We are Not all Perfect

This is a cow my mom drove by everyday and she just loved her and named her Bessy, so we stopped by and took a picture while her and her friends posed for us. Can you tell what is a little different about Bessy?
(maybe it should have been Chuck?)

The "happy" Tomato

I just thought this tomato I found in our garden was funny. So I took some pictures of it. I hope you get a good laugh.

Taking Better Pictures

I just came across this site that gives wonderful inexpensive way to make a light box for better pictures. http://www.theswitchboards.com/articles_professionalphotos.html We made one out of tissue paper and a cardboard box which did work out very well but it is not holding up as well as I would like so I am going to try what this article suggested and see how it works.

A New Treasure

I found this ordinary briefcase at a thrift store and decided that I could use it for display purposes. I had seen someone (I wish I could remember who so I could give credit) use a suitcase to display their cards and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I transformed it with this wonderful fairy land paper featuring islands, castle and pirate maps. I used my favorite glue "Super 77" to get all the paper to stick and I used all the scraps to fill up the inside. It only took about 2 hours to decide on the layout and to apply all the layers. I also used chalk to age the torn edges. I think it will work perfectly for what I have in mind and also be a great conversation piece.

Burn Baby, Burn!

I tired a new technique today and I love the way it turned out. I got a wood burner for Christmas and I haven’t really used it much. Today I was getting some new images I really like to reproduce for greeting cards. The pictures are all old romantic pictures of couples so when I went to go put them together a light bulb popped on in my head that I should try out the wood burner on the paper to give it that aged look. Then I thought burning and paper might not be such a good idea so I grabbed a bottle of water and put it next to me before I started. Needless to say after a few attempts and some different angles I finally got the look I was going for and it is on this Romeo and Juliet card to the right. It gave the card wonderful texture, a new scent and a very authentic aged look.

The Car is Labeled

We got this wonderful decal from www.ceejay77.etsy.com and got our car labeled. I am so excited and it makes it feel so much more real. We added the website next to our "Girl Power" sticker that we have been sporting for about 7 years. The cost for the decal was great and it came super fast. I will definitely go back and purchase more when I need them. It was also very easy to put on and now I feel like we have just a little bit more exposure.

Up In Smoke.. At least that is What I Thought

I was running to the store to pick up a few things for my brother and on the way the suburban was acting a little weird. Then I noticed that big ugly orange “Check Gauges” sign appeared so I did and my engine was overheating. At this point I did not panic because this happened two weeks ago and we had to have the water pump replaced. So I continued to drive to the store which was only two blocks away and I pulled in backwards incase it needed to be towed. This is a tiny little store in almost the middle of nowhere and that is why I choose there to park. You won’t believe what happened next. I turn off the car and all of a sudden there is smoke everywhere, coming out from under the hood and coming in threw the dashboard. I grabbed my purse and jumped out of the car. Then I just stared, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I didn’t know if it was steam or smoke or if it was going to explode. I called my brother and said I think the car is on fire and he said “isn’t the fire department across the street?”. Yes it was so I felt a little better. I started looking around at the people in the parking lot and most of them just stared and shook their heads. Boy was that a whole lot of help. Well after deciding that it wasn’t a fire I pulled the knob to pop the hood. I didn’t actually open the hood because I thought it would be a good idea to let it cool off. At this point a very nice gentleman comes over to see what is going on and he looks under the car and notices the water and tells me it’s not on fire. He thinks it’s my water pump and I explain that I just had that fixed. He opens the hood and notices that there is a large hole in the tube that runs to the water pump and suggests I just unscrew the clamp, trim off the bad part and screw it back on again. I am so relieved at this point that it is something small that I tell him thank you very much and I do think I can fix that all by myself. He heads back to work and I go find a screwdriver, knife and scissors. If anyone else has a suburban they know how tall the engine is. I am 5”8 and still can’t reach in. So here I am with a knife, my flip flops, my blue sunglasses, my new Tinkerbelle shirt (which I don’t want to ruin) and a screwdriver standing on my bumper and leaning into my engine. If I could have taken a picture I would have because I bet it was funny. Needles to say I took of the clamp, trimmed the broken tube with my knife, clamped it back on and shut the hood. I felt GOOD! I got in the car and was signing “SheRa Princess of Power”. I drove over to my brother where we filled up the radiator and that is all folks. I am still feeling pretty good about being a girl that kicks butt. Just a little note that in between all that I did call my hubby and tell him what was going on and that I “might” need a ride. Here is the piece from today.

The Holidays are Around the Corner

Here is our handcrafted greeting cards that we are offering to personalize for the holidays. We are planning on including your holiday story, your return address and the postage on each envelope so all that has to be done is for you to address it. It is available at our store located at www.gwynnsgifts.com.

A Day at the Races

This lovely lady looked like she should be going to the races with her wonderful hat, purse and polka dress. So I mounted her on a lovely horse wallpaper and added swarovski crystal earrings to complete the look. I am so pleased with the way this one of a kind boutique signature series card turned out.

They Stand Alone

I just listed my first pair of earrings all by themselves. I am so pleased with the way these turned out that I didn't want a card to distract from their elegant beauty. I made them with all sterling silver findings, pins and ear hooks. The dark green is coin pearls and the light green is swarovski crystals. They hang wonderfully and are quite lightweight.

Treasury Jackpot!

These lovely people featured us in their treasuries. Thank you very much