HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE

OK, everyone, I promise this is the last Halloween post until next year. But I'd remiss in not sharing my fellow Greeting Card Universe artists' wonderful Halloween pieces. And while it might be too late for Halloween this year, I seriously suggest you check out their stores for their holiday greetings. Meanwhile, please enjoy my little "virtual" treat to everyone.

It's Halloween or Howl-oween! "I love Halloween..." Blessing Art Cards, Sharon Fernleaf Countdown to Halloween "Halloween, a day of fantasy and fun..." Che Bella Nota, Teri Nelson Kuster The Big Pumpkin “I”m born in Hong Kong, so Halloween for me is the most unusual holiday…" Painted Cottage, Judith Cheng Twisted Rainbows: It’s Halloween! “It’s the time of year when ghosts and ghouls like to frolic in the streets…” Reel Cards, R.P. Bulanadi Happy Halloween “Boo! Did I scare you?” Tanitu, Creative Paradise Colors of Halloween “I have made two color palettes that scream the fall colors of the Halloween season…” Dragonfire Graphics, Betsy Bush Grumpy Halloween “Help yourself to a little sweet orange treat…” Naquiaya’s Cards, Naquaiya Oh, Great Pumpkin, Where Are You? “Cute, scary, on the doorstep or in food, I love pumpkins!” What Dreams May Come, Maryann Nolan Ooh… Candy Corn! “20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually...” Hand-Me-Downz, Richard Skelley Halloween Memories “Happy Halloween, everyone!” Hope your Halloween is safe and hauntingly wonderful. I'll be joining my daughters with a huge bowl of popcorn, my special "magical lantern" lit and a live edition GHOST HUNTERS!

Going Directly to Christmas

Don't you hate to see a conglomerate of pumpkins, turkeys, and Christmas trees all lumped together under "seasonal" in your local Wal-Mart? As I look at greeting card seasonal marketing, I'm reminded of the rule of thumb for illustrators; 6 months ahead. So in June, the Christmas tree cards should be designed, and, if I were REALLY on top of things, my store would be replete with Thanksgiving cards and I would be busily designing, um, Easter cards. Really? Still, I want to do with my cards what I like to do in life. I want to linger over each and every holiday. And to me, Halloween isn't over until the "HALLOWEEN STORES" which fill our local emptied store buildings seasonally are gone, I can't see a single candy corn or pumpkin at the local craft store, and the "Halloween" cards are out of the greeting card tiers. Guess what! That never happens! As the Christmas aisle expands with it's glitter, electronic villages and displays, the Halloween aisle will have it's huge markdown, and Thanksgiving, well it's passed over almost entire save a few little pilgrim figurines and an occasional turkey cardboard cut out. So I did a little experimenting. During a Google search, selecting only black and white (to assure me of images of the past, I found one site with suggestions on how to make a Thanksgiving yard sign: http://groupart.info/16871-how-to-make-thanksgiving-turkey-meal-yard-decorations.html And a delightful vintage image of what was probably a 1920's invitation

When people had a little festive gathering on Thanksgiving Eve, perhaps attended their local church; then rose at the crack of dawn to get the bird into what must have been unpredictable ovens. (My mother swore by putting a "diaper" on Tom to keep him moist.) White tablecloths adorned the dining room table, children dressed up in their finest and there was this air of excitement waiting for grandparents, aunts and uncles to arrive? If I could turn back the hands of time, this is one tradition I'd take back; keep Christmas, but let's keep Thanksgiving too.

HALLOWEEN MEMORIES

Happy Halloween everyone! And especially to my fellow artists at Greeting Card Universe who work so diligently to create for the Holiday Season. Many of us are rendering witches and pumpkins while Easter eggs are still on the ground. I can't think of a more beloved holiday for children and the very site of the first ghosts and pumpkins pulls me back to my own "trick or treating" days. Dating myself here, but in our little Old Orchard neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio, the day began at the hour and a half lunch hour. We scurried home and hoovered down bologna sandwiches and a big glass of milk (yes, whole milk). Costumes were donned and the walk back to school was a quite a scene as classmates were transformed into witches, ballet dancers, cowboys (and no one thought a thing of a holster and cap gun going into the school for the festivities), and tramps (usually a combination of dad's old sport coat and oversized shoes.) After a collective march by class around the neighborhood, the mothers began to arrive with treats. Popcorn balls, cookies with thick layers of orange icing slathered on them, and a full assortment of candy corn and caramel apples, mostly homemade. A quick dinner preceded the trick or treat festivities. My mom taught piano in our house so it was my dad's job to aid in getting me out the door, a job I'm sure he didn't cherish as I changed my mind about what to wear at least two or three times. Finally, it was dark enough to gather with friends and venture out. There was very little if any "ghoulish-ness" and I don't recall much fake blood, but lots of running and shouting as we made our way across the lawns. Every neighborhood has a "haunted" house and ours was no exception as we avoided a Spanish style home rumored to be occupied by the mob and replete with bullet proof windows. Scary stuff. Much of our time was spent visiting with neighbors who generously invited us in to "ooh and aah" over our costumes and insist we have a powdered doughnut. Cider and doughnuts rounded out the evening (followed of course by a great deal of vigorous tooth brushing.) To those memories I leave you to explore the wonderful Halloween cards offered at Greeting Card Universe.
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/Holidays-Halloween
 Please consider these wonderful designs for your Halloween fun.
Warm Traditions Greeting Card Store

