Marjie's Original Christmas Cards - Part 1

This series was first displayed about seven years ago.  It has become a bit of a tradition this time of year to honor my mother's creative bent.

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As I have mentioned before my Mother made her own Christmas cards. I can still see her at the dining room table cutting, pasting, sprinkling and drawing her creations from scratch. I do not have all of the cards she made but I do have some of them and I will be featuring them the next couple of days.

Simple, colorful designs were her forte.  This early one was all pastel paint and a bit of sprinkle.

Another simple design that was painted.

Pictures were included every year to show the growth of the kids.  This first card must have been one of the first after Herb and Marj married, and that is Sandy, their cocker spaniel.

The second one here is when Phil was a newborn. 

I don't recall how many she would make from year to year, but I do remember seeing all of the materials lines up on the dining room table.  It was always quite a production.

Phil when he was perhaps 2 1/2?

A bit more involved with actual ribbon built into the card.

Three of us before we got Archie, our boxer mix that was a part of he family for pretty close to 18 years.  Mark, ever the trooper, displaying a small amount of boredom with the picture-taking.  Suck-up Phil is smiling nicely, and me, well, looking confused which would become a life-long natural pose. 

This must have been a reject or a prototype.  The deer has not been fleshed out via felt paper.   

The toothless twins.  Was Herb the fellow to the left of us we were supposed to focus on?  Even Archie seems mesmerized. 

Christmas time was a festive time in our house, as they are everywhere.  Marj really did it up well, coloring the front picture window in yuletide themes.  She usually flocked her trees  with white spray which was a fun and different artistic touch.  She also made life-size carolers out of pressed wood panels and placed outside with a spotlight.  Those carolers still are in my possession and during the later years at Chambers were displayed proudly with no touch ups or restoration.  They are at Mark's place now, awaiting my return.  Somehow the decades old patina added to the Spirit.  

  NEXT FRIDAY, MORE CARDS.