Bobette Bryan's News

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      Announcements
        December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!

It will soon be a new year...I know it's already a new year where many of you live. So Happy New Year! I wish you great things in the year ahead, including a dream come true.

I wanted to mention another New Year card I added to BobetteBryan.com: New Year Hope. Even if you don't send it, I hope you will keep the message in your heart, during the year ahead.

I've also created a romance card with a beautiful lyrical poem, in both a full page version and a postcard version. Here are the links:

On Silver Wings Fullpage Version.

On Silver Wings Postcard Version.

Many blessings to you and yours in the new year,
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 30, 2009
New Year Resolution Solutions

Wow! Only one more day until New Year's Eve. Where does time go? I really wish there was more time between Christmas and New Year's. It would give me more time to create cards and graphics for both holidays. I say we move New Year's to January 15th. LOL!

Anyhow, I put up a few New Year's Postcards on BobetteBryan.com today, and I created a full page greeting, which I wrote this evening. I hope no one takes offense at the fullpage greeting or takes it seriously. As many of you know, I have a silly side, and this is my need to express it.

Here's the link to my silly New Year Card: New Year Resolution Solutions. Zanny solutions to common New Year's resolutions. This card is more appropriate to send to adults...and is not for the easily offended. Only share it with someone with a sense of humor.

And if you want something beautiful and touching, send Believe, a perfect card for everyone this New Year's. I like this card very much--both the text and the graphics and think it will be popular.

I also put up a customizable postcard version of my very popular, New Year Prayer for Peace, which remains my most popular card.

Happy New Year,
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 28, 2009
Answer to a Prayer

I'm still having a problem with sound on my computer, and so I'm again reusing a previous song. Hopefully, I'll resolve the problem tonight.

Here's today's new card: Answer to a Prayer. Send this card to someone who led you in the right direction and express your thanks.

Oh, and I edited my poem, If Not You, on the poetry page. I removed the sticky weeds and big eyes. LOL!

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 27, 2009
Call to Me

I created a new romance card, but I'm having a problem with my computer tonight and can't get any sound. I've tried countless things. It looks like I'm going to have to take it apart tomorrow and make sure everything is connected. If that fails, I'll have to get my tech/programmer son involved. He always figures out the computer problems in the household.

Since I can't listen to my mp3s to select a perfect song for the card, I've temporarily added the Romeo and Juliet song.

And here's the link:
Call to Me. Send this card to distant love and call to his or her heart.

I created another card, but will wait until I get this sound issue resolved before I put it up.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 26, 2009
If Not You

We got several inches of snow on Christmas, and it's still snowing, big fluffy flakes. Today, as I wrote in the parlor, I saw several kids lugging shovels up and down the street, looking to make a buck.

Many of them came to the door, and I tried to write through such distractions, and there are only a few hours left before my husband gets home from work. I wrote some poetry that I like though and posted one of these poems on the poetry page: If Not You, which is a twisted love poem, nothing you'd see in my cards--nothing you'd likely find on any greeting card. He, he!

Christmas was great! My family and I had a wonderful time, despite the blizzard that raged around us. Luckily, we didn't lose power.

I'm going to try to get ButterflyWebGraphics.com updated tonight and add a new card to BobetteBryan.com--that is, after I transcribe a few of the other poems I've written today. I better run. I have a lot to do.

Many blessings, Bobette
      Announcements
        December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas morning, and the house is still silent. In Missouri, we've endured a ferocious blizzard the past couple of days. I'm hoping we don't lose power. At least it's a white Christmas. It's supposed to continue snowing through the day.

I'm up early cooking, but I stole away long enough to drop by and wish you a merry Christmas. I hope you have a great one!

Oh, and the number one card remains the New Year Prayer for Peace. So don't miss it! And be sure to share it!

I'll return, probably tomorrow, with a new card.

Happy holidays,

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 23-24, 2009
New Christmas and New Years Cards

I uploaded five new holiday cards tonight. I don't know if I'll find an opportunity to update my news on Christmas or not. I'll try, because I know that many of you come here each day for my latest news and cards. If I'm not able to drop by, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas in advance. I appreciate your continuing support more than words could possibly say.

Here are the links for my latest Christmas and New Year Cards:

Like A Star. Send this card to someone who lights your way.

Wrap Me In Your Love. A sensual Christmas card for your love--converted to a fullpage greeting from a popular postcard on BobetteBryan.com.

Mend Your Heart. Leave the pain of yesterday behind with the help of this inspirational Christmas ecard.

A Friend Like You. Celebrate a friend who's always there for you this New years.

Shining New Year. Send someone a special wish for the New Year that will make their heart shine.

P.S. I noticed that the New Year Prayer for Peace is very popular. That's great! I guess we all hope for peace this year! Maybe if enough of us hope and pray, our wish will come true.

Merry Christmas!
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 22, 2009
The Joy You Bring

I spent most of the day cleaning and wrapping presents, and there is still much to do, but I took a break long enough to post a new romantic postcard on BobetteBryan.com today. Here's the link: The Joy You Bring.
If love changed your life for the better, this is the card for you.

I've been working almost exclusively on the full page greetings, but I realize I need to keep producing a lot of new postcard types of greetings too as many people like and send them. And the number of postcards being sent is growing. The number of both types of greetings being sent is growing. So far, I'm not certain which one is the most popular. I need to get a script installed for the fullpage greetings so that they can be sent through bobettebryan.com instead of through a third party. After I do that, I'll have a better idea of which format is the most popular. I keep putting that off, because I hate to break away from creating new cards. LOL!

Well, I better get back to work.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 21, 2009
The Holidays and Poetry

I haven't been able to post much lately. I'm too overwhelmed by the holidays right now, and I still have so much to do. I celebrated Christmas with my husband's family yesterday, and we had a great time. Everyone said that they were shocked at how much better I look. They said I have a glow about me, my color is better, and there's a sparkle in my eyes that was missing. I do feel a lot better. I'm on bioidentical HRT, which I started in September, and it has made a dramatic improvement in my life, gave me my spirit back and makes me feel younger--not to mention much more creative. It's wonderful! And that's why I have to go to Overland Park, Kansas frequently.

My sons joke that in the comics, there's always some negative aspect of any miracle formula. It brings out one's superpowers, but also their dark side. LOL! Well, I'll take my chances. And if I grow wings, another pair of eyes, or start climbing skyscrapers late at night, so be it.

Well, I've not posted a card for today but will make up for it when I get the chance. I did post a silly poem about my Doberman puppy on the poetry page. This one is true. While I'm on the subject, please don't take too seriously any of the poetry I write and think it reflects something personal in my life. Just like I can write about winter in the summer, I can take my mind anywhere it needs to go and write about anything. It doesn't mean that what I've written reflects my own state of mind or something that's happening in my life. Sometimes it does, but more often, it doesn't.

To answer some of the questions I've received regarding my poetry: yes, someone did hurt me, someone I trusted and cared about--not a lover. And no, I don't have a lover. And no, I'm not involved with anyone romantically other than my husband. And though I write erotic things, I do so for couples to help them keep the fire in their relationship. I have traditional values. And I don't believe in sex without love.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 20, 2009
Celebrate

I'm posting today's card early, because my family and I are celebrating Christmas with my husband's parents tonight. I've uploaded another card with Fireworks in celebration of the new year.

Here's the link: Celebrate. This one has a starry background, which I made from a photo of real stars.

The fireworks are too cool to miss! So check it out! There's also a New Year's countdown near the bottom of the card--only 11 days to go!

Jason Milhouse, I'll be out there tonight, in my night clothes, as you requested. I'll wear my fuzzy, snowman jam jams and bunny slippers. So get that camera ready. As for John Waite, there's no need to be jealous. Even if I weren't married, he and I would never work out, because we're both redheads. That would doubtlessly cause an atomic explosion.

To the rest of you who've signed my guestbook recently, thanks for your warm comments.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 19, 2009
Lamp of the World

I'm way behind today, because I had to update Butterflywebgraphics.com, but I added a new inspirational card. Here's the link: Lamp of the World.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 18, 2009
Peace and Joy

I'm late posting today, because I was working on some 3D holiday graphics and got into it. Time seemed to disappear. I need to get my Christmas graphics finished and online as Christmas is only 9 days away. It's hard to believe that Christmas is that close! I got bored at one point when I was rendering today and started surfing the net. I ran into a John Waite Video that I love on YouTube: Missing You. He's so beautiful! I've always thought so! Ages ago, I had the record that song is from.

Anyhow, here's my latest Christmas card: Peace and Joy.

I wanted to create a Christmas card that was sendable to everyone on your list. I don't know how many more Christmas cards I'll make this year. I still have a lot of text written for them, but I want to create other types of cards as well. I've decided to just take it one day at a time and create what I'm inspired to create.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 17, 2009
BobetteBryan.com Doing Great!

I'm frustrated today. It seems that nothing I'm working on is coming out how I want it to. I'm hanging in there though and taking a break to post this message. I've found that if one takes a break and returns to some frustrating task, it often quickly falls into place.

I have good news to share too...great news in fact. BobetteBryan.com finally made it to Alexa.com's ranking system. It climbed from under 11 million to 2.3 million over the last couple of months (going by today's ranking) with 20 page views per user. Yeah! That's a good start, especially since I've not marketed the site yet--other than on this site--as I want to build up my card supply first. But this tells me that I'm moving in the right direction and makes me even more hopeful!

And I'll return to update you all when I put a new card up today.

UPDATE: I created a new Christmas card, which is a fun sexy ecard for your love, and is sure to create some sparks. Click here to see it: Under the Tree.

Now, I better get back to that task.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 16, 2009
New Year Prayer For Peace

I spent part of the day submitting some of my recent poetry to the U.S. Copyright office. I submit it as a "serial" every three months...that way I can register a good chunk of it for the price of a single registration. There were over 100 pages worth and about 140 poems that I'd written in only two months--and of course, that's only part of what I've written. It's a job just keeping track of it all. I've had to develop a system of posting each finished poem in a word document, which I then submit to the copyright office when I get a collection ready.

I added one of these poems to the following inspirational New Year card:

New Year Prayer For Peace.

Please share it with your family and friends in hopes that peace will rule the year ahead.

I really should get off this computer in a bit and spend some time with my husband. He has been busy renovating a front bedroom on the second floor of our Victorian house. Our youngest son moved back in a couple of years ago with the promise that he'd renovate the bedroom. He never fulfilled that promise and has been living in our formal parlor. I want the room back. I'd love to write in there. It's my favorite room in the house--other than my tiny, cozy office. And so my husband has worked endlessly to get a bedroom ready for him by Christmas. I told him that would be the best Christmas gift of all.

