Happy Holidays!

Look at what I got for Christmas!!

Her name is Finley and she's an angel.

Merry Christmas!
Love,
Santa Paws

I (Heart) Paris!

A few of my favorite things about Paris...

...the architecture and amazing old buildings....

...having a treat at one of the patisseries...

...the many beautiful parks...

and exploring the city at night!

xoxo

Throw away the key?

A new trend in Paris since I was here last is placing a lock on the fencing that lines some of the bridges. Bring your own lock or buy one from the many curbside vendors who are endorsing this trend. I wonder if people save their key and plan on coming back to unlock it one day? I saw a young man work tirelessly at breaking the code on one of the combination locks. Hmmm, not how I'm going to spend my time in Paris!

Bonjour!

I'm in Paris for a month...yes, a whole month! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! I'm dog/house sitting for a family friend. She has a beautiful apartment in Le Marais, about 5 minutes from Notre Dame.

My bedroom in Paree!

One of the first things I wanted to share with you is an amazing craft shop I found in Les Halles. It's what you'd think a craft shop would look like if a stylist from Belle Armoire were setting one up for a photo shoot...except this one actually serves Parisians and tourists alike every day! It's called La Droguerie.

The name doesn't exactly say "craft store!" At least not in English...in French in means hardware store. I guess in a way it is. Don't let the small store front deceive you, as is the case with many old buildings you walk into a narrow corridor which promptly expands once you've gone about 20 feet.

As you can see, the entrance is full of colorful skeins of yarn, knitting patterns and kits. The kits come in cute little tins with the pattern and yarn. Being a jewelry artist, the fun really started when I got to the right side of the shop...


The walls are lined with jar upon jar of bead, bauble and button! I was like a kid in a candy store! They have the most unusual findings and cords too. I especially liked this rubber cord that came in many thicknesses. Here's a necklace I saw in a boutique by the apartment that uses this cord...


I love the huge, fabulous ceramic beads that have an old world feel in contrast to the modern rubber cord...it's solid by the way and very light. So awesome!

I plan on posting some more while I'm here in the City of Lights so for now I will simply say,
Adieu!

My work is in Trios Gallery!!

I'm so excited to announce that my work is now being carried in Trios Gallery in Solana Beach, CA!! The gallery is wonderful and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. If you are ever in the area the gallery is located on Cedros Ave, which is a prominant design district...a great place for shopping, finding yummy eateries (check out Claire's on Cedros), or just taking a stroll!

Horsin' around in my younger years...

My mom is moving her art studio and I have been enlisted with the dubious task of helping her pack...sigh...most recently we went through family photos and I came across some of my equestrian days. Looking at these photos it felt like I was looking at another life, it's been so long since we had horses. Still, I thought I'd share a tid bit from my past...well, more like what I did for over 1/3 of my life. Here I am at a show with my horse, V.S.O.P. (Spanky was his barn name, and he truly was a little rascal ;).

New in the shop...

Just listed today, an original pendant inspired by one of my favorite spiritual teachers and authors...check out the etsy listing here to read more about this piece.

Hope you are having wonderful day!

Kristin