Yes I know it's been a few weeks. I don't think I am asking anything you haven't asked too. Where is the time going? December flew by so freakin' fast it is actually scary. I have been having issues with my computer, Mozilla actually. Then the blog wouldn't let me post for whatever reason so I had to fidget and reload, upload, upgrade, run, save and who know what else. Whatever it is I am finally back.
I sure hope that you have had wonderful holidays so far. If you are in Los Angeles you know that it has been weird cold. I am not a cold weather person so I am very uncomfortable. I am very lucky to have what I need to keep warm, I can't help but think about all those who don't and I wish I can help them all. My friend Linda Offray is the CEO of a The Shepherd's Door a Domestic Violence Resource Center in Pasadena. www.shepherddoor2001.org This year they collected gently used coats for the mother's of the children receiving toys from her program. Often when a woman seeks shelter and help from a domestic violence situation they make sure the kids have their things and mom leaves with the clothes on her back. I found the coat give-away a cause one I had to get involved. I was able to give away a few coats and hope it makes a difference. I imagine coats will be accepted at any time so if you feel so inclined as to want to part with a coat, please contact me via email. sukimoonpie@gmail.com; unfortunately with my computer acting up I was unable to get the word out earlier.
I guess if nothing else I'd like to just share my gratitude for the things I have. I have to tell you, after the fire scare on December 1st I am looking at my material things a little different. Perhaps as 2012 comes barreling in I will sit down and post a few things I am doing differently to be better prepared for emergencies. I did okay for having to evacuate immediately but could do a few things better. Tamara suggested that I share some organizing tips throughout the year. Some of you who know me personally might know that I am a fairly organized person. Tamara wants me to show you pictures of my art room and share my storage ideas to help our fellow artist and friends who are; let’s say ‘clutter friendly or organized challenged. So look for them as the year begins.

Okay friends I’ll catch up with you later.

Whatever you do, do it in color! Suki

Hello friends,

OMG it's almost here. Have you had a chance to stop by the store? It's been pretty busy but that's expected. I will work half day today and then I'm off. I am dreading the crowds I will find at Best Buy. I have been putting off going there because of the chaos I have found in previous years. Aside from that I have been able to find treasures for gifts in the local stores I like so much. Zinnia is always my go to because I like to buy art work as a gift. I also need to finish a few art projects that are just about done.

Zinnia will be open 11am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 1pm on Saturday. You still have time to stop by and find jsut what you need.

Christmas Crafting... what are you working on?

Hello Friends,
Are you busy with Christmas crafting? I am definitely enjoying it. My post the night that it was super windy turned out to be hectic and kind of put a halt to my creative energy. No worries, I am all better. I feel like I have kept myself so busy that I have not made time for some of things that i am usually on top of, like sending cards and shopping. My job keeps me super busy too. There is a lot going on and I spin a few plates at once all day long. Coming home is a relief and my time to craft.

This year I have a variety of crafts going. I continue to experiment with Shrink Plastic. I made doves that are beautiful ornaments.

I am also making pin cushions...

So what are you making? Please share, I want to know what keeps you busy during the holidays. There is not too much time left for crafting and shopping. Have fun and be safe.
In the meantime, live in color!
Suki

