Guess and Win a 2019 Card!

Another year and I still haven’t learned my lesson. I put off making my handmade Christmas cards until after Thanksgiving. Wrangling a headstrong printer, inking with any resemblance to the family member, and cutting a zillion sheets of paper has been frustrating at times, but I finished twenty-five of them yesterday. YES! Would you like one? Guess what we are doing and win a card!

In case you haven’t noticed, this is the shortest time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m feelin’ it! Are you?

My cards started off simple then got super complicated through the years.

This one from 2011 returned-to-sender for extra postage. GAH!

2009’s endeavor.

Family rendering of 2012.

Lots of drawings but less cutting in 2014.

Note to self:

If you aren’t willing to make them before the holidays, like in July, then for the love of all that is holy, draw something and print it like a normal person. Correction: normal illustrator. (Most people can’t find the time to buy and send cards.) NO MORE CUTTING AND PASTING, PLEASE!

Yeah, whatever.

No, this is not my Christmas card, but the conversation that goes on inside my head.

I eased off a couple of years ago and printed my holiday cards with very few bells and whistles.

I’m not sure why I didn’t check out the cards from the last three years. They were so simple!

2016 – NO cutting or pasting whatsoever.

Instead, I added a little bit of color.

Then in 2017, I went back to a little cutting and pasting to make the card pop.

Last year, I came up with a simple idea, but the cutting started once again.

Not this year.

I’m not sure what I was thinking. When I am inspired, nothing stops me. So far, I’ve worked six days sketching, inking, printing, and cutting. Oh, the cutting and that printer…

I totally forgot the madness of Christmas Past that ensued years ago and decided to embark on another complicated project. This card includes three different colored sheets of paper and requires tons of cutting and pasting. I don’t want to add up the time I’ve already put into them.

Yep. I forgot to take my vitamin hidden under the depths of the paper shrapnel. 

My demon printer problem.

Last Saturday night, I copied a sheet but my printer had returned to its default settings, once again. I lost it and slapped one sheet of paper into the tray and copied it. The printer made a horrible sound. The paper twisted and jammed in the roller! I couldn’t open up the paper feeder tray to pull it out.

I looked at Youtube videos, searched for the factory instructions, and Googled all kinds of Brother printers. Mine must have been an outlier. I couldn’t figure out how to get at the jam.

Over an hour later, I yanked out the receiver paper tray, not caring if I broke it. With the help of my phone’s flashlight, I carefully pulled the torn paper out of the roller. It worked. The tray slipped back into place.

It was a Christmas miracle!

Where were my Minions when I needed them? I could have used their sense of humor.

Second Note to self: 

Haste makes waste. Next year, hire Minions.

Want to win a card? 

Guess what my family is doing in this year’s card and win one! 

If everyone guesses the same thing or doesn’t guess it, I’ll draw from a hat.

Good luck!

Don’t forget to join me in putting together a Blessed Project. I’ll feature yours on December 19th! Click for more details here.

Pin for later:

Click for more adventure on the Wild Ride!