You see, my aunt will soon be moving. The card was a very simple plain white card. The front of the card contained a pen and ink sketch of her new home. Beneath the sketch, printed on the card was her new address (I've removed the address).
Inside the card was a greeting that said
"Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
From now on Santa can find me at this new address
and now you can too!!!"
From now on Santa can find me at this new address
and now you can too!!!"
And the best surprise of all? On the back was a note that said
Pen & Ink
by
Wanda Edwards
[town, state]
by
Wanda Edwards
[town, state]
My cousin Wanda is an artist. She created the drawing of the new house for the Christmas card. Not only did I get a lovely Christmas card with notice of change of address (address included) and a drawing of the new house but the card was also drawn by a relative.
Whether my aunt intended it or not she produced a perfect family keepsake.
Think about whether you can incorporate your family into your holiday cards. Don't have a professional artist in the family? Try using a drawing or photos that your kids created. And remember to give them credit on the back of the card!
And this reminds me that I need to get cracking on my own holiday cards before it's too late....
My sister is an architectural designer. She takes blueprints and does renderings of how the house, building etc will look when it is finished being built. She also does paintings of homes on the side. She told me that Christmas cards with her paintings are very popular, so you are exactly correct! People who are lucky enough to hire an artist often incorporate the paintings into all kinds of things, (letterheads, business cards, Tshirts) but Christmas cards are the most popular.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest daughter always makes original Christmas and birthday cards, usually working in a drawing of her family, too. We are saving them for posterity. Whether or not there's any "history" to them, they are a wonderful keepsake of her talents to pass on.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story and a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic! What a wonderful thing. My daughter is making art for everyone this Christmas. It was something that my grandmother used to do. Now that she's not able to with her arthritis my daughter is picking up the tradition. I love it. It goes beyond hand-made into heirloom in one jump.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! We just moved too. I am not an artist, but I do have a camera. Can I steal your aunt's idea and words (inserting our names and info of course)? Love it, it is so simple, and yet perfect for this time of year and to ensure keeping in touch with all your friends and family.
ReplyDelete