Windstorm Twenty-Eleven

Hello friends, I hope you made it through the windstorm safely. Tamara and several friends of Zinnia were left without power for a few days. There were trees fallen all over the place. There is literally damage to almost every tree on EVERY street in South Pasadena and Pasadena. The San Gabriel Valley was hit hard and I sincerely hope you are getting back to your normal. I personally had my own drama that could have changed my life. I don't want to be overly dramatic but I don't think there is any chilled way to talk about it.
Let me start with the fact that I am fine and so are my fur-children, Sugar, Louie and Chilly. I am fairly organized therefore prepared. I had my flashlight and shoes near the bed. It was just after midnight and I had settled into bed. The winds were blowing like crazy. Suddenly the power goes out. My first thought was, no problem. Then, instantly I heard and saw an amazing explosion of lights. No problem, I thought, let me get up and check it out. BAM!!! All I could see out the window to the back yard was a wall of fire. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. The wires sparked a fire that caught the bamboo and trees in the far end of my yard on fire. Needless to say that was the biggest Oh @hit moment of my life. There was no time, I HAD to get out. Almost immediately the neighborhood was buzzing. The neighbors came pounding at my door screaming that I needed to get out. They were frantic and with a sense of urgency that can’t be described. The fire was massive and it was in my back yard and only was threatening my house. I opened the front door to let a lady on my porch know I was getting out, they thought I was asleep. I was frantic and every attempt to try to get the harness on Sugar failed. My hands were shaking and my thoughts were all over the place. The woman at the door, who I later learned is Cecilia took Sugar and ran with him. She told me to get going… but my cats, Louie and Chilly had run for cover and I could not find them in the dark. I grabbed the items that I have always filed in my head as the MUST things to grab in a fire. I looked frantically for Louie and Chilly, screaming their names, which I am sure didn’t help. I know I scared them. I tried to calmly call their names but nothing. I was aware that I didn’t have too much time. I grabbed their crates and their food and through them out on the porch. I HAD to go. I left the door open and moved car out of the way so the fire department could get in. I ran back home looking for the cats and grabbing more things filling bags with clothes, medication etc… At some point a group of men came running to the house and asked if I had water back there. I opened the gate and ran past me. They knew I was frantically looking for the cats and told me to keep searching for them. Again I was in the house this time I destroyed my bedroom turning over the bed (their favorite hiding place) but never found them. I had to leave for good now. I left the door open and prayed that they could get out and we could be reunited later. The women in the neighborhood pulled me aside and did their best to comfort me. They got me a chair and some water and said what they could to calm me down. They got me a chair and some water and reminded me to breath. Finally the fire crew arrived and I just got out of the way and hoped that they could put it out. The group of men retreated and I tried to hug each one that came out of the yard. I have no idea who any of them are; there was a man in a suit whose face I never saw. While all this craziness was going on, the wind was destroying the city. I had been able to call my parents who then called my sister who then called Paul and Joey (Zinnia peeps). Paul and Joey and Paul’s brother Mark headed in my direction and arrived with a fire extinguisher and offered hugs and comforting words. My dad had also arrived. After what seemed like forever but turned out to be about two hours a firefighter came out and said it would be okay. By 3:30am I was given the clearance to go in and was able to go back in the house. Chilly emerged soon after I came in but Louie was still in hiding. A few hours later I was able to find him. He was still freaked out, poor baby. It was over but it took me a while to relax. I didn’t sleep again until mid day on Thursday.

Friends I share this with you to share the acts of kindness that I experienced from my neighbors, my community. I have lived here for 11 years and only knew a few of them. Most of them had come running up the hill. Some had buckets, pots and water nozzles. I found a water hose in my yard and don’t know who it belongs to. Paul and Joey, you are my family and it touched me greatly that you came over to offer help. People are good. I am so lucky to be surrounded by people who care.

Please be safe and try to stay warm as we go into winter. Friends that live where it snows… how do you do that? Wow.

Live in color,

Suki

It is a chilly and windy night in L.A. The winds are gusting and stuff is flying all over. It's a good excuse to not go out with Sugar for our walk slash run. Perfect night to CRAFT! Okay, I have to admit that I think I got stung by the Christmas spirit early this year. I have been like Elf (the movie) crafting like a crazy lady. (Since before Thanksgiving, maybe as early as Halloween. Freak) I bought a headband with antlers and wore them all day long along with a stupid cheesy grin. The youth I work with rolled their eyes and laughed, I laughed too. I sincerely hope you are crafting and enjoying your holiday preparations.

Thank you to all of our friends that were able to stop by on Saturday. If this weekend was a sign of what's in store for the holidays then ... Yeah. Zinnia appreciates all of our friends that have supported the store this weekend and every day of the year. We are sincerely grateful for each and every one of you.

I received a comment on the previous post; my list of favorites. Diana added Farrin O' Conner Design Studio in Pasadena. She shared that they have "great jewelry and metalsmithing classes" stone setting and jewelry making supplies. They are located at: 146 West Bellevue Street 626-796-5300 www.farrinoconnerdesigns.com Thanks Diana for the reminder.

