Shifting Into High Gear

Yesterday was slow enough that I could enter some of the information needed into my computerized cutting machine so that I could continue working on my holiday cards. I'm excited about this year's design, it's coming together just wonderfully. My real time will come with pens in the cutter. The thing I really love about the machine is that I can put pens into it instead of a blade and the design gets drawn out. This year's design has a minimum amount of cutwork with a lot of design work. I'm still composing the last bit of the interior sentiment and deciding on the last embellishments, but the address list is almost complete. It's looking as if I'll be sending off a few more than 50 cards this year. That's a lot that I have to get done in a relatively short time, but it's so much fun!

Look at this lovely old postage stamp of birds

mailing cards. I just love the image portrayed.

The best thing about holiday cards is that they will be going all over the world to friends and acquaintances in all types of businesses and careers. I have cards going to South Africa, Croatia, Germany, India, England, Peru and the US. There are still a few people I have yet to hear from, but generally, my address list is finalized and ready to print and embellish. It's the BEST part of this time of the year. The time pressures are always a pain, but the end result is so amazing!

In 2005 Bergdorf Goodman store did their shop windows with a

holiday carols lyrics theme. This was the "Making a List and

Checking it Twice" window. There's something disturbing

about the black manikin, but I love the spectecled bird

perched on its shoulder.

I'm almost finished with my LOTR Community Gen Fic Yule Exchange fic and have been working exclusively on that instead of anything on my NaNo piece because I don't want to let my recipient down. Things are coming together. And Dragonthology, the book in which my short story will appear, is still on track for a January 2013 e-pub date. It's been a really wonderful experience working with their editors and getting to know them as publishers. So...no complaints today - LOL. Tomorrow...well, that's another (very busy) day! Celebrate your friends today, they are lifelines and so very important.