Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Newest custom design gifts by RGebbiePhoto - 7-30-2013

While we continue to work on new personal growth and development articles to motivate and inspire our readers, we wanted to show off a few of our newest custom designed gift products available in our merchant stores at Zazzle and Cafe Press. We have also recently opened two new websites as part of our efforts to support and promote the art and photography by us and the many other fine, talented designers that make a living from their creativity.

Gifts Corner - https://sites.google.com/site/rgpgiftstore
Welcome to our Gift Store, where you will find everything from humor to fine art! Do you have unique friends who appreciate something creative? The person that has everything? Look no further, our selections are some of the most unique and creative designs we've found! From phone cases to commuter bags, jewelry, funny keychains, coffee mugs, even pillows, you'll find the best of the best here! Shop till you drop, we're open all night!

Our selection of unique gift design items are chosen from hundreds of individual artists with millions of interesting and personal creations.

The Paper Cut - https://sites.google.com/site/rgppapercut
Welcome to The Paper Cut where you will find our personally chosen selection of stationery and stationery products. From post cards and invitations to postage stamps and address labels, if you're looking for unique, personal or one of a kind custom designs then you have found the right place.

Our selection of unique gift design items are chosen from hundreds of individual artists with millions of interesting and personal creations.



We hope you enjoy our selection of custom design gifts!

$50.95 - Red White and Blue Patriotic Theme Galaxy S4 Covers - Red, White and Blue USA Patriotic theme. White stars on a navy blue background, with red and white stripes. Button for initial, easy to personalize. Are you a Patriot? Just love the good old US? Born on Independence Day? This is for YOU!
$39.95 - Sports Balls Sandals - Sport Lovers! A theme for anyone who likes competition sports! A mix of different sports balls! Softball, Baseball, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, and an 8 ball from a Billiards set. Soccer is also known as Football in countries other than the United States. Great for coaches, players, or sports fans!
$39.95 - Baseball Flip Flops - A white baseball, dirty from being played with, stitching faded but still red.
$50.95 - Yellow Softball Galaxy S4 Case - A yellow softball isolated. Fastpitch softball league ball with natural shading.
$3.75 - Hippy Retro Flowers Friendship Greeting Cards - Colorful retro style flowers, hippy style in bright colors! Large petal flowers in a jumbled assortment. 70s Hippy look, great throwback item! WTH?? Sarcasm at its best! Only a true friend will appreciate this!
$8.39 - Soccer Ball Shot Glass - An illustration of a sports soccer ball in 3D.
$14.39 - Softball Wallpaper Large Mug - Large wallpaper design of multiple yellow softballs in a pile or stack.
$21.59 - Women's Soccer Ball Jr. Football T-Shirt - An illustration of a sports soccer ball in 3D.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Everyone Lies



by Lori Gebbie

People tell lies all the time. It’s part of the coping mechanism we have to get from one day to the next. We settle for things, and make due because we don’t want to cause waves or alarm people around us. But the fact is, those lies are the things that damage us the most.

A few years ago, Robert and I were in a discussion, and he told me those words that everyone hates to hear. “I have something to tell you, sit down for a minute.” I took a seat, and waited, patiently. I had complete trust and faith in him, he was my husband, and my best friend. He said he’d lied about some things, and they were weighing on him, and had been for a number of years. As he started unburdening his lies, his face started relaxing. Years started pouring off of his features. They weren’t huge lies, just “truths” he’d told himself so many times that he believed they were so. The real reasons why he had taken actions on things, instead of the “story” he’d told everyone else. Our relationship was solid, he tried so hard to be the better man this time around. But as he went back in his life, his teen years, down to his childhood years, he fell to his knees with the stripping, and he became that child.

When he describes it, it was like he was immediately transformed into light and love, and he saw all of creation around him. He saw the stars, he saw the reasoning for existence, he saw all of truth. Like a brick wall slamming into him, he had instant knowledge of life. He could feel the earth breathing beneath him, he could see the movement of natural flow. He could hear people miles away in their homes, living their lives. He could defy the natural laws and do things I cannot describe here. It was a very magical time, in the true sense of the word “magic”.

