Once shoppers have nibbled their way through the vast array of samples in the food room of the extensive Santa's Bag Boutique; it's time to move over to an even bigger room at the Lafayette Community Center full of unique holiday and gift items. Keep an eye out for lifelong Lamorinda resident Kristin Gregersen who has been working diligently on hundreds of gorgeous hand painted note cards and plaques along with very special hand painted goose eggs ornaments.
It's not unusual for her to work until the wee hours of the morning. "I'm a night owl," says Gregersen, who works eight to ten hours per day, with her legs up and pillows behind her back to prop her up. "I just love it. It's very relaxing for me."
It's a labor of love for Gregersen, after preparing scores of cards - that can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour to paint, she will be selling them at the Boutique. All of the cards have original designs, and there's even a coordinating image on the back envelope flap. Priced around $5 for a note card, her paintings are the deal of the century. This year she has an assortment of designs: Santas, reindeer, snowmen, along with teddy bears, roosters, lady bugs, cats and beyond.
"People like my simple designs and bright colors," said cat lover Gregersen, who attended Miramonte High School back in the day. She used to paint on duck eggs, but enjoys the larger shell "canvas" of goose eggs. The eggs are sent from a farm in North Dakota, all carefully packaged, clean and ready to be transformed into a work of art.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA