I usually start thinking of design ideas for my holiday cards in early September. This year something came to mind quickly, but after a few attempts I knew it wasn’t working. So I put the whole thing away and even considered skipping it altogether.
In mid-November I experimented some more. If I didn’t get something going soon, there wouldn’t be enough time to complete them all. In the end, there were two designs I liked.
The first idea was a tree silhouette. Looking up at an enormous trunk with bare branches and dark sky in the background was simple, quiet and somber. It seemed fitting for this year. (Inside was a short handwritten greeting.)
The second design, a red songbird wearing a Santa hat, was brighter and more cheerful.
Which to choose? In the end, I never did decide. Instead, I used both.
I try to be efficient with my materials. Using only paper I have left over from other projects is always the goal. This year I managed it! That’s why there are so many variations in color and paper type.
The biggest challenge was finding enough paper for the inside. The bright green paper looked nice, but I only had a few sheets. Would it be enough? Luckily, I found a way to get twice as much from every sheet: I carefully cut out each letter, keeping the rest of the sheet of paper in tact. Some of the cards have individual letters glued down one at a time. Lettering on the other cards are created from where the letters were removed.
See the holiday card from 2017.
See the holiday cards from 2002-20016.
Both are beautiful, Sue! Our bird design arrived yesterday.
Thank you. :-)
I loved it! It is taped on my pantry door with all the other Christmas greetings. You are so clever!
Thank you. :-)