Thursday, December 3, 2009

I'm Finished With Next Year.




(Next year's calendars, that is!)

One of my vivid holiday memories from childhood is our extended family gathering at my grandparents' print shop to help make hundreds of calendars for the following year to give to customers. We'd all squeeze in to the shop on a Saturday, and spend the entire day working together.

My grandpa would print the pages for each month the week before, and then we'd all work in a line, collating them. Once we had a big stack of collated calendars, we'd tidy it perfectly straight, weigh it down, and paint one side with red padding compound. After a bit, the compound would be dry, and I'd use a knife to cut apart the stack one calendar a time. Grandpa cleverly cut December just a tad longer than the other months, so I could pull apart each calendar by feel. Then we'd staple the year's pages to a piece of cardstock that the customer could hang from their wall during the coming year.

Anyway, collating these new matchbook-style calendars reminded me of those days gone by. These calendars aren't the wall kind, though, and I only made sixty, not hundreds. Instead, they're pocket-sized, with each month on a perforated page inside. They're available in three bright colors, and would make perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for co-workers or teachers. Help yourself, right here.

You know what? I think it's time for another giveaway. I'm offering three calendars to three people (one calendar each). To enter, please leave a comment below before 9:00 am CST on Thursday, December 10, 2009. I'll use the trusty random number generator to pick the winners that morning. Please be sure to check back then so I can get the necessary info from you if you're a winner. I'll allow one week for the winners to contact me before I choose any alternate winners. Thanks for entering!

27 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading about the calendar-making process at your grandparents' print shop, Christy, and your matchbook-style calendars are super neat. Hope I'm one of the winners! : )

    Amy L.

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  2. Oh my gosh! These are the cutest things ever! Even if I don't win, I'm totally getting them as stocking stuffers.

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  3. these are beyond beautiful - i love your ideas!

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  4. Oooo, I really want one. So cute.

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  5. These are so beautiful!

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  6. these are fantastic! me likey :)

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  7. Oh, dear! These are darling. Pocket-sized and letterpressed, what could be better?
    Jen N.

    ellisondrive @ gmail . com

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  8. These are fantastic. You have been very busy!

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  9. i found your lovely blog via artsyville. i enjoyed reading about your family working together at your grandparents' print shop and would love one of your calendars. i'm always drawn to small things. we're having a giveaway, too. please visit us! enjoy your weekend!

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  10. These little calendars are super cute. What a great idea and your give away is very nice. Please throw my name in the hat. Happy Holidays!!

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  11. OMGoodness, these are utterly adorable! I absolutely love them!! What a great idea. Thank you for this offering and telling us about your family memories. Happy Holidays to you and yours this season!

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  12. family tradition redux. cool.
    they are just great too.

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  13. these are indeed very beautiful.please pick me:)
    have a lovely christmas, best from berlin,anja

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  14. I love those little calenders! Very cute.

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  15. Just what I need to get organized, I think. And the perfect size!

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  16. What a great memory attached to these cute little calendars! Love them!

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  17. These are adorable. What a great memory. It's so nice to meet another ink artist.

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  18. Very cute! Just discovered your site/blog and am quite impressed!

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  19. You do lovely work. Thanks for doing a giveaway.

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  20. Very cute. Beautiful design work as always. Hope I win. :)

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  21. Thanks to everyone who entered to receive a 2010 Matchbook Calendar. I appreciate all the kind comments, and am pleased to announce that the winners are:

    #14 - Deb's Artful Journey
    #6 - Marna
    #17 - uglygirl

    Please contact me with your name, mailing address, and which color you would like (red, blue or green), and I will mail them out in a jiffy!

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