The Holidays are Coming!

I've had so many people already mention Christmas shopping in the past few weeks! Summer ends and planning for the holidays begins. For me it starts next week with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah with my husband's family and then Halloween, Thanksgiving, and everyone's birthday, anniversary, and all the Jewish / Christian holidays in December! To top it all off, I'm adding to the list with the impending birth of our first child on November 6th.

While the holidays may not be on the top of your minds, they're on mine. I'm due in 6 1/2 weeks so they are not so far off. With that in mind, if you are considering a Schaeffer original as a holiday gift, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Commissions contracted after October 1st will not be guaranteed delivery for Christmas. A card can always be made and given in lieu of the actual artwork.
  
• TraillWorks will remain open during my delivery / postpartum period; hours may be adjusted. I will not be here but a few very able-bodied artists / writers will be using the space and gallery sitting. I will be available by email and will be back at TraillWorks as soon as I feel up to it. Keep up to date with changes and announcements regarding my delivery / return to TraillWorks on the blog.
  
• Calendars will make it into your hands for Christmas - I will make sure of that.
  

Christmas Crunch

This holiday I upped my email marketing and extended a special sale to my customers which led to increased holiday sales. The only trouble being that much of the work was custom or had to be painted. Not wanting to lose the business, I accepted.

As of yesterday I finished my final orders and will be shipping them out for Christmas delivery tomorrow. The frantic pace with which I worked for the past two weeks was challenging on both me and my husband. In addition to one wedding cake portrait, five 6 x 6 tiles, and calendar orders, I got a sinus infection and celebrated my anniversary and 30th birthday. Something's gotta give next year.

It made for a good year-end and I was certainly thrilled that people considered me as a source of their holiday gifts. But, I will reconsider next year about how I advertise and cut-off custom work as well as whether or not I will repaint images for customers.

March 27, 2004, 12" x 16", Oil Pastel on Arches, © 2007 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Now I'm rushing to get out my much-needed holiday cards since I see the as a very important aspect of keeping in touch with my clients. There's nothing quite like receiving a piece of mail in today's world of virtual everything. Below is the image I'm using for my cards. I'm making limited edition giclée cards so people can frame them after they receive them. I painted this tile a few days before my open studio event and it sold instantly. I think it makes a wonderful image for a holiday card due to its wintry, yet brilliant colors.

Dogwood Winter, 8" x 8", Ceramic Paint on Tile, © 2007 Jennie Traill Schaeffer. Private Collection.