I usually write in the dining room nowadays. Here's a photo of it if you'd like to see it. Here's another photo of the dining room.

Here's a photo of the parlor...as it looked before my son moved in and shortly after we'd renovated it. The curtains still aren't up in the tower and we hadn't moved the baby grand piano back into the tower yet.

Here's a photo of the outside of the house.



Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 15, 2009
Top Ten Greetings and Yeats

I've never been a big fan of Yeats. Though I respect his ability as a poet, I've always thought his work was on the dry side. But he wrote one poem that I like and can certainly relate to, and here it is:

To A Poet, Who Would Have Me Praise Certain Bad Poets, Imitators Of His And Mine
W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)
1916

You say, as I have often given tongue
In praise of what another's said or sung,
'Twere politic to do the like by these;
But was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

I also want to announce that I'm going to start putting my full effort into developing BobetteBryan.com. I'll continue to post about my latest cards here, but I need to do some serious work on that site before I start trying to build up traffic and marketing the site. Today, I'm all the more convinced and determined to make Bobettebryan.com the best greeting card site ever. I truly believe that God is with me on this. I do. After all, he chose me for this job, and I believe he's guiding my steps!

I also wanted to share my top Ten Full Page Greetings

Love Sonnet

Love Letter

Lessons of Friendship

To Believe

Forever

Blessings

This Christmas

Christmas Dream

Happy New Year 2010

Christmas Elf

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 14, 2009
The Christmas Elf

I'm late tonight, because I had to go to Overland Park, Kansas today to pick up my prescription. I'd forgotten to fill it when I was there a couple of weeks ago. At least I got to get some Christmas shopping done while I was there. Usually, I finish my shopping in October, but this year, I've waited until the last minute, because I've been so preoccupied by writing poetry and creating cards.

I rushed home and updated Butterflywebgraphics and BobetteBryan.com.

Here is the link to my latest card, which is a Christmas story about a tradition I started when my kids were young. I hope you enjoy it and will begin the Christmas Elf tradition in your family:

The Christmas Elf.

Share this card with your family and friends and start a new holiday tradition!

Happy holidays,
Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 13, 2009
I Asked God Flash Version

Well, I finally uploaded my flash version of I Asked God. So check it out!

Making cards like these has inspired me. I'll have to make more. And I'm sure to get better as I create more of them.

In fact, I was even thinking about creating music for some of them. I have a friend who's a lawyer, a pilot, a musician, and he has numerous other degrees. He also has a recording studio in his house--and he lives just a block away. Of course, I don't know if he'd be interested in such an endeavor. He's very busy. Still, who knows. Maybe I could even sing--I used to be able to sing. If not, maybe we could get some singers. And maybe I'll write inspirational songs for them. Now, my husband thought the whole idea is ludicrous. He hiked a brow when I ran the idea by him, and he rarely does that. My sons also found great amusement in the whole thing. Okay, maybe it's a stretch. But, with me, you just never know. I'll start by trying to write some lyrics, and I'll take it from there.

I'd created a Flash card for PassionUp in 2002 that was very popular. Here's the link if you want to check it out. I Was There.

I'm also in the process of working on some Christmas angels for ButterflyWebGraphics, which I hope to get up on the site tonight or tomorrow. It will depend on how many renders I have to do and how difficult the postwork is.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 12, 2009
Realms of Glory

I'm going to make this short, because I'm fighting a very bad migraine, which I've had all night long. However, I uploaded some new Christmas cards.

Here are the links:

Realms of Glory. Remember the Newborn King.

Your Candlelight. Send someone the light of your love this holiday season.

I also put all of the holiday cards I've made so far on their own page. Christmas and New Years Cards.

Yesterday wasn't very productive. I got frustrated with both my 3D work and in trying to create a card with Flash as it has been so long since I used the program. But I know that growth always follows frustration in such endeavors, and so I'm hanging in there--I did make some progress. Now, if only I could get rid of this headache. I'm going to try to get some sleep.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 11, 2009
I asked God

Well, I was going to upload a card last night, but I fell asleep again. Ha, ha! So the first thing I did this morning was upload my lastest card: I Asked God. Check it out. It's similar to my popular God Said, card on PassionUp.

I actually wanted to create a flash presentation of this card, and I still intend to, but yesterday, after I'd purchased some photos to use for the endeavor, I couldn't download them. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so today. That should be a challenge as I've not worked with that Flash for more than six years. He, he! But I'll figure it out.

Also, I wanted to mention that I know many of you return to this site every day to read my latest news and see my newest creations, and I wanted to thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it!

P.S. I'd said that I'm going to have surgery on the 12th--it has been changed to January 5.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 10, 2009
Christmas is near!

We lost power last night--I had a feeling we would. Hopefully, that will not happen again this winter. At least it didn't last too long as it was -6 last night with strong winds. The storm affected my internet service as well, and today it's sporadic, and my email isn't coming in. I'll wait to update the site with a new card later tonight. Today, I'll work on graphics. I have so many Christmas projects I need to finish up.

It's alarming to me that Christmas is so near...I've not decorated or shopped. I need to get busy. It seems like there is never enough time for all I want to do.

I'll update this message when I have some new cards or other news to share.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 9, 2009
Celebrate Love this Christmas

Celebrate love this Christmas with my latest holiday ecard. Let your beloved know what your fondest Christmas Dream is. This is a conversion from a postcard on BobetteBryan.com. I couldn't get the graphics I'd used in that card to work for a fullpage greeting, so I changed them. I like these better anyway.

I've been very busy today. On ButterflyWebGrahics.com, I uploaded a Victorian Token graphics package. I love the combination of colors I used in the promo page and how great this design project turned out.

I've also worked on material for some great new cards, which I'll be sharing with you soon.

P.S. I noticed that a multi-billion dollar greeting card company was looking around on this and on my card site. Hopefully, they haven't dropped by to steal.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 8, 2009
Spirit of Christmas and Happy New Year

We got our snow storm, and it's still snowing. It's magical! I wish I could share it with all of you who live in a warmer climate. I can't, but I can share these cards to lend the spirit of Christmas. I hope you enjoy them.

Christmas Gift. Send a gift from the heart this christmas.

My Children's Eyes. Every parent can relate to this.

Wherever You Are. Let your love know how much he or she means to you this christmas.

And you're probably wondering why I'm mentioning the New Year already. Well, it's because, I have such a wonderful New Year card that I want to share it with you now so that you won't forget it. I'd put this up a couple of years ago on a whim, and it was very popular. I've updated it for 2010. Here it is:

Happy New Year. Celebrate the new year with fireworks! And don't miss the countdown to 2010!

P.S. Please don't copy and paste HTML from PassionUp into the card send form on bobettebryan.com!

Merry Christmas!
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 7, 2009
Let God's Light In

I'm late posting today, because I've been unable to tear myself away from the new Christmas cards I'm creating. And now I'm in a hurry, because my husband will be coming home from work soon. I have a lot of Christmas cards finished, but I've only uploaded one so far. Here's the link: Let God's Light In. Remember to keep a light on for wandering Christmas angels tonight.

And here's a link to a fullpage Christmas greeting from a conversion of a postcard on BobetteBryan.com: Blessings. A holiday card that you can send to your family and friends.

The performance of Handel's Messiah we went to last night was wonderful. If you get a chance to see it this year, don't miss it!

I'm going to need to break these posts up into more pages, since this page is getting so long. One problem I've encountered since I redesigned this site is that the site has drastically fallen in search engine ranking. I'll need to address that soon by putting up some content specifically for this site. Having so many outbound links to bobettebryan.com can be determinal to being ranked high with Google.

I'd managed to get butterflywebgraphics.com on the first page of Google, often at #1, for specific search terms, so I'll have to use some of those tactics here. I'm by no means a search engine guru though...that would be a profession in itself.

P.S. We have a bad snow storm coming in tonight. We're supposed to get 10 inches of snow. I'm glad I bought some batteries for my camera. Hopefully, I'll get some shots that I can use in my cards. I just hope we don't lose the electric like we did a couple of years ago. We were without power and heat for nearly a week.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 6, 2009
This Christmas

Well I was going to upload some Christmas cards last night, but by the time I transcribed all the text I wrote yesterday, I fell asleep. Ha, ha! Anyway, I got one of them finished. Here's the link: This Christmas. A great card to send to the loved ones and friends who are faraway this holiday season. This one is extra special to me as I created all of the graphics for it as well. I made the Christmas house scene for a package I put on Butterflywebgraphics.com last year. And I think the card is very magical and uplifting. It transcends the spirit of Christmas.

This evening, we're going to a symphony performance of Handel's Messiah, which my son thought would be perfect for me this year, as I'm trying to get my writing career back on track, following some hard times. Handel went through a similar thing and rediscovered his faith in God and in himself through his Hallelujah chorus. I think my son is right. It would be good for me, and it will give me an excuse to wear a beautiful long gown that I purchased recently, which I know my husband will appreciate.

Last year I went to see a peformance of a friend who's an opera singer. I wore a pair of vintage pearls that have these flashy fake diamonds. I sat toward the back of the theatre, but my friend said he could see those jewels shining when he was up on the stage. I won't wear those this year. They're beautiful though. They look like they're worth about a million dollars. They're high-quality, circa 1950s, probably Mariam Haskell.

This year, my son is taking part in the performance. He's a musician, and is currently getting a degree in music. But he has already served as the music director for St. Patrick's Church. I'm very proud of him, glad that he's following his dream. He has made me some music for my cards, which I'll be using soon.

I don't talk much about my family here, because, though in my chosen field, my life must be somewhat public, I don't want to violate their privacy.

Millhouse. I saw the redhead jokes you put in my guestbook. It's all myth, I tell you! Nevertheless, you should heed the one about why there are so few redhead jokes. I'm just glad I'm not a blonde as they're always depicted as dumb. I'd rather be thought of as passionate and quick-tempered any old day. He, he!

Many holiday blessings to you and yours,
Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        December 5, 2009
Christmas cards

Today I'm working on Christmas cards. I've filled a notebook, and now, I'm transcribing my work. I hope to get some new Christmas cards up today. I will update this message when I do. I will probably spend at least another day writing Christmas material, as though I've written a lot, I don't feel that I've satisfied my desire to write Christmas material. Just yesterday I was dreading the task, and now I can't get enough of it.

It's important to me that you readers know that I'm dedicated to this task-- and once I'm dedicated to something there's no stopping me. I do intend to create the best greeting card site ever, but, even though I'm working very hard, it will take me some time to get there.

