DINO SIGHTING...

This post is for my darling niece Amber...to show her that dinosaurs really DO exist and that they're freakin' huge! See you soon!

xoxo, amy

AQUA en AVALON...

I see AQUA...everywhere...

xoxo, amy

THE ARTISTs OF THE ISLAND

During our recent visit to the City of Avalon (on Catalina Island), we were lucky enough to discover 'the Artists of the Island'. ..Will Richards and his wife Cindy.

We were zipping around town on our rented golf cart and, by chance, turned off on a little side street to check out what used to be 'Bird Park'. As we exited the cart, we heard music coming from the hill immediately behind us and looked up to discover WILL RICHARDS' STUDIO... What a fantastic treat.

Will graciously invited us in for a tour...and it was like nothing we'd ever seen... A hillside mansion constructed of recycled materials, sea glass, bones, shells...you name it. It was dreamlike...walking from room to room...peeking into each and every tiny space to reveal the treasures they contained. The most fab-U-lous windchimes made from driftwood, abalone, and old chandelier crystals.

Tilework, assemblage, mosaics, mobiles, paintings, soapstone carvings, and more... Truly a sight to behold...and such an inspiration to create.

My favorite room, by far, was the open air bathroom with seashell encrusted counters and a fully functioning 'conch shell faucet'...

xoxo, amy

A HUGE THANK YOU

thank you all SO much for your support...

xoxo, amy

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Hoping everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. Posting a pic of our AQUA tree and a few of our decorations...

oooohhhh....look at the SPaRLKES!

We were lucky enough to have my mom, stepdad, and grandfather in town for a few days...grandpa is doing SO well... And I'm pleased to mention that Mom has been SMOKE-FREE for over two months now...we are all so proud of her.
And let's not forget little Miss Christmas Spirit...
We received an invite for a New Year's sleepover from our dear friends the Rolfs... Abby is the ultimate hostess... We donned metallic party hats as we rang in the new year (mine was pink...of course).


George made good use of ALL the party favors he could find...

The boys (hesitantly) gathered around for a group photo...

Wishing everyone health and happiness in the new year...

xoxo, amy

A LONG AWAITED VISIT...

So...my DARLING baby sister finally came out from Connecticut after seven loooooong years. We had SUCH a fabulous visit together. We had tons to catch up on (in between the *bucks and the shopping of course). I'm FINALLY getting around to posting some pics from our whirlwind weekend adventure...an adventure which started with ELVIS waiting for her at the airport...

Her 'ultra-luscious' pose... she is SO 'mom-esque'...

After a quick stop in Mesa, we headed to 'My Florist' to meet Kristin for lunch...

Heather 'chilled' with a nice glass of Merlot...

And I sampled a new Reisling...

Our waitress was kind enough to snap a quick group photo...

Then it was on to a fun antique store across the street...where we were greeted by this lovely creature...

"Do you want to sit on my hand?" she asked innocently...

A touching moment in the 'costume corner'...which HAPPENS to be where we found Amber's T-Rex costume...

Next stop...SAS Fabrics...a fabulous fabric and trim warehouse in Central Phoenix. Rolls of brightly colored taffetas...as far as the eye can see...

Oh, and let's not forget Heather's SAS 'porn pose'...

Kristin...with an armload of fabulous finds...

After SAS, we headed home to work on a custom ring for Heather's 'Toad Eye' stone... Girls with torches...that's hot.

After our silversmithing experience, we headed to Cheesecake Factory for dinner with George...

...and got dessert to go...

Sunday was SPA-day. We headed for the Camelback Inn bright and early...

We checked in...then headed for a quick hike up Mummy Mountain.

A beautiful shot of Heather against the gorgeous backdrop of Camelback Mountain...

We relaxed by the pool while we waited for our facials...

We ordered appetizers...one of which was this beautiful 'painter's pallette' of hummus and guacamole...

Most of which I ended up wearing...

Due to 'sail-size' bread which caught even the slightest breeze...

Again, it was SUCH a wonderful long weekend...

Love you miniature sister!

xoxo, me