This last month has been a whirlwind at Little Windows, and while I didn’t get much sleep, I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to be involved in so many Mother’s Day gifts. Each one the essence of love between a mother and daughter, husband and wife, grandmother and grandchild, sisters and brothers. Here are just a few of my favorite from the many custom-made treasures we created this Mother’s Day.

The first one because it shows a lovely girl in her element, the reflections of the tulips around the edges of this Little Window are spectacular. The second one captures sibling love, what a treasure for this mom! The center one is excellent - each of these kid’s personalities shines. I love the 4th one for 2 reasons: 1) this is a great example for moms with older children, and 2) because the pretty young girl in the photo had this made for her mom for Mother’s Day, and I hope my girls will be that thoughtful as they grow up! The last one is just a beautiful moment showing a near-silhouette of a girl at the beach, which seems timeless. Hope this inspires you!

I feel like a new mom! Real Simple Magazine selected Little Windows as one of only 4 items in their Mother’s Day Gift Guide this year. Check it out…

Thanks to all you Real Simple readers across the country for making Little Windows your favorite Mother’s Day giftable! Don’t forget, we’ve got gift certificates too in case you just can’t choose from among the many brilliant designs!

So I’ve finally figured out how to explain how this one’s made. It’ll take a few more jewelry supplies than usual, but it’s such a beautiful and stylish design. You’ll be joining all the pieces together with a wire-wrapping technique, which is how we make the Little Windows pendants in the kit. It takes a bit of work, but you’ll be amazed how these longer necklaces come together - each unique and beautiful. There are two variations shown in the howto guide, but the possibilities are endless!

You’ll need to select 3 or 6 photos to make the three double-sided photo domes. And before you head out to shop, dig through your old jewelry to see what you have that can be made-over.

Click to download a materials list and instructions: “Gabby” HowTo Guide

Have fun, and let me know how yours turn out!

I’m Fran, creator of Little Windows, and I love what I do. Here’s how this all came to be: If you’re anything like me, you’ve got tons of digital pix on your hard drive just looking for a way out. I loved the idea of photo jewelry, and tried to find something that really showcased my photos and fit my style, which is not vintage. I’ve been working with resins for years, and in 2006 started making photo pendants for myself.

You would not believe the response I got just wearing them out on the town. Not only moms, but trendy store clerks, cool dads, even the cute guys behind the counter at the Hollywood Arclight wanted to know where I got them. So I started crafting custom pieces and Little Windows was born.

After many months of research, and a ho-lotta experiments gone awry, I got to a point where it became easy because I had the right components, tools, and techniques. My friends and I were having so much fun making Little Windows, that creating a Kit (so you could too) seemed like an obvious next step.

With a helpful background in product development and graphic design, and the support of my creative family, I’ve been able to develop something wonderful and fulfilling that I hope you’ll love! The purpose of this blog is to bring you fun ideas, cool projects, extra information, to answer common (and not so common) questions, and give you a peek inside Little Windows.

If you’re already making Little Windows, keep going! If you’ve ordered custom pieces, I hope you’re thrilled with them.Thanks to all of you, and also to my professional photographer partners who make Little Windows even more beautiful!

Lots of fun to come!