Bobette Bryan
   

  Announcements
        December 4, 2009
God's Ways

It has been a strange day with so many interruptions that I've gotten little done. And I slept most of the evening from the Buspar my doctor put me on a few days ago for anxiety. The medicine is making me feel so flat and uncreative. I'll give it a few more days, but if this continues, I'll stop taking it.

I did manage, a little bit ago, to revise another of the postcards on bobettebryan.com that I'd written in 2005.

Here's the link: God's Ways. I would have liked to make the card bigger, but I don't have the image I'd originally used in a larger size. One of the challenges of reformatting or revising cards I created in 2005 or 2006 is finding the graphics I used for them. That can't always be done. Sometimes, I have to replace them. It's also challenging to try to create a fullpage greeting from the postcards and vice versa.

Here's another, inspirational ecard that I've revised: His Plan.

Mr. Millhouse, hie thee away. Let a pox be thy blessing!
      Announcements
        December 3, 2009
My Lady Fair

I've uploaded a new card with a Medieval theme: My Lady Fair. Send it to your lady fair so that she'll relinquish her heart. It has a haunting Medieval song that I licensed from Bjorn Lynne.

I wrote this poem last night. The image of a Medieval couple is actually a couple's wedding photo. Lovely, huh? It looks like a painting from the Romantic Era. I wasn't sure about using the floating hearts. I think they distract from the message of the card, so I may remove them.

Also, as a writer, I believe in freedom of speech, and you're always welcome to post your thoughts in my guestbook, but for those of you who post lewd sexual messages, know that I reserve the right not to display them and if I do, I may edit them to make them appropriate for viewing. And I do not care to see your nude photos. Please do not post or email them to me. You would make a more positive impression on me if you have something interesting to say or share.

And, as I know some writers check in here, here's some advice on writing poetry...don't use words you don't understand or that aren't conceptually right for a poem. I saw a poem today that had improperly used the Middle English word, "troth," which means betrothal, a mutual promise to marry, a vow, or the act of being pledged, generally between two parties. More rarely, it's used to mean "truth." But in this instance, it was used in the context of a modern poem in reference to the earth, and it didn't make sense. The writer could not have known the meaning of the word.

The self-same writer infuses her work with the word "darling," such as: "I love you, darling." I recommend that you avoid using this word in your poems. People haven't commonly used that word since the 1950s-60s. It's outdated. It's not in fashion. You're probably thinking, 'but you use Middle English in your poems.' I do when I'm writing a poem in a classical English style, such as a sonnet and there, it's appropriate. And I do occasionally when I'm trying to convey a sense of classical romance or times past. But it's doubtful that I'd write "thine" in a modern poem unless I had a good reason to do so.

And I won't use "darling," and if you should ever see said word in my poem, whack me over the head if necessary to wake me up. Write to me and ask me what the hell I was thinking and tell me to remove it at once.

I doubt that you'll even find that word in a Hallmark romance card. Ha, ha!

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 2, 2009
I Still Love You

I'm back after my appointment with my doctor in Kansas. I'm glad the long drive is over. The news was good, but I'll have to have minor surgery on December 12. I'll come home the same day if all goes well, and, knowing me, I'll probably update the site with new cards.

I've uploaded two new cards this evening: I Still Love You. Are you and your love going through a rough time? If so, this is the card for you. Let your love know you're willing to fight for your relationship.

And I've converted another Christmas Card from bobettebryan.com to a full page greeting. Don't miss, The First Christmas and remember that wonderous night long ago.

BTW, my son has a huge monitor, at least 42 inches wide, and last night, I looked at the cards on it and they were awesome! The colors alone blew me away. They all displayed beautifully too. Seeing my cards like that inspired me.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        December 1, 2009
Christmas Always

I'm late in posting today, but I put up a Christmas card, and I know I need to work on some more. It has been hard for me to break away from other poetry I've been working on. It has been difficult for me that my husband has been home for two weeks and wants me to spend every waking moment with him. And on top of it all, that storm I've hinted at is still brewing in my heart and picking up momentum. Soon, it's sure to be a tempest.

Anyway, here's the new Christmas Card Christmas Always. Help spread the spirit of Christmas this holiday season. Let your song be that of a Christmas angel and share the joy.

There's a customizable postcard version on bobettebryan.com. Click here to see it.

Tomorrow, I may post late or not at all, as I have a doctor's appointment in Overland Park, Kansas. It's a long, long drive, and I hate it because I can't write on the road, but the trip is well worth it. And I will try to drop back by and upload another card.

Eric, thank you for your comments in my guestbook. I'm glad that you can "hear" the rhythm in that poem as lyrical poetry is my greatest passion, and the area where I'm most wanting to grow...along with traditional sonnet writing.

The poem Eric is referring to is Nature's Kiss, one I will definitely format as a full page greeting soon.

BTW, if you click on the "Click here for more options," link above the card, you can view some of my poems and add them to your card. I will be adding more poems to this section. You can even add one of these poems to a blank card.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 30, 2009
Lucky Earrings

I'm trying to get a new card up and will update this post when I do. I've had enough of the piles of notebooks I'm amassing. I can't find anything. So I took some time last night to go through one of them, and this morning, I began transcribing the poems. There were a lot of good ones in that notebook.

Update: I've uploaded a new romance card: I Admit It. Send this card to let someone know you care.

I've added a couple of poems to the poetry page.

I've been doing all of this amid a mad search for an earring.

A friend had given me a pair of sparkly aurora borealis earrings. I wore them to court during a pre-trial hearing in the summer when I was handling a case Pro Se. And, from the way the judge chewed the other side out and was obviously leaning heavily on my side, I knew those earrings had to be lucky. So I decided to keep them on until the case was over. And I've done so, and the case is over, and I won, but I couldn't bring myself to remove my lucky earrings, because they are too beautiful to part with.

This morning, I noticed that one of the earrings was missing. Thus, I began to hunt all over the house, retracing my steps, searching the sheets, the blankets, the floor, the area around my desk, the kitchen....everywhere I'd been. No luck. I finally gave up. I figured that earring was long gone and had likely gone down the bathtub drain.

A few hours later, my husband told me that Percy, our 8-month old Doberman puppy, had something shiny in his mouth. This dog, who has ripped apart just about everything with stuffing in the house, eats plaster, and shreds every kind of paper or other object he comes across, always has something in his mouth, so the news wasn't surprising.

I got up to pry the mystery object from his teeth, and, lo and behold, it was my missing earring. Ha, ha! It was none the worse for wear either. I still can't believe it. Those earrings are lucky indeed.

Now both earrings are back where they belong, on my ears.

      Announcements
        November 29, 2009
Quiet Little Corner

I've reuploaded a card from 2006 that I removed from the site until I could reformat it, don't miss: Quiet Little Corner. Send this card to a friend who is beset by worries and woe.

Also, I'd like to thank Chi for leaving some feedback in my guestbook:

It means a lot that she took the time to go through the cards and offer her suggestions. They are very helpful and insightful.

I agree that some of the postcard images are blurry with text that's too small to read. And I've been intending to replace or repair them. And though there are many I need to fix, this morning I fixed the ones Chi specifically mentioned. Here are the links to the new versions:

Chat With You

Dream of You

Now and Forever

Means So Much

Pray For You

Rays of Hope

Too Short

Without You

Distant Friend

It's important to note that I created all of these in 2006 and was worried about bandwidth--I'm still worried about that, but I do want my cards to look great and, most of all, be readable.

As to the length of the text, I feel that I'm the best judge of how long the piece I'm writing needs to be. My most popular work has been my longer cards, not only on BobetteBryan.com, but also on PassionUp. And the ones that Chi mentioned in fact, are among the most popular. I do see the need for shorter and quick to the point cards though such as "Too Short" and "Chat With You." And I do intend to create more cards like that so I'm glad she brought that to my attention.

I also agree about the full page greetings. I also like them much better than the postcards and will continue to create them. And I intend to eventually make the postcards secondary to them. Many people do like the postcard form too though as they like the customization features.

As we create a program to make the full page greetings, I hope to be able to add some customization features, including the selection of music.

Well, I'm in a rush. My husband is up and he wants to go out. He's waiting on me.

P.S. My old childhood sweetheart came by yesterday. He's a painter. He drops by every now and then. He's checking up on me. His first question is always the same: "Are you writing?"

To my son's utter amusement, I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom to brush my hair and put on some makeup. Ha, ha! I guess there still is a romantic young girl in me afterall, which my son finds hilarious. I find it amusing that my husband is jealous of my old sweetheart.

      Announcements
        November 28, 2009
With A Kiss

I've added another touching love letter to the site. If you're missing a distant love, then don't miss: With A Kiss. It has an unforgettable request. This was another of my Thanksgiving Day writings.

I do intend to make a postcard version of this card...and many of the others I've created recently.

Millhouse, please take your rutting lust elsewhere. What is it with all of these young guys, nowadays? I never thought that at 44-years old, there would be so many young guys interested in me--and it's not just online either. Plus, they seem to be getting more daring.

In 2007, my husband and I went to Arbys for lunch, and I noticed that the young man behind the counter, who couldn't have been older than 24, kept staring at me. I went back up after we ate to place a carry out order for my son, and the man behind the counter sang, James Blunt's, "You're Beautiful," to me. The complete song. It was flattering, but at the same time very embarrassing. Every eye in the restaurant was on me. I was shocked. It took some nerve doing that, especially since I was with my husband--though he remained back at the table. Afterward, the manager was mad to say the least. She literally screamed at him. I suspect he got fired--though I'll probably never know.

My husband and I remained speechless during the drive home, both of us stunned. I've been embarrassed to go back to Arbys ever since, afraid he'll be there. But we did go a couple of weeks ago and, thankfully, he wasn't there.

If you don't know what song I'm referring to, here's a link to a video I found on MySpace. I'd never heard this song until that day. I had to come home and look it up online to see who'd written it. It's a beautiful song, and I admit, I'll never forget the incident.

Bobette Bryan.

      Announcements
        November 27, 2009 Continued
Dark is Death

I added another sonnet to the poetry page. This is one of the sonnets that I mentioned writing on Thanksgiving. I reworked it this morning, while rendering some Christmas images. I would have much preferred to have: "Ah, dark is death; little may he care," for the 13th line, but there must be 10 syllables in each line of a sonnet (there are other rules too). So nix that idea. Thus, one of the limitations of writing such types of poetry.

