Sept exchange to Smash and KateR (Place card story)

Thank you, Patty, for letting us know that the 2021 stamp designs have been announced.

OH.MY.GOSH.  They are fabulous.

I'm so happy that I got rid of my hoard of vintage.

Link to USPS 2021 stamp designs

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There have been a couple envelopes with this style of writing. I used walnut ink and I treated myself to a new set of scroll tip nibs. I colored in the space with colored pencils. There's nothing noteworthy about this one. It ushered stamps out the door.

Even though I jabber about choosing stamps first to avoid problems, the envelope below is a good example of when it does not work. I was very careful about thinking through the whole concept. But, there was something wrong. So at the last minute I swapped out some stamps. Bad move. Then I tried to fill all the spaces. This one sat on my desk for a couple days - and finally I just mailed it.

It's hard to tell what I will think down the road. Sometimes I realize what would have saved it. Other times, I decide to go in and delete the image because it bothers me. So, here it is Sept 12. I wonder what's going on in November. 

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Answer to the question I asked in Sept.

Pandemic is spiking.

Here's a story:

I have a client who has been so much fun over the past 10 years. Fun parties, big budgets, and best of all -- she works way, way, way ahead so that the jobs are never last minute. She contacted me in September to do 24 place cards for Thanksgiving. I've been so blah that I couldn't make myself do them. She wanted two sets. One in black on white and the other white on black. I finally got myself to pull out my box of place cards and I had no black so I did white on gray and then I did three sets of black on ecru. I have no idea why I did not do any on white. And I dropped them in the mail.

She responded to my email telling her that they were on their way - "How much do I owe you?"

I replied:

Well, considering that I did 4 sets and none of them were what you asked for, I think you should cancel Thanksgiving. Tell your guests that the stupid calligrapher screwed up the place cards and you can't possibly have dinner without proper place cards.

I'm guessing that a lot of Thanksgiving gatherings are being cancelled this year. I'm thinking of doing some kind of hourly report on the blog - on Thanksgiving. This idea was inspired by those books called Book of Hours.

A description off Google:

The Book of Hours was a prayer book for the laity that developed in late medieval Europe and that was used for private devotion. These works were often personalized for individual patrons and illuminated with miniature paintings depicting the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and individual saints.

** end of description - back to my chatter

Obviously, if you owned books and could read during the medieval times, it meant you were so wealthy, you had nothing to do all day. So, the priests thought up ways to fill your hours. I'm pretty sure that an hourly report on Thanksgiving -  from my house - would be really boring - but, people could leave comments - we could have a contest to see who sets off their smoke alarm first. 

Or we could have of those contests where you win if you guess what time Jean's smoke alarm goes off. I might be the only inept cook in our friendly little gang. Or are we a cult?

Which is better - a gang or a cult? 

Or is there something better than either of those?

Was my coffee too strong this morning?

Did all y'all notice the 2021 stamp celebrating coffee?