Twinkle Studio

Sweet Sentiments

I made a custom bracelet for the sweetest customer and I heard back from her yesterday. I created a bracelet for her out of vintage pieces that belonged to her mother-in-law.  The note is so great that I wanted to share: 

I love my new bracelet.  I was not able to imagine how one of your pieces would turn out and now I know.  

You are such a wonderful artist and I will cherish this bracelet.  Whenever I wear it, it will remind me of Jean.  The little organza bags are the perfect touch for packaging and your note, written in white ink on purple paper....just perfect.

Valentino the Pug Man

I would have never guessed that Valentino is a pug man. Yes, he currently has six of them: Milton, Monty, Maude, Margot, Maggie, and Molly. 

I am awaiting the release of The Last Emporer on DVD because the pugs are central figures in Valentino's world. In the movie, Valentino says: "I don’t care much about the collection. My dogs are much more important!”

Valentino takes his pug babies with him everywhere. They fly on private jets and have a dog butler. Where can Lola and I sign up? 

Oh Alice

I am a huge fan of Alice and Wonderland! I have the original pop-up book, named my first dog "Alice," and have watched the movie numerous times. 

So I am just thrilled that Tim Burton is tackling this adorable and quirky tale. 

His usual cast of character is involved (Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter), but there's a new actress in a key role...Anne Hathaway as The White Queen. 

Unfortunately we all have to wait a while before it's released. Mark your calendar for March 5, 2010. 'Til then, enjoy these sneak-peak photos:

Embrace It

Pretty cool...from this site. 

I just made a major change today and it feels really awesome! It's something that I really should have done a while ago. But I'm just going to enjoy it today and going forward! 

Loley, Lolita, Miss Friss, Totsy, Momsy, Momsen, Baby Obispo - Such Nicknames!

Introducing...(drumroll, please) Lola!

Lola is my (almost) 5-year-old black pug and pretty much my sidekick in life. She goes nearly everywhere I go and is always up for an adventure, especially if it involves walking, running, jumping, or eating. 

Lola comes with me on all the jewelry-seeking adventures across the country and sits in my chair whenever I work on making baubles. She really needs to be in the middle of the action. 

Here's Baby Lola...at about 4 months old. She was a little fuzzer!

Baby Lola with her buddy Cooper the Bulldog.

 

A Day at the beach...fun!

Boating Dog!

Pugs are fun and loyal friends because that's been their only purpose in life. They have always been companion animals. Pugs started as companions to Buddhist Monks in monasteries in Tibet and the Chinese Royalty. 

In the 1790's Napoleon's wife, Josephine, had a pug named Fortune who would carry secret messages tucked under his collar to Napoleon when he was imprisoned. Fortune was the only being to have visiting rights to Napoleon. 

Pugs are described by the motto "Multum in Parvo," which means a lot of dog in a small space. So true! 

Click here for more cool Pug info from Wiki. 

There are lots of Pug rescues across the country that are excellent resources. PugRescue.com is a good central place that links out to all kinds of local rescues. 

Never Forget - Memorial Day

Pops

Since I have already foist a story about my mom  upon you, here's one for my dad. Mike Christensen (also known as Daddy Mike in my world) turns 60 today! Woot!

My dad is one of those guys who is a body in motion and outworks all the young guys around him. He's a good, crazy dervish!

For his birthday, I painted him 4 canvases that can be put together to say: Michael Michael Motorcycle. As I understand, this was something he called himself as a little boy. 

Happy Young 60th, Dad! from Sis

Some of My Favorite Studio Things

So...it's done! Although is any decorating really ever "done?"

I am quite pleased with the end result of the new studio and there are some particular pieces that I love!

Birdcage Decal: there is a bathroom off the studio and it just needed a little zip. From the Etsy shop of Chuck E Byrd Wall Art, I got the cutest wall decal of a purple bird in a silver cage. It's just the perfect little addition to that room. Great service from this Etsy seller, too! This photo is not the studio...I'll show you my actual decal in a few days. 

Barbie Prints: I ordered two prints from Z Gallerie and really love them! They're limited edition Robert Best drawings. So cute!

Dress Form: This "girl" is from Pottery Barn Teen and is absolutely adorable. I use her for all my photo shoots and for my necklace model. 

Ikea Organizing Boxes: I can't find these boxes online, but got them from an Ikea store. They're super dooper cardboard boxes with a colored coating (I got pink!). They come in 3 different sizes: one perfect for books and magazines, one for CD's and small stuff, and these mid-sized ones that are great for pretty much anything. 

New Studio Design

My new studio is coming along beautifully! Everything is moved in and I'm now in process of deciding what will go where and organizing. The fun stuff! 

In the meantime, there is a somewhat controlled chaos going on as evidenced by these photos. 

I should be done in the next day or so...stay tuned for the final unveiling! 

Robby Momma

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who is a mom, gramma, step-mother, foster mom, or any other person who's acted as a mother to a child! 

Unfortunately, my mom died in February 2002, just before her 49th birthday of complications from breast cancer. 

Everyone who knew my mom, Robby, was lucky to have her in their life...even if it wasn't for as long as they would have liked. 

She was a vibrant, accepting hippie girl who had a laugh like no other!

Peace and Happy Mother's Day!