Obviously, such a dark poem is not greeting card material. And you readers must think that I had a very dark Thanksgiving with my poems about death and murder. Ha, ha! But it's not true. I wrote about love too. And I'm working on another sonnet that I wrote on Thanksgiving, that I will not rush, called, "Beauty's Rose," which will make a lovely card.

Adieu,
Bobette Bryan.
      Announcements
        November 27, 2009
Thank You, God

Well, I'm back following my brief Thanksgiving day off. If it could really be called a day off. I made a wonderful meal. I was up cooking at 3 AM and didn't get to sleep until around 7 last night. I was exhausted. I tried to write some sonnets off and on through the day, but was too tired to write with that complexity. I wrote a few lines though, which, hopefully, I'll be able to work into something wonderful. And I wrote a free verse poem, Holiday Shopping List, which I put on my poetry page...please don't take this poem seriously. It represents no intent or wishful thinking. It's just for laughs, and came to me in a moment of inspiration when my husband handed me a grocery list he found on the buffet--a time when my thoughts were full of holiday stress.

I also put up a new inspirational card this morning. This one is true. Thank You, God, and I'll be working on some more cards today.

I discovered that there's a problem displaying the index page on this site in Firefox, so I'm going to have to tackle that too. Did I ever mention how much I hate CSS? He, he!

I had something extra to be thankful for yesterday. I take care of some stray cats outside--I have many indoors cats too, including my beloved Romeo, who often sleeps on my back and follows me everywhere like a dog. I'll have to post a picture of him soon. But there's a big black and white stray tom cat that I feed and care for whom I've dubbed "Petruchio," yes also after Shakespeare, of course.

Petruchio had been missing for several days, and I was worried that something had happened to him. Yesterday when I went out to feed the strays, he rushed to me, rubbing against my legs and happy to see me. And I was so happy to know that he's alive and well. I thank God for that as well.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 25, 2009
Goodnight

I got a lot done today--though I haven't gotten much sleep. That's typical for me. I put up a great new dreamy card that's sure to inspire sweet dreams. Here's the link: Goodnight. Send it to your friends to remind them to keep dreaming, awake or asleep.

I also updated butterflywebgraphics with some beautiful season fairies. Here's the link: Four Season Fairy Tubes.

Last night, I emailed BobetteBryan.com Members a newsletter. But it only went out to 48 people. I have no idea why. So I'm posting a link to it here for those who missed it. Basically, it's just a recap of my recent popular cards and a wish for a happy Thanksgiving: Newsletter November 24, 2009.

I may not post a new card tomorrow. I may take the day off, since I will be busy cooking a huge meal and will have my hands full--but you never know. I may find a way to sneak off to my computer.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 24, 2009
With God

I wrote and created this inspirational ecard this morning. The card is so lovely that I wanted to get it up to you as soon as possible: With God. Send it to your family and friends to remind them to walk with God today. The music file is large, and it may take a moment to download.

Sorry I was so quiet yesterday. I'm still burning the candle at both ends. I need to get some rest. I need to spend some time with my husband.

The other night, he said something very touching to me, which surprised me. He was looking at me intensely when I was playing with the dogs and said, out of the blue, that I suddenly reminded him of the young girl I was long ago when he married me-- the gleam and bounce of my hair, the graceful way I moved, and smiled. Hmmmmmm. I was speechless for once. Romantic, huh? Maybe I can get a poem out of that somehow. He usually doesn't express himself that way with words--though I can say with 100% honesty that he always shows his love and dedication.

We've been together nearly 29 years, and my husband remains completely obsessed in every way with me. He's always touching me. He never gets enough of me. He waits on me hand and foot, almost like a servant at times. Sometimes it seems like he worships me. I don't think he really sees a fault in me. If he does, he doesn't show it.

Someone suggested once that my husband was cheating. That's funny! I'm the only woman in the world to him. I have no doubt about that. If there's nothing else I'm sure of in this life, I'm sure of that!

I, on the other hand, though completely dedicated to the relationship, home, and family, am distracted with my work and feel a bit suffocated at times and find myself pulling away from him. I need my space to write and create and there is a bit of a loner in me.

I think he's a much better husband than I am a wife. He has to drag me back at times--sometimes kicking and screaming. And he has to put up with all of my craziness--we artistic types are nuts, not to mention temperamental. The poor man.

People write to me from time to time and tell me my husband is lucky to have me. No, I'm lucky to have him.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 23, 2009
Keeping the Faith

Are you keeping the faith? Find out with the help of this inspirational ecard Keep the Faith, and send it to your family and friends to remind them to keep the faith.

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 22, 2009
Mother

I've been burning the candle at both ends. Last night, I laid down for a short nap, but I slept the whole night. I needed it. I went to bed with wet hair, however, and awoke looking like I'd washed up from the sea. Getting a brush through these matted strands has been sheer hell. My hair is very long, reaching to my rear. I would say that it's a good 26 inches long, and it only takes two years for it to reach this length. And struggling with it, as I often do, reminds me of why not too many people grow their hair this long nowadays. I've been tempted to cut it, but always talk myself out of it, mainly because my husand wants it long.

While fighting my errant locks today, I did stop long enough to get a new card up--one that I think is very important for you to share.

Don't miss Mother. Let your mother know that she's the flower of your life. Your mother really needs to hear this from you. And this card is so beautiful with pink roses that she'll love and a touching melody that will give her soul a lift.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 21, 2009 Continued
Simple Love Test

I'm back as promised...and with a new card.

Are you in love or is it mere infatuation? Find out with this short quiz: Simple Love Test.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 21, 2009
Animated Turkey

I'm behind this morning. I've not put a new card up yet today, but I changed the graphic in a Dieter's Thanksgiving Wish for an animated dancing turkey that I created this morning. I'm also getting a graphics package ready for ButterflyWebGraphics.com, and it will contain this animated turkey. I don't often animate things. I don't like to create them. And so this is an exception to the rule.

I'm also working on some fairies that I hope to put up on butterflywebgraphics within a couple of days.

I will update this page when I create a new card.
      Announcements
        November 20, 2009
New Thanksgiving Cards

With Thanksgiving only a few days away in the USA, I needed to put some more Thanksgiving cards up (I need to start thawing that huge bird in the refrigerator too.).

So here they are:

Thank You, God
Give thanks for the hands you hold. This blessing would be great for the Thanksgiving table.

Dieter's Thanksgiving Wish
If someone you know is on a diet this Thanksgiving, then this humorous card is the perfect choice.

Thankful For You
A heartfelt Thanksgiving thanks for a close friend.

So Many Gifts
An inspirational Thanksgiving ecard. Send your family and friends many blessings this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Candle of Love
Keep the candle burning bright! Share the love with your family and friends with this hearfelt Thanksgiving card.

I also put a sonnet, "Spirits of Borrowed Fame," on the poetry page, which I wrote this morning. Sorry, that it's not a romantic poem, but there are many more to come. I'm still going through a dry spell and can't wait until that expected creative surge comes in a few days. Hopefully, it won't be on Thanksgiving when my hands are full of pots, pans, and pies...and dirty dishes...instead of a pen and paper.

Many Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours,

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 19, 2009
A Cardinal Loved Me

I put the cardinal poem up I'd mentioned yesterday. I did so reluctantly as I feel that I've not perfected it yet. It's more of an inspirational story than a typical poem. And in case you're wondering, yes, this is a true story: A Cardinal Loved Me.

I hope you like it.

Last night I learned that I'd missed a movie released in September about the poet John Keats, called Bright Star. No! How could I have possibly missed that? Now, I'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD, which, hopefully, will be soon.

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 18, 2009
Little Robin

Do you want someone to know you're missing them? If so, have a robin carry your message afar with the help of this cute romance egreeting: Little Robin.

My notebooks have piled high during the past few weeks. I've written so much new material that I haven't transcribed it all yet--and that's sometimes hard for me to do, because I don't want to stop to transcribe my work but keep producing more. But for the past few days, as I've sat at my computer, I've felt creatively "dry," and nothing good was coming. I couldn't understand why. I'm at the low ebb of my creative cycle right now, and in a few days, it will be at its height again, but still...something usually comes even during this phase. And yet the words would not flow with color, depth, or feeling. Frustrated, I went downstairs with my notebook this morning, and wrote at the table, and, to my surprise, I wrote 24 poems in 4 hours--not sonnets; I can't write them that fast. And I realized something of great importance. The reason for the dry spell is because I've been on my computer too much lately. Sitting here, hour on end, trying to design cards, coming up with graphics and music sucked the creative juice out of me. So I'm going to have to consign myself to time away from my computer on a regular basis from here on.

And in case you're wondering...no, not all of the poems I write prove to be useable. Some of them are too personal for me to publish--and those ones usually come first when I sit down to write. And others just aren't greeting card material. Others still, fall flat, falter midway through or don't have that special "magic" I'm looking for and those will likely never see the light of day. And then there are some that have great potential but need more work. So it's not as if I'm pounding out 24 publishable poems that quickly.

I did write one I liked a lot this morning, about a special cardinal in my life, and I will likely publish that on the poetry page soon.

P.S. The angel signs I'd mentioned in a previous message are continuing. Every where I go, I run into angels...angel songs, angel books, angel movies, discussions of angels, angels on TV. Everything is angels. Something is trying to tell me something. This happened before I signed a contract with PassionUp back in 2000--PassionUp is located out of Hawaii. Every where I went, I ran into something "Hawaiian." I couldn't escape it. You could have blindfolded me and stuck me in a library, and I would have selected a book on Hawaii. Very strange, indeed. I'm only certain of one thing, it's not coincidence. If I figure out what the message is, I'll let you know.

Wishing you many blessings,
Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 17, 2009
Thank You, God

Thank God for His many blessings this Thanksgiving, and remember the special people in your life with my latest ecard: Thank You, God. This would make a great blessing to read at the Thanksgiving table as well. I used the song I used in my previous friendship card, because I like it, and because it has a cheerful, uplifting quality that I thought goes well with the concept of this card.

Yesterday, we got our first snow. I had been working all night and was shocked when I looked outside the window to see a winter wonderland with a plethora of thick, fluffy snowflakes falling all around. It was magical. I stepped outside to get a closer look and felt like I was inside a snowglobe. I decided I'd try to get some shots of it when I got up, but as I slept, the rain came and washed all the snow away...maybe next time.

Many blessings to you and yours,

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 16, 2009
We Are Friends

Today I put up a sweet friendship card, using some graphics from ButterflyWebGraphics.com. Here's the link: We Are Friends. Perhaps I'll send this one to my best friend...I've been so much into creating these cards and my other artistic endeavors that I've not been much of a friend to her lately.

