Holiday Spiral

This card started as a telephone doodle. You know the ones that you draw while you chat and that some how mysteriously help you listen. She must have been discussing her holiday obligations because the card is all about being stuck in the holiday shopping spiral. She described it as an 'overwhelming tornado sweeping up fun and work and taking over.' Around and around she went only stopping to let her frustrations out on and into a postcard. A timely expression of a normal feeling this time of year I'd say. I hope that you are escaping the storm this year my friend!

Harvest

Lynn writes on the back of this card that she planned to visit my mom over the holiday weekend knowing that Thanksgivings had become a bit of a sad time for her, since the loss of the family Christmas tree farm. As a kid, Thanksgiving meant the start of the tree season. Car loads of people would come to my aunt and uncle's city tree lot and out to the farm to cut their own trees the day after Thanksgiving. We would all help to prepare for the crowds and spend the entire weekend in the cold selling trees. It made the meal my mom and grandmother made taste that much better. I distinctly remember sitting on the piano bench next to my cousin eating blueberry pie, my cheeks burning from the wind. Blissfully happy. A true harvest celebration.

Perfect Pumpkin

The great thing about this card project is that you dont have to even try to ignore the obvious seasonal themes. That is what cards are meant for! This is a pretty standard pumpkin, but what you cannot tell from the scan is that its toothy grin is cut out as every pumpkin grin should be. The polka dots come from a magazine picture that has been pasted behind the card. In real life it adds some depth and an extra level of fun.

Lynn wrote on its underbelly that daylight savings time was coming, which the end of the year was near. Last year's close though was highly anticipated, though since she was looking forward putting 2009 behind her. After having just received bad news about my Samoan host family last October, I remember nodding my head in agreement.

Sometimes we need bright smiles to arrive in the mail on holiday cards, dont we?

A quilted heart

Its valentines day again. I almost forgot. We are planning a staff conference here in Ghana, which will start on the day of love, and sadly my co-worker and I didn't realize it until someone pointed out that perhaps employees would want to be with their loved ones. Ha! Shows how used to being single I am. Last Valentines Day though I remember well since I arrived back to DC from Zambia on Valentines Day and went directly out with my eharmony adventure of the moment. I was so tired. I distinctly remember thinking over dinner: I wonder if I am making in sense. It was nice to have someone to go out with though. On the back of this card, which got wet in the February weather, Lynn writes of a V-day that included parental visits and basketball playing. Lynn, do you have plans this year? Also, do you remember that you had wondered if you could have made this card in a more traditional quilt pattern? Perhaps this will be good inspiration for future quilt cards. Love to all this holiday!

Boo!

I know this isn't the second card Jessica sent me...but Halloween is tomorrow! So, I thought it was a good idea to post this wonderful Halloween themed one she did last year. What I love about this one, is she's drawn a complete scene (and its on about a third of the postcard!) Can you see the pumpkins on the porch? The three trick-or-treater's complete with bags and unique costumes?