Pink Twilight Studio

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who was so supportive of Princess Tatiana Children's Resale. I must say that I am so excited and happy about the path I am following in the world of paper artistry. I do hope you will visit my new blog, Pink Twilight Studio and visit my Pink Twilight etsy shop.
At Pink Twilight Studio you will read about my life, love and art {and maybe a fun giveaway or two}!
Peace, light & love,
Tania

A New Year At Last...

Like so many of you I am relieved that 2008 is over and excited for the possibilities of 2009. Our holidays were filled with lots of love and lots of family. We ended the year by taking the kids to the snow near Yosemite. It was so beautiful and the air was so clean {I live in the smoggy central valley}. It goes without saying that I did not complete the tasks on my resolution list that I made last year. I have a whole new year now to start over and try my list again. Wish me luck.
On a business note...I will be shutting down my children's resale store. A new law that will take effect February 10, 2009 will make it impossible for me and so many others to stay in business. The law aims at protecting children from products containing lead and other harmful substances, but the law is vague and will affect the resale, thrift and handmade business. Please click on this link or on one of the buttons on my sidebar to read about this law and what you can do to help save handmade toys and clothing for your children. There are many other resale shop owners who are going to stick it out and fight and they have my support all the way. I have made a personal choice to focus on my etsy shop and I hope you will come by and visit often.

OMG...

I have TWO teenagers now! My handsome son, Adam, just turned 13. I couldn't ask for two better teenagers though. They have their moments...but they are really good kids. Adam is respectful, thoughtful and wise. {That's why I call him my buddha...and because when he was little he had a cute little round belly}He is the best big brother. The Princess adores him and he's very protective of his big sister...The Drama Queen. Happy Birthday Buddha!

She did it!

The Princess did so good on her first day of preschool. She didn't cry when I left {she cried after I was gone...but not too much}. But it's been a struggle ever since. She screams and begs me not to leave her. She has a great teacher though. Ms. Cybil will hold her until she calms down. Then when I pick her up she's as happy as can be and she tells me how much fun she had. {While I've been at home stressing and worrying} I hope the third week is easier in the mornings.
On a lighter note...I've been busy stocking the store with some more fabulous finds. I hope you all like the new look. It's so much better on my end. I've added a new widget on the sidebar. You can browse my newly listed items and if you see something you like just click on the picture and it will take you directly to Princess Tatiana. You don't have to join eCRATER to shop and I still accept Paypal and I have added Google checkout...happy shopping!

To Immunize or Not to Immunize...

Since The Princess starts preschool next week I had to update her shot records. I have to admit that I was behind on her shots because of the controversy surrounding immunizations. It's scary to think about what those immunizations are made of. What's even scarier is that they might be linked to autism. She already had most of her shots, but I guess I was just trying to decide if I should inject her with even more harmful chemicals. It's stressful trying to make all the right decisions for the kids. My mom really helped with my decision. She reminded me that our generation has been really lucky that we haven't had to see children suffering from horrible diseases like Polio because of the vaccines. That really made me appreciate being so lucky to be in this country where my kids have access to life saving vaccines. I know there is another side to this...so many kids have a horrible side effect. I hope they keep working towards safer vaccines and I do admire the moms who choose not to have their children vaccinated...more power to you ;)
Anyway...The Princess was so brave. She had three shots and she didn't cry {until we got in the van...then she let it all out} She slept for about 2 hours after we got home and she had a small fever for the rest of the evening. I chose not to give her tylenol...her little body has had enough for one day.

Lessons from a drama queen...

The weather has finally been cooling off a bit...perfect for a walk in the park. The drama queen didn't want to go. {it's not cool for a teenager to be seen at the park with her parents} She also wants to go trick-or-treating with her friends instead of us this year. I keep insisting that we are very hip parents and she'll have the most fun with us. But the drama queen says that if we were really "hip" we wouldn't use the word "hip"....imagine that ;)
The Princess starts preschool next week, October 1st to be exact. She is so excited. She promised me that she won't cry when I leave. I, however, can't make that promise.

New Look Coming Soon.....

Well the time has finally come to make some changes to Princess Tatiana. I will be moving to a new host. I was having too many problems with my current host. I think you guys will like the new look. It's way easy to navigate and it's more efficient to run. I will make the change this week. The address will remain the same www.princesstatiana.com
Sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already done so. I will be sending out a Grand Opening announcement and maybe I'll have a fab, fun give away ;)
By the way, how do you guys like my new banner? It was designed by Tiffany at Scrappy Chic Boutique. Check her out!

Not a baby anymore...

Has it really been since May since I last blogged? This summer has gone by way too fast. The princess is bored of staying home with mom. She keeps asking me when is she going to go to preschool. I went to look at preschools in our town and we both liked the same one. She is going to start soon and she is so excited. As for me...I'm sad that my baby is not a baby anymore...but I am happy that she already loves learning, books and school. (I hope it stays that way)

The heat is on...

It's been over 100 degrees here in my neck of the woods. I love summer so I don't mind. I know I've been a bad blogger lately :( I've just had to deal with a few unexpected things these past few weeks. We had a leak in the kitchen that caused major damage to the floors. The wood panels started to curl up and the whole thing has to be replaced. Two weeks ago I fell down the stairs and sprained my ankle and my knee. I've been in slow motion ever since. My ankle is fine now, but tearing the ligaments in my knee hurts really, really bad. I've used my down time wisely though...I got some projects done for my etsy shop and I've been reading those books (finally)!
In case you haven't heard...there's a $1.00 clearance sale going on at Princess Tatiana right now. There are some changes coming soon including restocking the store and a fresh new look!

