Seasonal, Holiday, Christmas Cards

 I'm giving up buying and sending out Christmas cards this year because like a lot of people, I simply can't afford it.

Instead I'm devoting my time to designing new ones for my zazzle stores so that I will be well prepared for next year.

The bright side of this is that once I submit the new designs to zazzle I can send the prototypes and mockups to some of the special people at the top of my Christmas List.

I'm just getting started with a warm holiday beverage.

I'm going to use the middle of this cup for holiday designs that I already have on zazzle. Which should save time and energy on drawing.

This image was cut out by hand and mounted on red construction paper to make my first card.

This second design never saw print. I wasn't quite satisfied with it so I just painted it up and mailed it.

Sorry friend, it doesn't mean that I love you any less, I'm just too thrifty to throw it away and I have to get back to work.

Christmas tree practice didn't go well so I'm off to zazzle to use the Christmas trees that I had drawn and painted in better days.

Wish Me Luck,

Julia

A tale of two Strawberries

I wrote some of you of one of my little adventures driving around town in my power wheelchair so forgive me if I'm repeating myself but my favorite trip of the summer was to a local greenhouse where I purchased the last two strawberry plants for just two dollars and fifty cents each.

I'm sure people wonder why in the world I was so excited about that except that they each had many daughter plants hanging from them so I rushed to get them re-potted where the daughter plants could grow into strong plants of their own.

In just the few weeks since then I have nearly a dozen new plants.
No berries, the birds and wildlife around here got to those but I'll find ways to prevent that by next year.

While I wait for my next planter to be built I just keep putting other planters up to the first one for the daughter plants to spread to.

Mothers and Daughters are doing well and I'm really enjoying nurturing their progress. 

Of course this lead to the photos and the photos lead to the art.

Again with watercolors, and finished with ink.

 This was the card.

And this was the envelope. This was just a quick scribble with markers. Yes, I was in a hurry to get to the mailbox.

Still Waiting for Spring

The lettuce has come and gone is my hydroponic planter and I'm now growing basil, dill and parsley.
I've already clipped the dill back once to add to a cream of broccoli soup. And may start using some of the basil soon for a bit of Italian cooking.

As you can see out the window over my work area it will be a while yet before I plant anything outdoors. Believe it or not they've got snow in the forecast for later this week!

Gotta get some use out of the garden catalogs that keep popping out of my mailbox so I've been using them to improve my drawing and watercolor painting skills.

This photo the catalog clipping is at the top, with my watercolor below it and a marker drawing on the envelope. When the card is folded the catalog picture will be on the back of it.