Author: Lou Longworth

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Christmas Card Illustrations

4 different Christmas card illustrations on a white wood background

This summer I’ve been working on new Christmas card illustrations, ready for the festive season. I know it seems a bit early, and honestly it was a bit weird working on wintery scenes while sweltering in the heat. That’s how the greeting card industry works though – retailers expect to see your new designs anywhere from 3 months up to a year in advance, so they can make their buying decisions nice and early. If anything I was running a bit late…

Now that it’s October, however, I feel like I can start to share my new Christmas and holiday illustrations with you without freaking you out too much 😁

If you’ve been following my blog (or Instagram feed) for a while you’ll know that I did a design refresh on a lot of my greeting cards earlier this year, as my illustration style has changed quite a bit since I first started. So it was time to do the same for my Christmas and holiday collection. I’ve redone the illustrations for some of my most popular designs as well as come up with some brand new ones and I really hope you like them. I did enjoy doing them despite the weirdness of the timing!

Here’s a selection of some of the Christmas card illustrations I’ve been working on…

Christmas Card Illustrations

Illustration of ant carrying Christmas present
Illustration of bee with Christmas hat flying over snowy landscape
Illustration of figure in yoga tree pose with Christmas light wrapped around
Illustration of Father Christmas freewheeling down a hill on a bicycle
Illustration of two snow people holding hands

I’ve also redone the illustrations for my Diwali and Hanukkah cards…

Diwali Illustration

diwali diyas illustration

Hanukkah Illustration

Hanukkah menorah illustration

If you’re the type of person who likes to get organised early for Christmas, then you can shop my new Holiday Cards range already, featuring these illustrations and more. Every card design is available in A6 or A5 size, and if you have a favourite you can buy them in multiples of 5, 10, 25 or 50 to save money. Or take advantage of my bundle deals if you want to stock up on a few different designs at the same time.

Shop Holiday Cards

I’ll also share a few more theme specific card designs here on my blog over the next while, so if it’s a bit too early to be buying then please come back to see what else is available in a few weeks…

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What to Write in a Milestone Birthday Card

A selection of milestone birthday cards on a desk

Are you wondering what to write in a special friend or family member’s milestone birthday card? Milestone birthdays are special occasions that call for extra celebrations, so whether it’s the big 30, 40, 50 or any other significant age, you want to let that person know what a big deal their birthday is…

It can sometimes be difficult to find the right words though – especially if you’re not usually particularly expressive with each other when it comes to sentiments 😁

Some Considerations When Writing Your Message

Here are some things to keep in mind when thinking about what to write in a milestone birthday card:

Relationship

What’s your relationship with the birthday person? Are they a close friend, family member, coworker or acquaintance? Your message should always be appropriate to the type of relationship you have with them, as should any humour if you don’t want to get into trouble…

Age and significance

Take into account the milestone age they’re celebrating. Different ages might be associated with different emotions and connotations, with some people being excited about reaching a milestone age but others feeling more apprehensive, so tailor your message accordingly. If you know they’re especially sensitive about getting older then a joke about their age might not be the best idea, but if humour is how you both deal with these things then go for it!

Via giphy

Emotion

Think about the emotional tone you want to convey. Do you want your message to be light-hearted, cheeky, nostalgic, heartfelt or inspiring? Consider the birthday person’s personality as well as how you usually relate to each other.

Ideas for What to Write in a Milestone Birthday Card

Shared memories

It’s always nice to mention a shared memory, experience or inside joke you have with the birthday person to make it personal – something that only you would write.

Past and future

It can also be good to talk about what they’ve achieved so far, and then focus on what they might be able to look forward to in the future.

Some examples of what to write in a milestone birthday card

  • On your 18th birthday, here are 18 reasons to celebrate…
  • I’m so proud of the person you’ve become – I can’t believe you’ve been my daughter for 21 magical years!
  • Wow, 30 today and getting better every year…
  • Congratulations on 40 fabulous years – here’s to another fun packed 40 to come!
  • Happy 50th birthday to my best friend! You’re still the same amazing person I met all those years ago. 
  • You’ve aged to perfection – 60 has never looked so good!
  • 70 today but still as young at heart as ever!
  • Happy 80th Birthday Mum – I hope I look half as good as you do when I get there!

I hope these have given you some ideas of your own. It helps to just write as though you’re chatting with them – there’s no need to be overly formal or weird about it just because it’s a milestone 😉

If you’re looking for a milestone card to send to someone awesome, take a look at the range in my shop to find the perfect card for them.

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Etsy seller interview with me

Computer monitor with Alura interview with me on the screen

Alura has just published an article where they conduct an Etsy seller interview with me. They asked me several questions about my experience as an Etsy seller – from when I first started to recently making over 2,500 sales on Etsy. You might be interested if you’re an Etsy seller yourself or would just like a peek behind the scenes of the Etsy side of my greeting card business…

The interview covers questions about how I got started, my favourite and best selling items, how I get sales and manage my Etsy shop, my plans for the future and advice for new sellers.