I've caught the Etsy bug...

I've always enjoyed making and buying handmade things. Browsing Etsy is a little slice of heaven...so I thought I'd give it a shot and open my own Etsy store. I'll be adding new things often. Visit my new Etsy shop and tell me what you think. Most of my items are one of a kind so if you see something you like...you know what to do! My Etsy store is named pink twilight. Why pink twilight? I just combined my favorite color and my favorite time of day :}

Old Sacramento

My mom (pictured here with The Princess) moved to Sacramento in January. She is only five minutes from Old Sacramento...so we spent a nice morning there last week. Most of the buildings there are original. There is even a replica of an old school house. The Princess wouldn't have lasted a day without a lashing. (The discipline rules were posted on the wall)
It was fun imaging what is would have been like shopping in Sacramento over 100 years ago. I love the dresses that women used to wear, but it was a very warm day and all I could think was...thank goodness we don't have to wear those heavy dresses now!




Here's The Princess struttin her stuff in Old Sacramento!

Sneek Peek...

Here's a little peek at some of the pretty clothes I'll be adding this weekend. I will also be adding Halloween stuff, junior sizes, baby gear and some stuff just for mom (finally)!

Spring is in the air!

We woke up a few days ago and discovered the tree in our back yard was pink! I LOVE it! This is our first spring in this house so it's exciting to see the new flowers coming in. I'll be doing some major buying this weekend to restock the store for spring. I'll be posting some of my fabulous finds soon. C-ya then!

I heart Valentine's day

I just love the idea of a whole day dedicated to love. I hope everyone has a romance filled fun day. This year we will be ordering a heart shaped pizza and I will bake a heart shaped cake. I usually don't have a sitter so we just make the best of it and have fun with the kids! Happy Valentine's Day!
xoxo

My baby is 15 today...

I know parents always say that time just goes by way too fast. Now I know what they mean. My drama queen, Yasmine, is 15 today. It seems like she was just a little baby. I am so proud of the young lady that she has become. This is a fun time too. We have so much fun shopping, getting our hair and nails done, talking about teenager stuff. We have the same taste in movies and books. She wants to study photography and dance in college so I'm really excited about that. Happy Birthday Yasmine the Queen!!! We love you so much!!!

Secret Sale

It's time for another Secret Sale! Click on the link below and everything in the store will be 20% off! Sale expires 2/3/08. Happy Shopping!!!
PRINCESS TATIANA SECRET SALE

New Packaging

Since I'm "going green" this year, I thought my packages should be included. Instead of wrapping everything in tissue paper that gets thrown into the trash, your items will come wrapped in a pretty ribbon. You can re-use this ribbon for scrapbooking, gifts, crafts...anything that will keep it out of the garbage. I also designed new tags. I just needed something fresh and pretty. Thanx to all of my fabulous customers for already doing your part by shopping resale! Don't forget to recycle the box when you receive your order!

Calgon...Take Me Away

I just thought I'd share with you why I can't get any work done until after everyone goes to bed.

Last night...The Princess decided not to let Pumpkin eat no matter how much he meowed...

My Buddha (a.k.a. my son, Adam) decided to practice break dancing...

And my dear husband decided to give him lessons...

Meanwhile...My Drama Queen (a.k.a. my daughter, Yasmine) is mad and yelling "BE QUIET" at the top of her lungs because she can't hear what's happening on MTV...

I decided to just give in and enjoy the moment. Needless to say, I was up late working again...But I wouldn't trade any of it for the world ;)

2008 To Do List

Since I already broke my New Year's Resolution by eating a piece of chocolate cake last night...I thought I'd make a 2008 to do list instead. It's less formal and I'm more likely to get these things done. I'll blog about each one as I do them. I hope I inspire some of you to do the same!





1. Go to Yosemite - I only live about 2 1/2 hours away and I've never been.

2. Get pink highlights in my hair - Just something fun I've always wanted to do.

3. Buy a bunch of cute canvas shopping bags and USE THEM - I drive myself crazy because I never throw away plastic bags. I save them with the intention of recycling them and then I forget. So I have tons of plastics bags taking up a cupboard in my kitchen.

4. Get up-to-date on my scrapbooking - Wish me luck!

5. Frame my prints & pictures - I have about 10 prints and pictures that need to be hung, but are still waiting for the trip to the framing shop.

6. Visit the Winchester Mystery House - I only live an hour away...no more excuses!

7. Put out a newsletter EVERY MONTH for my business - I haven't been too good about that :}

8. Read ALL of the books I have bought before buying more - I LOVE reading...books are my weakness (right after chocolate).

9. Eat at Chez Panisse - It's on the list of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. It's in Berkeley which is once again...only an hour away...

10. Begin learning web design - It has sparked my interest lately.

So there you have it...I've posted my list for the world to see. Now I have to follow through ;)

Welcome Baby Gillian

I'm making the favors for my sister-in-law's baby shower next week. I just thought I'd share because they are turning out to be really cute. Inside the little bag is a pink organza pouch filled with candy. Gotta go...I'll be spending the rest of the day getting all those last minute things for Christmas :}