Putting Out the Fire

When an arson fire swept through an Orange Grove Boulevard home last July, the Pasadena residents and their two teenage children knew they were just lucky to be alive.

Even though a suspect was arrested on the scene,  the home was a total loss, according to the Pasadena Fire Department. All of the family’s belongings were destroyed.

Also lost was the beloved family cat, Oreo.

To add insult to injury, the few items that the family managed to salvage from the blaze were stolen from the side of the house just the following day.

Verdugo Fire Control dispatchers were so moved by the 911 call and then hearing of the aftermath of the fire that they selected the family (which asked to remain anonymous), to receive toys as part of the Fire Department’s annual holiday toy drive.

But Pasadena artist Silva Boyajian wanted to do something special for the teenagers, Mina and Hady.

She had been told that she could not donate clothing for the toy drive. They only accepted toys.

Her small business,  BitsyyBelle, (@bitsybelle) features hand-painted watercolor greeting cards. Boyajian had spent most of the last year riding around town on her decorated bike and setting up successful pop-ups at local coffee houses.

With the first holiday for her work coming up, she wanted to do something special. She came up with the idea of creating original art  on Converse High Top sneakers to donate to the teens.

And Fire Station 34 stepped up. The station, along with Fire Chief Chad Augustin and Verdugo fire dispatchers, arranged a special gift presentation for the teenagers and their parents.

“I talked to the kids and asked what they were into, and I painted the shoes to reflect that,” Boyajian said Thursday.

Mina’s bright pink All-Stars read “Girl Power” on the tongues, along with a row of lipstick kisses and bright red bows. Silva also gave Mina an original landscape painting along with a usable easel, for her to pursue her art dreams.

For Hady, it was a pair of black Converse All-Stars customized with drawings of PlayStation consoles. He also received a hand-painted basketball with the number “23,” for the LA Lakers’ LeBron James, his favorite player.

Asked if she might offer similar works as Christmas gifts this year, she demurred, saying, “These gifts are special. I didn’t do them to make money. They’re gifts.”

And the holiday spirit carries on.

Silva Boyajian’s other works can be seen on Instagram at @BitsyyBelle.