Everyone is getting busy with Christmas around the corner... yikes. 31 shopping days left. In my case it's 3o days left to craft and a day to wrap. I try to make it handmade Christmas every year. Like a lot of us 'artisans' I am my biggest critic and sometimes end up making a gift and buying one too. I really need to try not to doubt myself. I've gotten better but I still need to embrace my art. Any hoodle, my point is that I asked the Zinnia gang for a list of their favorite small shops and I didn't get it. Waah! I waited to the last minute being that Shop Small Shops Saturday is tomorrow. I jotted down a few of my favorites below. Try to stop by and check it out if you haven't already. Or check out their websites which I included in the information.


My Favorite Small Business

Lula Mae
100 North Fair Oaks Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
626 304 9996
www.lulamae.com
I really like this shop. It's tiny but packed with treasures and unique gifts. They have a cat too. I forgot its name.

The Folk Tree
22 East Union Street
Pasadena, CA 91105
626 795 8733
www.folktree.com
Another shop packed with unusual gifts and treasures. It features handmade crafts from Latin America and Mexico. It has a gallery at the back of the store that hosts local artists. They also are great for Day of the Dead art and nic-nacs for you to make your own. Every corner has something for everyone.

Marz
1512 Mission
South Pasadena, CA 91030
626 799 4032
www.missionmarz.com
This shop is just down the street from us. Unique and whimsical gifts. I've seen things we carry at Zinnia here too however not often. Marz is a sure stop for me for birthdays and Christmas gifting.

San Gabriel Bead Company
375 East Live Oak
Arcadia, CA 91006
626 447 7753
www.bead company.com
This is more of a supply store. I am surprised how many of our customers have never heard of them. They are a bead shop that has EVERYTHING you need to make jewelry. This is like Disneyland for me. I get a little nutty in here and have to take deep yoga breath before entering and say to myself, "Self you have to eat, don't spend all your money here".

What are some of your favorite shops? Tell us so we can support them too.

Stay warm, safe and craft on.
Live in Color!

Suki

Heads up friends...
The Zinnia gang hit the mother-load of mother-loads estate sale this weekend. Holy moly, if you like this and thats, whatchamacallits,thing a mijigiers you HAVE to make it out to the store. The estate sale was at woman's house who was an artist, there were art supplies all over the place... ALL OVER THE PLACE. A-MAZE-ING!! Most our finds are trinkets for the doodad bar, there are porcelain doll heads in variety of sizes and a tone of doll parts. Sounds weird but if you're reading this then you know a little about us. If I can I will take a picture this weekend when I am there so I can share with you.
Please remember Zinnia and all the small businesses on Saturday, November 26th. Small Business Saturday; it's a day made up by American Express but heck we'll take it. After all Hallmark made up Valentines, right? I don't know that for a fact but I have certainly heard it said many times. Any hoodle, I must go.
Stay tuned for a post sometime this weekend, we will share our favorite small shops in the South Pasadena -Pasadena area and near surroundings. Maybe you can share yours and we can cross shop and help make a difference.

Ciao for Niao (teeheehee)

Live in color,
Suki

It's Beginning To Look Like...

Tamara has spent the past few days fussing in the window and
created a wonderful Wintery scene.

This Christmas we will be featuring 'Handmade' ornaments.
Yeah. I am busy in my elf workshop. What are you making?
Make sure to stop by for Doo-Dads and Thingamajigs you need
for your holiday treasure making.

More pictures to come soon.
Live in color!

Suki

50% off Halloween Items*

Hello Friends,
Don't miss out. We are selling all Halloween merchandise at 50% off starting today, Saturday, October 29th. *Handmade items are not included on this sale. We still have a lot of ghoulishly wonderful items to select from and have for your festivities or to just look at, like I do. I hope you can make it in.

An evening to enjoy the arts in the South Pasadena business district SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

On Saturday, October 22, 2011, hundreds of locals will enjoy South Pasadena Arts Crawl and support their local businesses and arts organizations. This is an evening event that will occur throughout town at galleries and studios, with live music by students and professionals, interactive art experiences at several spots and a “Trick or Treat” theme. Hosted by the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, participating local businesses and arts organizations. Get into it!

