Last week, thanks to the amazing BlogHer Ads links (to recent posts by other BlogHer bloggers), I stumbled across the site of Carrie Evans, the Gremlin Wrangler. Carrie is a very talented artist with many of her works displayed here. I was impressed enough by that, but then I found her Etsy site and realized that she could do a pencil sketch of my son for a very reasonable price ($20 for the first single-person sketch and $15 for each additional). I thought, “What a great Christmas gift for my husband!”
I also decided to have her do a sketch of my grandmother and my cousin from last Thanksgiving (my Gramy passed away in January). Today Carrie sent me a draft of her final sketch. I requested a few modifications and the final product came out beautifully! I am sharing this with you today and would encourage you to consider patronizing Carrie in the future.* I know I cried when I saw how beautiful this came out so I can only imagine what my cousin’s reaction will be when she sees it framed. I am very thankful to have such a beautiful piece of art to share with my cousin this year as we deal with the harsh reality of having lost both of our grandparents in 2007.
Original Picture 
Final Portrait
Click the picture for a larger, more detailed view.
*I have not been compensated for this post. Once I saw my picture, I asked Carrie if she would mind if I shared her information with all of you because I know there are others out there who would love to have pencil sketches of their kids or other loved ones. I think heirloom-type gifts like this are just perfect to give and pass on through the years.
but you should really add her various blogs to your daily reading list.
Worked my patooty off all day yesterday on my outline (okay, in between blogging breaks). Then today started off rushed and ended up being just a crappy day. Had lunch with a friend (the one bright spot of my day), but when I told my bosses I might be back a bit late because I had to drive to meet her, I got serious flack from one of them (an associate of all things!) That ticked me off royally. 
Then I got into it with a particularly cantankerous classmate and was steaming mad by the time I got into my car to head home.
