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I’ve been writing letters and sending cards for as long as I can
remember—literally since the day I could hold a pencil. There was a time when
every big department store had a proper stationery department, and little paper
shops dotted the Main Street: places filled with beautiful writing paper,
postcards, note cards, fountain pens, colored inks, and envelopes that felt
like small treasures. Those shops are still everywhere in Europe, but here in
the United States they’ve almost vanished over the past twenty years. I miss
them terribly.
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Every holiday season I feel the pull again. This year the urge was especially
strong, so I made my own cards (as I always do), decorated the envelopes, and
sent out about fifty of them. I create one “general” design for most friends
and a special one for my fellow Sherlockians. I was so excited to mail the
Sherlock Holmes cards that I forgot to photograph the card itself—typical!—but
I did capture the envelope, which I’ll share below. The main card this year was
inspired by a lovely blog photo I stumbled across. I thought it would make a
perfect seasonal greeting, and be the perfect choice for the inclusion of a
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For the past several years, sharing my cards here has become my way of sending
a little extra Christmas cheer to all of you. So whether you celebrate
Christmas, Hanukkah, the solstice, or just the joy of a new year, please
consider this post my handwritten note to you:Wishing you light in the darkness, warmth in the cold, and a 2026 filled with good post.
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I use Tim Holtz rubber stamps every year for my
envelopes. You can find the ones I used here, here, and here.If you’d like to take a look at what I’ve done
in the past, here are cards from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023,
and 2024.
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Your envelopes are like art! I sent out cards this year - two. They included a photo of me and my daughter's dog, ha!
ReplyDeleteYou are so talented Pattie! Your designs are just exquisite and the cards and envelopes are beautifully done.
ReplyDeleteYour cards are so beautiful, Pattie! You are a true artist. I bet people love getting one of your cards in the mail. It's so funny, I'm a paper and pen girl, too and my daughter and I were just discussing how all the paper shops have disappeared yesterday on our trip to town. So sad, I miss those days of browsing the aisles of pens and fancy paper...I guess maybe I'll have to take a page from your creative book and start making my cards. I did send out a few watercolor ones, I made this year and it was fun. Merry Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteKeep sending out those cards, Kim, even if only a few. It’s good therapy, I find, and I know it really brightens the day of the person on the other end. I think I do it as much for myself as I do for anyone else.
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