4th of July

We went to a 4th of July pool party this week and had a blast...the kids made their own flag, made "fireworks" with colored splashes of bubbles, yummy food and fun water play. Thanks Rachael - it was another great party!

*new* for LA show

Here are some new designs I've been working on for the fair next weekend...
I don't have time to add them to the shop, but hopefully will be able to once the fair is over and I can give you more details about the pieces then. My time is very l.i.m.i.t.e.d. right now due to baby boy wanting to be held most of the time, which is fine by me! I'm enjoying him very much. Once again - here are the details for the show next weekend if you live in the area :: Come see us at Booth #117!

happy father's day!

"mama has a baby and i get things"

Our original plan for this morning was to have a friend of E's come to play, but she woke up a little under the weather {hope you are feeling better, G!}....so I was left looking at the day with a little worry about what I would do with E. Since we've been rather busy since S was born, I was looking forward to a day at home, but with no plans, I was concerned E would get bored. Lucky for me, I was prepared for a day like today...

Ever since E was born, I have bought him a Thomas the Train car or two for every flight we have taken {in his first 2 years, we took 9 flying trips together}. But, we had yet to buy him a track. Well, we got one a few weeks before S was born and today I pulled it out - he was so excited about his surprise and played in his room, by himself, for hours. Not a small feat, for a 2 1/2 year old, right?! Here are pics of the boys' first time playing together. HA!

Okay, so I've really been enjoying the cuddly baby time with S and I am already feeling the sting of him growing up too quickly {especially after learning at the dr's yesterday that he gained 1.5 pounds in 10 days...geez!}. While I would like nothing better than to ignore my work for a little longer, I must get to work creating new pieces for the upcoming Los Angeles Renegade Fair - now only less than a month away and I am soooo not prepared {as of now}. I'll get there! Check back here for new designs & if you have time this weekend, check out some of the amazing designers and artists that are also attending the Fair...WOW...I hope I come back home with money in my pocket. :)

i have boy{s} !!

I can't believe I have boy{s} - plural. It is a very strange feeling when I hear myself say "the kids" or "the boys". I hope these two are friends for life. Right now, E loves having baby brother around. He actually cried yesterday morning when I walked out of the bedroom in the morning without the baby in my arms, and wanted to know where he was. So sweet.

growing up is hard for mama

E has gotten very big all of the sudden. When I go from holding the baby to picking him up, I can hardly believe it's been 2 1/2 years since we were getting to know him. This photo was taken at a preview for a local indoor playspace that is opening in a few weeks. He is adjusting pretty well to life with baby ...the little outings we have taken over the past week have definitely helped.

i am loving ::

It is kind of silly, but it is so very rare for me to make myself a piece of jewelry, but I'm really glad I took the time to make myself a square initial necklace a couple weeks before S was born. I am really loving it right now - it looks great with everything I wear, even though the colors aren't very neutral. Oh, and I'm loving this baby boy, too {more than the necklace}. :)

back to business

I am working on getting more pictures up from what E has been up to for the past couple of weeks and some new favorites of baby, too. In the meantime, here is a sampling of some recent custom work I have done. If they were not already available in the shop for purchase, they are now!

1. Circle Initial Necklace - Can be customized using different colors and fonts. Additional charms can also be added.
2. Small Circle Monogram Necklace - Can be customized using different colors, fonts, designs.
3. Personalized Flower Necklace - Can be customized using any flower or color.
4. Personalized Vintage Damask Necklace - This was a special piece I just gave to my mom this week - with the names of all six of her grandchildren. I was surprised I was able to fit so many names on a relatively small pendant, but it looks great and she wears it beautifully!
5. Photo Pendant Necklace - This is a pendant I made for a friend - I had no worries this necklace was going to turn out great because of the photo. I mean, could these kiddos be any cuter? :)
6. Photo Pendant Necklace - Another great photograph - this is an engagement photo turned into a pendant for a wedding present. What a great gift - I doubt they will receive two! The moment was captured by A&A Photography. If you live in the Southern California area and are in need of a photographer, be sure to check out the work of this husband and wife team - simply beautiful!

he's here!

killing time

Two days past our due date, we're just waiting for baby! Killing time and spending time with Gigi & Papa...

doing whatever! the farmer's market. italian ice. a train ride. visits to the park. shopping. restaurants. movies. meals with friends. a massage. certainly not all bad, but I prefer a baby boy at this point. :)

fast forward

This week is not one that I would consider my favorite...E was sick with a fever/virus and has been all around grumpy, grumpy. I'm sure I haven't been the most pleasant mama, either. Lance has been working more than usual this week and I am growing more uncomfortable by the day. And the two earthquakes that we experienced this week weren't too enjoyable - I'm just thankful that they didn't send me into labor {not from the force, but from my panic during them}. They're no fun at all.


We took some time this morning to go to the beach, which helped my spirits a bit and I'm hoping E's too. After nap, I think we may hit the farmer's market. We're just killing time until my mom gets here on Saturday - then we'll ready for baby to make his grand debut...and end this boredom!

the farm

We had a really nice morning at a local organic farm with friends today. The visit included a one-hour tractor ride through the working farm where we were able to sample all of the yummy vegetables they grow there. ..green beans, bok choy, celery, snap peas, carrots and green onions (which E ate like an apple). :) And, it stopped for awhile to go strawberry picking. Really, really yummy red, juicy strawberries...ready for the picking. I hesitated going on the tractor ride - - even though I am ready at some moments for this baby to arrive...it would be great if he waited one more week {in time for my mom to be here}. It wasn't too bumpy, so hopefully he is nice and content in my cozy little womb and didn't get jostled around too much.

Anyway - here are the pics. I went a little crazy taking them and I can never decide which ones to post. The last is my favorite...oh so cute! How can we possibly have another little boy as cute as E?!

mark your calendar ::

Bel Kai Designs will be participating in the Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles on July 11th & 12th. The fair will be taking place at the California Market Center. Mark your calendar!! This is the FIRST time the fair will be held in Los Angeles...very exciting! The fair has already been uber popular in Chicago & San Francisco. I'm thrilled to be a part of such great artists and crafters!

this week

We've had a very busy week and frankly, I'm feeling a bit out of steam. I am at the frustrating part of pregnancy where I still want to stay active and get a lot done, but my energy level is waning, contractions are becoming more intense and I don't feel like I can do as much as I want. So, after I finished last minute Mother's Day orders, we have spent the last few days relaxing and playing at the local farmers' market and the beach. And, from the looks of how beautiful it is again today and will be tomorrow, I have a feeling we'll be at the beach again. I could use a little bit of the warm sun. Have a great Mother's Day Weekend!

new brooches...

...making their way to the store this week!