About "The Keepsake "

When I was a little girl my Mother died and I asked my wonderful Grandmother who took me in, “why”? She quietly spoke these words “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” I couldn’t imagine then what those words would come to mean to me.

I had many things on my heart to say through all those years and He gave me the avenue to say them. I began writing words to the sister I never had, the father, the family.

In 1983 I started selling my greeting cards to retail shops in the area. They were bought so fast that store owners would call me sometimes the next day to say they were “all out”. They were original verses done in calligraphy, unusual for the time, since everything else was brightly colored and all looked alike. Soon, sales representatives from all over the country started selling them and a nation wide company was born. I added many framed pieces and other products to the mix, at breakneck speed.

The Gothic Quill, the company I founded, grew very fast and with the growth came the letters from the people who bought them. It was my pleasure to read and try to respond to every letter; all of them heartfelt and touching. It seemed in 1983 that I was touching a cord with people that other “word” products didn’t.

I love weddings and wanted to do something to touch your heart again so I, along with my friend, Nancy Van Nielen, a wonderful and talented artist, created The Keepsake. The words and calligraphy are mine and I hope they make your wedding day a sweet one.

I hope you like “The Keepsake” just as much as you liked The Gothic Quill. I hope the verses touch your heart and the hearts of those who receive them.

Look for other things to come in the months ahead. Nancy and I have so many things we want to create.