Keli Gwyn's Blog, page 12

Mailbag Monday: Surprise Your Personal Cheerleader

We all have those wonderful people in our lives who are quick to celebrate our accomplishments with us, give us a word of encouragement and boast about us to others. I have a writer friend who does all that and more for me and for so many others as well.

I wanted to think of a way to show my friend how much I appreciate having her as one of my personal cheerleaders. What better thing to send her than a pair of colorful pom poms?

I found a set at the dollar store, packaged them in clear gift bags (also from the dollar store) and added a note of explanation one side of the package.

On the other side of the package, I affixed the necessary items: postage stamps and mailing labels.

I hope this little surprise brings my friend a bit of the joy she so often gives me.

•••

Who are some of your personal cheerleaders,

and what could you send to say thanks?

Fun-filled Friday: Unique Pumpkins

It’s Halloween, and many people will be displaying their jack-o-lanterns.

I went in search of a pumpkin and was amazed at the varieties I found.

These Red Worty Things certainly have personality, don’t they?

You’ve got to love a pumpkin called Cinderella,

especially when it looks like her coach.

I have no idea how they came up with the name Wolf. I might have chosen Trunk or something else that captured the feel of those massive stems.

I couldn’t find a sign for these, so I have no idea what they’re called.

I didn’t end up with any of these pumpkins.

Instead I opted for a cute little fellow about the size of a grapefruit.

•••

What names would you choose for these varieties?

Would you use any of them in your fall decoration scheme?

‘Way Back When’sday: Buttonhooks

Unlike us, the Victorians didn’t have zippers or Velcro. They relied heavily on buttons. Lots and lots of buttons.

The buttons were often small, making them difficult to slip through their buttonholes. Enter the buttonhook, a simple device that saved one’s fingers.

The hook was slipped through the buttonhole and around the button’s shank. A tug and a twist of the wrist later, and the button was in place.

Buttonhooks came many shapes and sizes. If you visit The Buttonhook Society, you can see a number of examples. The buttonhook seen above is one I purchased at a local antique shop.

Can you imagine having to fasten the buttons on a pair of Victorian boots, such as the ones below that I saw at the Placer County Museum in Auburn, California? Without a buttonhook, the task would be tiresome.

Victorians had buttons on much more than just their boots. Jackets, bodices, waistcoats, gloves and corsets all had them. Thus, it’s easy to see why a Victorian lady or gentleman would have several buttonhooks. They might have longer models at home and a shorter version in their reticule or pocket.

•••

Have you ever seen or used a buttonhook?

Mailbag Monday: A Bottle Full of Fun

A search for clever snail mail ideas on Pinterest yields several pins showing clear plastic bottles filled with a variety of items. Here’s one that’s part of the Snail Mail Project on the Sweet Tea Paperie site.

As soon as I saw this pin, my imagination kicked into high gear, resulting in a long list of surprises I could stuff into a bottle. But who would be the recipient, and what would fill her bottle?

Soon after, I was scrolling though my Facebook feed and got my answer. A dear friend of mine often posts favorite portions of Scripture, showing the colorfully highlighted verses in her Bible.

I had a backup stash of brightly colored highlighters, so I grabbed several and poked them inside a sturdy Dasani water bottle. To make sure they didn’t rattle too much, I filled the space at the top with some Easter grass I had on hand.

I added mailing labels on one side. On the back, I included a note explaining what the highlighters were for.

I had such fun preparing this surprise in a bottle and will be sending more in the future.

•••

If you were to send someone a fun-filled bottle, what might you put inside?

Fun-filled Friday: Doubly Delightful Giveaway!!

If you enjoy reading and love to win free books, you’re in luck.

I’m offering one copy of my latest two releases to one winner.

My first short story, “A Father’s Gift,” appears in A Cup of Christmas Cheer,

Volume 3: Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Past,

offered exclusively from Guideposts Books.

I’m offering one copy to a commenter.

See entry instructions at the bottom of the post.

❤❤❤

My debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, is on sale.

For a limited time, the Kindle e-book is just $1.99.

In honor of the sale, I’m offering a free Kindle copy to one commenter.

❤❤❤

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment

telling me your favorite thing about Friday.

Drawing ends Thursday, October 30, 2014.

Drawing limited to US addresses only.

Odds of winning vary depending on the number of entries.

Be sure to include your email address when prompted.

For your protection, do not include any personal information in a comment.

❤❤❤

 

‘Way Back When’sday: Child’s Food Pusher Utensil

Babies in the Victorian Era had child-sized utensils, just like children do today.

The child’s table service below is on display

at the Bernhard Museum in Auburn, California.

While touring the museum, the docent pointed out the utensil

to the left of the cup. It’s call a food pusher.

