A Spiritual Affaire

I was at the gym last night desperately trying to get back into shape when I got a call from Paulette (www.summerlandcottagestudio.blogspot.com) asking me to go to the Art A Fair opening night gala. I figured since I was already out of shape, I may as well go.

Im so glad I attended, though! I was able to run into Cherie FitzSimons-Orr, who I attended Art A Fair with last year (http://coutureovercoffee.blogspot.com/2010/08/art-fair.html) and who can be found in Jewelry Affaire's sophomore issue. Cherie was with her daughter this year, making it a true family affairt.

Another mother-daughter duo I had the pleasure of meeting was Elena Marty and her daughter Joanne. It was Elena's first year at Art A Fair, and I was so impressed and bedazzled by this woman's designs. She has only made jewelry for two years, but look at these stunners! I was honored to wear one of her necklaces for a bit, and it was a dream come true. The necklace with red stones and the gold multichain earrings are some of my favorites, but really everything was great. You'll be hearing and seeing more from Elena in an upcoming Jewelry Affaire.

One of Elena's friends who stopped by the booth pulled me aside and told me that what makes Elena's jewelry special is that she has a spiritual connection with the things she makes. For so long I have talked about that familial connection we can have with jewelry, but for some reason I overlooked the spirituality of it too. Wedding bands, prayer beads, rosaries, these pieces can be both sentimental and spiritual. Seeing the amazing faith Elena's family and friends had in her work restored my own; faith that sometimes Wednesday nights can be just as lively as a weekend; faith that there will always be new artists, new ideas, and new appreciation for the work we both do; and faith that the people who are meant to be a part of my life are placed there because they will always give me the unwavering support and love I will need.

I'm so glad I answered my phone, through in my gym towel, and had a glass (or two) of wine with these friends and their family members. Art A Fair (http://www.art-a-fair.com/) always signals the beginning of summer in Laguna Beach, so if you want to enjoy the sun, artistry, and excitement of a real Laguna summer, you have to come down and indulge.

Happy (official) summer!