I also added a new poem to the poetry section. Please don't ask!

I've received some letters asking me if certain graphics from PassionUp.com or BobetteBryan.com are available on butterflywebgraphics.com. There are no graphics from PassionUp there. So far, I've used only a few graphics from ButterflyWebGraphics in my cards. This is because, I would rather use photos to add more realism to the message in the card--though likely I will use graphics from butterflywebgraphics occasionally. I also do not want to distribute my graphics too widely.

I get a lot of letters, asking me all kinds of questions, so I will likely put a FAQ or "Dear Bobette" section on this site soon. If you have a question, please feel free to write to me at novelist@ponyexpress.net or put your question in my guest book. The link is at the bottom of the page.

Many blessings to you and yours,

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 15, 2009
Love Sonnet

I wrote a love sonnet and created another classic style card with a Rossetti painting and added a beautiful rendition of Pachelbel's Canon. Here's the link: Love Sonnet. I'm going to write sonnets regularly as I believe it will help me grow as a poet, and that's my main goal right now.

I'd mentioned the awesome song, "Kiss of a Rose" by Seal that's in my card, Fairest One. I've found a MP3 download of the original version of the song, which you can listen to free here. Seal remade the song recently, and it's lovely, but I prefer the original.

Well, I'm off to tackle another sonnet.

Thanks for dropping by today,

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 14, 2009 Continued
Escape to Paradise

It's a hectic day, but I managed to get another new card up, and it's so beautiful that I wanted to share it with you ASAP so that you can escape to a tropical paradise--if only for a little while.

Share the beauty of this romantic tropical paradise ecard with your love: Paradise. The color and beauty of this card alone will knock your love's socks off.

And if you're wondering, "Allegria" or "Alegria" means happiness in Spanish and French--perhaps in some other Latin based languages as well. Oh, a new word! How I love words!

Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 14, 2009
Craving You

I've been up all night working on some great new cards. I've uploaded my latest, Craving You, which is a red hot--scalding--and sexy ecard. Send this one if you want to heat things up in your relationship.

For those of you who are members to my graphics site, I put up my winter/Christmas page with previous holiday downloads: ButterflyWebGraphics Holiday and Winter Graphics. I got a few emails today asking where the Christmas stuff is. I'm working on some, but I'm not quite done with autumn yet! And I added some Harvest Fairy Tubes.

P.S. Thank you for the message you put in my guestbook, Eric! It was very meaningful to me. I do remember that often, especially when I have a difficult battle to fight. As I hope you do too!

Now, I need to get some sleep. So until next time, many blessings to you,

Bobette Bryan

  Announcements
        November 13, 2009
Good Morning!

Send a beautiful wish for a good morning with this lovely ecard: Rays of Hope.

And treasure a secret romance with this card: Did You Know?

I wrote the text for both of these cards in 2005-2006, and had previously posted them on bobettebryan.com as postcards, but I wanted to convert them into fullpage greetings. There are several others too, which I will slowly convert.

I wrote a traditional romantic sonnet yesterday too, since I liked the "Fairest One" card I featured, but, though I was tempted, I'm not ready to cut that poem loose yet.

And in case you haven't noticed, I've put up a second index page of full page ecard listings.
      Announcements
        November 12, 2009
Fairest One

Some people asked me to create a card using my, "Fariest One," poem, which is in the poetry section. And so I have, and since I wrote it in a classical poetic style, I've paired it with a gorgeous painting by Daniel Rossetti (1828-1882) and the song, "Kiss of a Rose," which has a Renaissance touch. Taken together, the card has the feel of classic romance and beauty, and is sure to move your love's heart. Here's the link: Fairest One

If nudity offends you, don't look at this card, but know that it's not vulgar nudity but great artwork. The woman in the painting is Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal. Rossetti was obsessed with her and used her in almost all of his early work.

I hope you like it!

Bobette Bryan
      Announcements
        November 11, 2009 Continued
Site May Be Down

I've been having server problems (probably the beginning of that "melting" I mentioned in another post) and my web host wants to move this site, bobettebryan.com, and butterflywebgraphics.com to another computer. They're waiting for me to give the word. So, if you drop by and the site is down, that's why. Know that it will only be temporary. Sorry that I can't give you a more definite date and time. This will likely be the first in a succession of moves as the site grows.

Now, the good news. I think there's an angel or some other type of good spirit with me, encouraging me in this endeavor. I was sitting in my office writing a few days ago and out of the blue, the most wonderful scent enveloped me. It defies description but it was like fresh air, rain, clean hair, fresh baked cookies, roses, springtime and something else that I can't define. It was a sweet scent. I couldn't get enough of it. And that scent remained in my office the whole day. I've never experienced something like that before.

And then there was a song that was special to me years ago that increased my faith and inspired me to follow my dream. It was "Through Your Hands," by Don Henley and was from the Michael movie, 1996. Here are some key parts of the lyrics:

So whatever your hands find to do
You must do with all your heart
There are thoughts enough
To blow men's minds
And tear great worlds apart
There's a healing touch to find you
On that broad highway somewhere
To lift you high
As music flyin'
Through the angel's hair
Don't ask what you are not doing
Because your voice cannot command
In time you will move mountains
And it will come through your hands...

My husband and I went out to dinner tonight in one of our favorite restaurants and that song suddenly started playing. I hadn't heard that song in many years. That restaurant never plays oldies like that. I recognized it as a definite sign, a message that I'm on the right track. God works in mysterious ways, and we can hear what he's trying to tell us if we listen, and he truly does try to guide us all the time. And hey, it's always good to have God on your side!

I hunted around and found a MP3 of that song online. Here's the link if you want to listen to it. It's such a beautiful song!

As for new cards, I'm working on that and will post some links once I get them up.

      Announcements
        November 11, 2009
I Wish You Were Mine

I have a zillion things I want and need to do, but it's hard for me to get anything done when my husband is home, (and he has a two week vacation coming up!) but I managed to get three new cards up today.

Here are my latest cards:

Do you secretly love someone? If so maybe it's time to let your beloved know: I Wish You Were Mine.

And if you treasure someone's friendship, check out this beautiful card, designed with bold pink roses, and let a friend how much he or she touches your life: Most Perfect Gift.

I've also converted a very popular teddy bear birthday card into a full page greeting: Happy Birthday.

The new greeting card site is doing well so far. I was surprised to see today that the card sends had tripled yesterday. Yeah!

Here are some of the most popular cards:

Most Poplular Full Page cards
To Believe
Forever
Love Letter
Rose Upon My Pillow
Lessons of Friendship

Most Popular Postcard Type Cards
Without You
Waiting For You
For Loving Me
Bond Between Us
Nature's Kiss
To Believe
Love Letter
I Remember
Extraordinary Woman

And, I can't forget the postcard version of birthday bear: Happy Birthday!

One advantage of having the greeting card site is that it's already bringing more business to my clipart site. Butterflywebgraphics does well anyway for a niche market and seems to be growing each year. It's hanging in there despite the sagging economy, and thankfully so, as it will fund the greeting card site. I'm proud of what I've accomplished there, and I appreciate all of my long time members who continue to support my creative efforts.

Until Tomorrow,
Bobette Bryan

      Announcements
        November 10, 2009
New Love

Is everyone telling you that your love will never last? If so, check out this stunning romantic card and reassure your love that your relationship is meant to last a lifetime: New Love.

I also added a short poem to the poetry section: Nothing Stays.

I wrote some other good poems tonight too that I'm anxious to share with you. So don't forget to drop back in. I guess I'm in a romantic state of mind right now, and I have to go with the flow. But don't worry, I'll continue to write inspirational and other material. I'm a prolific writer, and I have a lot written, but it takes a lot of time to find the right images, design the card pages, find the right music, and get it up on the site, etc. Sometimes I wonder how in the world I created twelve plus cards a week for PassionUp for all of those years. On top of all of that, I did numerous other types of work for the company. I must have been Superwoman.

The funny thing is that I still work on the same old computer I used then. It's 8-years old. I do so, because it's comfortable and contains the numerous files, plug-ins etc. that I need. It would be a pain to move it all. I have a new computer with a quad processor, which I use only for my 3D renders, but I don't let that computer go online. I hold it in reverence and don't want it contaminated by spyware, viruses and whatever else I might pick up on the net.

So while my 3D images are rendering on that computer, I'm on this one writing and designing my cards. It works out well.

   Announcements
        November 9, 2009
Be There

Are you too busy to spend much time with someone you love? I know I have been lately. If you're in the same boat, send this card to let someone know you care. Express how thankful you are to have this special person in your life: Be There.

And if you know someone great who has moved and inspired others, give your thanks with this card: Being Great.

I've also posted some new poetry on my poetry page.

I hope you like it.

Well, I think it's time for me to put up the pen for the night and get some sleep. Recently, I decided that I was going to get in bed and write. I got my pen and paper and was ready to get to work, but I was so exhausted that I feel asleep right away. I awoke 8 hours later with my pen in my hand. Ha, ha!

P.S. Mr. Milhouse, if I were harboring a secret love, I certainly wouldn't announce it here. As for the video--pure myth. I'm actually familiar with the song from the movie, Romance and Cigarettes, a very odd film, but I liked it. I found a clip of it on Youtube.
      Announcements
        November 8, 2009
All of My Heart

Give someone All of your Heart with my latest romance card.

I know, this ecard looks like a Valentine's Day card, but it's Valentine's Day every day when you're in love. And I wanted a traditional classic look to go with the classic tone of this vow of love. I created these graphics last year for a Valentine's Day scrapbook kit for butterflywebgraphics.com originally and even now the colors floor me. It doesn't hurt that red is my favorite color anyway.

Okay, I felt the design on the above card didn't fit my vision when I wrote the text, so I've added another version, here it is: All of Your Heart Version 2. We'll see which one is the most popular. The graphics from this one are also from that Valentine's graphic package.

As for comments about making or breaking someone. I don't want to break anyone with my greeting card site, readers. I just want to do the job that I feel God created me to do and express my heart and soul in my own unique artistic way and share it with you. This is my calling. Make no mistake that I have very fond feelings for PassionUp and am thankful for Kevin Lung, the owner.

Until next time, many blessings to you and yours.
      Announcements
        November 6, 2009
I Write For You

I've put up a beautiful new card with a poem I wrote this morning: I Write For You, which is a very personal and meaningful card to me--and hopefully, it will hold a lot of meaning for you.

And this evening, I put this card up: If I were an Angel. Send it to your love to express the depth of your heart and your dedication.

I hope you like them! Now, I'm off to create more.

