Holiday Card 2009

On November 17 I received an email from a client asking me to produce her family's holiday card to make it into the mail by December 10. Sounds like plenty of time until you consider what needed to be done:

• Conceive and design a tri-fold card (and in this case I was provided with wonderful photos by Steve Robb). Make revisions based on client's feedback.
  
• Hunt for paper samples at multiple stores to line the envelopes and scan and email them for client to choose.
  
• Order the envelopes.
• Order the chosen liner paper (this took 10 days to arrive. TEN DAYS and the day before I received them I was informed that my order would be short!).
  
• Find someone to address the envelopes (both regular and return addresses). Lauren Karp is a goddess.
  
• Go away for Thanksgiving. Wait for printer to reopen and send approved design.
  
• Get postage stamp options from which client may choose.
• Design the outside of the envelopes using colors from the card as well as colors from the liner and the postage stamp.
  
• Cut the liner paper. I did this by hand to make sure they were done right.
  
• Assemble the envelopes (attach the liners and stamps- thank goodness for self-sticking stamps!).
• Fold and stuff the cards (while keeping a critical eye out for any printing issue).
• Lick (bleh!). OK, not really- I used a sponge to seal the envelopes.
  
• Hand cancel at the P.O.
• Send client the following photo taken at the P.O. with my phone so she could see the completed package as I was canceling them.

In the end, the cards arrived on the 11th and after assembly the cards were in the mail by 12 p.m. on the 12th. Not bad!

I was so happy to work with this particular client on her card. She was clear about what she wanted/liked and was able to communicate the changes she wanted to see.

Thank you C.M.!