During the month of January, Michaels will offer a variety of free and low-cost in-store crafting events including an instructor Open House, a Warm Up America knitting and crochet party, paper crafting Valentine’s Day cards, jewelry making, drawing, painting classes and more! Kids Club events in January include snowflake banner decorations, a snowman mobile, a snowman craft stick and a paper craft flower.

FREE AND LOW COST EVENTS

Instructor Open House

Saturday, January 9 | 11:00am – 3:00pm

Meet our talented instructors and sign up for a class in stores. There will be 50% off all classes when you sign up on January 9.

Paper Crafting Valentine’s Day Card

Monday, January 11 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Surprise your Valentine with a sweet, stylish and surprisingly simple accordion card.

Jewelry Class

Tuesday, January 12 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Build your jewelry-making skills with this charming three-tiered necklace project.

Warm Up America — Joining Party

Sunday, January 17 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Put your yarn skills to a great use with Warm Up America! Knit or crochet a 7˝ x 9˝ rectangle, then bring it to our joining party, where we’ll join them together to make colorful, cozy afghans to be donated to homeless shelters, hospices, veteran homes and social service agencies.

Painting Class

Monday, January 18 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Explore basic acrylic painting techniques, brushstrokes, color selection and more.

Drawing Class

Tuesday, January 19 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Learn basic techniques, including how to use fine art drawing pencils and erasers.

Arm Knit Cowl

Monday, January 25 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Create a cozy cowl using just your arms and some yarn.

Floral Class

Tuesday, January 26 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Create a gorgeous floral arrangement featuring magnolia, lotus pods and berries.

Valentine Cupcakes and Candy

Saturday, January 30 | 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Come watch a Wilton Method Instructor create sweet Valentine cupcakes decorated with colorful icing and delicious candy decorations that you can make yourself, and enjoy Wilton classes 50% today only when you register!

KIDS CLUB EVENTS

Sparkling Snowflakes

Saturday, January 9 | 10am — noon

Kids will make a Snowflake Ornament or string a few together for a banner. Just $2 per child, supplies included. Ages 3 and up welcome.

Snoman Mobile

Saturday, January 16 | 10am – noon

Your little makers can make a Snowman Mobile. Just $2 per child, supplies included. Ages 3 and up welcome.

Craft Stick Snowman

Saturday, January 23 | 10am – noon

Drop in and make a fun craft stick snowman friend. Just $2 per child, supplies included. Ages 3 and up welcome.

Heart Paper Flower

Saturday, January 30| 10am – noon

Drop in and make a fun heart paper flower. There will also be free face painting in stores! Just $2 per child, supplies included. Ages 3 and up welcome.

Credit: Michaels.

The Aquarium of the Pacific has released the new Jelly Lab app on the App Store and Google Play Store. Over the course of a week, players will be able to raise and care for a sea jelly of their own. This includes cleaning, feeding, and circulating water to ensure the development of the jelly. The app takes you through all the stages in the jelly’s life from the planula phase all the way to the full-grown medusa stage.

Along the way users will be able to learn about how the Aquarium takes care of its jellies, the importance of jellies in the ocean environment, and complex and unusual life cycle of a sea jelly. The app is filled with information and is geared to be fun for everyone. Through interactivity, photos, and videos, the Jelly Lab app is educational for all ages.

I just downloaded this app on my phone and really love it!  I recommend for both kids and adults!

WHEN:           Available now

WHERE:         App Store and Google Play Store

COST:            FREE

INFO:              http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/news/story/raise_your_own_sea_jelly_in_new_jelly_lab_app

AQUARIUM:  The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Home to more than 11,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include the Ocean Science Center, Molina Animal Care Center, and the new Jellies exhibits. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages, from hands-on activities to lectures by leading scientists. The Aquarium has won a 2015 Travelers’ Choice Award for Aquariums, as awarded by TripAdvisor® travelers. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months, VIP Entrance, and other special benefits.

Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific. Photos: Courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Between all of the holiday roasts, sides, fishes, cookies and pies, it’s easy to overlook preparing a delicious breakfast for your family and houseguests. This holiday season, IMUSA’s recipe for a Chorizo Scrambled Egg Breakfast Taco has you covered. IMUSA, leader in Hispanic cookware, combines chorizo, lime juice, eggs and cheese (among other ingredients) to make an outstanding breakfast taco that your guests will remember. With this breakfast your holidays is sure to be great from the moment you wake up.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 chorizo links (about 7 ounces)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup cilantro, divided
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 10-12 corn flour tortillas
• Chipotle Tabasco (suggestion for topping)

Preparation

1. Mix sour cream, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and put aside.
2. Char tortillas over gas flame or directly on electric burner until blackened in spots, turning with tongs. Place in IMUSA tortilla warmer or aluminum foil and set aside.
3. In an IMUSA non-stick sauté pan add olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Sweat onions for about one minute and add diced chorizo
4. Cook for 5-6 minutes until chorizo is browned.
5. Add half of the cilantro and all of the cooked chorizo to beaten eggs and mix. Bring eggs back to the IMUSA pan and cook on low heat, mixing from time to time.
6. Place cooked eggs, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes and remaining cilantro in separate bowls and lay them out throughout the table with the warm tortillas.
7. Allow your guests to assemble their own breakfast tacos.

