Brighten your day

I'm trying to not focus on the chill in the air and the brown snow on the ground. Here are some gorgeous items on etsy that has me ready to welcome spring! (Click on the photos to see the listing.)

This beautiful shamrock is from g(ART)en fine art photgraphy, which can be found at ajawin.etsy.com. I absolutely adore the coloring and the dew drops!

Yum... delicious raspberries for the taking at LeaSeguin.etsy.com.


Gah! This adorable bird from HomemadeZen.etsy.com is too cute!

These delicate tulips can be found in JoannasPhotography.etsy.com. They remind me of Easter!


What are your springtime inspirations?

Sick of winter

We've been assaulted lately with storm after storm dropping snow and ice on us. Usually I'm pretty good humored about snow. And winter is also a season I wish I had more photographs of. But the ice and muck everywhere has reached it's limit for me. Today my half hour commute took an hour, and when I was five minutes away from work, my car started to skid as it hit a patch of ice. Luckily (I must have had an angel one each tire), I was able to steer out of hitting the car in the next lane and avoid going into the frozen pond on my right.

Yep. I'm done with winter.

End of January Give Away!

It's that time again -- and the first give away of 2009!

Up for grabs is one photo necklace with a black cord from my shop - your choice! (Some choices are shown above.) These photo necklaces are made with a scrabble tile on the back, and come with a simulated leather cord.

To enter, tell me what fun things you are working on. New Valentine's items for your shop? A new artistic project? Leave a comment below!

Deadline to enter is January 31!

Sapphire Update :)

Sapphire came to visit us at work today. She's doing very well, especially considering the week she's been through! She has her pain meds and she's eating, but her mom would like for her to eat a bit more. She has about an 8 inch incision, which is covered in this photo. (Wearing a shirt helps her leave the area alone.) Of course, we are raising money to pay for her surgery.

Your good wishes and positive thoughts are working! Keep them up! :)

(At right, check out Sapphire and her mum.)

Pretty Please... With a Cherry on Top?

I've been wanting to make chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream frosting for a while now! Today I got my chance. Topped with dark chocolate shavings and a cherry on top! All three are available in my shop as photo cards.

Indie Smiles sale

Last week I won a showboat feature through an Indie Smiles contest on twitter! I'm participating in a 20% off sale in my shop from now through January 31. (Valid on all items in the shop except our fundraising for Sapphire and my sale section.) Use code 20SMILES in the notes to seller box. It can be redeemed at http://jmcguinness.etsy.com. To see our feature, visit http://indiesmiles.com/McGuinness-photography. :)

Sapphire Update

I wanted to do a new post on Sapphire, and her mom left us an update earlier today:

Well, Sapphire has gone through all of her tests (and was a very good girl!). She had her tummy shaved, had an ultra-sound, and had a chest x-ray- all on top of her bloodwork- and with no anesthesia. The tests came back with good results and the cancer is confined to one area. We now have to decide when/if to schedule her surgery. They feel they can remove the mass with semi-clean margins. But I am worried about the wound. It is a very large area and in the same spot as her last surgery; when she had a hard time healing. If we don't do surgery, the cancer will continue to grow. So we are basically resigned to scheduling her surgery sometime next week. All good thoughts and prayers are welcome as we try to figure out the best plan of action.

We are continuing to fund raise for Sapphire, especially since all her preliminary tests were pretty expensive. We've raised $67.50 so far through our etsy shop and direct donations. Thank you to all who donated so far! Please keep sending your positive thoughts her way!

Here are our updated listings, where 100% of the proceeds go to Sapphire.

Limited Edition ACEO ($3): http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=19518414

Set of Four Cards ($12) : http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19281450

5x7 Photograph ($15): http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=19160305

8x10 photograph ($25): http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=19160201