Let it Snow!

Today it decided to snow at my house for just a tiny bit and I got this shot of our Craft Cabin. I had so much fun playing with the picture that I turned it into Thank You Cards for all the wonderful people I get to thank. It couldn't have been more magical.

I love the Holiday Season. It is the best time of the year for me. I love giving away the things I create and making people smile. I love seeing all of my family in the same month. I love having holiday parties. I love watching my boys create handmade heartfelt presents for their friends and family. I love getting my kids up on Christmas morning and watching them see everything under the tree for the first time. I also love getting my stocking. My dad used to sleep in so the only presents we got to open right away were the ones in our Christmas stocking so it has always been my favorite. I also love that this has been a fun and exciting year for our company and our family so I want to give thanks to everyone who has stopped by to take a look at our blog, our stores and a peek into our lives. May you have the Holiday Season of your Dreams and May Your Heart fill with Warmth and Love. Merry Christmas to Everyone.
With Love
Heather

(the Brunette)

A Shout Out to Terri at GroovyVinyl

Terri did a wondeful feature of our shop on her blog at http://impybat.blogspot.com/2007/11/featured-seller-gwynns-gifts.html

She is a delightful seller on Etsy and you can find her shop at http://www.groovyvinyl.etsy.com/

Is he Real or Not?

This would be the perfect gift for those who believe or want to believe in Bigfoot. This TShirt is available to purchase at the wonderful Etsy shop http://www.deepinthewoods.etsy.com/ along with many other great handcrafted items. It is based on the original footage by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin.

Designer Walls

I just came across this amazing store on Etsy that allows you to have incredible designer walls in just a few hours. This Pod Wall Graphic is available to purchase at http://www.oneupdesigns.etsy/ . There are tons of stunning graphics for you to choose from like birds, monkeys, fronds and mod designs. That is just to name a few. I can't believe how easy they make it to turn your boring walls into a stunning masterpiece. The dream at OneUpDesigns is "that every person should be able to personalize their space with art" and it seems to me that it opens all kinds of doors for decorating to your personal style and I can't wait to try some out.

These stunning items were created using age-old process of gravity casting and forging. The artist behind these pieces is Karen at http://www.kdemarte.etsy.com/ Each piece is a incredible process of carving the mold, pouring in molten metal, filing, adding texture, hammering, antiquing and then hand polishing. With each piece you know you are getting the heart and soul of the artist. These delightful handcrafted items would make a perfect holiday gift for those in your life who appreciate the hardwork and time that goes into each item.

Stunning Stripes and Pearl Earrings

My newest Boutique Signature Series Card was so much fun to make. I just love it when and idea just keeps evolving into something better. This delightful lady looks wonderful in her striped skirt and textured shirt. Then I added a tiny chain for a belt and found this fabulous "broach" to compliment her outfit. I think the hat and purse finish the whole look. I then mounted her to this very textured wallpaper and put the whole thing on 5" x 7" greeting card. I made these earrings out of white and copper pearls and all sterling silver findings. You can find this at http://www.gwynnsgifts.com/

Color, Color and More Color

I just finished this fun and colorful earring card. It features these wondeful quartz earrings and tons of color. This just make me think fun loving person, so if you know someone fun loving and want to send them a little gift then this would be just perfect. This item is available at http://www.gwynnsgifts.com/

*Let Your Man Love the Tiki Gods*

This stunning hand carved antique bone domino pendant is a one of a kind gift that would be perfect for the man in your life who loves the tiki gods and isn't afraid of a little color. This one is named Kanunu and can be found at the wonderful shop of http://www.greenspacegoods.etsy.com/ . A lot of attention and detail goes into each one and that is why we love handmade items from Etsy.

Raymond the Robot!

Raymond is an adorable little 2" robot that is sure to make you smile. He would look good hanging out with so many of your other electronics. He can be found at the wonderful Etsy shop of http://www.tofunutloaf.etsy.com/ Please check out all the other charming robots available there and start your collection today.