Credit: IMUSA.

Get into the holiday spirit and enjoy 19th century Christmas traditions at Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site on Sunday, December 13, as the Rancho hosts an Old Time Christmas Festival between 1:00 -7:00 p.m. People of all ages can experience and celebrate customs from the California frontier while learning about history in Long Beach’s only National and State Historic Landmark. Admission is $5/person, 3 and under free, and is payable at the door.
The historic adobe home will be festooned with fragrant garlands and wreathes, as well as themed-Christmas trees decorated in 19th century fashion. During the afternoon, children can make old-fashioned holiday decorations and gifts. There will be engaging storytellers to share popular tales from long ago, and opportunities to swing at a piñata and visit with Santa Claus. The Rancho will be filled with joyful holiday music throughout the festival.
As evening descends and oil lamps are lit, guests will have the opportunity to explore the 1844 two-story adobe house by the glow of candlelight. Costumed docents will share holiday traditions from the past and provide stories about the Temples and Bixbys, early owners of the 27,000-acre Rancho.
Light refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon and evening. Decorative ornaments, gourmet jellies, old-fashioned children’s toys, and unique handmade Christmas gifts will be available for purchase in the Museum Shop.

Celebrate an Old Time Christmas at Rancho Los Cerritos
Rancho Los Cerritos is at 4600 Virginia Road in Long Beach. The 1844 adobe home will be adorned with Victorian greenery and decorations throughout the holiday season and can be toured during public hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Rancho will be closed December 24, 25 and 31, 2015, and January 1, 2016. For more information please call (562) 206-2040, or visit the website at www.rancholoscerritos.org and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rancholosc.

It’s official:  “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™” will open at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, April 7, 2016, marking the highly-anticipated arrival of the West Coast’s dynamic new immersive experience at The Entertainment Capital of L.A.

This eagerly-awaited news coincides with the launch of the destination’s spellbinding campaign, which is stylistically designed to sweep guests into the land’s magical world through the lens of imagination.

The campaign is anchored by a new television spot designed to build suspense and enthusiasm while evoking a sense of wonder and succinctly capture the magical appeal that “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” has for cross-generational consumers as it announces the April 7opening date.

In making the exciting announcement, Universal Studios Hollywood illuminated the land’s Hogwarts castle to signal the arrival of today’s momentous news.

To see the new campaign spot including a glimpse of the new land and today’s news, please click here.

More than five years in the making, and inspired by J.K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters that were brought to life in the Warner Bros. films, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is being masterfully recreated with impeccable detail as a real-world interpretation at Universal Studios Hollywood.  The land will be faithful to the visual landscape of the fiction and films, including Hogwarts castle which will serve as its iconic focal point.

From its snow-capped roofs and cobblestone streets to the historic British sensibilities that characterize the whimsical look and feel of the land, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will transport guests of all ages to the very places they read about in the stories or watched on the silver screen.

Upon entering the land through the archway, Hogsmeade will bustle to life with the same vitality of a quaint local village: merchants hard at work, a train conductor welcoming new arrivals and a pub packed to the gills with hungry patrons, but with the added element of enthusiastic guests intent on experiencing them all, including the land’s signature ride, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,” and the family outdoor coaster, “Flight of the Hippogriff™.”

An achievement in pioneering theme park ride technology, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” will make its U.S. debut at Universal Studios Hollywood in hyper-realistic 3D-HD designed to further immerse guests in an already engaging storyline.  The multidimensional thrill ride features a groundbreaking robotics ride system, fused with elaborate filmed action sequences and immersive visceral effects.  In this updated adaptation of the ride, guests will sport Quidditch-inspired 3D goggles as they venture through journeys experienced by Harry and his friends, spiraling and pivoting 360-degrees along an elevated ride track on a whirlwind adventure of a lifetime.

Also within “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” the enchanting family coaster, “Flight of the Hippogriff™” will open as Universal Studios Hollywood’s first outdoor roller coaster.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will resonate with immense detail, inviting guests to revel in Harry Potter’s world with the opportunity to enjoy authentic food and beverage at multiple locations, including Three Broomsticks™, and Hog’s Head pub, as well as the Magic Neep and Butterbeer™ carts.

A foray through the shops will add to the authenticity of the land with eight retail venues and locations, including Honeydukes™, Ollivanders™, Owl Post™, Zonko’s™ Joke Shop, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Dervish and Banges, Gladrags Wizardwear and Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods™.

Currently, Universal Studios Hollywood in-park guests can experience and purchase authentic merchandise, including wands, robes and other collectibles from “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” available within the Features Presentation shop, located just inside the theme park’s main entry.

As the countdown to the April 7^th opening date continues, the website invites guests to learn more by signing up for the latest news and information at www.universalstudioshollywood.com/harrypotter/signup.

Join the conversation online using #WizardingWorldHollywood. Like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios onInstagram and Twitter.