Zinnia will be hosting a few local artists. We will be setting up a few artist in the Alley between us and Munch Company. Additional treats include Dia De Los Muertos face painting and yummy food trucks.

For more information and a list of the businesses that are participating go to:
http://www.southpasadena.net/

Come out for Arts Crawl.

Photo Magic... Tamara is trying to get into my haunted house.

Check this out...

I finished my haunted house. It is a kit that we sell at the store but I think we sold out. I put the landscape on an art board that I painted and fussed with for a few hours. Add some moss and and some stone and Wah-Lah.

This is an image I traced on 'Shrinky Dink" that was eight by four and a half inches and after baking it shrunk down to about half the size. Add black chain and red stones and Wah-La!

I am so lucky to be able to work at Zinnia. It sure is nice to work on art projects while chatting with the customers. We have been using Facebook to feature a new a project every Saturday. What we try to do is follow the process through the day. A few weeks ago I was playing with Shrink Plastic and was making a flower pendent. We never posted pictures of the completed project because we had, I mean an 'oh oh' moment. I had shrunk the piece and decided to gloss it up with Diamond Glaze... I had it on one off the counters in front of a small fan trying to get it to dry. I had a box in my hand as I walked by the project when a customer knocked his wheelchair into the Halloween display and some of merchandise tumbled to the floor. I went over to make he was okay and gather the merchandise. What I spaced-out on was that I dropped the box I was carrying… on top the flower pendent thing that had Diamond Glaze. Daaang! It was stuck to the bottom of the box and got messed up. Waaaah!

Okay friends, until next time... live in color!

Suki

http://www.etsy.com/shop/zinnia4crafting

Hello Friends, I am so excited to share with you that Zinnia now has an on-line store through Etsy. We just opened and have only posted a few items however as we move forward we want to have it stocked and ready to meet you crafting needs. We are starting off by posting our "Kit Club" paper packages that will be available for a limited time for each theme or month. The packages are similar to iur 'paper packages' but with more goodies such as; Stickles, Thickers and trims. For details and pictures of our Kit Club packages please visit our etsy store and check back as we will continue to add merchandise. http://www.etsy.com/shop/zinnia4crafting

Have you see the new gardening hats we got in just in time for Halloween? Okay I know this hat will make people do a double take. Imagine driving by and seeing someone actually gardening with one of these on? I would laugh out loud. The funny thing is that Tamara gave her mother one to wear in the yard, I got to get a picture of her. We were approached with a catalog of these hats and jumped at the chance of being the only store in the area carrying them. They are available in a few different, fun and unexpected fabrics, (Sorry no black) the brim has wire so you can shape it and make it funky and heck, you can wear it to the next PTA meeting. I'm sure you'll get a lot of attention. I'm kidding of course, just wear it to pick up the kids from school... ha ha, I dare you.
Don't miss out, we ordered a limited amount and they are selling fast. Thanks to my little model Isla, her mom bought the hat she is wearing and looked great too.

Until next time friends... live in color!

Suki

Yesterday Tam started a post on Facebook to share our Saturday project with you but we never posted updates. The pictures below show what it looked like before we backed it. It shrunk about 70%.

We moved more things around in past week or two at the store. We swapped the fabric and the paper areas. We expanded the paper space making it easier to access. If you've been to the store lately you might have experienced the cramped space we had the paper in and we hope the swap suites your crafting needs. The paper area includes our paper packages of all sorts, images and cards. The picture gives you an idea... "Cat Not For Sale" . Oh Alley.

It's too bad that alley can't find a quiet space to nap. Ha ha.

Store Hours

Zinnia will be open on a 'by appointment' basis only on Mondays . Please call us by the previous Sunday at 2:30pm and we will make an appointment to meet you at the store. We apologize for any inconvenience this change causes and hope to be able to meet your crafting needs.

