All About {Family}

This post will be a bit of a modge podge of family related things. When the Holidays approach, we start to think more about what is important in life, how to show our family members that we love and appreciate them, (through gifting) and we spend time creating memories and traditions that we will share with our families for generations.

Since this blog is really centered around my little Origami Owl business, I wanted to share some family-inspired ideas with our new bracelets collection. There are two different bracelets being offered now by Origami Owl and they both come in Silver and Gold. The first option is a bracelet that has a locket in the middle, and the little owl dangle that is attached to the end is a sweet little touch! I created this look using a plate stamped with 'family' and a mom heart charm accompanied by birthstones. It is a simple and personalized gift.

The other bracelet option is a simple chain. You can attach one of the lockets or any of our dangles to it. To create this look, I attached a mini Silver locket with a couple of cute charms, our Tree of Life dangle (which says 'Life is a Gift' on the back) and a simple white rose dangle. I am in LOVE with this look!

So, here comes the part where I talk about something totally different that is still family related. (Which is pretty much how I talk in real life, so no biggie!) A few years ago, I found these awesome Martha Stewart cross-stitch family patterns and fell in love with them! I cross stitched my own family (as shown below) but that was before Lizzie's hair turned SUPER curly! (How do you cross-stitch curly hair, anyway??) 

Check out the patterns here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/309518/customizable-cross-stitch-projects

She has all different people, hairstyles, and animals that you can choose from to customize your own family stitch! Makes a perfect gift! Stitch up grandma with her grandchildren (unless your grandma has 60 grandkids like mine...), or make it for a friend who just got engaged, the possibilities are endless. Just like Origami Owl. (Yep, another plug for my business)

Happy Stitching my friends!!

A Lifelong Obsession with {Charms}

So, as I was browsing Pinterest the other day, one of those 'throwback' pictures came up- you know, the ones that remind you that you are getting VERY old. (The 80's? That was just a few years ago, right??) Anyway, it was of those charm necklaces that we all had in the mid-80's, like this one:

I remember that the baby bottle charm was the HOT item! I mean, baby bottles are all the rage! (Honestly, my 3 1/2 year old still cries for a bottle at bedtime every night, so I am totally over bottles.) I also loved the skate one- I was an amazing roller skater. I could even skate backwards at the 49th Street Galleria!!!

So, here's my little story about charm necklaces: One year, about a month before Christmas, I was snooping around the house, looking for gifts my mom had already bought and hid, when I found a stash of charm necklaces and charms. I was about 9 and my sister, Anna, was 5 at the time. I knew that the necklaces were for us, and I thought my mom was at the neighbor's house, so I got them out (I still remember that they were in the top of the coat closet underneath a bunch of mittens and hats) and we started to play with them. Oh, the excitement!!! Then, my mom walked in. I blamed it on Anna, as usual. My mom was SO mad! She said "Tracy- you've ruined your stocking stuffers for Christmas! You can just have them now, but you aren't getting anything in your stocking on Christmas morning!!!" Was that a punishment? I didn't think so. I'm pretty sure my stocking was still full on Christmas morning, too.

Anyway, I was OBSESSED with these charm necklaces and charms. When I saw the pin with this picture, I was reminded why I fell in love with Origami Owl.  I LOVE {charms} that show what kinds of things you love and who you are. So often, when I'm doing a party, people think that nobody will even notice which charms they have since they are so small, but I cannot tell you how many times I get asked about the piano charm in my locket, or the dog paw, or the letter E.

They are little pieces of my life, things that I love, and that make up my story.

Spring 2013

So, we all know that Spring means new and beautiful and fresh. I LOVE this time of year- especially the tulips (my FAVORITE) because I'm Dutch and because, well, they're the prettiest, and the popcorn popping on the apricot trees :) (I'll post a picture of that later!)

For now, I wanted to introduce you to a few of the new Spring 2013 items that Origami Owl has come out with- they are beautiful and fresh new styles, too!

I am SOOO excited about these black lockets! They are ion-plated black over stainless steel (so 100% hypoallergenic) More like 100% cute! I'm kinda in love...

Origami Owl has also re-released their mini lockets! These are SOOO cute and perfect for any age- lovely with one little stone, or to celebrate a momentous occasion (pop a little birthday cake in there for a friend's birthday) They are so sweet. My sister wears one with a little plate that says 'mama' and her sons two birthstones....awww :)

As always, you can check out these new items and sooo much more at my website: www.tracyflores.origamiowl.com or click on the 'Shop' link at the top of the blog! 