This special utensil helped a child transition from eating with the fingers

to using silverware. The youngster would use a food pusher to load

a bite onto a fork or spoon. Clever, isn’t it?

❤❤❤

What unique utensils from yesteryear have you discovered?

 

Mailbag Monday: How to Send a Laugh

Do you have a friend who could use a laugh?

Here’s a simple three-step plan for sending one via snail mail.

1. Buy a bag of Laffy Taffy

2. Slap on some address labels and the appropriate amount of postage.

3. Flip the package over and add a label with a note of encouragement.

4. Drop the package in the mail.

The idea for sending a laugh came about because one of my friends who writes witty romantic comedies was on deadline and feeling the stress. I wandered through our local dollar store in search of just the thing to send her. I saw this bag of Laffy Taffy, and my hunt was over.

Question for You

Think of a friend of yours who could use a laugh.

What would you write on your encouraging note?

Fun-Filled Friday: A Cup of Christmas Cheer

If you love Christmas stories, you might enjoy A Cup of Christmas Cheer. This two-book collection, available exclusively from Guideposts Books, contains sixteen heartwarming tales.

Volume 3: Tales of Christmas Past includes eight stories that take you from Gold Rush-era California to the post-Vietnam War days of the 1970s. The eight stories in Volume 4: Tales of Christmas Present capture the holiday spirit and traditions of today.

Why am I talking about Christmas now? Because these two adorable hardcover volumes from Guideposts Books just released. This is your opportunity to start your Christmas shopping, if you haven’t already. A Cup of Christmas Cheer would make a great gift. At just 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches each, the books would make good stocking stuffers, too. Volumes 1 & 2, released last year, sold out quickly, so I’m giving you a heads up on this year’s collection.

OK. I’ll confess. There’s another reason I’m excited about the books. My first story, “A Father’s Gift,” is included in Volume 3: Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Past. Here I am holding one of my author copies. Yes, I was happy.

Here’s the description of my story as found on the Guideposts site…

A Father’s Gift

A young couple anxiously awaits the birth of their first child during the harsh winter of 1866. Life in Northern California is hard and the townspeople want to rally around them, but Cole Foster is suspicious and somewhat embittered toward his new neighbors. Having witnessed how the gold rush broke up his own family and led his father to abandon him, he wants to rely only on himself. However, God brings him into a season of need that softens his heart so he can learn to trust again. And, there is an extra surprise in store that rights a wrong from many years ago.

The other A Cup of Christmas Cheer authors and I have started a blog, where you can learn more about the books and the many fun activities we have planned. If you like giveaways, we’ll be having several of those. You’ll find them listed on our Giveaways page. We also unveiled our brand new Facebook page this week.

We’re currently running a giveaway on Goodreads. If you’re a member of the site, you can enter to win one of five sets of A Cup of Christmas Cheer Volumes 3 & 4. If you click the link below, it will take you to the giveaway.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


A Cup of Christmas Cheer
by Various

Giveaway ends November 14, 2014.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Question for You
Are you a fan of Christmas stories? If so, do you

prefer bite-sized stories or full-length novels?

‘Way Back Whens’day: Hair Receiver

Women’s hairstyles were often quite elaborate during the Victorian Era.

Often a hairstyle required more hair than a lady possessed. The solution was to make use of hair extensions.

Rich women could afford to buy hairpieces. Those with more modest budgets would carefully save loose strands of their hair pulled from their hairbrushes and create extensions of their own.

Special devices called hair receivers were used to store the rescued hairs.

The hair receivers pictured above are on display at the Bernhard Museum in Auburn, California.

Since I’m rather fond of the Victorian Era, I thought it would be fun to find a few treasures from the time.

Although I’ve always worn my hair short, I went in search of a hair receiver. I found a lovely one.

This hair receiver above was made in Germany. The antique dealer I bought it from wasn’t sure when it was manufactured, but her best guess is that it’s from the 1800s.

A hair receiver is a two-piece container, often made of porcelain.

I had one of my heroines use a hair receiver to save her loose hairs, but my editor asked me to remove that element from my story. Although the practice of saving hairs is historically accurate, she found it unappealing.

I removed the mention of the hair receiver, but I’m curious what you think? If you read a historical romance in which a woman saved her hair in a hair receiver, would it bother you?

 

Mailbag Monday: Cat Lover’s Surprise

Several of my friends are crazy about cats, so I thought it would

be fun to send a package of kitty treats to one of them via snail mail.

Four Easy Steps

1. Affix address labels to the front.

2. Include a cute note on another label.

3. Add the actual amount of postage required.

(Stamps shown are for illustration only.)

4. Drop the bag in the mail.

❤❤❤

Which of your friends would enjoy getting this surprise?