And I fixed the Mozilla/Firefox table border problem on bobettebryan.com. Yeah! I was afraid that one would be a tough one to crack, but it was much easier than I expected. I just needed to add some Css code. Long ago, when I worked for PassionUp, I remember well what a pain it was to get the pages to display properly in IE and Netscape. When Netscape died, I was glad....I thought its death would make my life much easier. But now it's back under a new name, and, suprisingly, I've learned that a majority of web users are now using it. I will stick to IE as I'm comfortable with it, and I never was a fan of Netscape, but I do have it installed now and will make sure the pages display properly in both browsers.

As for browser size, only 3% are now using the 800 X 600 display setting. A majority of web surfers are using the 1024 X 768 setting.

   Announcements
        November 5, 2009 continued
Lessons of Friendship....Full Page Version

I've finally gotten a full page version of my very popular, "Lessons of Friendship" ecard up. Check it out and share it: Lessons of Friendship. Yes, it's a little different from the postcard version. That's because I wanted to get the postcard version up as quickly as possible to share with my readers. Today, I spent a lot of time making the perfect background for the card. People love my backgrounds and ask me how I do it. Years and years of experience and a lot of hair pulling...that's how. The rest remains a trade secret. I will be changing the postcard version to match this one.

I've also added, Waiting For You, which anyone who is nursing a broken heart can relate to. The background tile alone on this one is shockingly beautiful! Check it out! I hope you enjoy the new cards!

  Announcements
        November 5, 2009
Link to This Site

It seems like everything is happening so fast. I meant to work on the new greeting card site, bobettebryan.com, slowly, tweak it to death, before I relaunched and began marketing it, but the site seems to want to take off on its own, and so I'll not stop the flow. I truly feel like God is behind me on this one and is assisting me. I mentioned my awakening. I'm not too blind to see that he had a hand in that.

A few days ago, I came upon a forum where people were talking about me. They were saying that I write beautiful things and were wondering if I'm still around. That floored me. It tells me that, wow, I really must have disappeared for a while. I wasn't really gone just deep into 3D related things. I think time exists along a different continuum for me sometimes. I didn't realize I'd been away for so long. I get caught up and lost in things at times and time vanishes into some invisible whirlwind. I can't stop it; try as I might, it pulls me in. And I can only be thwarted back into the present by some major force. Perhaps this is how it is for a ghost. Maybe I became a ghost of myself. If so, I now haunt my old ground again, and to me it seems like I've never been away.

You can help this restless spirit. Help me call my readers back and let them know I'm still here and writing again. Spread the word and link to this site. It would be much appreciated.

And for those of you who are members of my clipart site, have no fear that you will lose me to these endeavors as I still love 3D and will continue to do it. My plan is to work on my 3D creations in the morning, and then I can write and design my cards during the many hours that the 3D images are rendering. In fact, I just acquired some new models...little goth girls...one of my favorite things to render, and I think this morning, I'll go play with my dolls.

Here's the card I created today: Call Me Home, which is about a lost love. It would also make a great Miss You card.

Wishing you a great day!

  Announcements
        November 4, 2009
New Design

Well, you can see what I've been doing all night. I wanted to give the site a quick face-lift and make it more user friendly, while retaining its previous integrity. Instead of merely burying the new card links in this section, I'll post links to them on the front page so that you won't miss them. I will continue to try to update this section each day as well with my latest news and cards.

I also have a "poetry" section listed in the links. I wanted a place where I could post some of my writing that isn't greeting card material. Hopefully, in the midst of all of these projects, I'll get around to contributing something to it on a regular basis. I've posted my poem, "Flapper Beads," but don't read it if you're opposed to erotic material.

I hope you like the new look of the site! Doubtlessly, it will need some tweaking, but I'm too tired. I'm finally heading to bed. I've been up over 24 hours. Mr. Millhouse, I will look at that video you posted on your site later.
  Announcements
        November 3, 2009
A Love Letter For You

I converted some more greetings into full page greetings. Looking at the stats, they have been very popular so I'm anxious to create some more.

Here are my two latest greeting cards:

Win someone's heart with the help of this beautiful Love Letter greeting.

Express your appreciation for the love of your life on your anniversary with a heartfelt thanks and glorious yellow roses with this anniversary ecard: Happy Anniversary.

Urge your family and friends to remember God today with this card: To Know Your Love.

There's also a customizable version available here: To Know Your Love.
      Announcements
        November 2, 2009 Continued
Victory

Yeah! Victory! My lawyer and I settled a case against a notoriously wicked third party debt collector who brought a suit against me after winning an arbitration award from the National Arbitration Forum.

The case drug on for 9 months. There were over 300 pages of court documents in this case, most of which I wrote. My poor lawyer is ever having to tackle huge mountains of paper that I create. I'm always throwing way too many words at him and forcing him to read endless volumes and legal snippets.

For this case, I thoroughly researched binding mandatory arbitration (and various other aspects of law). I know more about binding mandatory arbitration than anyone should know--and more than I ever wanted to know. What a scam! I'm so glad that it's over now. A dark cloud has lifted.

Everyone at the court house remarked on what a great job I did. My lawyer said he thinks I have legal "talent." Some people couldn't believe that I had no legal training. For a while, I entertained the notion of going to law school. I've changed my mind. Law was fun to dabble in, but I'm undeniably a poet. I think my fascination with law was the beauty of the words as it has a language of its own. And then, there's a deep need in me to never let anyone take advantage of me again.

But honesty, I think this case brought about my awakening...as it reminded me what I'm capable of doing when I set my mind to something. Somehow, in the face of great loss, I'd forgotten that.

It just goes to show that even a lawsuit can be a blessing in disguise.

Here's my latest full page greeting conversion designed in a confection of dreamy pink and the softest earthy green and wrapped up in a beautiful declaration of love: To Believe. Why wait for happiness? Express your heart today with this breathtaking card.

   Announcements
        November 2, 2009
First New Full Page Greeting

Yipeee! You readers asked for it, and I've done it. I published my first "new" full page greeting on bobettebryan.com, based on my poem "Forever." I love how the card came out!

I'm going to make full page greetings from all of the favorite cards/poems that I'll create for Bobette Bryan.com so that readers will have a choice about which form to share. It will also serve as a good market test to see which form of card is the most successful so I'll know where my greatest effort should lie and where the greatest focus should be in designing the new card software for the site.

I've decided not to put crude humor cards on the site, with the exception of light humorous verse, and will remove any of those that I've published. I want the site to be composed of beautiful inspirational, romantic, and heartfelt greetings. I feel that crude humor detracts from the beauty of such cards and user respect for the site overall. I want the site to be one of taste, elegance, and romance.

Update: I've also converted, "Awaiting Winter's Kiss" into a full page greeting.

Also, don't miss this friendship card...talk about eye-popping color. Wow!

Here's my full page version of the highly popular Rose Upon My Pillow.

And these will look great and display properly in any browser size...and in the newer large monitors. As most web users are surfing at 1024 X 768 (which is how these look best) nowadays, that's important.

If there's a card on BobetteBryan.com that you'd like to see as a full page greeting, let me know, and I'll make it a priority.

P.S. I'm very peeved that my name is coming up with that of other certain "poets," on a Google search for "Bobette Bryan Poems" and "Poet Bobette Bryan," Likely other such searches for me are bringing up such pages as well. I would die if anyone thought such poems were mine. I think "someone" out there should at least have the decency to remove my name on pages where someone else's poetry is being displayed so as not to imply association. I think, as a matter of fact, it would be even more respectful to use new designs rather than bastardize mine!

  Announcements
        November 3, 2009
New Cards and Mystery Solved

Well, Halloween is over...now it's on to Thanksgiving. This is always a tough time of the year for a writer and graphical artist who's also a wife, mother, and owner of numerous pets, including a bunch of stray outdoor cats.

Now, what mystery, you're probably wondering. The mystery would be that of Mr. Jason Milhouse who put up a fan site for me and told a atrocious lie about a kiss. See my previous message below for more information. I think I might have met said mystery man on Halloween night.

I had been sitting downstairs at the dining room table writing all evening--I always write my poetry on a legal pad (coffee is also required for such an endeavor) before I take it to my computer in my office upstairs. Since everyone else in the household was gone, there was little else to do anyway. Of course, I didn't get too far before an endless succession of trick-or-treaters arrived to interrupt my efforts. That was odd, because we usually only get a handful of trick-or-treaters. The kids in the neighborhood are terrified of our Victorian house, which looks like a stereotypical haunted house--at least, we'd always assumed that was the reason. Last night that assumption was confirmed when a kid told me that he was afraid of the house, and didn't want to come, because he heard it's haunted. It is...but that's another story.

Around 9:30, I answered the door to find myself staring into the face of a young man who had a dreamy, puppy-love type of expression. He was not dressed in a costume. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, a red baseball cap, and some kind of red wrist bands. He remained silent, and as I continued to face him, I grew somewhat alarmed not only from the intense way he was staring at me, but also because he brought his hands up before him as if he intended to reach out and grab me. Mr. Milhouse had not yet entered my mind. But whatever he intended, he must have changed his mind, because he said suddenly: "I just came for candy. I don't have a bag." I put a heap in his outstretched hands and shut the door. That's when Milhouse struck my mind.

Of course...it made perfect sense. He'd thought to claim that kiss after all. I knew he must be somewhere nearby if he knew that my hair was long and red as it's not in my photo...that too is another story.

More evidence came in support of that theory when my husband came home from work a short time later and found the candy that I'd given the young man lying on the stairs that led up to the house. Obviously, he hadn't come for treats, at least not the traditional type.

If indeed, this young man was Milhouse, he's about 16 and not 32. Ha, ha!

I think Milhouse has been reading way too much of my romantic poetry. He's an attractive young man and would have no trouble finding a young lady his age.

I think he also needs to remove that poetry from his site. Maybe I'll give him something else to publish there. I don't stress out over people posting a poem or two of mine on a non-commercial site anymore, especially if there's a link back to the my site. If they're really going overboard--especially if they aren't giving me attribution, claiming my work as theirs, and/or are profiting off of my work or amassing a quantity of it, I'll simply call my attorney, Michael Insco, and let him handle it. He's tough. Aggressive. And good. The way an attorney should be. He used to be the prosecutor. He's famous. He's in crime books. He knows the law inside and out. You don't want him breathing down your neck. So do respect my copyright.

And I've gotten myself so deep into this Milhouse intrigue that I nearly forgot to mention my latest featured cards.

Here's a beautiful inspirational card that will lift your spirit up to heaven: Lift Me.

