Better with Bonair
About bonair
I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town on Bonair Drive. Bonair Daydreams symbolizes the inspirational and joy I lived as a child. My hope is that my cards and memories bring you a touch of joy as well.
Bonair Daydreams, my inspirational greeting card line, combines my photography and inspirational quotes scripted in my own handwriting. I have been told that my cards evoke warm feelings and capture special moments in time. The images are intimate, human, and fragile. I photograph everyday people and everyday moments and I try to make the ordinary extraordinary. Bonair Daydreams was created in 1993. I spent years pondering the idea of starting a card line combining my photos and my collection of favorite quotes, but it took a deep tragedy to inspire action: My sister, Tracy, passed away after a long struggle with cancer. We were soul mates and her death was an incredible loss to me.
I designed a Thank-you card for those who had attended the funeral using a photo I had taken of Tracy years before. It was a silhouette of her dancing on a rooftop in San Francisco (see card above: C105). This had been my mother's favorite picture of Tracy - it captured her essence, her love of life. Under the photo, I hand wrote Ecclesiastes 3:4 from the Bible: "A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance." The response of friends and relatives touched by that card was so overwhelming that I felt led to start an official card line. I borrowed money through my credit cards and started with one small gift pack. After showing that to a few big card representatives at the Los Angeles Gift Mart, I decided to expand the line to 3 gift packs and 32 counter cards. Soon I was hiring reps across the country and within one or two years, had one covering almost every state.
My work has been an exciting and spiritual journey. I feel in my heart that I am doing the work God intended me to do, and somehow I know Tracy is a part of it all. It is no coincidence that her card has been my best seller all these years. Who says there’s no such thing as a guardian angel?
Tracy, Chrissy & Jazz; Summer of '85 and First Communion.
Our Success
The business grew steadily: I was designing 10 to 12 new cards a year to satisfy my reps and customers and stay competitive with the big companies. In 1999, my second daughter Lily was born, and I realized that I needed help filling card orders that were now coming in on a daily basis. I was grateful that my cards were doing so well and felt blessed to be able to stay home with my young children. To date, I have won 7 LOUIE AWARDS at The National Stationery Show in NYC and 18 of my designs have been selected as finalists from thousands of entries.
Louie Award Winning Cards:
As I continue to create new cards every year, over 30 years now, it brings me great joy to not only create new images, but to reminisce over past photos of my two daughters growing up, my beloved pets, past and present, old friends and new friends, and kind strangers that have allowed me to share their photos on the front of my cards. Focusing on everyday life and how stunning it can be, I continue to strive to make the “ordinary extraordinary” with the grace of God and the beauty of this wide wide world we call life.
About the Artist
Chrissy graduated from San Diego State University as a TV and Film Major. She moved
to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and cinematography. Throughout eight years in
Los Angeles, she worked with companies such as National Geographic, CBS Television,
Time/Warner, People Magazine, American Red Cross, United Way, and PBS. Chrissy is
currently living in Wilmington, NC with her many four-legged rescue companions
(animal to human ratio is a bit off in Chrissy’s household). Annie, her oldest daughter, is taking after Chrissy’s sister, Tracy, and is a recording artist and actress. To listen to Annie's music, search Annie Tracy on any music streaming platform or on social media, search @annietracy.
Lily, her
youngest daughter, lives in Boston and works in entertainment marketing at New Balance. Both daughters and Chrissy’s mom, Annella, continuously help Chrissy with
creating new cards, and all have been pictured in many of Bonair’s cards throughout the
years.
Chrissy, Annie and Lily in Los Angeles, CA
Lily, Annie, Chrissy and Annella (Grandma) in Boston, MA
C458 - Annie and Lily;
"Music Lessons"
