Snappy Dawgs - Fresh Food Fast in downtown Bridgeport, CT!

I've worn many hats as far as my career has gone before I opened Gumdrop Swap. I don't advertise myself as a graphic designer/illustrator anymore but occasionally someone I know needs a service I know I can provide. If I can make time to do a project I will. So, I met a woman who owns a lunch truck on the same block as my store. She bought it from a guy who had been in that space for 7 years and finds that many people don't realize it's under new management and has a different menu. This is not your average Street Food vendor. There are more than hot dogs and burgers. She and her sons are serving hot breakfast and variety of sandwiches with tasty side items. Even a traditional Spanish dish every Monday and Wednesday! I love that they deliver for free downtown! Its such a hassle to close my store to get lunch.

I fell in love with Janet (the owner) and her food. I introduced myself and that I owned a business also. We began to chat about being entrepreneurs and moms. She visited my store the next day. When she mentioned her plans to order new take out menus and a sign for her cart I asked if she considered having a website. She hadn't. I explained how convenient it would be for those working downtown to access her menu online and call their order in. It's a convenience I look for in a restaurant. So, I offered to make a website and put her menu online.

It's the food cart parked in front of the Courthouse (corner of Fairfield Ave and Main St). This is the best street food you've ever eaten. I'm working my way through the menu. I've had a Reuben, chili cheese fries (I could write a whole posting about the bad and bizarre dishes I've eaten in New England that were called chili cheese fries and were complete FAILURES of marinara sauce and sliced mozzarella cheese????!!!! UGH!) a hot dog with NY style onions in red sauce (first time trying that), a "Poe Poe Banger" which is this deep fried egg roll wrapped thing filled with seasoned ground beef and mashed potato (hard to explain but interested). Today I enjoyed the Special which was a gigantic fried pork chop with Spanish beans and rice. She makes Hispanic food on Mondays and Wednesdays and it always sells out. I got the next to last special and I called my order in at 11:55am. If you're ever in downtown Bridgeport between the hours of 7am-3pm you need to try breakfast or lunch from Snappy Dawgs. Are you looking for something different to eat? Make it SNAPPY! Mention the website when you order to get a free drink when you spend $5 or more! See the full menu online. Or just stop and say hello and tell her you read about Snappy Dawgs on my blog. She'll be tickled that I was right about blogging and social networking.

Business Card Design for Heavenly Bites in Fairfield County Connecticut!

Chef Mona makes some unique and delicious baked treats! I required a taste test before creating this business card for her. I tasted the mango cheesecake which inspired the illustration on the card. She makes some other flavors I look forward to trying soon. She uses shortbread cookies for the crust instead of the typical graham cracker crust. You can taste that the ingredients are fresh. I've ordered a cheesecake for my husband's upcoming birthday! For more of my graphic design and illustrations go to the Gift of Gabby website.



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Gumdrop Clothing Swap Nov. 29, 2009!

A NEW DIRECTION

I have steered my creative efforts into a new business. The world's first online-based children's clothing swap club! Huh? Here's an explanation.

Gumdropswap.com is the eco-friendly, economically sound choice for clothing your growing child. Children may wear an outfit a few times, then it no longer fits. You may even have new items that still have tags. These items are taking up precious space. Why not de-clutter and swap for clothing that fits in return, without buying more? Or write off your donation to our partner charity. You won't have to post a classified ad or deal with strangers. We do all the work for you. You send us your gently used items and we send you items you can actually use! When your children outgrow those items, as long as they are still in excellent condition, simply swap them again to continue the cycle. Less waste, more money in your pocket. It's that simple.The average family spends an estimated $350-500 a year on clothing (per child) from age 0-11. Online customers at GumdropSwap.com only pay $49.99 for the year! Watch the video to learn more.

I need your vote!

Hello Everyone! I entered a design contest with a company called Planet Zero Gravity. They make stainless steel drinking bottles. The winning design will be on their bottles. It would be an honor to win. Please go to this link http://www.planetzerogravity.com/media/ and vote for me. I am in the list (poll) on the left as "GabrielleF" and by all means take a look at the entries and don't just vote for me if you like someone else's design better :-) but if you agree that mine is superior, then so be it. Thanks in advance for your support! Here is my design (intended to wrap around the bottle).

Custom wedding invitations!

I recently did a cool project for a long time friend. I have known this woman since I was about 10 or 11 years old. We used to attend church together. I paths diverged some years later and with the help of online social networking we have reconnected. She is getting married this October and asked me to design her "save the date" magnets for the big event. I completed to options, one was illustrated and the other was photographic. She and her fiancee chose the illustrated one but said they loved both. I have been married a year and a half now and I still remember the stress of wedding planning like it happened yesterday. All the details you have to keep up with are maddening! So I am glad that I could help her cross this item off her lengthy "to-do" list. Her hubby-to-be sounds like a great guy and I wish them a life of wedded bliss. I hope to get more projects like this with customers who are as easy to please.

Gift of Gabby dot com has been REVIVED!

I must admit that the original giftofgabby.com website was outdated. I designed that with very LIMITED web skills right after graduating college. An the examples of my work needed updating too, because let's face it, I've been a busy gal since 2002! So I am so excited to announce the new and improved Gift of Gabby website! I am still working on adding new features and will have my resumes linked soon. But I love the rollover function for the thumbnails! And you can access this blog and my retouching website from the home page. This overhaul was OVERdue. Thanks for all of your support over the years. I am blessed to have loving family and friends that support and constantly encourage me.