For me, it was a different story. I felt the swoop, felt the pull, yet I was still anchored to this reality. I was his lifeline to this reality, and yet, I didn’t want to be. I wanted to go with him “full fare” on this ride. I wanted to experience this with him, but knew it wasn’t possible. Yet, we were more connected than I’d ever felt, I felt as if half of me was here, while the other half was floating away with him. I still had to deal with this reality, our bills, our meals, our day-to-day. He crumbled, he could no longer speak, could not communicate in anything but gibberish. But I heard his mind, I felt his heart. I knew what was happening, and I was excited for both of us. We connected to each other in such a deep and spiritual level, I cried because I knew others had no clue to the beauty I felt. And it was beautiful. It still is. I closed my eyes and saw the Universe, the stars, the “full scope”. I was in his mind, he was inside mine. We were One.

But, being the reality-based mind, I had to see things from the outside perspective. And it was frightening. I could have taken him to see a doctor, but drugs and therapy were not going to help him. This was a spiritual ride he was on, and he needed to feel it the way it was hitting him. So I took care of my husband. We had cleared our schedule of anything pending, we were both working from home at the time, so it was real easy to cancel outside appointments and push off friends, claiming we were swamped and working. But that also meant I had no help, no one to call on for advice, no one to help take care of my 6’4” 200 lb child. And he was a child. He wanted to touch, to feel, to experience things. I had to rein him in, to keep him safe from outside, to make sure no one would interrupt the epiphany. To be honest, his personality shattered into four distinct entities. I was able to talk to all of them, and together, we put him back to one solid front. But it was a good three months for him to be stable enough to be in the company of others, and even then, it was only for short periods. He was solid for about 2 hours at a time, before he went off on wonderment.

Oh, that wonderment was amazing! We had deep discussions, understood life, and floated among the stars. We felt completely connected, even to the point of communicating telepathically. We felt nature, felt life, felt love. We understood science and math and religion in a whole way. A complete way. We are artists, and felt inspired by the experience. We wrote about the new knowledge we had, and shared the good with as many as we could. We came up with our theory of Self Perpetuation Evolution, and live those rules. And it’s made us better people. We stay true to ourselves, first, then others. We see a more complete picture, because we don’t allow those lies to taint our views. And we are happy.

A lot of people criticize me for being harsh. And they call us “hard”. But the reality is, we’re good friends. To those who live responsibly, who take action, who want to grow and move forward, we are fully supportive. But if you are playing around, running a game, being deceitful, we’re harsh and swift. I do not apologize for this, whining is not allowed. Most see us as strange, odd, even a little scary. But that’s because they have so many lies wrapped into their lives, they only feel comfortable with like-minded people. We offer a mirror to look into. If you don’t like what you see, change it.

We would like to be extremely successful. We would like to have more freedom than we do. But not at the expense of our truth. Because we are happy, we can sleep at night. And we know the people around us are true and honorable.

I don’t share this for others to feel sorry for us, there is nothing to feel sorry for. This was a magical time, a time of light and love, truth and harmony. To be honest, we both want that time back, because it was so incredible. But it changed us. We no longer lie, not even the small ones to make others feel better. If something doesn’t sit with us, we discuss it. If we see someone wrong, we cut them from us. There is too much beauty in this life to surround ourselves with people who just don’t “get it”. We don’t maintain toxic relationships. You have to be true, responsible, and gracious for what you have. Material gain is not important if you compromise yourself. It’s just not worth that.

I don’t suggest others try to get to the point we hit, I don’t even know how to get back there ourselves. But we know living with pure hearts, we’ll get there eventually. And we understand our future, what we are going toward. What we have to look forward to after this life. And it’s exciting!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Briar Wood smoking pipes and handcrafted jewelry


Now in our Etsy Shop - Briar Wood smoking pipes and handcrafted jewelry.