Give Em' Some Meat!

This charming piece of meat is a very popular gift among men. Who wouldn't want their very own T-Bone pillow to cuddle up with every night. This handcrafted bad boy is available at http://www.zaennabanana.etsy.com/

Keeping it Warm

This cozy looking hat can be found at http://www.lovesnoam.etsy.com/
This hat features earflaps with braided ties and is black, grey and red. It looks to me like it would keep you nice and warm on a cold winter day.

Hot N Heavy

I plan on featuring lots of wonderful gifts for the men in your life and this is just the first of many.

This stunning "Hot N Heavy" necklace can be found at http://www.thebeadedlily.com/ This is a unisex necklace but I believe it would look so attractive on a man. It is made of with lava and pyrite with sterling silver findings.

Flirty Fun Aprons

I came across this delightful apron today and just had to share it with you. I would have never believed an apron could make you look hot but Joan at http://www.momomadeit.etsy.com/ has created aprons that do just that. They look wonderful and serve such a great purpose. Her store has a wonderful variety of aprons for all occasion and lots of fun styles. Please stop by her shop and check out all the stunning choices.

Don't Be Scared

I made these adorable little guys out of Chinese take out boxes and goggle eyes. I left them as after school treats for my kids and they just loved them. I just used permanent marker to add the mouth and eyebrows and then I stuck the eyes on with glue dots. It was so easy that as soon as my 5 year old was done with the candy he made his own. I was lucky to find a whole bag of goggle eyes at the second hand store for $1.00 and I got about 40 take out boxes and a church sale this summer for a $1.00 so the whole project was pretty inexpensive. I am glad I found a use for the boxes because I they have been sitting for a while but it was such a great deal that I couldn't pass it up.

Fishing Fly Greeting Card

Here is one of recently listed fishing fly greeting cards. I just love the colors in this one and this is made with real fishing flies so whomever recieves it can take the flies off and go fishing, so its a card and gift all in one.

Let it Snow!

Here is our newest Christmas card featuring a picture that I created. My mom then turned it into this wonderful dimensional greeting card with lots of fun shapes.

Im Off to See the Accountant, the wonderful Accountant!

Our first year as a business has ended and now we have to do our TAXES. I feel happy and sad all at the same time. I can’t believe a year has gone by and I am still at it. I love what we are doing and it is so fulfilling. I feel like it is time to set some new goals and push myself even harder to get things running. I believe it is time for a new momentum. I am going to speak to our accountant about our business structure, how I should be keeping records better, am I using all the deductions out there that I should and if I really can rent my Craft Cabin to our business. I do so love both sides of running a business. I feel I grow smarter every time a new challenge comes up in the business and I feel I grow as an artist when an idea comes out of my head and is created with my hands. Perhaps I will have to put my goals on my BLOG so they are very visible.

Spice up your Life!

I found this wonderful spice kit for people on the go at www.purposedesign.etsy.com and I thought it would make such a great gifts for some friends of mine. They love to cook and when we go camping they are outdoor gourmets. There are also lots spice kits availabe and I believe they would make a wonderful gift and they are packaged great.

Frogs and Dragonflies Magnet Tic Tac Toe Set

I found this delightful Magnetic Tic Tac Toe Set at http://www.paintedforyou.etsy.com/ The colors are wonderful and the attention to detail is great. I thought this would work so good for car traveling and camping.

Stained Glass Candle Holder

I found this lovely stained glass candle holder that has some very nice little extras. It is embellished with press flowers and a flower brooch. I thought the combination of all these items was a very lovely touch and the soothing blues would compliment so many different decors. It can be found at www.sallyscreations.etsy.com

Check Out these wonderful Java Jackets

I came across these Java Jackets and I just think they are great. You can find them at http://www.kobedog.etsy.com/. I think they would make wonderful christmas presents for the coffee lover in your life and you can pick different designs. They are also eco-friendly and easy to wash.

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