Etsy is quite a substantial part of my greeting card business, being one of my my main sources of income. It was also how I first got started with selling my cards online. Before I had my own online shop I just linked from my website to my Etsy shop.

Nowadays I sell via my website, in person and wholesale as well as on platforms like Etsy and Viing, but it all started with adding one little set of cards on Etsy.

My very first order was on 28 July 2017 and it took until 24 August to get my next one. I then got one order a month until January 2018, when I started offering my cartoon portrait cards. I sold seven of these within a month and felt like I’d hit the big time! In those days I couldn’t even imagine getting orders every day like I do now.

It’s quite funny looking back at the first items I sold on Etsy, as the photos I used were really terrible and even the drawings themselves were pretty basic. But we all have to start somewhere and I’m really glad I did 😃

Read my Etsy Seller Interview here.

[Please note that Alura approached me for the interview and I’ve not used Alura myself, so I can’t offer an opinion on the tools they offer.]

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Spotlight: Flower Vase Greeting Card

With Spring on the way this month’s spotlight is on the flower vase greeting card options I recently added to my Say it with Flowers Collection.

The illustration was actually done last year and was inspired by a bouquet I received with some gorgeous peonies in it (I got kind of obsessed with peonies in 2022…) They looked so gorgeous in the vase that I just had to draw them! I posted it on Instagram but then didn’t think much more about it.

This year I spotted the illustration again and thought it would be perfect as a greeting card, so I created a few designs centred around it.

I’ve currently got a few different flower vase greeting card designs available, for birthdays, anniversaries and to say thank you, as well as seasonal versions for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Click on any of the images below to see that card in my shop.

Flower Vase Birthday Card

flower vase birthday card

Wish someone special a happy birthday with this blooming gorgeous vase of flowers birthday card.

Flower Vase Anniversary Card

flower vase anniversary card

This blooming lovely vase of flowers anniversary card will win you soooo many brownie points with your other half…

Flower Vase Thank You Card

Flower vase thank you card

Say thanks to someone amazing and let them know how much you appreciated them with this pretty vase of flowers thank you card.

Flower Vase Seasonal Cards

I’ve also added the design to a Valentine and a Mother’s Day card, flowers often being a big part of both these occasions!

Valentine’s Day Card
vase of flowers mother's day card - I'm so blooming lucky to have you
Mother’s Day Card

Hopefully this gives you several options if you like the design and would love to give a card to someone with the flower vase illustration on. Also, don’t forget that if you buy a bundle of 3 or 5 cards it works out cheaper. Why not stock up on the birthday and thank you cards so that you’ve already got them to hand when you need them?

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Updated Greeting Card Illustrations

Updated Greeting Card Illustrations - I'll always bee here for you

I’m excited to tell you that I’ve now added updated greeting card illustrations to several of my best selling designs. As I mentioned in my last blog post my style has evolved and changed quite a bit since I first started. So I’ve spent a lot of time redoing some of my earlier designs and I’m much happier that it’s all a bit more cohesive now.

It’s taken a while to get the photography sorted out and add all the new designs to my shop, but it’s finally done. Here are some examples, but you can see the full range here.

Little Creatures Designs

I’ve been redrawing ants, moles, octopuses (octopi?) and bees for this collection. Each illustration appears on several different designs for various occasions. So if you like the Ant but are after an anniversary card rather than a birthday card, just check out the full Little Creatures Collection to see what’s available.

Fantastic Ant Birthday Card - wishing you a fantastic birthday
Bee Good Luck Card - I BEElieve in you
Mole card - I love you mole and mole each day
Bee Anniversary Card - We BEElong together
Octopus favourite squeeze card - you're my favourite squeeze

Thirsty Business Illustrations

If alcohol is more your thing then I think you’ll like the updates in my Thirsty Business Collection. Covering a range of tastes including wine, beer, bubbly, beer, gin and whisky, you’ll also find designs for a variety of occasions and recipients too.

Beer Father's Day Card - Happy Father's Day to a Top Dad
Wine Birthday Card - Happy Birthday to my Partner in Wine
Champagne Sparkle Anniversary Card - You put the sparkle in my life - Happy Anniversary
Gin retirement card - You're retiring... more time for G&T
Whisky Birthday Card - Have a neat birthday

Sportsy Greeting Card Illustrations

This was one of my earliest collections and has remained popular. It’s always fun to reference someone’s sport and hobby obsessions in a card, with obligatory pun of course. I’ve updated illustrations for cyclists, runners, tennis fans, golfers, yoga bunnies and even my little trampoliner. Once again, there’s a wide range of different occasions with the updated illustrations so take a look at the full Sportsy Collection here.

Updated greeting card illustration for Trampoline Father's Day card
Runner good luck card - You can do this
Tennis anniversary card - We're a perfect match
Cyclist birthday card - Happy Birthday! Hope it's wheelie great
Golfer Retirement Card - Hope it's TEE-rrific
Yoga birthday card - Happy Birthday! Hatha tremendous day

I’ll continue to update more of my earlier greeting card illustrations over time, so if there’s a particular design you’d like me to work on next just let me know. You can get in touch via the contact form or message me on Instagram.