criminals to sharks in that they also attack what appears to be a “target of opportunity.”  This is where Situational Awareness (SA) comes into play, a term often used by Military and Law Enforcement personnel. 

I may be a newcomer to knitting, but certainly not to all things handmade.  Something my dad used to say all the time was “The right tools for the job make the job easier.” The same can be said for any craft, but it often seems that the one craft where this isn’t applied to is knitting.  It didn’t occur to me until I had lunch with a fellow knitter recently.  She said something that really rang true in regard to purchasing lesser quality yarn; “It’s not about how cheaply can I make this project (blanket, scarf, sweater, etc.), because if you use cheap yarn you’ll wind up unhappy with the end result.  You have to ask yourself, ‘Do I want to invest 40-plus hours of my time in this and not like the result?’”

Dear Santa Clarita,

Ma Maison is celebrating its eighth year in business this August and we wanted to take a moment to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of our little store.  Your continued patronage over the past eight years has not only kept us SCV’s most unique home décor and gift store but has also inspired us to stay innovative in these ever changing economic times.

I’ll never forget her, a silver haired lady in the corner of our classroom.  She seems very demur sitting there observing all of us, and then she spoke, she was direct, but gentle, stern, but kind, sensitive yet abrupt in her manner of speaking.
Little did I know that this woman, in my three year span of high school, would be the single most important person in my life other than my parents.
Her name was Mrs. Garcia, she was an Anglo woman married to a Hispanic man, but she had all the fire and passion of a Hispanic woman.

Photos and souvenirs not only capture the moments you enjoyed while on a vacation, they also have the power to take you back to that special time and place every time you look at them.  Instead of storing them away to look at on a rainy day, consider showcasing them on your wall so you can enjoy them all year long. 

Now Santa Clarita can boast having a quality yarn shop right here in its own valley.  Creative U Studios has decided to focus on their customers’ love of all things related to yarn.  They’ve brought in even more great yarn brands such as Plymouth, Blue Heron, Louett, and Feza.  As they continue to build a great selection of quality yarns, they have focused on building a wide selection of books and patterns to choose from also.  From how-to books to pattern books to books for children there is plenty to choose from.

Living in Southern California brings inherent risk from earthquakes.  Don’t pack up just yet.  Some of the largest earthquakes have actually occurred in the Midwest.
Cobra Tactical is presenting this overview so you can increase your awareness and chances of surviving the “big one.”  Due to the brevity of this article we will not touch on everything.
It is inevitable that more earthquakes will occur in our lifetime.  Will you be prepared?  Once the shaking starts, it will be too late to get your bare essentials together.  Have you heard of the Triangle of Life?  Where will you meet up with your loved ones afterwards?

One thing Americans do not have enough of, is time.  This statement was made on the NBC Today show several years ago.  Why is this?  Are we too busy with our lives and cannot organize our time for pleasure or leisure?  Or is there another reason we do not have enough time?  Could the reason be that we are busy raising our children and taking care of our families, getting educational degrees, learning computer skills, exercising, remodeling our homes, planting gardens, taking children to school and sport events?  Of course grocery shopping and entertaining friends and relatives are always part of our lives. 

With spring cleaning completed and summer vacations ready to start, you may have recently rummaged around in the attic, spare room or garage only to uncover old photographs and other memorabilia that have been buried in a shoebox or storage bin.

We had a fantastic response to the first mailing on Susan’s unique paintings on stone, and many were sold before interested collectors had a chance to add them to their art collection.  So, we are really pleased that we have some new paintings from Susan that we can offer.
Susan will be featured in an upcoming issue of Western Art & Architecture, and expect to see more about her art.

With so many of us watching our pennies and the increased cost of traveling, many of us may stay in sunny SCV this summer.  Never fear, there are ways to have a vacation at home that can relax and rejuvenate you, with a little preparation you will feel like you are in five star hotel.
First of all, you truly have to commit to taking a few days of true relaxation.  Just because you are home does not mean that you have to answer your phone, respond to texts, check your updates on Facebook, etc… tune it all out.  Experts agree that actually walking out of your house and coming in the front door can be a great way to start the experience.