                                 

My Favorite Haunted house

Candy Corn Photo Card

Gently Spooky Photo Card

Jack O Lantern Halloween Birthday

Cancer Awareness Month at Greeting Card Universe

I'd be remiss in not giving a tribute to all the fine GCU artists who contributed to Cancer Awareness Month through their blogs and wonderful designs. I hope visitors to my blog will take the time to visit these artists' blogs and greeting card stores through Greeting Card Universe: Pets and Wildlife Cancer “One area of cancer research we do not often hear about, cancer in pets and wildlife, which is also on the rise…” Blessing Art Cards, Sharon Fernleaf Breast Cancer Awareness and Pink Ribbon Cards & Gifts “Believe in the power of the pink ribbon...” Creative Paradise, Tanitu Breast Cancer Awareness Month “I cannot remember a time when when there wasn’t a dear friend or family member battling cancer...” Cards from the Heart, Lisa Charlton October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month “My mother had breast cancer as well as lung cancer...” Eliz Designs, Elizabeth Eells Ways to be Supportive, Helpful and Encouraging for Cancer Patients “This post is in honor of our friends, colleagues and family members who are currently battling this dreadful disease…” Heart to Art, Sri Devi Breast Cancer Awareness “There are several things you should look for when doing a self exam…” Sheryl Kasper Card Store, Sheryl Kasper Barbara’s Story “Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Barbara has battled breast cancer since 1997, what better time to tell Barbara's story?” Rycky Creations, Robin Chaffin Breast Cancer Awareness Month “Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50...” Janet Lee Designs, Janet Palaggi Cancer Bummer “I was diagnosed with cancer about 12 years ago.” I Love Cuttables, Cindy Johns October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month “Cancer is cruel, cancer makes no exceptions…” At Sparky’s, Antoinette Van Kleef Canine & Feline Cancer “I’ve seen much too much cancer in the lives of my beloved pets over the years…” Salon of Art, Doreen Erhardt A Sobering Subject “I think, today, how cancer has impacted my life...” Warm Traditions, Candace J. Hardy

All Things Wonderfully Fall and Vintage

Let me say I've always been a fan of Autumn. Rides in the country at this time of year evoke in me a love of all things fall and vintage. I recall a letter from author E.B. White, written to his mother as he travelled in early spring to Ohio. This is the feeling I wanted to convey to the viewers of this particular illustration 'He said: "Spring has arrived in Ohio. This is a flat state where red pigs graze in bright green fields and where farms are neat and prosperous — not like New York farms. We roll along through dozens of villages and cities whose names we never heard. [...] Toward evening the country scenes become idyllic — the sort of thing you have seen in the moving pictures and never quite believed in. Sheep come drifting up long green lawns where poplars throw interminable shadows, come drifting up and stand like statues beneath white plum blossoms, while far down the land and off in the fields a little Ford tractor moves like a snail across the furrows. Lilacs are in full bloom and the lavender ironwood blossoms are coloring all the roads." '

I'm proud to announce a brand new photo card for Halloween.


I really love the photo cards. A bit more challenging to create (thank the graphic gods for Photoshop, which decided to be temperamental today). Such a terrific way to showcase your little one's special moment as a ninja turtle or princess. Enjoy!

Halloween in NW Ohio

It's officially October. Our area here is NW Ohio is replete with "OKTOBERFESTS" and Halloween is in the air. I'm delighted to present another Halloween photocard:


Hopefully more will follow. This design is a result of a favorite Halloween treat of mine, (second only to candy apples and doughnuts). Here in NW Ohio we have a number of festivals. They include anything from corn mazes to "Haunted Houses". My adult children will be heading to CEDAR POINT, for their "Hallowed weekends full of adult frights, while our TOLEDO ZOO will feature a Pumpkin Path filled with more "gentle" boo's. Let me know what you'd like to see? And as always, I'm happy to design custom cards for those autumn festivals and Halloween parties.