Studio Christmas Card 2005

So today I'm showing my 2005 Christmas card.  I got such a nice response to the first years

card that I went with the accordion fold format again.  This year I added more to the outside of the card.  Myself & my sweet husband Antonio ended up sewing 300 buttons on front of each card & adding a bit of string to wrap around the button to use as a closing device.  (sometimes he wishes I knew when to stop...)  The card is a fun assortment of prints/ illustrations. A confetti floral print in a somewhat seasonal palette, painted A- Z Christmas, seasonal line- work icons (from my sketchbook) Big City Santa ( I painted him while living in NY & while many find him a bit scary I think city Santa would be thinner to get down all those chimneys & a bit more metro sexual) a painted roof top scene with message in the night sky. Finally, I capped it all off with presents on pink.  Click on the image to get a better look....

Would love to hear what's your favorite part of this card.

Studio Holiday Card 2004

So every year that I've been in business (it'll be 5 years this January) I've made a studio Holiday card to send out to all my clients.  It's always a fun project for me.  My plan is to show each so today I'll start with the the first year- 2004.  I wanted a fun format, I love artist books & struggle with editing so I went with an accordion format.  (that way I could sneak in all my favorites & it feel a little more like a story)  The card was a mix of painted illustration, crayon drawing, a little water color, some digital work & a whole lot of love.  

Holiday Handpuppets

Today I thought I'd share the Holiday hand puppets I made for The Land of Nod.

This year Santa, Snowman, & Reindeer are available.  Next Christmas a few more

characters will join the bunch.  Check them out on The Land of Nod web site they're

super cute, lots of fun & a really economical gift.

Luca's favorite is the reindeer which of coarse he calls a "DOG"

Stockings

5 of my sweet seasonal stockings available through The Land of Nod.  Happy Friday to all & to all a good night!

The Changing of the Christmas Guard

Here we go marching through December.

Where the street have no name Tree skirt

Two years ago I made this tree skirt for The Land of Nod. The terrific thing about projects with them is that the product stays in the catalog several years. (of course as long as it’s selling...) The original City to Country tree skirt was made out of felt, canvas, a little dark denim & solid cotton fabric. It’s basically a giant circle 60” wide. That said I knew I needed to keep it fairly bold & simple to make sure it would be cost effective to produce. I added lots of sowing machine stitches around windows, trees, in the pond, snow & houses to keep it interesting & add texture. We have it around our tree at home & I like switching around the front view depending on my mood. This is available through The Land of Nod, check out the close up on their site were you can easily zoom in to see all the details. So is your tree up yet?

Snow Day

Hope everyone had a restful & restoring Thanksgiving. Throughout the month of December I thought I’d share a new holiday illustration or product I’ve worked on. Today I’ll start with a winter scene placemat (with option to personalize). This is part of a holiday placemats series I made for The Land of Nod. There’s lots to look at because I wanted to make sure I included all the activities I think of on a cold snow day.