Hello Friends,
We are so excited that Halloween is on its way... we have been re-merchandising the store for a week or so and it looks great. Of course I have included some pictures for all of our long distance friends. Our theme is: Botanical Scientist's Laboratory... lots of bottles with potions and ingredients to make your own special concoctions. Who came up with the concept? Oh, lemme think... who else? Tamara... because the woman is so damn creative it's crazy. We still have a few things we are working on and I will definitely post those pictures as soon as I get them. Think creepy foods in glass jars, relabeled and rusted.
You have to stop by if you're in the area. We sold a ton of it this weekend; you don't want to miss out.

PINTEREST

I found my new favorite thing. A few weeks ago a friend of the store told Tam and I about Pinterest. It was a little confusing but we were intrigued. So here's the scoop. Pinterest is a website that has tons and tons and tons of images. Images of all kinds of things. The idea is that it's a like public pinboard. You go through it and pick things you like. You categorize them by naming your 'boards', as in pinboards . For example I have 7 boards; Inspirations, Words, Things That Hang, Think Green, Favorite Places and Spaces, Lovable Beings and My Style. So as I go through the images I repin the image onto my board as I feel best describes it. I saved images in Inspiration that I think will inspire me as I create my own art. Think Green has images of recycled things and so on and so on. You can have as many pinboards as you want.



To start you have to go to www.pinterest.com and ask to be invited. All you do is type your email address. In a matter of seconds they respond letting you know that they will let you know when you have been invited. that only takes a day or two. Once you are on you start pinning.



This sight has been awesome to have a quick reference to share a thought, craft or idea with a friend. Try it. You can follow me ( check out my boards and what I pin) and I can follow you.



Let me know what you think.

Bigger Classroom

Exciting news. I've been holding it because it has been a work in progress and I wanted to let things settle a bit. A few weeks ago Tamara decided to knock a wall down. Okay, the conversation went like this...

Me: Hi Tam how was your week?

Tam: Oh hey Suk, I've decided to knock a wall down and expand the classroom.

Me: Oh?

Tam: It's coming down next Tuesday.



Wha what? She amazes me with all her energy. Seriously woman, how do you do it? So after being at the new store for two years we kind of outgrew the classroom. If you have ever taken a class here you know how tight it can get. We crafters don't travel light and we all want to bring our favorite things to make art. So a wall was removed. The classroom is now much bigger, we have gained some storage and we will also have a tool corner. The corner is still coming together. the pictures below will give you a n idea of what we are up to.

The wall was about where the flags are hanging.

Sewing Corner

We are going to have a sewing machine up and ready for sewing emergencies. Thanks BJ for the cool find. BJ is a friend of the store and the finder of odd and cool things. She brought in tie cool machine and table.

This wall of fabric sings to me. That is perfection. If you don't know me... I am rather obsessed with things being in order. My obsession with order kinda doesn't fly at Zinnia. I manage; it's difficult but I do what I can. Ha ha. I do have an obsession but I appreciate my time away from order at Zinnia. Tamara knows what I mean and guess that really is what matters.

ANYWAY...

This is what the classroom work space now looks like and I hope

you stop by and check it out; better yet, take a class.

Until next time, Live in Color!

Yeah, new magazines-slash-porn to go through and oooh and aaah. I may or may not have arranged the pictures in the order of my preference. I actually can't decide but I am leaning towards Studio. Call the store if you want us to stash a few for you. 626.441.2181.

Big high-five for the super cool man who made Alley's day on Saturday. This past Saturday I was playing with Alley throwing the ball and watching her enthusiastically chase it and then consider bringing back. Somehow her ball went out the door and I have no idea how, but the little foam ball ended up across the street. Holy moly. The man in the picture said he would go get it for her. I was alone at the store and without his random act of kindness, Alley would have lost her ball. He walked down the street and using the crosswalk to retrieve the ball. Safety first, right? What a nice guy.

Big high-five for the super cool man who made Alley's day on Saturday. This past Saturday I was playing with Alley throwing the ball and watching her enthusiastically chase it and then consider bringing back. Somehow her ball went out the door and I have no idea how, but the little foam ball ended up across the street. Holy Moly. The man in the picture said he would go get it for her. I was alone at the store and without his random act of kindness; Alley would have lost her ball. He walked down the street and using the crosswalk to retrieve the ball. Safety first, right? What a nice guy.