Do you want something a little hotter? If so, don't miss, I Remember

If you want to tell a friend just how special he or she is and express your heartfelt thanks, then this card is for you: For Your Friendship.

Many blessings to you and yours.

   Announcements
        October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!

I just want to wish you a Happy and safe Halloween. Here's a Halloween card for you to share. All Hallow's Eve. I was unable to get many Halloween cards ready this year, because I wanted to write what I felt like writing. After not writing for so long, I have to go where these creative winds carry me. But there's always next year.

Some people have asked why I don't just rewrite the work I submitted to PassionUp. Now why in the world would I want to do that when my brain is so full of thoughts and words that I'm having a difficult time shaking them out quickly enough? Nothing seems to ebb this flow. I've filled four notebooks in a week. What fun would it be to rewrite my old work anyway? I want to create something new. I'm an artist.

And it's not like I have a shortage. One reader expressed surprise that I "still have it." Of course I do. That kind of reminds me of a clip I saw of Michael Jackson a couple of years ago when a reporter asked him if he could still do the moon walk. Michael shook his head and said: "Why couldn't I?"

Well, why couldn't I? I can, I have, and I will.

And Jason Millhouse, regarding your entry in my guestbook:

Notwithstanding the stolen poetry which you've posted on your site without permission (at least there's author attribution), I'm flattered about the page, but you're a liar. You never kissed me. If a strange man would have so accosted me at the mall, he would have received much worse than a mere slap on the face and learned the age old lesson about why one should never mess with a redhead. Since you apparently don't know, let me explain. There's a reason why God gave some of us red hair. It's to serve as a warning sign--much like a stop sign. Here's what such a sign might say: "Danger," "Proceed with caution," "Explosive," "Handle with Extreme Care." Remember that the next time you think to sneak up on me.

Also, you've misquoted my poem "Forever," which is one of my all-time favorites. Please fix or remove it. I'd hate to have it snagged and circulated around the net in that form.

Many blessings to you and yours.

   Announcements
        October 30, 2009
Extraordinary Woman

I'd created "You Are Strong," for PassionUp, and I wanted to create another card dedicated to women, and a woman's strength. I know a lot of my Middle Eastern readers appreciated the card on a deep level, and it's important to me to get a positive message out to women about their self-worth, especially those who live in places where women's rights are tromped on. So I threw this poem together last night, I'm A Woman, and put it up on the site this morning. It may change, as it's a rough draft, but I wanted to get the message out to women around the world as quickly as possible.

I read some lousy poetry that disgusted and angered me recently, equating a woman's value to cooking and another equating little girls to dolls--one that wet its pants at that--and to housekeeping (it was even worse for boys as the writer associated them with rats. Ha, ha!). There's nothing wrong with dolls and cooking. I like dolls and cooking myself. But that's not the only thing that comprises who I am or what I can do. And women don't want to hear that junk. That's the same nonsense we've been fed all of our lives. If you're going to give women a message, make sure it's a positive one about their worth and potential and inner beauty and strength. And though the little girl can keep her dolls, give her some books too...and how about a computer...and letting her know she's got a brain and can use it. And what about telling her that she can accomplish anything she wants with her life? If I had a daughter, that's one of the most important messages I'd want to give her.

As for PassionUp, please know that I haven't worked for them since 2004, am no longer affiliated with them, and can't answer support questions for them. If some cards aren't displaying properly, it's probably due to a java issue and you probably need to update the java on your computer. Sparing that, it could be a compatibility issue with your web browser.

Many blessings to you and yours.

   Announcements
        October 29, 2009
Rose Upon My Pillow

Wow! The page views are up 2800% on this site. It does my heart well to know that my readers are checking in now that I've awakened from my long sleep. I've decided that I'm going to redesign this site and make it more user friendly, so don't be alarmed if the design is drastically different in the near future.

Here are a couple of my latest cards:

At my readers' request, I've reformatted the popular romantic ecard Rose Upon My Pillow, which I originally designed as a full page greeting for bobettebryan.com. Whatever you do, don't miss this one! You'll carry the beauty of this card in your heart forever. Send it to your love along with your heart.

I've also added, A Wedding Prayer, a heartfelt prayer that every bride and groom will be able to relate to and appreciate. The card has a stunning image of a real newly married couple, swept up in true love's kiss.

People often write and ask if they can use my poetry or add it to a collection. The answer is no. I'm very serious about my copyrights, and I wish to retain full ownership of all of my work, which is necessary for me to make a living. Only I have the right to compile a collection of my work. I hope you understand and will respect my copyright. If you wish to share my work, please send a card or add a link to the card on your website. It will help support my efforts and allow me to continue to create new material for you to share with your loved ones and enjoy.

Many blessings to you and yours.

  Announcements
        October 27, 2009
Brainchild

I got a brainchild yesterday, something that might be very successful for the new greeting card site. It arose out of deep introspection and realization. I awoke this morning, floating on the hope the idea inspires, and that's a good feeling. Of course, I could be wrong about that--wrong about a zillion things. But that's okay if I am--I'll try anyway. At any rate, it will be a while in the making, because if I'm right, my servers couldn't handle it and will melt down--this is a worry right now anyway as my work commands a large audience. Yes, I'm preparing to move the site to some dedicated servers. Also, we're going to rebuild the card software from the ground up so that it can handle heavy traffic across mutliple servers if necessary.

Here are a few of my latest cards:

I Feel Blessed. "It's frigid, bare November like those of old that I remember..." Okay, it's not November yet, but it will be soon enough, and it was, in my mind, when I wrote that poem. As I sat at the dining room table writing, it was bitter cold outside from an early and unexpected cold spell that came in, frost on the ground, snow in the air, wind howling, and despite it all, I truly felt warm and blessed. There was not really a raging fire nearby. Though we have many fireplaces in our Victorian house, they're all sealed up. The true fire and warmth came from within and inspired this poem.

And here's a short, sweet Autumn card that's more in touch with the blessings and beauty of Autumn. A great card for staying in touch and sharing a positive inspirational message with someone you care about, and something for you to think about each time you take in the beauty of autumn: Glimpse of Heaven.

Of course I would never forget romance. Here's a card that has been very popular. Celebrate the special bond between you and someone you love. A Special Bond.

Many blessings to you and yours this autumn.

  Announcements
        October 25, 2009
BobetteBryan.com is doing great!

Yeah! The hits on BobetteBryan.com are doubling every day. That tells me that people like what they see. Of course, I will probably put up some full page greetings as well. I've temporarily taken them down as I intend to redesign them all. Eventually, we will install a new greeting card program that can process both types of cards. I would really appreciate any reader suggestions/feedback on the site.

A counselor told me that I've likely suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) these past few years. That's why I couldn't write, could barely function, and separated myself from everything and everyone that was near and/or dear to me. She thought this was a result of a huge trauma event which had made me feel like I'd lost my "sense of personal power." Perhaps she's right as I now feel like I've awakened. Creating the greeting card site has proven to be a positive step toward recovery. What brought this awakening about? I don't know. I only know that all at once, the words began to flow, and I feel like me again. For several days, I stayed up day and night and couldn't stop writing. I even wrote in my sleep.

I think much of this recovery is the result of the many beautiful letters I've received from my readers. One reader in particular has always been very thoughtful and faithful, Christel, reminding me that she believes in me even when I didn't believe in myself. And I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

Christel brought it to my attention that there are very few people who have the talent and ability to write greeting cards well. She said that I have a "special talent for it." This was food for thought for me...as, strangely, I'd always thought of myself primarily as a poet and not as a greeting card writer. I am a poet, but I'm a greeting card writer too. This makes me think of creating cards in a whole new light. This line of thought will likely open some creative doors in my mind and help me see things more clearly.

Until next time, many blessings to you and yours.

   Announcements
        October 23, 2009
Lessons of Friendship

Friendship is truly a gift from God that lights our way, and I've created a card in celebration of such a precious gift, which is sort of a continuum of my "Lessons of Life" poem. Check out Lessons of Friendship. Eventually, I'm going to create a whole series of such cards...or at least that's my half-baked present plan. We'll see if inspiration takes me all the way there.

And if you love someone across the miles, here's a love letter that's sure to sweep them into sweet, blissful dreams: Love Letter.

Need something a little hotter? Turn up the heat a notch or two with this card that's both steamy and romantic. Don't just vow a piece of your heart--send it Completely.

As ever, I'm working around the clock in order to bring you my latest.

   Announcements
        October 22, 2009
Two Hearts that Sing

Someone put up an art gallery page, using my poem: "Two Hearts that Sing," in dedication to my poetry. It's beautiful, and I'm flattered. I don't think PassionUp would be too happy about it though.

I find it interesting to see my writing displayed in a different way, especially when done in such a beautiful and unique way. It makes me look at that short poem in a whole new light. I love things that make my brain attempt to look outside the box and see things differently. Such things can provide a stimulus for artistic growth, which I'm ever on a quest for.

   Announcements
        October 17, 2009
Happy Halloween

I'm going to start sharing some of my favorite new cards on this page.

Rustle up some leaves and enjoy that October chill in the air with the help of this haunting Halloween card. It features my latest dark poem, "All Hallows Eve."

I put up a new anniversary card today as well. Not only will the words touch your true love's heart, but the yellow rose is to die for.

Eventually, I need to get back to working on the actual site design, but I've been having so much fun creating new cards that I haven't been able to pry myself away from it. Right now the site looks great in IE Explorer, but I found that it doesn't in Firefox and needs a fix. But I will get to it eventually.

   Announcements
        October 26, 2009
Not Associated With PassionUp Content!

A reader told me that PassionUp is featuring new cards by various other "poets." I checked it out and am of the opinion that these are of low caliber with poor writing, and I want my readers to know that I had nothing to do with these cards. They are not my work, I had no hand in writing or publishing them, and am, in no way, associated with them.

Any design work done on these cards, which bears my name, is many years old, some as much as 10-years old, and is merely being reused, and does not represent my current design ability.

  Announcements
        October 9, 2009
My New Greeting Card Site--Yippeeee!

Maybe it's insane, considering the amount of work and time it will take, but I've once again decided to open my own greeting card site, bobettebryan.com, with the help of my son, Patrick, who is a programmer. I believe I'm ready for it now. I wasn't before. I needed a break from greeting cards after all that has transpired in my life.

So I've been redesigning the previous design and creating new cards. And so far, though it's a hellacious amount of work, it's going smoothly. I'm creating a lot of cards and new poetry fairly quickly--and well I should as I've worked in the greeting card field for so many years that creating cards has become second nature for me.

