12.11.2011

Cannes Cannes' Creations - Holiday Cards

I've come to learn that the Christmas or Holiday card to the American is the New Years card to the French. Americans send holiday cards in December, the French send them in January. So I guess this means I will always be ahead of the game in my adopted country.  

As much as I'd like to take a chill pill and just not send holiday cards (finding the card, buying the stamps, writing the cards, addressing them, going to the post office!) - I just can't. I love sending a card to the important people in my life each year. Even if we don't catch up much, even if I only see them at family events.  It's a touchstone in the whirlwind that is each year.  

This year, I decided that on top of all of the other stress in my life, I wanted to make a holiday card. At first I was going to go the easy route and design a photo that I would just have printed by Snapfish or Kodak Gallery (note to self: you are an idiot for not doing this!).  But then, I just couldn't get it together to actually upload my design and order it.  Here was one of my ideas:




The problem was that I really hated the ornaments and I couldn't get them just right. It was irritating. Instead of doing the logical thing and searching for a solution, I went to BHV and spent 30 minutes choosing the right color for a blank cards,  picking just the right glue and then hemming and hawing over whether or not I need one or two pots of silver glitter (of course I bought two).

Then, I went home and got to work cutting and writing and outlining and glueing and glittering.  Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either. This took waaaay longer than finding a new card design, uploading it and ordering it from Snapfish. dude.

At any rate, I finished a boat load of cards and I pray that I don't discover that I need to make more - only so many glitter cards can be spread out to dry in my 28.85 square meters of Parisian apartment.

Here is the final product:



Now I just need to write the darn things, address the envelopes, put on the stamps and send them off. I'm starting to think that all the Christmas music has done to my head. What person in their right mind would do this? Oh Cannes Cannes.


7 comments:

  1. Oh Cannes Cannes...you are indeed your mother's daughter! Why, of course, you would buy two sparkles when one would suffice. I bought enough fabric for at least five stockings when I only needed to make one this year. I wanted to make sure I had the same fabric for when you have a new little cousin in ( probably ) the not too distant future. You just never know. In the last week, I have been finishing a baby blanket, making a stocking, painting a gingerbread person and.....hopefully......I will write a note to go with our cards tonight!! If I finish all this.....gallettes tomorrow!! Yikes! Dad is OVER the mess. Oh well! See you verrrrrrrrrrry soon! Xoxo

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  2. Nice result!
    Oh but I know exactly what you're talking about :)
    But, I am ashamed to say that each year I tell myself "This time I will send cards" and never do it :( I blame it on not having time with the children, work, bla bla bla... and I always end up sending a quick Happy New Year email at the last minute to the relatives and friends I don't see often... pff c'est nul!
    maybe this year I will do better...

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  3. AT- dont do it! Stick to emails! I still haven't written anything in any of the cards! At this rate, I may have to send them from the US because the only time I'll have to write will be on the plane- hopefully the plane doesn't mind a little glitter onboard...;-)

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  4. Oh Mooma- yes we are ExActLy the same - but then later, when the very thing we need is stocking fabric and glitter, we're so happy we already have it. Big dorks is what we are:-) ha

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  5. Sadly, after "The Great Glitter Debacle of 2000", glitter has not been welcome in our humble abode! I think Dad would go into a complete and total meltdown! The other day, while finishing up Jessica's gingerbread person, I had a brilliant idea......a little bling on it's finger would soooo commemorate this special year for her!! I tore the house apart at midnight searching for some glitter! Finally, I found some of Madi's water soluble "glitter pens". Such a sad replacement for the real McCoy! Still.....Jessica cried when she saw her stocking and her gingerbread person!

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  6. The cards are tres belle! Of course you've probably discovered by now how long it takes to write/envelope/address/stamp them, as well. I haven't gotten around to our batch this year (guess they'll be New Year's greetings) and your post reminds me not to get overly ambitious. The big ideas are fun (glitter!) but the follow-through can be brutal. Regardless, your final product turned out beautifully; well done. And Merry Christmas!

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  7. Merci Alt-Mama! I actually sent them out if you can believe it! I was even inspired to type up the "american narrative" - and stuff it inside haha! (vacation is a goooood thing). Hope your holiday was special - I'll be taking a little trip to your blog to check it out! (took a little blog-cation And totally unplugged while I was home for xmas;-) Cant wait to get back in the loop!

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