Monday, December 23, 2024

The Cards

 Here are the Christmas cards that I made this year.  The best laid plans and all that.  I wanted a vintage looking card.  I bought the wrong cards...they were like a postcard with an envelope...oh well.  


I stamped them on the back

Then I created the front of the card on the homemade watercolor cotton paper.  


It was a process; the top card is the background, at the left trees are added and at the right I stamped Merry Christmas. 

Then it was time for the gouache...I had never used it before...but it makes great snow.  

Boy did it snow...on the cards, on the table and on me...it was a wild time. 


After the gouache was dry I glued the card to the cardstock and weighed it down...the first batch was a mess...too much glue and I had snow all over the backs of the cards....little white dots all over!  I was not happy luckily I solved that problem by using wax paper between the cards...well wouldn't you know it ...that trapped the moisture from the glue.  Trial and error...what finally worked was using less glue and wrapping each card in a Kleenex and then weighing them down.  

When you have no idea what in the world you were doing it all takes some trial and error.  

Yes all the cards are similar but different...some have more trees and some trees are tall and skinny and some are big and fat...kinda like trees in real life.  

I ordered special address labels...of get this... trees...it would be perfect.  Well those labels went back and forth stuck on a truck that kept circling between Brooklyn Park Minnesota and West Fargo North Dakota for 23 DAYS.  Go figure I finally said "enough" I will use those address labels next year and used some generic not pretty at all labels.  On the way to the Post Office to do the mailing we stopped at our mail box and guess what was there?  If you guessed my labels with trees that were ever so pretty you would be correct. 

All is well that ends well.  126 cards were mailed. 

Far Side



23 comments:

  1. Oh my! Those are beautiful. Sorry your tree labels didn't get there in time. The mail is finicky this time of year.

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  2. wow! What a lot of work but oh so very pretty! You and Far Guy are so talented.

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  3. That was a lot of work! They are beautiful and will be much appreciated I’m sure. Merry Christmas to you and your family. RHill, TX

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  4. I think they are Beautiful!
    Merry Christmas!
    hugs
    Donna

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  5. You are to be commended. Most people would have tossed the stuff in the trash and said, "Forget it," with all the trial and error things you had to do to make the card "work" the way you wanted - - - with the glue, etc. But you were not about to be defeated by a paper project!!! Your cards will be a blessing to the recipients especially those who know how much time and love for the person went into each one.

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  6. Absolutely beautiful! Anyone should be honored to get one of your cards!

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  7. Wow! That is quite the production and what a beautiful card it is, Connie! Thank you for all you give to the world. Merry Christmas!

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  8. they are just plain lovely and anyone would be delighted to receive one...only you know the whole story and in the long run it doesn't matter at all...

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  9. Linda @ imagesisee.blogspot.com Beautiful cards. Lucky recipients. I used to get hand designed/painted cards from a friend years ago. Sadly, she passed away but her cards were beautiful.

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  10. Well, check that off. At least, it’s done, but not much fun.

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  11. I sure hope the recipients of your cards appreciate them! I guess you won't need to worry about labels for next year. If you remember where you put them! A little projection here.😉

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  12. Wow, that was quite the process. I'm pretty sure I would have given up, two or three cards in. Those who receive the cards are receiving a wonderful gift.
    Hope you have some down time before Christmas arrives.

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  13. We had a postal strike so everything ground to a miserable halt for mailing. They opened up again last Monday, but a disclaimer that there was no guarantee anything would arrive before Christmas. I mailed the cards on Thursday when the post office was again accepting outgoing mail. The kids Christmas boxes aren't going until the end of the week. I told them they could do it all again and celebrate "old Christmas" on the 6th of January.

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  14. The great Christmas card saga of 2024. You will remember it well! The cards are so pretty and I love that not one is the same. What a lot of energy and effort you put into making your cards every year.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  15. WOW! These cards are beautiful! I always save your cards from year to year. They give me heart hugs.

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  16. They are just lovely! I am honored to have gotten one in the mail. Even more beautiful in person. What a lot of work! Thanks for all that time and effort. :)

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  17. You had to be persistent in this project.

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  18. What a saga! The results are treasured keepsakes.

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  19. Yes I agree you have done a wonderful job with the cards, 126 is a lot of cards to send out

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  20. The cards are beautiful and frame-worthy!

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  21. Your cards turned out beautiful! That was quite a project. And the mail, that would be my luck (arriving once you changed things up). Merry Christmas to you both!

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments! If you have a question I will try to answer it here. I no longer accept anonymous comments. All comments will be approved before posting...due to spammers...may the fleas of a thousand camels infest every hair on his body. Connie