Gifts from the Heart

March is all about searching for gold, but this year you don’t have to look too far. Santa Clarita Valley holds one of the greatest treasures you will ever find, Santa Clarita Love Boutique, the place where you’ll find what you need, no matter what month it is.
Are you comfortable with your wild side? Have Santa Clarita Love Boutique help you get more used to this exotic, fun world. After eight years of business here in Santa Clarita, along with 25 years of experience in the adult business, no one knows more about this field than these guys! From retailing, home parties, and sale consultants, you won’t be disappointed.

My son and his wife invited me over the other day for a couple reasons; my granddaughter had a present for me.
As I made my entrance into my son’s home, I was met by a charging granddaughter excited about showing me her latest art projects.  She had made a series of drawings and of course I was really impressed.  She just turned five, and is a dynamo when it comes to drawing, painting, or sculpting.  Her father Matt, is an accomplished artist in his own right, so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as they say.

We have some wonderful original paintings by June Carey that are now available to B & R customers.  Many of our customers are familiar with June Carey’s limited editions.  Some of these original paintings have been made into prints you may recognize, and there are others that you may not have seen before.

Often I am asked, “Maureen how do you help a client get comfortable taking intimate portraits?”  I have given much thought to the answer of this common question.  There is not one thing I do or say but it is a process.  It may begin several months or maybe years before my client actually picks up the phone to call for an appointment.  The process begins with a spark of curiosity.  Curiosity is followed by a tinge of longing to embrace herself as a whole, wonderful, and complete woman.  Many years may pass but the small fire continues to burn in her heart that one day she will step out of that which binds her and flourish.

On April 3, 2010 St. Stephen’s Episcopal church will hold the fourth annual Pysanky making class from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Spurling Hall.  Artists Barbara Wampole and Olga Kaczmar will be the instructors.
Psyanky are Ukrainian Easter eggs using the wax and dye method.  Mothers customarily passed on this ancient tradition to daughters a few weeks prior to Easter.  This class is free and open to all.  Bring a dozen or half-dozen raw, room-temperature eggs.  The wax won’t adhere to chilled eggs. 

Some of you may remember at your grandmas or parent’s house, the “family photo” wall that you could peruse all the generations of the family.  I have fond memories of hearing stories told that went along with the pictures… and then there were a pair of silhouette portraits side by side that I will never forget.  They were of my mom and her sister when they were teenagers.  The silhouette’s always fascinated me; the details that were captured and the accuracy of the portrayal was astonishing.  To this day you can tell which one is which and they are over 40 years old.  

Do you have a small print or painting that seems to get lost on a large wall in your home or office?  Smaller prints and photos tend to be easily overwhelmed by framing designs.  That doesn’t mean they are any less important.  However, by increasing the size of the framing they can achieve the right amount of visual impact.  For instance, adding a wider mat with something as simple as having a decorative element cut out of the mat can effectively increase the size of your pictures while adding a touch of elegance.  It draws attention to the subject matter without overwhelming it.

PK’s Chocolates is happy to be your one-stop-shop location for Valentine treats for someone special, or to simply put a smile on somebody’s face.
Are you looking for something unique to express your love or friendship?  We can help by customizing our handmade chocolate “Cake Bites” with a photo, a message, or whatever idea you may have.  If you aren’t looking for a custom box of candy but want a beautiful box of chocolate “Cake Bites” we can do that for you too.  Take a look at our website and allow us the opportunity to make you shine.

We’re having a great time getting to know the wonderful creative folks that we have here in our valley, and even beyond.  We have developed a space that allows our crafters to come in and create on their own, learn a new technique (or a new craft altogether!) and be a part of a true crafting community.  Our yarn section has quadrupled in size and we are so pleased that it’s attracting the most discerning of yarn artists.  We now carry fine yarns from such vendors as Berroco, Cascade, Feza, Marisol, Sublime, Red Barn Yarns and Elsebeth Lavold with even more to come.  We’ve added more classes to our schedule and are always on the hunt for talented instructors in all mediums.  

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.  Ladies shake things up a little this year.  I know we get caught up in our daily grind and forget that our partners need a little extra TLC sometimes.  If you spend sometime making your man happy, you just might get those special gifts you’ve always wanted for Valentine’s day.

We are pleased to offer Robert Copple’s Taste of Romance collection and his Romantic Wildlife art.  Limited Edition Giclées and original paintings are available.  Robert will even write a short personal message on the back of your canvas as a bonus for our collectors.
“The goal in my new series Taste of Romance is to create everlasting moments in time, which will transport the viewer away from the chaos and hustle and bustle of everyday life.

You can forget a lot in a lifetime.  Did you know you probably have at least a few forgotten memories stored in your home!  That old camera negative you cannot decipher or videotape that you have no player for anymore probably have lost memories in them.  By scanning in your negative strips and slides from years past you can view images you probably have not seen for decades.   Your old videotape collection that you haven’t been able to view can be put to a DVD or made into a file for your computer or hand held device.   Those images bring the past into the present and all the emotions connected with them.

Valentine’s Day, the flower-giving, sweetheart-kissing, candy-eating holiday changed drastically over time.  Before you claw your way through the jewelry department, it might be wise to see the changes of this romantic holiday.
Leonora and Guillermo Caicedo’s bond is one sewn deeper than at just the seams.  They met at a small ranch in Columbia in 1957.  The rest is history and they moved to the U.S. where Guillermo became a tailor, while Leonora was finishing sewing classes.  In their prime, the two enjoyed plenty of group date nights, dancing to classic Columbian music with their friends.  “Valentine’s Day used to be a sacred, romantic day for everyone”, says 81-year-old Leonora.

I’ve been asked that question dozens of times.
And the answer has another question, “Why not?”
The Santa Clarita Valley is known as a family and business friendly community.
We have wonderful parks, walking trails, sports activities for our children, four school districts, 144,000 students, a multi-million dollar library in the process of being built, and an aquatic center that is the envy of any community.

It is now the year 2011 and Facebook is still with us.  Can you believe Facebook is nearly seven years old?  The question is “Who likes Facebook and why?”  The answer is easy as there are millions of people using Facebook worldwide.
I guess we need to know more about our friends and their lives than reading about what is happening in our world and our culture.  The past year has given us more of Lady Gaga and Sarah Palin and now this month our new Governor Jerry Brown will need a lot of help from everyone as he and the legislatures deal with many important issues the state is facing.

At Ma Maison we always strive to bring eclectic international music to our store to enhance the ambience and transport our customers into a relaxing atmosphere.  Most of us recognize the importance music plays in our mood, motivation, feelings, etc.: but in this day and age, there has been an ongoing decline in traditional record store sales and we find our best sources for music to be Shazam, U tube, Facebook and Starbucks.  But Ma Maison has found the answer!

“Only two percent of women around the world think of themselves as beautiful.”
“Four out of five women are dissatisfied with their image.”
Too often women, starting from their early years, are bombarded with social, cultural misconceptions and skewed “photoshopped” images that lead to a personal flawed perception which define our definition of beauty.
Women feel good about themselves when they respect, appreciate and accept their bodies.  Our bodies are: what sustain life, carry and pass down our heritage, and where our heart and soul radiate from.