Who wants to get "fiddled"

I know...she's cute, right? And as the mother of this adorable little Buttercup, I ask you: Is it possible to make this image any more adorable than it already is? Seriously!

Normally, I would say no. I mean, I am her mother, after all.

But then I found out about Photo Fiddle, and got ****this in the mail....

...and realized that it is entirely possible to improve upon perfection. ;)

With Photo Fiddle, the possibilities are endless. You just upload your photo of choice and then fiddle your way through the variety of options (modern, abstract, oil, sketch, Warhol-like pop art, airbrush, comic book, and more) and the end result is a stunning actual pain-on-canvas rendition of your photo.

I loved the concept, but didn't really have a true appreciation for the genius of Photo Fiddle until I got my package on my doorstep. Inside the box was this absolutely beautiful 12" by 18" canvas painting of my baby girl, and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face the rest of the day.

The image we submitted, and that Photo Fiddle well, fiddled, was from our trip to the Toledo Zoo this past summer. My father died last winter, and my aunts and uncles on his side of the family were afraid that our connection to his side of the family might have been buried with him. That is as far from the truth as things can get, but still...

So one Friday my 10-year-old cousin called and asked if we wanted to take a drive to the Toledo Zoo the next morning with Buttercup and his mom and dad. I thought of all the things I had to do: work, laundry, cleaning the house, blogging...and quickly realized none of it mattered for the next 24 hours. What did matter was a fun-filled day with family that means more to me now than ever before.

So we packed up, drive from our home in Metro Detroit to meet my aunt and uncle at their home, and then piled up in one vehicle for an early morning trip to the zoo on a perfectly sunny day.

We had a great day and saw the entire zoo with me snapping photos on the digital every moment I could. This one we happened to capture in the Butterfly House. Buttercup's daddy was holding her close and as I went to snap a photo of the two of them, she turned and looked straight into the camera as the flash went off.

It was perfect.

I loved the photo to begin with, and still do. But there's just something magic about the Warhol-like canvas waiting to go up in Buttercup's new room. It's a memory that I will always hold on to. And thanks to Photo Fiddle, it's a memory that will be passed down for generations to come.

So *shuffling feet*...um, who might wanna maybe win a chance at a $50 gift certicate to get one of your own photos fiddled like I did? The 12" X 18: stretched canvas I got is priced at $59.95, and is perfectly sized for our little house, so this is a great giveaway to try for! (Thank you, Photo Fiddle!)

To enter, visit Photo Fiddle's site and then leave me a comment telling me which artistic style you would choose for your photo if you are selected the winner.

Entries will be accepted until midnight, EST, Jan. 9, 2009 (OMG! My first 2009 contest!) and the winner will have four business days from the announcement date to contact me with their information or an alternate will be selected.

Additional extra entries are also available if you:
* Write a dedicated blog post with your selected photo to fiddle and a description of your memory and why it's a memory worth saving on canvas. The blog post must link to Photo Fiddle and to this blog post, letting your readers know about the contest. Oh, and don't forget to leave me a comment with the link to your blog post.

*subscribe to my RSS feed and comment letting me know you did so.
* Blog about contest and link to this post.
* Non-bloggers can email three of their friends about the contest at berriesweet.info (at) gmail (dot) com and CC me on the email. Girl Scout's honor that I will never bother these sweet people. I promise!
* Grab my Berrie Sweet Picks button and place it on your blog page. I'll check!
* Follow me on Twitter! (nickname: berriesweetest)
* Tweet the contest leave a comment with your username telling me what you said to your "tweeple"!Please note all entries MUST include a valid email address to be considered for the drawing! That means that well, all entries must include an email address to be considered valid. Simple enough, right? ;)

Sweet! Now go get fiddled!