Christmas Bunting and Card Sets

After the weekend's market adventure, I have listed in etsy the remaining Christmas bunting and card packs.

Black ribbon, printed onto vintage book pages

Packs of 4 cards

Red ribbon option, printed onto parchment paper

There are four different options with the bunting - following any of the links above to the individual listings.  I also have multiple card packs available, with an option for a custom print job.  I only ask that you are mindful of delivery times and options.

Have fun with your December preparations everyone, it's a big part of the fun of the festive season!

Merry Season to you all

Thank you to everyone for your support throughout the year - what a great year 2012 has been for luciandjoe.

I hope that you have a safe and relaxing merry season and I look forward to seeing what 2013 will bring us all.

Xmas Bunting clearout

'Merry Xmas' Bunting clearout - now all $20.
I have a dozen ten bunting packs left from this year's markets and am keen to see them hanging in homes this season.
Each one was originally priced at $30, but are now down to $20.

Please contact via email or leave a comment if you'd like to purchase one - I can list it on etsy, d

eliver in person if you're local (local as in Portland, Victoria, Australia!), or see what's easiest for you.

If you'd like to see a photo of the specific bunting that's listed, please just ask.

The options left are:
‘Merry Xmas’ Bunting – now $20
Vintage Book Pages
1. Black satin ribbon
2. Black grosgrain ribbon
3. Red satin ribbon
4. Black grosgrain ribbon
5. Black grosgrain ribbon
6. Black grosgrain ribbon
Parchment Paper with embellishment
7. White paper with red twill ribbon
8. Light taupe paper with black grosgrain ribbon
9. White paper with red ribbon with white stitching detail
10. White paper with red twill ribbon
11. Light taupe paper with black grosgrain ribbon
12. Light taupe paper with black grosgrain ribbon

Piccadilly Market - Sunday week

I  love market season!  Each one brings a different experience and a different reason to get excited.
The Piccadilly market in Geelong is a large one with a great variety of stallholders.  I am often found bringing home some treasures of my own from other stalls - it is incredibly tempting at this one to do a lot of purchasing.  And why wouldn't you, it's a market that has some beautifully handmade products and amazing choices for gifts.  It's definitely the weekend that I'll be finishing my Christmas shopping.

The market is located in the centre level (ie. not the cafeteria level, which is currently undergoing renovation works) of Deakin's Waterfront campus in Geelong.  This year, due to those renovations, we are spread throughout that level, both inside amongst all sorts of nooks and crannies and in the gorgeous internal courtyard.

They've organised some ongoing live music all day and of course there are food carts and COFFEE available all day too.  It's definitely worthy of a visit - for those based in Geelong, and anyone within a good Sunday drive's distance away [that should be a new unit of measure!].

Keep up to date with information about the market on their facebook site, or through their website.

*****

As for luciandjoe, we've been madly getting our Christmas delights organised - a plethora of cards so that we can keep this ancient tradition going, specialty garlands and our ever-popular Christmas bunting.

On the weekend we were able to travel to the local Melobeda Christmas tree farm and get in before the annual chopping begins in December.  It was a gloriously sunny spring day [read: hayfever], but despite the consequential symptoms, the photos look amazing.  The shoot was a lot of fun too - it even attracted David off the mower to come and help us source a good spot out of the wind.  This involved a maze-like wander through trees three times as tall as myself, following a voice to find somewhere with the right tree, the right light and the right wind!

The top photo shows the bunting which is printed onto vintage book pages, with an old typewrite font.
This lower photo is of the more modern bunting that has a different font, a flourish design at the bottom of each letter (not seen in the photo) and is printed on a gorgeous parchment paper.

Both are available at the Piccadilly market on Sunday 25th November - come on by and smell the Christmas tree :)

are Christmas cards still valued today?

I'm pondering this question because I know that I have such a biased view on this.
I haven't bought a commercial card - whether with a cute reindeer, or birthday greeting on it - for many, many years.  I make all of my own cards for all occasions.  I also make cards to sell.  So, I'm not a good/objective measure for such a question.

But I ask it because I wonder how many Christmas stamps will be [legitimately] used this coming Christmas to send cards across the globe, both near and far?

I'm going to speculate that people still do send cards, but not necessarily in the same quantity as years before.  It wasn't all that long ago that you would dedicate hours of time, over a night or two some time in December, working your way through your most recent address book, trying to work out who to send a card to.  And it wasn't an easy decision.  Did you hear from them last year?  Have you got their current address?  Is that even their current name?

And then there's the decision about which card to send (did you also save the most religious card for the peson on your list you knew would actually appreciate its message?).  And who received a copy of the bulk update letter?  You don't send those to everyone I'm sure.  Side note: I actually really enjoy receiving these myself; it's a great little biography on an A4 page for those who don't have a facebook account.

My working theory is that cards are still sent to particular relatives, special friends and certainly in bulk by businesses to their 'most' valued clients.  But I believe that the list of those from whom we only hear news at Christmas time, is shrinking every year.  I know that I personally don't send out as many cards as I used to, and don't receive as many in return.  But I am in touch with more people throughout the year through our wonderfully easy and reliable communication methods - facebook, emails and texting.  The need for a yearly check in is not as necessary as it once was.

But I really hope that we still do value the handwritten card or note.  Not just because I really enjoy making such products for you folks!  But because I love receiving them myself and wish that I would remember to send more of them throughout the year, not just in the spirit of Yule.

What are your Christmas card intentions for this year?

last market opportunity for some quality Christmas shopping

The final Made Artist's Market for the year is on this coming Saturday in Port Fairy.
I've got a range of Christmas goodies, including bunting and trees (shown in the photo below) and sets of Christmas cards.

On the present front (for loved ones or yourself!), I'll have my usual range of fabric covered journals which make great diaries, travel journals or photo albums; and an ever-changing range of upcycled books.  If you haven't seen my upcycled books yet, imagine beautiful hardcover books which have been remade into blank paper journals.  Each has a surprise inside - the paper itself, hidden pockets and very special papers.
There is a large pile of garlands on sale, as well as some very special framed Parisian photographs which would made beautiful presents.

This is our last Made market for the year and they've been a fantastic success, so we hope to see you again on Saturday, both new and returning customers.

Made Artist's Market, Port Fairy
Saturday 10th December,  9am - 2pm
(Anglican Church Hall, down the lane beside Bella Claire's on Bank Street).