Credit:

About Universal Studios Hollywood:  Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.^SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue. World-class rides and attractions include the renowned, behind-the-scenes Studio Tour featuring the intense “King Kong 360 3-D” attraction and the all-new “Fast & Furious—Supercharged” thrill ride as the Studio Tour’s grand finale.  Other popular rides include the 3D-HD adventure, “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” and immersive “Super Silly Fun Land,” the critically-acclaimed mega-attraction, “Transformers™:  The Ride-3D,” “Revenge of the Mummy^SM—The Ride,” “Jurassic Park® —The Ride,” “Springfield,” hometown of America’s favorite TV family, adjacent to the award-winning “The Simpsons Ride^TM” and the “Nighttime Studio Tour” which runs on select evenings.

About Warner Bros. Entertainment: Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms.  A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product, and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.

World renowned installation artist, musician William Close, will perform a historical, breathtaking symphonic concert with his Earth Harp Collective for their first public hometown show in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec 10 as part of Downtown Art Walk and Vision LA. The newly extended Earth Harp, featuring 24-36 strings, will be a mesmerizing sight and sound experience when attached 700 feet high to the iconic City National Plaza Tower at 505 S. Flower in Downtown Los Angeles. The one hour show will run twice throughout the evening at 6pm and 8pm. This free event is all ages and makes for an unforgettable holiday outing.

The Los Angeles concert will feature new compositions played by an ensemble of musicians performing on four of William Close’s self-invented large-scale instruments, including the big/orchestral drum sculptures, drum percussion jacket and aquatar. The Earth Harp Collective will be joined by special guest violinist Shaina Evoniuk, vocalist Rafe Pearlman, and introducing Sorne, an operatic rock vocalist bringing his unparalleled hypnotic angelic falsetto and four octave vocal range.

The setting of the City National Plaza is the perfect location for William’s work, which explores the connection between architecture and music. Inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright quote “architecture is frozen music,” Close creates musical installations that utilize architecture as part of the instrument.

The N.Y. Times calls it “an instrument unlike anything Bach or Beethoven could have ever imagined.” Listening to the Earth Harp live is a rare breathtaking experience as the crowd is placed under the strings within the sound-box. After an Earth Harp experience, one knows that they have just been a part of something unique, beautiful and one of those many points where arts, music and science collide.

About his upcoming performances at the City National Plaza, Close said, “I am really looking forward to installing the Earth Harp atop one of the towers and having the chance to perform a symphonic concert in the plaza below. I’ve traveled the world installing the Earth Harp in and around many iconic pieces of architecture, but this will be the first time I’ve strung the Harp to the top of a skyscraper in my hometown of Los Angeles. The 24 – 36 musical strings will run from the resonator/bridge mounted to the stage in the plaza, straight up, over 700 feet to the top of one of the towers. When I play it, it will be as though I am playing the sky.”

William Close’s installations and performances have been experienced around the globe – including major US festivals such as Coachella, Lightning In A Bottle, Burning Man, and historical locations such as The Coliseum in Rome, The Seattle Space Needle, the temples of Vietnam, Grand Theater of Shanghai International Arts Festival, and CapitaLand in Singapore, where he received the Guinness World Record for the “longest playable stringed musical instrument.” The Earth Harp is a permanent installation for Cirque du Soleil’s KA at the MGM Las Vegas and the Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas.

Watch highlights of William and The Earth Harp Collective’s performances here: http://vimeo.com/60285206.

ConnectLA, a premiere corporate hospitality program housed within City National Plaza, has enjoyed working with William Close on this event. ConnectLA’s director, Xandra Myers, said, “The Earth Harp celebrates the unsuppressed imagination by utilizing the venue as its canvas, creating a breathtaking experience for the audience. We are thrilled to be sharing this masterpiece with the community!”

Come start the holiday season right with this spectacular free performance, and enjoy a delicious dinner with friends and family before or after the show at restaurants Chaya, Drago and Weiland Brewery located at the City National Plaza. Parking is available at the Central Library on 5th, at 400 South Flower across the street, or the 7th Street Metro station is just blocks away.

Credit:  Vision LA Fest, William Close and The Earth Harp.

The United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign and MAM Baby will join forces to beat Polio this #GivingTuesday.  All donations made to Shot@Life on #GivingTuesday, December 1, will be matched by MAM Baby up to $25,000.

#GivingTuesday, December 1, follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday and is a time for families, businesses and charities to come together to celebrate generosity and to give.  On #GivingTuesday, the Shot@Life campaign will be rallying support for polio immunizations around the globe.  Shot@Life, in support of the United Nations and other vaccine partners, have made great strides towards ending polio. A disease that once crippled thousands of young children a day is now endemic in just two countries.  These final steps can be the most challenging and they require your support.  All gifts made to Shot@Life from #GivingTuesday through the end of 2015 will go to support ending polio globally.

In addition to its $25,000 matching contribution, MAM will donate the proceeds of a special edition Shot@Life pacifier and wipes set to the organization, helping to provide polio vaccines to thousands of children around the globe. We invite you and your readers to join MAM in supporting this important cause and purchase a Shot@Life set today!  You can find information to share on these special pacifiers here: http://www.shopmambaby.com/shot-at-life.

Credit: MAM and Shot@Life.