Happy Spring everyone!!! Now go out and pick some popcorn off of those trees ;)

Life Is a Gift

April is a very special month for me. It is Organ Donation Awareness Month! Also, on April 6, 2007, I received a kidney transplant that saved my life. This year I will celebrate my six year anniversary with my new kidney!!

I realize that this is mainly my {Origami Owl} blog, but most people that I talk to are very interested in how a kidney transplant works, and since I am obviously a HUGE organ donation advocate, I wanted to share a little bit of info:

- Humans only need one kidney to life a full, healthy, life! Giving one of your kidneys does not make you more susceptible to illness, kidney failure, or any other health problems.

- In fact, studies have shown that people who donate one of their kidneys (living donors) live a longer, healthier life than those with two healthy, functioning kidneys. However, there is some speculation that this might be tied to the fact that those who are willing to give up a kidney for another human are likely happier and healthier individuals.

- Approximately 16 people die a day in the United States waiting for a kidney transplant!

I started getting sick when I was 21 years old. I underwent a kidney biopsy and was diagnosed with Glomerulonephritis. It is caused by a strep infection. My kidneys continued to function fairly well for several years until I became pregnant with my first child. The further along I got in the pregnancy, the worse my kidneys were performing. My kidneys failed when I was 24 weeks along in my pregnancy. It was the hardest time of my life. I was in the hospital for about 2 weeks waiting to see if my kidneys would regain function. After I was released, I buried my daughter and started dialysis.

I waited for nearly 2 years on the waiting list. I will never forget the morning that fateful "We have a kidney for you" call came. I was given a second chance at life.

I am thankful every single day for my donor, Tracey McTeague, and her family. They had the strength and courage to make a very difficult decision at the hardest moment of their lives. Her mother found her daughter murdered on the kitchen floor and remembered that Tracey had told her just a few weeks before that she wanted to be an organ donor. Thanks to them, I am healthy, happy, I have delivered two healthy baby girls, and I try to honor her memory every day by being a kinder, happier person.

                                                                 {My Life is a Gift} 

In honor of my transplant month, I will be doing a giveaway on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/locketsbytracy Please come over and enter to win one of these beautiful Origami Owl Sterling Silver dangles. The front side is adorned with a beautiful tree of life and the back says "Life is a Gift" It truly is.

March Contest and Pewter Initials Dangles

This month has been CRAZY....! We are finally closing on our new house, renting out our townhouse, and everything that comes along with that. So, I'm a *tinsy* bit late getting the March Giveaway up!

{Origami Owl} came out with the Tagged line in November 2012. The line is all pewter, made in the USA, and super cute! My favorites are the initials! There are so many different things you can do with them! They make an easy little gift for anyone! Here are some ideas:

• Give someone their initial for their Birthday
• Give the initial of the last name as a wedding gift or wedding shower gift
• Give a new mommy the initial of her new baby's name on a cute pink or blue ribbon 
• You can buy the initials and the ampersand sign for a cute couple necklace: T&E
• Give the initial of a loved one who has recently passed to comfort a friend

So, PLEASE come enter my giveaway on my facebook page! www.facebook.com/locketsbytracy

And check out my website to see ALL of the intials! Here are just a few of them:

The Perfect Gift

Here's the thing: Giving the perfect gift takes TALENT. I know it sounds silly, but we all have that person in our lives who gives stuff that is their taste, instead of thinking about us. (No, I'm not talking about my mother-in-law. Okay, yes, I am.) I have a drawer full of purses and jewelry that is not my taste at all, but looks like it belongs on her.

I was visiting friends in Argentina a few years ago and I had taken presents to them and my dear friend Analia said to me: "Tracy- you are so good at giving everyone the perfect gift!" I had never thought about it before, but I do put a lot of time and thought into gift-giving, whether it's something that I hand make, or purchase. I am one of those crazies who have their Christmas shopping done by October. It's not because I am trying to rush through it, it is because I spend a lot of time thinking about the perfect gifts and buying or making them throughout the year. (And also, I love to enjoy the Holidays without worrying about shopping!)

We all have someone in our life who has everything and buys everything that she wants. (Yes, I'm talking about my mother-in-law again!) So it's tricky. Whenever I see something that is perfect for her, I snatch it up, even if Christmas or Mother's Day or her Birthday are months away.

Let's get to the point of this post, shall we??

