The deets:

• Starbucks in Northwest Austin
• 1:30pm
• Iced soy latte for Jaime and I enjoyed an iced coffee with a splash of cream and a dash of sugar

 

Background:
My cool friend Jill made this connection for me.  Jaime is Jill’s cousin’s wife and if I didn’t know better, I would have thought they were blood relatives. Slight similarity in looks and quite similar personality wise.  Which explains why I felt that instant connection – like we were old friends.

Anywho, I’ve had the fortune of meeting tons of really friendly people since planting myself in Austin.  Jaime is beyond friendly.  She exudes warmth like you’d expect from a kindergarten teacher or the person who bottle feeds baby hippos at the zoo; or like you want that crabby girl at Royal Blue Grocery to do (OK, maybe that one’s just me).  You get the point.  She’s a genuinely sweet and kind person and you know it within two minutes of meeting her.  Funny thing is, when I ask her what’s the most memorable thing about her she names this very attribute – kindness.  Well, first she says, “Me?” with a tone of shock mixed with shy embarrassment that says, “Oh gee, you’re not really asking me to say something good about myself?”  Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about self-valuation.  This is about a humility that I learn over our two hours together, is as much “Jaime” as her kind eyes or crafty abilities.

She tells me she hopes she is remembered by her genuine generosity and kindness.  Then quickly launches into a story about how she is working on being more transparent, what you see is what you get kind of thing and tells me this is one of the things she admires about her husband.  She says, “with him he really is the same no matter what. No small print.”  I loved that description and agree, that’s a noble trait to strive for.

I asked Jaime to tell me about the happiest day in her life.  She thought about it for a bit and seemed taken aback by the enormity of the question, repeating it back to me – “the happiest day of my life?” Emphasizing the words happiest and life.  As if to say, “sister, you’re nuts if you think I can narrow that down.”  And she didn’t.  Instead she told me the story of “one of the most recent examples of the happiest days of her life”.  Which was totally cool with me.

The day she chose to share was the day she learned they would be going back to Russia to pick up the daughter they had been trying to adopt for three years.  What made the day extra special and emotional was that it was preceded by heartbreak.  They had been four days away from a carbon copy of this special day over a year before when the entire adoption fell apart.  Having already met the child they believed would be theirs they were days away from traveling across the world to bring her home. Painful memories still fresh in their hearts, they approached this adoption cautiously and were much more guarded.  So the call this time around was that much more special.  It was the first time they really felt safe to celebrate.

A trip across the globe by the family of three was a special time for them to share before they added the newest member and traveled home a family of four.  She has made it clear that her wedding and the birth of her son were also “happiest day of her life” contenders and that this day was the most recent “happiest day” and after hearing the story and seeing the pictures of her precious kiddos, I can see why.

In between being a fun mom – taking the kids hiking, swimming, to Russian language tutoring, she finds time to run a small business, Chirp Handmade.  Primarily sold via Etsy, Jaime’s creations are “fun, whimsical and unique”.  The Coffee Cuff (example pictured above) is just one her creations.  It’s made from Eco Felt which for those who don’t know (me), is made from post-consumer plastic bottle waste. As we sat down to enjoy our iced coffees Jaime slips one of these little guys onto her drink.  I, obviously envious, ooh and ahh over it so she whips out another one from her bag and lends it to me.  I instantly need one and (birthday gift spoiler alert) can think of 12 people who also need one.

Jaime describes her style as vintage-modern. She is a huge fan of old dictionaries and when one began falling apart, she just knew there was something cool she could still do with it.  That’s where a pendant idea came from.  With surgical precision, she trims a word from the dictionary and then places it under glass and puts a chain on it.  She reminds me of one of my favorite new years resolution alternatives where you choose a word for the year and then let it be your guide.  Balance or Joy or Serenity – as examples.  Jaime can turn your word into a wearable reminder of your focus.  I love this idea!

Her craftiness is not limited to the items she sells in her shop. She has painted murals on her kids’ bedroom walls, refinished her kitchen cupboards after being inspired by a magazine photo, and most recently pulled up her bedroom carpet then painted and stained the floor.  If you are like me, you need a nap just from thinking about that project.

This craftiness may have been inherited.  Jaime told me that when she was into figure skating she found the outfits to be way overpriced so she decided to sew her own.  Her grandmother had a knack for the bead work and between the two of them, they crafted less expensive alternatives to wear on the ice.

Jaime’s grandfather was an entrepreneur and ran a tinning/roofing business.  As her grandmother told her, he didn’t just fix things for folks. When he was finished with them, he’d added an artistic touch and the item was far better once he was through than when it started.  That sounded oddly similar to a girl I’d met who made art from old plastic bottles and broken down dictionaries.  Funny where connections can be found.

If you want to check out Jaime’s Etsy store, HERE it is.  Or click HERE for her blog.

 

*Photo courtesy of Chirp Handmade.