Updated Retouching website

The website is a hit! I have advertised on a few websites and got 3 new clients last week. So I have added some more BEFORE and AFTER examples to the website. I have been removing blemishes, fly away hairs, darkening hair and blending skin (one client I had to add freckles back in), correcting lighting and color, removing unwanted elements and much more. Each photo is a new challenge. They're are many companies that boast they are experts at Photoshop, but I find that most create an airbrushed, unrealistic final image. I don't want my subject to look plastic. I strive to keep the skin and hair very natural. Go see the new samples when you get a chance.

Photo Retouching

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING RETOUCHING SERVICES:
Visit http://retouching.giftofgabby.com for full instructions. Hi-res images should be sent to info@giftofgabby.com (appropriate file extensions: .jpg,.tif, .psd, .pdf). Turnaround is 1-14 days depending on my schedule and the number of photos to be retouched (unless an earlier deadline is otherwise agreed to PRIOR to the retouching being started). A 'rush fee' may be required.

http://www.yousendit.com is a free service that transfers large files for you. Anyone can send 1 file at a time for free. Retouched photos will be sent via e-mail or through www.yousendit.com to your email account or another specified email account (Free). A disc can be made and shipped Priority USPS(2-3 days) for an additional fee of $9.99.

Retouched photos will be emailed back to you for FREE. You can use an online service such as www.mpix.com (highly recommend) or www.snapfish.com (never used personally before) or www.walgreens.com (use often) to print your photos.

* a fee of $9.99 for photos on cd/DVD sent Priority USPS

Payments can be made through Paypal to rogersgabrielle@hotmail.com. Retouching will not begin until payment has cleared (e-checks on Paypal take up to 5 work days to clear).

Thank you and I look forward to doing business with you soon!

Order a watercolor portrait

I paint watercolor portraits for very affordable rates (click the name of this post to see larger example). Review these questions below and if you answer yes to any of these, contact me today to order your portrait (allow 2-4 weeks for completion):

• Looking for a gift for someone that is hard to shop for? My husband is extremely hard to shop for! He doesn't like practical gifts like socks and underwear so I'm always on the look out for sentimental and creative gift options. If you have a person that is hard to shop for please consider a portrait of them or their beloved pet(s).

• Want to give a gift to someone they can cherish for years to come? Portraits are done on high quality watercolor archival paper, when properly cared for (like photographs) they can last for many years. The recipient will always cherish a portrait ordered by you because it's not a typical gift. This took a great amount of taught, planning, and love. They'll be reminded of that every time they see it.

• Are you looking for the perfect work of art to hang over the mantle or sofa? Do you have a blank wall and cannot find a suitable work of art or family portrait to feature there? Why not combine the two into one conversation piece? Let's discuss the perfect size.

• Do you have an old photograph that has seen better days and want to preserve the image in a unique way? Is that tattered photo of great-grandma still tucked in the back of the family photo album? It's blurry, worn, discolored, or even in pieces. You wish you had some better way to display that old photo but it's too delicate to disturb. I can recreate that photo for you in the form of a painted representation. If you are not ready to commit to a painting, consider my offer to do a digital photo restoration. Contact me for more details. (This requires that you send me the original photo OR if that idea makes you woozy with worry I can talk you through getting a high resolution scan to work from. The size and quality of the finished product will be determined by how bad the current condition of the photo is and how good of a scan you can provide.)

• Do you want a family portrait that shows everyone at their best but have never been able to achieve that with a traditional family photo? Love the way you look in the most recent family photograph but your spouse was having a bad hair day and one of the kids was blinking in every shot? Or did everyone else look good but since then you changed you hair or lost a considerable amount of weight and prefer to commemorate your current look but keep everyone else the same. If only you could cut and paste the best representations of your family members in one image??? It is possible. Send me the best photos of everyone and let me create a composition with everyone looking their best. You can customize hairstyles, clothing and so much more!

HOW IT WORKS:
1. Contact me to discuss your portrait idea and obtain a quote and estimated completion time. Rush jobs will be quoted at a higher than normal rate. Original photos or high resolution scans will need to be provided before a sketch can be done but I may require to see the quality of the photos to give you an accurate quote. The more complicated the job, the more time it takes to complete which results in a higher price. Please order at least 4 weeks before the desired delivery date. (Hey, I have a life too :-) ) Email me at rogersgabrielle@hotmail.com

2. You must sign a simple contract which I will provide as an e-mail attachment which needs to be sent with your payment if you are paying by check or scanned an e-mailed back to me if you are paying with Paypal. One half of the total is required as a non-refundable deposit. This covers my supply costs and time spent sketching etc. I will submit a sketch before starting the finished portrait, you can make requests and changes at this time. This is the time for major changes like "move Grandma Hellen to the left side" or "I prefer my hair back" or "can you give me a close-lipped smile". I will then submit a revised (2nd) sketch for your approval. Only small tweaks can be made to the 2nd sketch like "please add a dangling earring to my ears" or "make my husband have on a v-neck sweater instead of the rounded collar". If for some reason you are not happy with the 2nd sketch you have the option of canceling your order. You will not get your deposit back (1/2 of the total) but you will NOT be responsible for the remaining balance. If you give your approval to the sketch, I will e-mail you a small image of the finished portrait once I have completed it and at that time you will be required to make the 2nd half of the total cost of the portrait. When the total amount has been received, I will ship your portrait to you. The cost of shipping is NOT included in your portrait price. We will discuss shipping costs when deciding what size portrait you want. Keep in mind that over-sized items will require fees from the postal service. I will do my best to estimate shipping costs in advance. Payments will be made to rogersgabrielle@hotmail.com through Paypal.

3. Payments made by check will have to clear before I release the painting to you. There is a $30 returned (ISF) check charge. My bank charges me and I pass that onto you.