So, for those of you who don't know, my parents recently purchased a commercial building (the one that my mom currently works in). So, there's a lot that goes into it, like cleaning, upgrading the suites so new tenants won't have to be in an antiquated, dark, gross, office and beautifying the building. So, I took it on as a challenge to do some DIY beautification (obviously, I'm no electrician, so I can't do much wiring and what not... I'm also fairly short, so I can't really reach much :( ). I guess DIYing everything saves some money too, but I feel like it's something I can enjoy since I'm, afterall, an artist.

Anyway, part one of the beautifucation process started at my house... I decided to plant some herbs so I bought a MakersKit herb garden kit and started planting..

Then, I got a few sunflower seeds and forget me not seeds and started planting away at the office...

Then, after an Ikea & Home Depot run yesterday, I decided to transplant my sunflowers and forget me nots since the sunflowers were about 5 inches tall and their roots were coming out of the bottom of the pot... Here's what they look like in their little pots now.

I also bought a money tree and potted that... I also have this elephant tree, but I don't have a pot big enough for it yet...

Like I said, I went on a Home Depot run, and I decied to buy Basil & Cilantro starter plants because, well, I'm really impatient and my Makers Kit plants are taking too long to grow (they've sprouted, but they're not big enough for me to eat yet :( ). Well, I mean it's only been 3 weeks, but still... I guess I'm not cut out for being a farmer!

Enough about plants... I've decided to DIY the cabinets in the restrooms here at the office tomorrow, so it will be sanding, sanding, sanding, & staining the cabinets!

After that, I'm not sure what my next project will be... maybe building a planter box for my makers kit herbs? who knows...

For those of you who don't know, I finished up finals and my last classes at UCI and I moved back to the Bay Area. It's been an exciting journey to say the least -- I quit my job at the gym & started a new one, added more cards to Modern Mouse and I've been starting more and more projects to keep me busy since this is the first time in my life where I'm not in school and stuck behind a text book (well, for 2 more months at least... heh, I must be addicted to school).

I definitely do miss everyone in SoCal and I miss the food... a lot, but all in all, I'm enjoying spending time with my parents, dog, and doing a lot of DIY stuff. I'll write another blog post to tell you what I'm doing with that.

Here's a little picture recap of what I've been doing up here for the past few weeks:

Things I've done lately:
-Knit 4 scarves & 2 headbands
-Made tons of Valentine's Day Cards
-Took a trip to the Bay Area
-Sold my Valentine's Day Cards for a charity to benefit a little boy in Cambodia who is an orphan and has either leukemia or poliomyelitis and he can't pay for his medical care at Livingwater Church in Alameda.
-Paid a visit to Modern Mouse
-Studied for a Health Econ quiz
-Studied for a Health Econ Midterm
-Studied for an Art Midterm
-Did a presentation...
-Did a paper...
-Studied more...

If you don't follow me on Facebook, you should! Not because I post particularly insightful things (perhaps they aren't even insightful or relevant half the time), but because I post most of my updates there. First off, for those of you who don't follow me on social media, I've posted my new obsessions, which include re-watching Arrested Development from the beginning while knitting various things. I suppose it's pretty strange, since the weather has been averaging 80's here in SoCal, but nonetheless, it's a fun craft and I'm glad I found my passion again.

Anyway, for those of you who don't know, most of my family is in Canada. My dad also worked in Canada for awhile, but that's a different story. As a child, I'd go to Canada with my dad to play with my cousins during my school breaks. However, the school system is different and sometimes, my cousins would be at school and I'd be stuck at my grandparent's house. My grandpa was in a hospital, so it was just me and my grandma while my dad was at work. One day, she gave me 2 chopsticks and a ball of yarn (mind you I was about 6 years old), and she told me to knit. Actually, she said something in Chinese, and later showed me how to knit. My grandma is no longer here, but I can carry on my knitting craft because of her. God bless her soul.

Here's to knitting once again!

Can you believe I've been in Irvine for a week and a half already? It's crazy... Aside from going to Disneyland 4 times, going to class 4 times, and getting around 4 shades tanner, I've had a pretty amaze-ball time here so far. Here's my Week 1.5 recap of my time in Irvine so far:

*I donated blood for the first time (and nearly passed out after the fact -- I guess I should've chugged a bottle of water or 4 before I donated). Anyway, I started donating because my mom donates frequently and regularly, and my grandpa (who passed away in 2011) donated regularly as well and on top of that, he was a driver for blood for the American Red Cross. 
*I got a new job at a gym (waaah, I miss Modern Mouse). I now get to wear athletic pants and Free Run's to work -- jealous? 
*I ate myself to death at KBBQ (maaan, I've missed that SoCal KBBQ). 
*I finally met my roommates at roommate dinner, it was nice to meet them
*I was so bored I read ahead in all of my classes 
*I FaceTimed my dog
*I created SIX new card designs

Good evening internet friends!
As many of you know (or could read down below), I left the Mouse a few days ago to go back to school to pursue my degree in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine (boy, does that sound formal when you type the full name out). Last time I was in Irvine was about 6 months ago. I'd put my art on hold (with the exception of sorority gifts, a paddle for my bigs, gifts for my littles, and random painted wood things), but this time, I'm not planning on giving up my art. I've even enrolled in my FIRST art class of my college career!

Anyway, yesterday morning I left the Bay Area to drive the tedious 7 hour trip down here. I'm blessed to have had my mom drive with me, because if I were alone, I'd probably have fallen asleep. Finally, we got to Irvine and filled our tummies with California Fish Grill! For those of you who have never had their fish tacos, you're missing out... big time. We then moved my plastic tote, hamper, suitcase, and train case into my new room! How exciting! After organizing, taking things out, putting things away, and settling down, we decided to treat ourselves to Bruxies -- again, if you've never had it, you need to if you're ever in SoCal. Eventually, I had to take my mom to the airport, had to say our goodbyes (I hate saying goodbye ):), and off I went back to my new house. 

Then, I reunited with my best friends & enjoyed spending time with them.

So, what does this mean for KJLaw Arts? Well, my cards are still at Modern Mouse, so pick one (or 10) up there in good ol' Alameda. I'm going to work on an online store for all of my fans in places not around Alameda... anddddd, my lovely other half blessed me with Photoshop (and renewed my Disneyland pass -- heh), so I'll continue to create new cards and things while here for the next 10.5 weeks.

Today marks a day full of mixed emotions in the life of Kelly Law. Today is my second annual last day at Modern Mouse. For those of you who don't know, I started at Modern Mouse as a customer for years, and then in 2012, I was brought on board as a seasonal staff mouse for the holidays. Eventually, upon my return from Irvine, I was able to start up at the Mouse again as an actual sales mouse! During my time here, I was able to start and launch KJLaw Arts and learned so much more about this wonderful store.

If you're ever in the East Bay Area, be sure to check out Modern Mouse for my cards as well as a ton of other goods by local artists, including my fellow mice and some of my favorite artists, Cindy Gieng, Matt Ortega, and Kayla Taron. You can even shop online "in your pajamas" as it says on their site. 

I was given the opportunity to write about many great artists on the MM blog, including my own. Read my Modern Mouse Artist Profile on their website (which, ironically, I wrote myself, heh).

All in all, (all biases aside), it's truly an amazing store and I'm glad I was blessed with such a wonderful job. I love love love my MM family and I'm going to miss everyone soooo much :(

Until next year!