Gifts from the Heart

The weather warm up makes us all want to run outside and jump for joy!  Being able to light the barbeque and enjoy our backyards in this glorious weather is one of the reasons we all live in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Now you do not have to hesitate about being sophisticated with outside dining.  Gone are the fearful days of chipping dishes or breaking glasses.  Ma Maison is happy to introduce the exquisite outdoor dining collection from Le Cadeaux. 

The Country Antique Fair Mall will host their annual spring sale Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  “The Fair,” centrally located in Santa Clarita has become one of the city’s oldest businesses, having opened its doors in 1979.  In fact, turning 32 this year they will celebrate their anniversary with another sale in November.  The discounts could range from 10 to 40 percent, we have even seen them higher.

We are so excited to finally launch on our new journey.  We are planning some great events in 2011 and the first one we have to tell you about is on National Scrapbooking Day, Saturday, May 7, with Marah Johnson!  We are holding our first event of 2011 at the beautiful Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, California (approx. 30 minutes from the Santa Clarita Valley). 

It’s not every day that you see something like this.  Susan von Borstel’s unique paintings on stone have a beautiful architectural quality, whether small works on travertine, or large paintings on onyx with its stunning lines, enhanced by Susan’s creativity and talent.

On Thursday, February 3, Rosedell Elementary School students gathered on their field to celebrate two weeks of kind acts.  The students had been busy creating paper chains in their classrooms where each link represented a kind act that they performed.  These acts represented kind acts at home, at school, and in the community.  Students were encouraged by their teachers to try hard to show kindness in all that they do. 

Are you fond of your folks?  Join our contest to let Santa Clarita know just how much your mother or father means to you.  The funniest, or cutest submissions are more likely to make it in The Magazine of Santa Clarita, with the top 10 Mother’s Day submissions and the top 10 Father’s Day submissions published.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get the old home videos in the computer and organize them like your digital pictures?  Making VHS, Hi8 and other video formats into playable files is one way to organize your past in motion.
Over time videos will deteriorate so it is a good idea to save them before they degrade further. 

…we’d be business owners? – We did
…it would take more than two years to open our doors to customers – We certainly didn’t
…there are so many opportunities to give the gift of chocolate – We did, and we’re dreaming up new ways to give as well as receive

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.  At Ma Maison we love to find clever, useful new products that serve a purpose or fill a void.  For all the avid wine drinkers in Santa Clarita we discovered a must have item: the Govino Shatterproof Wine Glass!  What?!?

Hanging traditional posters and artwork on your walls is a great way to decorate your home.  You can enhance any décor by proudly displaying your child’s artwork.  It provides endless possibilities for home décor because there are many creative and fun ways to frame children’s artwork.  Choosing where to hang the painting depends upon the art and its final presentation.  The results are amazing.

A festive spirit filled the air as the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s Home Tour League installed its officers for 2011 during a luncheon at The Oaks Grille in Valencia on January 25.
The all-volunteer organization, now in its 31st year, raises funds for women’s services at the hospital through its popular annual Home Tour, Gala and Boutique. 

Our federal legislatures are “shaping the fate of the arts”.  House members have officially filed at least two amendments to specifically target further cuts to the arts. House Representative Scott Garrett has filed an amendment to immediately zero-out funding for both the National Endowment of the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

I have always been a people watcher… I think most artists are.
But more importantly it has given me a keen eye for recognizing talent in people, and it’s interesting that talent is found in the most unlikely people.  As a young student I was always the shy one that had a difficult time communicating, especially with authority figures.

You want knowledge. You want credibility.  You want 100 percent satisfaction.  And when you’re dealing with your gold, silver and other precious metals to trade for cash, you want Gold Buyer Depot- the company you can trust.  
Let Gold Buyer Depot in Santa Clarita handle your cash for gold transactions.  Why? Because they are experienced professionals.  Gold Buyer Depot has been in the jewelry business, serving Los Angeles and Ventura counties for over 20 years.  Their trusted associates are highly trained to carefully evaluate and process your merchandise, ensuring that you, the customer, are in trusted hands, making your experience with turning gold into cash, a smooth process.

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 prospective knitting teacher today, in fact. 

Though the cold air was so brisk you could feel it to your bones, that didn’t stop Santa Clarita residents from turning out in numbers for the City of Santa Clarita’s Farmers Market and First Thursday Art Walk on Thursday, February 3.  Main Street was also filled with Gourmet Food Trucks, which also brought a large crowd with them.  I could hear people talk about how much they loved the food as I walked up and down the promenade.
“The weekly Farmers Market and the First Thursday Art Walk are a fantastic partnership that strengthens the growing Arts & Entertainment District in Old Town Newhall,” said Mayor Marsha McLean.

January 19 to 23, the Los Angeles Art Show was held at the L.A. Convention Center.  The art world returned to Los Angeles for the 16th Annual Los Angeles Art Show.  Did you go?  Did you know this event exists?  If so, you would have been overwhelmed and experienced the three “E’s” of being Excited, Enthused and Exhilarated from seeing acres of art from all over the world. 

It is always nice to get together or catch up with mom and dad on their special day.  It gets you thinking of your childhood a bit and the good old days of growing up.  If you are close enough you can go out to dinner and show your parents how much they mean to you and thank them for the nurturing and advice throughout the years.  You can get them a nice gift to let them know you are thinking about them also.