The Tree is Lit!

Winter's Eve was a huge success, there was a crowd in the five-figures, 60s-nostalgia as Arlo Guthrie performed with his entire extended family on stage, and huge cheers as the tree was finally lit. The bright red ornaments could be seen for blocks and blocks, and I used them to find the tree when we first arrived.

I was skeptical at first about the number of people that would come to the event, since I had never been to a New York tree lighting, but the crowds proved me wrong. It was a fantastic night, and so many family and friends came for support, which I am so thankful for.

Nothing says "Christmas" like a 60-degree night, and it was too hot to even wear sweaters. The tree came out perfectly, and if you are in New York, you should definitely stop by Lincoln Square to take a look. Use the bright red ornaments as a guide.

The moment the tree was lit: confetti, a brass band, and cheers from thousands of people:

Family in front of the tree!

Then we walked over to the American Folk Art museum on 9th Ave, just a few blocks from the big tree, where they are selling the ornaments. There is a beautiful 7-foot white tree in the window, showcasing the ornaments.

All in all, a huge success! I've already restocked the ornaments once, and you can buy them online right here. Thanks to everyone who came out to the tree lighting, and to everyone involved in this project that made it such a huge success. And of course to my brother Charles, who helped take pictures of the event (half of the photos above were taken by him). If you are in New York, I hope you get a chance to see the tree!

Winter's Eve Tonight!

The tree is up, the ornaments are hung, and the Lincoln Square tree lighting is tonight! Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square kicks off at 5:30, at 63rd and Broadway in NYC. I would love to see you there if you are in the area! I haven't seen the tree in person yet, but I've seen photos and I think it came out perfectly. Doesn't the red and white pattern pop off the green tree?

You can buy the smaller version in the shop right here. I hope to see some of you there!

Photo by Karen Lukas

New Stores: Inkwell and Sweet Pea Gardens

There are two new stores to add to the list this week, and both in new locations: Maine, and Canada!

First is Inkwell Boutique in Halifax, a store that I have been admiring for a long time. From looking at the pictures, I want everything there and I hope I can visit some day.

Next up is Sweet Pea Gardens in Surry, Maine. Sweet Pea is a floral studio that does gorgeous work, and I'm so happy to have my cards included!

Shop Handmade this Christmas

It's almost Christmas shopping time and that means the Santa ad campaigns have started running on TV. As a thank you to all of my customers, I will be offering free shipping starting on Thanksgiving day, running until December 5th, so you can load up on as many prints as you want, and I'll ship them to you for free. This coupon code is only for blog readers and email subscribers (which you can do on the front page of my website here), all you have to do is type in the code "SHIPFREE" at checkout, starting on Thanksgiving, to get free shipping.

I'm planning on skipping the Santa ads and doorbusters this year, and buying from small businesses instead, and I hope you will too!

Speaking of small businesses: if you missed the New York Times article about the new generation of small business owners earlier this month, it's definitely worth a read.

Ransom Crows

I have a new card design to show you today: a design based on a sculpture at my alma mater, Kenyon College. One of Kenyon's famous professors was the poet John Crowe Ransom, and on top of the Ransom building at the school, a sculpture of crows sits as a literary pun. The crows are one of the well-known symbols of the school, and I had a request to turn them into a print.

I came up with these cards, featuring the Ransom Crows, and if you have any Kenyon alums on your Christmas list, these would make a perfect gift! You can find them in the shop right here.

The Amazing Kelly of Fifth Stitch

For the past few months, I have had an amazing intern helping me around the studio once a week. With all the new projects I've been taking on over the past few months, I really couldn't do it without her. If you buy something from me, chances are Kelly will have helped to cut, fold, print, package or send it.

In addition to being amazing at helping me, Kelly also has her own line of beautiful cards called Fifth Stitch. I've been sending them out for birthdays and thank yous lately, and they have received rave reviews. Kelly sews all her cards individually (which was how she found my work in the first place), and uses hand-cut illustrations on each card. You can see her full line of cards in her shop, and I know she'll be coming up with great things in the future!

Check out her shop right here!

Christmas in the Shop

This weekend, I had a full Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday, and it definitely got me excited for the holidays. And to add to that excitement, the 2011 Holiday cards are now listed in the shop! There are two new designs for this year, and I will still be selling the popular designs from last year as well.

I'm now offering Holiday cards in singles and sets (they were only available as sets last year) so you can get a range of designs! To pick up some holiday cards for yourself, you can see them right here.

I'm also offering gift tags this year: they are embossed, which means they have a raised, shiny texture. I love the way they look on present!

Embossing is done by covering wet ink with an embossing powder, which is then heated to melt it, giving it a clear, shiny look. I'll definitely be using them on presents this year. They are $8 for a pack of six, and you can get them right here.

The Ornaments are Ready!

After a year of planning, months of printing and days of tagging and packaging, the ornaments are finally ready! They shipped up to New York yesterday to be put on the tree, and a limited number of the remaining ornaments are now up in the shop if you would like to get one for your own tree!

A new print made specifically for the ornaments:

The tree lighting is in two weeks, and if you are in the New York area and would like to come, you can see the tree lighting information here. The large ornaments are being displayed on the Lincoln Square tree, and the small ones will be sold exclusively through the American Folk Art Museum in New York, with a limited number being sold through my shop.

All tagged and ready to go:

Off to New York!

I hope some of you can make it to the tree lighting, and I'll be posting plenty of pictures of the finished tree in two weeks!