Merry Christmas everyone!

This was the main card I sent out to people this year, although thinking about it I’m not sure what makes it Christmassy – Moongazing Hares by Dawn Maciocia for the RSPB rspb.org.uk

As usual I wish you a Merry Christmas with some of my favourite designs from the cards I have received this year. They are all charity cards so click on the images to go to the charity websites.

For some reason there seem to be a lot of festive hares around this year!

Hare in Moonlight by Caroline Gordon for Bloodwise bloodwise.org.uk

Leaping Hare (no artist) for the NSPCC nspcc.org.uk/callforhelp

Then there are other small wild animals…

I think that’s a fox – Apples in the Snow by Flora McLachlan for the Stroke Association stroke.org.uk

Winter Badger linocut by Lisa Hooper for the RSPB rspb.org.uk

Not such wild animals – Fergus and Friends (no artist) for Cancer Research UK cruk.org

Then there are the birds…

Pintail Ducks by Robert Gillmor for Museums & Galleries (for NSPCC, BHF, Mind, Marie Curie and Shelter)

At this point I am going to mention the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust – I didn’t see any cards for them this year, but they are going through a tough time with the new outbreak of avian flu and our local wetland in Llanelli is closed for now – we usually go there on Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. I wish them good luck. Here’s the website www.wwt.org.uk

Winter Kingfisher photograph by Mike Lane for the RNLI RNLI.org

I always like a good bunch of snowdrops…

Winter Snowdrop by Margaret Tarrant for Marie Curie mariecurie.org.uk

Then there are the Nativity scenes…

Under an African Sky by Rebecca McCulloch for Traidcraft/Cafod/Sciaf/Cymorth Cristnogol (Christian Aid) traidcraftshop.co.uk

Wondrous Night (no artist) for HFT, which provides services for people with learning disabilities in England hft.org.uk

Virgin of the Fruits by Frank Cadogan Cowper for Diabetes UK diabetes.org.uk – I particularly like this as the card didn’t say who the artist was but our friend took the trouble to write it in on the card!

You may have noticed that so far all the cards have been square, which I find particularly appealing, even though they don’t fit in with ideas of beautiful “Golden Ratio” proportions (postcard shape). But these last two cards deserve a mention, even though they are not square…

A friend in India sent this – Happy Days, child art by Saachi Wadhwa of Mumbai for cry.org

And not to name drop, but a friend in the House of Lords sent this one! Houses of Parliament by Michael la Guerenne (born 1939) for the House of Lords Collection Trust

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2017 – hope it’s not too hairy (or is that hare-y) for us all…