Lately, People have been asking me about the illustrations that appear on my cards. Truth is, I love telling these stories when some one asks me. Some of my cards have great stories and others have personal memories of mine attached the illustration. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about one of my favorite holiday cards; Holidays at the Beach, so I decided to share that story with all of you!
I love this card and it has a one of my favorite origin stories. The card itself features three palm trees on the beach wrapped with holiday lights and a surf board leaning on one of the trees. I think it truly captures what the holidays feel like in southern California and other beachy areas.
I drew Holidays at the Beach while on a family vacation one December. At the suggestion of someone I knew at the time, I was trying to come up with a card design that embodied the idea of “A White Christmas”. You know, like the song—roaring fires, roasting chestnuts, icy windows, etcetera. However, I’m from sunny southern California and the holidays I remember don’t involve much snow or icy weather.
The other problem I was having was that, even though it was cold out, everywhere I looked were palm trees and the Pacific ocean. A far cry from snowflakes and sledding! Everything I’d drawn so far didn’t look right to me and definitely didn’t feel right.
One day during lunch, my parents and I were joking around. The song in question had come on to the speakers at the restaurant we were eating at and someone made a reference to “white sand beaches at Christmas” and that’s when it struck me! Draw what I see! Palm trees wrapped in lights and the beach! It should have been a pretty basic lesson, after all, they tell writers to write what they know. Here I was trying to re-invent the wheel, or the holiday wreath if you prefer, when I should’ve been designing what I see!
Not only is this one of my favorite holiday cards, it has been the source of some very amusing tales from my customers. Surfer’s and Beach lovers adore this card. It’s a slice of holiday whimsy done “Cali Style” (or Florida Style or Hawai’i Style) It’s also been all over the nation sent by siblings in sunny locales who want to remind their siblings in colder climates that there is more than one “White Christmas”.
I love hearing stories from my customers. I feel honored when someone chooses to share one with me. I also love hearing who each card someone has purchased is going to be sent to and where this amazing loved one lives.
If you ever feel like sharing, well just contact me! I’m always happy to speak with you!