The Ocean.

What a gorgeous day! I went with my family to visit my cousin, who lives near Palo Alto. Today he took us to the beach! The Ocean is incredible!..to see the strength of the waves, the power with which they break on the shore.. I could just stop and watch forever.
I'll share with you one f the pictures I took.. no words to describe how beautiful it was to be there.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This morning I finally started to feel a little better.. we have all been sick with cough and sore-throat this past week! But today I could spend the whole morning and part of the afternoon.....COOKING!!! I prepared a Thanksgiving meal for my family and 3 guests.
After having studied with my children about the First Thanksgiving, I was imagining to be a pilgrim woman preparing all those good dishes... first of all the big turkey!..then the cranberry sauce {made with fresh cranberries...so delicious!!}, the green-bean casserole {with fresh green-beans cleaned by my babies!}.. the yummi gravy...the apple pie.. nothing from the cans.. I can't believe how much I cooked!! And it was so much fun!
After dinner we all played cards.. the super fun italian game called scopa, and also another game called war.

Beautiful Day... Beautiful Night... now I'm gonna go to bed and sleep tight! :)

* * *

*Christmas Cards*

I love writing Christmas Cards.. I have a long list of people I send them to every year. I always need many cards.. I usually like to send a picture of my children all cute and dressed-up {just as my Mom used to do when I was little}.. This year I will for sure send one of these gorgeous, incredibly cute cards made by my little sister Francesca! She also has a shop on Etsy, it's called PETERandFRANCESCA. She's a great artist {as well as her husband}, specialized in iconography.. but she loves also to use watercolors. Her inspiration is Beatrix Potter and the tales of Peter Rabbit. These are the cards I will buy from her shop... aren't they adorable??

featured Shop: Bijouxfan

Today I want to introduce to you another very talented person, owner of a beautiful Jewelry Shop called Bijouxfan. Her name is Carmen, an Italian girl from the beautiful Naples. She moved to the United States one year ago to follow her husband. They are both engineers, but she's not working right now and she's more than happy about that! She's able to dedicate herself more to her family, her son and the passion she has of designing and making jewels.

::: INTERVIEW! :::

1. When did you start making jewels? 
 I started about 4 years ago, just for fun and curiosity, but in few months this 'game' has become a great passion, a real 'need' for my soul and my mind. It's not only a way to relax myself, but a desire to express my ideas, my thoughts about life. A direct way to reach people's heart!
2. What is your inspiration?
I'm very attracted and inspired by color contrasts, that I can observe in nature, or in a painting, or in everything I see. Unusual shapes, natural or man-made, are another inspiration source for creation. And, obviously, stones. A single, beautiful, colorful stone can give me the main idea for a jewelry piece.
3.What else do you like to do for fun?
 I love music, I love singing. Since I was 3 years old, I sing, and sing, and sing all the time! There has been a moment in my life in which I dreamed about singing in a Musical, or in a big gospel choir. I took part of a little gospel choir several years ago, and it was a beautiful experience!
4. Tell me one of your dreams...
 One of my dreams? To be able to trasform my passion of creating jewelry in a real job, with a true 'workshop' entirely dedicated to my tools!


Dear Carmen, thank you so much for sharing something about you on my blog! I'm going to share some of the beautiful pieces of art you make and wish you the best!!! ♥

Isabella ♥

I'm going to dedicate this post to the incredible woman that inspires me everyday in every little thing I make.. my grandma Isabella.. or Nonna, as I called her. Today it's her birthday, she would have turned 98! She went to Heaven 1 and a 1/2 years ago, but she's always very present everyday. Especially today.
I spent the whole day sewing {I'm finishing a purse}, just like she used to do. She always had some work in her hands, she wouldn't stop a second. She could sew, knit, crochet, draw, paint... a perfect lady who grew up in a time so close to the 1800, I don't know how she could adjust to the new crazy era.. but she did, and everybody loved her. She enjoyed watching movies with the rest of the family, but she would never watch any war movie... as she would say "War? No thank you! I don't want to live it again.." She lived both of the World Wars, and she was a Red Cross Nurse during WWII, the memories were not that good.. she never really shared too much about it, it must have been awful. But she survived, always with a smile on her face. I don't know if I'll ever meet another woman as strong as she was.
There should be so many other things to say about her, but I would have to write a whole book, so I'll stop here.. because, really, I just wanted to say "Happy Birthday Nonna!". ♥

Lovely Squares...

I wasn't home this past week-end...and of course, Saturday was the day I finally received a package I was waiting for so long!! This morning I went to my little Post-Office as soon as it opened to go pick-up my first order coming from... China!!! :) I love receiving mail {especially packages} and if it comes from so far away it's even more exciting!! I bought 2 pairs of beautiful wooden handles; I was waiting for them especially because I needed to finish one of my new Granny Squares purses... and here it is! I already posted it on Etsy...I hope to sell it soon.. it could be a gorgeous present for Christmas..

jessicaNdesigns: Veterans Day Giveaway!

From one of my favorite Blogs:




jessicaNdesigns: Veterans Day Giveaway!: My New Personalized Key Chain Available in Silver Aluminum or Copper & personalized with your soldier's name & branch of the military He o...