Hello friends of El's Cards. What a year 2020 has been. So different than past years in many ways. Bob and I have learned so much about our business, ourselves, and how to adapt and make the best of what at some moments looked like an impossible situation.

We missed working with our wedding couples on wedding invitations, and instead created many postponement announcements.  We missed seeing the customers who have become friends at the craft shows, but were so grateful that many of those people found us on our website.  We missed getting out to see our friends in person, but have made the most of the Zoom platform and have been able to connect in a different, more modern way.

There were so many positives of this year too though.  We have been thinking about adding some new products, and finally took the time to do so.  The launches of our notepads, tea towels, and stickers were all very successful.  We worked with some new companies and had great luck with most of them.  Putting product production into the hands of another was certainly difficult for two people who like to have full control over the color and quality of everything we provide for our customers.  We have been more than pleased with the results!  And we have had such great feedback from our customers, we are excited to be adding more designs to these product lines for 2021.

We added a "front porch pickup" option to our website, and this has been very popular, especially over the past couple of weeks.  Our main shipping provider is the USPS, and they have had a difficult season. We are grateful to our clients for being patient and realizing that everyone is in the same boat.  Talk about feeling powerless.  Bob has worked so hard to get orders out within a day or two of them crossing his desk. We have received such kindness and understanding from our clients regarding their appreciation of the speedy service on his part, even though so many deliveries have been delayed.  Ever since April, more than any other year, I have received the nicest notes from customers via email, text, phone calls, and USPS mail too, thanking us for an order, or just giving us some words of encouragement.  This year has been challenging for so many, and we appreciate all the love and support we have been so generously shown by our kind and thoughtful customers.

Usually on Christmas Eve, we would be heading up to my Mum's house to spend time with our family, do a Yankee Swap, play games, and have a delicious meal.  Bob and I are so thankful that we have both stayed in good health all this year. We got out for a walk in the fresh air today (to offset the 10" apple crumb pie the two of us will polish off by the weekend!), and will have a nice meal together tonight.

Bob and Spike, last Christmas. El with Marty and Sunny-last week.

We were both heartbroken when we suddenly lost our beloved cat, Spike, back in June.  But just two weeks ago we adopted two beautiful new kittens who have been nothing but fun, love, and positive energy since we brought them home.  Luckily, our holiday season was just wrapping up...because it's hard to get anything done with kittens in my lap!  We will spend Christmas day playing with Marty and Sunny, and enjoying some Christmas movies.  (On that subject, Netflix has a cute Christmas movie called Christmas Chronicles, and this year they launched Christmas Chronicles, Part 2-we enjoyed them both!)

My friend Meg just sent me a beautiful card, and she mentioned "making lemonade out of all the lemons of 2020".  I loved this!  So true on so many levels.  We are so pleased to have had a year of change here at El's Cards.  And we could not have done it without all of our terrific customers and your positivity and encouragement.  We are optimistic about 2021!

I haven't created a new free wallpaper in awhile, so I thought it would be fun to do one to enjoy through the new year and into the winter.  I used one of my favorite classic evergreen holiday designs, and some calligraphy that was on one of our bestselling cards this season.  Feel free to share with a friend (or two!). We can all use some hope, joy, and love these days!  

Follow the steps below to put up your beautiful watercolor and calligraphy wallpaper. 

-Select the size you need:
(desktop widescreen) Click here for 1920 x 1080
(tablet) Click here for 1024 x 768
(phone) Click here for smartphone

-When the image opens, right click the image

-Select "save as" and label it as you wish...Hope, Joy, Love wallpaper...in a place where you can find it.

-Go to your settings page in the computer

-Go to Personalization in the settings

-Browse images and grab it from where you have it saved.  It will set as home page wallpaper. If you have trouble, ask your favorite millennial  or "gen-z"er for help!

And now....You have a beautiful new wallpaper to enjoy!

Merry Christmas, Dear friends! We hope you stay healthy and safe. And we sincerely thank you for being there for us all year!  Your support means more than we can express in words.

Love to All,
El, Bob, Marty, & Sundance