Robert started working with pipes several years ago. He chose Mediterranean Briar wood burls, as this type of root wood is extremely dense and slow burning. It is the preferred wood to make quality smoking pipes, and the patterns created by the grain are beautiful. The burls are grown and harvested, then set to dry for several decades before they are considered mature enough to use. The current burl wood we are using was cured for a century before we began working with it.
We had several traditional tobacco pipes created, but had an order for a cannabis pipe. So we created some pipes with a club-like shape and medium sized bowl. The smooth taste created by smoking out of wood was desirable, and it did not heat up as quickly as glass or metal pipes do, so it was a more comfortable smoke. Because it is made of Briar wood, the pipes are sturdy and will last decades in your collection. They are coated in Bees wax, and the more they are handled and smoked out of, the deeper the grain stands out. We currently have gorgeous flame grains and swirl patterns, and we offer a straight grain pattern in one of our tobacco pipes.
During the shaping process, we were left with small pieces, but the wood is so beautiful, we didn’t want to throw it away. So we sanded them down and polished them up. These little pieces were truly unusual. They felt like glass, but were deceptively lightweight. We called them Peace Gems, since they worked similar to worry stones. Because it is a root, sometimes we run into "inclusions" which is caused by a grain of sand or rock from the soil embedding itself and the root growing around it. In order to sand them out, grooves are formed in the wood. While the smooth Peace Gems are nice, the grooved ones gave more texture for the fingers to follow.
We gave several to our friends and family, and got a positive response from them. My aunt said she loved wooden jewelry, so we made one into a pendant for her, and she wears it all the time. Metal necklaces react with her skin, regardless of gold or silver, so these wooden pendants with leather cord worked perfectly for her. Each one is shaped and sanded by hand, taking between 6-10 hours per piece. Once it is sanded to a glass finish, it is then polished with bees wax so the grain design pops out. Each one is unique, and carefully contemplated as it is being shaped. They start out as a light brown color, but get darker as they are handled and the oils from your hands seep in. And touch them you will! They roll around easily in your hands, and you will find yourself touching them often.
We hope you will take a look and see what we currently have up in our store. Since they are hand crafted, once the design is sold, reproduction is not guaranteed. Our sanding process starts with 250 grit sandpaper, and ends with 1,000 grit sandpaper. We final polish the pieces using a Dremel tool. The only industrial tools used are to form the bowl shape and the rough cut out of the piece. Keep them from being immersed in water, since they are made of wood, and they should give you years of enjoyment!



(Click on images to view full product details)
(More items available in our Etsy store)

$95.00 - Briar Wood Premium Smoking Pipe - Smooth Bottom - This beautiful smooth bottom pipe is perfect for kicking back with your favorite smoke. Crafted out of a Mediterranean Briar Wood burl that was cured for 100+ years, the gorgeous grains are a mixture of straight grain and flame. Nice large bowl size for a long comfortable smoke. The wood is polished with natural bees wax, and will darken over time with handling, enriching the grain texture of this pipe. A quality pipe for your collection that will last for decades! 



$150.00 - Briar Wood Premium Smoking Pipe - Plateau Top - This Briar Wood pipe was hand sanded to expose the beautiful grains in this wood. A fine straight grain pattern on one side, with straight grain on the other. Medium size with plateau top, natural finish. This fine quality pipe will last decades in your collection!



$225.00 - Briar Wood Premium Smoking Pipe - This Briar Wood pipe was hand sanded to expose the beautiful grains in this wood. A swirling flame pattern on one side, with straight grain bursts on the other. Large Billiard style, natural finish. This fine quality pipe will last decades in your collection!


  

$18.00 - Solid Briar Wood Nugget Pendant - Gorgeous briar wood nugget pendant, Simple in design, smooth as glass. Briar wood is the chosen wood for pipe making, the tight grain polishes to a stone-like quality. Lightweight, polished with Bees wax.



$22.00 - Solid Briar Wood Block Pendant - Gorgeous briar wood block pendant, Simple in design, smooth as glass. Briar wood is the chosen wood for pipe making, the tight grain polishes to a stone-like quality. Lightweight, polished with Bees wax.



$22.00 - Solid Briar Wood Drop Pendant - Gorgeous briar wood drop pendant, Simple in design, smooth as glass. Briar wood is the chosen wood for pipe making, the tight grain polishes to a stone-like quality. Lightweight, polished with Bees wax or carnauba wax.