{Lockets make perfect gifts} They are personal, touching, and like mini memory boxes. You can fill one with charms that describe everything someone loves, or charms to commemorate a special event or vacation in their lives. 

So, to illustrate this point, made a locket with everything that reminded me of my sister, Anna. Here it is:

A for Anna, she is an amazing violinist, she went on her LDS mission to France (and Belgium), She has two children (Jan and Feb birthstones), She loves her husband, Paul, SO much and their love is Eternal. (Infinity sign)

Pretty cute, right? Check out www.tracyflores.origamiowl.com and pick out which charms are perfect for your best friend, sister, mom, daughter.... or mother-in-law (Unless your mother-in-law has already bought herself 3 lockets. Just sayin'.)

Love, Tracy

In Memory Of

I receive many requests to create memory lockets. Just this week, I helped a friend create one to give to her mother-in-law at her father-in-law's funeral. It was simple- a love plate with his initial, his birthstone, a guitar, and a little 'in memory of' heart charm. She called me a week later to tell me that her mother-in-law hasn't taken it off since they gave it to her and that she loves that she has a little 'memory box locket' of her husband hanging near her heart. It has brought her comfort and happiness.

Losing a loved one is a tender subject. My daughter, Lola, would have been 7 years old now. I think about her every single day. Every year on Mother's Day and on her Birthday, the pain of her loss is fresh. Having her birthstone in my locket along with Gabriela and Elizabeth's birthstones is symbolic for me: although she isn't here with us, she is still a part of my family and my heart.

I would love to be able to give a locket to every mother who loses a child; a little reminder of their sweet baby. Here is one that I made for my dear friend Meg, whose daughter Jocelyn was stillborn. My hope is that when she wears it, it will help her feel peace and remember the child that is waiting for her in heaven.

Lockets: Endless Possibilities

You know what is SO great about Living Lockets? The possibilities are ENDLESS. With 260+ charms, you can create a locket for ANYONE and ANYTHING.

Case in point: I was doing a party one night and the hostess' niece came over. She was adorable, she also had bright purple and orange hair, full sleeve tattoos, piercings, and made it a point to say that she thought that the lockets were "cute, but not her style." Then, she sat down for a bit with her cousins to help them build a locket for their exchange student from Belgium.

In the locket, they included the following charms:

Airplane: Representing her journey to their home
Violin: She is a talented violinist
Sister heart: She called the girls her sisters
Bicycle: She loves riding her bike & The Tour de France
goes through her town in Belgium
Emerald: her birthstone

As they started looking at all the charms, the niece started getting excited about all of the charms that she loved: the yin-yang sign, which was also tattooed on her arm, the Buddha charm, which represented her beliefs, the blow dryer and scissor charms, because she was a hair stylist, and the turtle charm, to represent her beloved pet. She loved the finished product and it told her story.

If you are looking for an original gift for someone you love, make a locket that tells their story!

Valentine's Day Wreath & Locket

I saw a picture of this adorable argyle heart wreath on Pinterest and just HAD to make it. It was so easy, I finished it in one evening! (Amazing what you can accomplish when there aren't kids climbing all over you!)

I'm going to brag a little, I think that mine turned out cuter than the one I saw on Pinterest. And since there were no instructions linked to that picture, I'll post a few here.

First of all, yarn wreaths are easy peasy. I use a foam wreath mold, but you can also use a straw one, or any wreath shape that you would like and simply wrap it with yarn. Once you have done a few, you become a yarn wreath pro. Trust me.

I knew that I wanted some really pretty gray yarn and turns out, Vanna White has more hobbies than just turning big letters over:

I bought one pink and one red sheet of felt and used a heart cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. I hot glued the hearts on, then used yarn to create the criss-cross argyle pattern over the front of them and here is the finished product:

I absolutely love it! I love it so much, in fact, that I thought hey, that would be a cute locket, too! A locket full of love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

What do women love most for Valentine's Day? Flowers, chocolate, and jewelry? Well, guess what? You can have all THREE in an {Origami Owl} locket!

Valentine's Giveaway will be for this gorgeous Silver locket with the Love, Chocolate, and Rose charms. And the best part is that you can get up to three entries to win! Here's how:

Go to my Valentine's Giveaway Post on Facebook and do the following for one entry each:

1. 'Like' this post on Facebook

2. 'Share' this post on Facebook

3. Tag yourself in the picture on Facebook

I will pick a winner on January 31st and ship or deliver the locket to the winner the next day (so you will have time to wear it for your Valentine's date!) Good luck!!!