Easter Cards for my Grandmother

Ever had a project that just didn't "feel" right? Where you just wanted to put it down, walk away, and potentially never pick it back up?

Yea...those were these cards. Unfortunately, when you are doing a commissioned work, even for family, you don't have the option of just walking away.

Generally in my shop, I make cards that interest me, or similar cards for people that want to customize colors, placement, text, etc. But it's still my same basic ideas. You will notice that in my shop there are certain things I don't do. I don't do religious cards (for a myriad of reasons, both business and personal). I don't generally do interior messages or designs. And I don't do hand lettering (too much of a perfectionist to be happy with that). I don't monochromatic designs (I like color!). I prefer to stick to the two themes (dimensional flowers and dragonlings) that I have established for myself. And I do not do reproductions--everything is completely original and one of a kind.

These cards broke an awful lot of "rules". They were hand drawn, scanned, and copied. They were monochromatic. They were religious. They had both a design and a message on the interior. They had nothing to do with flowers or dragonlings. In short, they didn't really "fit" with my shop. But, it's my grandma, so I did them.

After all of my artistic qualms about the cards, I then had technical difficulties at Kinkos. (Note to Kinko's employees, when someone asks you if their paper will go through the copier and you say "yes"--you might want to mention that they need to use a specific tray. Just a thought.) I was so happy (after 40 min and three copy machines later) to finally get good copies that I skipped straight home. Only upon cutting and folding the cards did I realize I had copied the interior UPSIDE DOWN. That's right, the inside message was on the "top" flap. *headesk*

Since I was seeing my grandma today, I showed her the cards and talked to her about it. I think they will end up cut to be flat note-cards and mailed that way.

I did learn a valuable lesson from all this though. If work doesn't fit you--your shop or your aesthetic--even if it is family, the best word to use is "No."

On a happy note--I liked my designs. Swirls! : )