At first, I disliked the new greeting card program I'm using, but it has grown on me. It offers so many features and the cards are neat and clean--and that's the way I like it as I'm a minimalist at heart. And best of all, the cards are more modern, a far cry from the old style of greeting cards with the out-dated triple border backgrounds and flashing animated gifts, which make me feel somewhat ill.

I particularly love the large, dramatic ecards like this romance Ecard, Forever and this Halloween Ecard Your Friendship, definitely something different than anything other greeting card sites offer, along with, of course, my own unique form of creative expression.

I'm even working on Christmas cards already. I love how these two cards came out: Blessings and Christmas Always. My friends say they are truly magical, full of the spirit of Christmas.

And while I'm on the topic of my personal favorites from the new site, I must mention this warm Autumn card: Awaiting Winter's Kiss. I fell in love with the song attached to the card, Autumn Memories (and licensed it for a hefty fee). Such a hauntingly beautiful melody.

Anyway, I like these cards so much, in fact, that my passion has been renewed, and I'm inspired to create the best egreeting card site ever! Wish me luck!

Well, I better get busy if I'm out to move the world again (300 million of my cards on PassionUp have been sent out--that's already quite a bit of world moving for a lifetime).

  Announcements
        October 3, 2009
Writers and Graphical Artists Beware!

Writers and other artists beware! I've had the misfortune to learn that some online companies will try to trick you into giving them the rights to your work when you submit samples with your application.

I can't even begin to tell you how low down and dirty that is. No respectable place of employment would acquire the rights to your work upon application for a position. Such a company is only stealing from you, ripping you off. Their greatest hope is that you will submit something good that they can use without issuing you a dime.

And if they do like the way you write and want more, they likely intend to pay you slave wages!

Don't buy it! If such a company has such submission or application terms, (which you, of course, should read very carefully) run away as fast as you can and submit your work elsewhere.

Never, ever, give anyone the full rights to your work unless they're willing to compensate you handsomely. Even, then, think very carefully about it, because copyrights are serious business. If you give a company your rights, it will mean that you will never be able to use or publish that work again. Only the company whom you gave the rights to will be able to profit from your efforts. Through the ages, many a writer and graphical artist has been screwed in such a manner. Don't become one of them.

Such a thing almost happened to Robert L. May who wrote Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer for Montgomery Wards when he worked for the company in 1939. 2.4 million copies of the story were distributed by Montgomery Ward in its first year alone. Because May had created Rudolph as an employee, he did not own the rights to his own work.

Amazingly, the head CEO of Montgomery Wards, Sewell Avery, was a decent man, and when publishers approached the company in 1947, Avery decided to give the full rights back to May. You can read more about the touching life of May here: Robert L. May. That, however is a rare, rare exception, and I guarantee you, that any company who'd try to claim full copyrights to a piece you submit when you apply for a job, is of the poorest character imaginable and not a place you'd want to deal with or work for.

   Announcements
        May 10, 2009
Know What You're Eating Before You Take Another Bite

I don't eat pork, because I'm disgusted by the way humans treat pigs. These poor animals, who have the mental equivalent of a three-year old human, who dream, who like music, and can even play computer games, are horribly abused and live a life of atrocious suffering. If you have any doubt, check out some of the links below, but do so only if you're not easily upset, because these videos and articles are upsetting to anyone who has a warm and beating heart. I sunk into a deep depression that lasted several weeks after I saw these videos last fall. I'm still outraged about this abuse--angry that we humans allow these things to happen.

Pigs are not only housed in filthy, uncomfortable conditions at large pork farms, but they are brutalized, beaten, prodded, poked with steel sticks, and literally tortured. Most of them never see the green grass or feel the sunshine on their backs. They live in cramped steel cases and often there is not even enough room for them to turn. They are so ill from living in these conditions that they have to be given high doses of antibiotics on a regular basis.

They are brutalized on their way to market as well. They are shoved in trucks so tightly that their bowels rupture. They're transported in bitter cold weather, often from as far away as Canada, and many of them freeze to death before they reach the pork factory or market. I read one eye-witness case where a pig wouldn't get into the truck and the driver took a crow bar and beat her, knocking out some of her teeth. And then, he ran over her. That case will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Those who offer up the lame excuse that animals don't feel it like we humans do are either ignorant , cold-hearted or both. They do feel it and just as much. And as a matter of fact, we're animals too. They are living, breathing creatures just like us. In fact, pigs are very similar to us biologically and are often used in various research.

Unfortunately, this type of abuse is not rare either. It's the norm. The head of the Human Society of the United States claims that such abuse happens regularly in the industry. There are links to his statements below.

And now that this swine flu hype is going around, I expect that there will be even greater brutality to these poor animals. In Egypt, as many as 400,000 pigs were needlessly put to death as a preventative measure; the Baghdad Zoo killed 10 wild boars because of flu fears.

China, that paragon of food and health safety, (which has an atrocious record for animal cruelty) banned imports of pork from Mexico, as well as parts of Canada and the U.S. in spite of the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) has continually denied that there's any evidence that pork consumption could actually spread the disease.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not of the opinion that to eat meat is bad. But if we're to do so, we must do so humanely and prevent as much suffering as possible. As a civilized nation, we must treat these animals humanely. What kind of people are we otherwise?

Update: I've removed the links to these videos as I feel they are way too upsetting, and I want my readers to always take away something positive from my site. Visit Peta's site if you'd like to learn more about the cruelty of the pork industry or check out this Rolling Stone Magazine Article, Boss Hog about the evils of factory farming.

  Announcements
        April 24, 2009
I'll Never Give Up My Dream

Some of my readers have sent me letters recently, wondering why I've been so quiet and whether I've given up writing. I've not given up writing. I would never give up my greatest dream. But I've had so many things happen in my life during the past few years, including great personal and financial loss, that I've temporarily put it on hold.

I've also been busy with my graphic design business, which takes a lot of work and time. It's a different type of work than writing, however, and requires a different type of dedication. For me, graphic design is like a date; whereas, writing a novel is a marriage.

I do think it's time for me to get past the losses of the past and move on, and, truly, I'm working toward that goal. I have sporadically worked on "an island," novel during the past few years. It's a literary novel. And I'm going to dedicate myself toward getting the first draft done in the year ahead.

Other than these issues, I don't have much to report but will try to keep this site updated. Thanks for your many letters and well wishes. I appreciate it. I really needed them and consider your letters a blessing--the wakeup call I needed to remind me that, above all things, I'm a writer.

   Announcements
        November 5, 2008
Obama Won!

Obama won! Wow! An African American has been elected President. I cried long and hard when I heard the news last night. I cried because I'd witnessed a miracle and because my faith and hope in all things, even in myself, was renewed. I told my husband, who was amazed at my reaction, that Obama's victory reminded me of George Washington and how he'd beaten the British against impossible odds. It shows that no matter how dire things seem--anything is possible.

Truly, we're witnessing a revolution in our nation again--a wonderful and glorious revolution, the likes of which has not been seen before. Our nation has been given a gift, a true miracle and it came in the form of a man who will bring the changes this country needs. And now, it's a new day, a time of hope. The dark clouds that have hovered over this country for the last eight years are lifting. With Obama, one of the most gifted and brilliant politicians this country has seen in ages, we will rebuild our nation and bring about a time of peace and prosperity again.

Three cheers for Obama and the USA!

   Announcements
        August, 2005
Horror Series

I announced in May that I'd planned on opening my own greeting card site in July. The opening has been postponed due to illness and many other things that have been going on in my life, including a death in the family. I'm still working on it, however,and will announce its grand opening here.

This summer I was approached by a Hollywood producer who wanted me to write a 13 part upcoming horror TV series. I'm still thinking about it. I know I could do it, but I don't know if it's what I want to do. I've never had an interest in scriptwriting or in Hollywood. And I've been through so much these past three years that I don't know if I have the energy left for another huge project.



  Announcements
        May, 2005
Grand Opening

I'm pleased to announce that I'm opening my own greeting card site.  I've had numerous requests from fans to do so, and so I've been busy trying to design it and create content for it.  It will be at bobettebryan.com, and I'll announce the grand opening here! I'm hoping to launch the site before Independence Day, but you just never know what's going to come up with a huge undertaking like this. So please check back for news on the grand opening.

While I'm on the subject of greeting card companies, I wanted to brooch a subject about something that really ticks me off. A lot of other greeting card companies have attempted to copy my style and more...yes, even print companies. This has been going on for several years now in light of PassionUp's huge success (millions of readers around the world have shared the cards I wrote and designed for PassionUp).

I first noticed the plagiarism in 2001 when I was looking for a printed card to send to a dear friend. It floored me to see my own words on a printed card. Sometimes these other companies' cards are almost word for word like mine. One company even launched a whole line of cards that closely resembles mine--in design and wording.

They're bad imitations, folks. And it's not a good feeling at all to know that multi-billion dollar companies are profiting from my creative efforts.

Whether this plagiarism is the fault of the designers and writers of such companies and is going on without the management's knowledge or is being encouraged by the upper echelons--I absolutely don't know. I only know that it's still happening.

Just this year, I went to a drugstore to get my husband a Valentine Day's card, and left disgusted after seeing my own words--only slightly changed--on the cards.

So let this be a notice to these companies and their staff that I know about it, and I'm mad. If I see this happen with the creative work I put on bobettebryan.com, I'm going to slap some major lawsuits on these companies.

And my message to my readers out there...don't settle for an imitation.

On bobettebryan.com, you'll get the REAL THING!

  Announcements
        March, 2005
PSP Tubes and Clipart Site

It took me three months of endless work, and there is still so much to do, (like marketing) but I finally launched my clipart site, ButterflyWebGraphics.com. Please drop in for the grand opening. The site features linkware and purchaseware web templates, 5000+ clip art images, including Victorian and 3D Digital Art graphics, PSP tubes, wallpapers, and more.

As many of you know, I no longer work for PassionUp. I decided that I wanted to strike out on my own and start my own business so I rejected their offer of employment in 2005. I certainly haven't given up writing by any means. So please don't think that I have. But I needed a break from greeting cards as PassionUp's 80 hour work weeks burned me out.

I'm a strong person though, and I bounced back. And for whatever reason, I needed to express a graphical side of my creativity. I've delved into 3D art, and I love it more than anything I've ever done on my computer. And I'm excited about the new site! I have so many ideas for expansion and for other projects. The possibilities seem endless. I'm creating new graphics every day, and I'm anxious to share my latest work with you.

But check out the new site for yourself and see what all it has to offer.

ButterflyWebGraphics.com

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