I am born and raised a California Girl. For the majority of my life I have been around and immersed in art, and never really felt compelled to do anything else with my life. Having recently completing my degree in Fine Art, I'm slowly adapting to the "real world." With time, prayer, faith, and exploration I'm slowly learning to fill the shoes I want to fit. I am constantly searching ways to continue to teach myself and build up different aspects of my life, and hope one day to remodel a house, and fill it with furniture I've designed and made. I guess you could say I look at Martha Stewart as a role model... not that I condone or agree with any of her illegal decisions... but I respect her for actually taking the blame, doing her time and none the less the woman is self-taught and self-built... and she has great taste!!

In my free time I enjoy doing things like:
Art/craft: ceramics, paper craft, printmaking, assemblage, sewing, knitting, stained glass.
Hobbies: Baking, cooking, gardening, surfing the web, video games from time to time.
Southern California: surfing, collecting shells, hiking, building snowmen...

You're probably wondering by now... and yes, I know Gertchen is a dumb name. Well my name is Gretchen and I started a job with Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburgers, and was hired for a 2 week period. The book keeper had no intention to keep me for a while, so he didn't really care when I found out my name had been misspelled. Gertchen was the name he had given me. So I lasted through the two weeks and made it onto the regular staff, but by the time I had become a server, no one really cared that all the tickets I printed out said Gertchen for the server. So when I got promoted my manager looked at one of my tickets for the food to be sent out, and said out loud slightly, "whose Gertchen?" and luckily I was close by to be there and witness the laughing stock of my co-workers. So since then, everyone that is close to me has been hooked on saying Gertchen. So at work I'm known as Gertch, Gertrude, Gretel, Gerdy, Gretel Cakes, Grizzle, Gretski, Gretzel, Gretch, Gertchy, and Ricarda. (yes that's my hispanic name)