OFF TOPIC! Do not read this post if you are looking for BI info.

[Matt2584]

Today was the last day of my DIs-play and it was also there Christmas session.

Great day it was and this is the card I drew for the group. I thought I would share it with you pretty people :).

[StrawberryCream]

Wow Matt that's a lovely xmas card. You are very talented.

[Matt2584 in reply to StrawberryCream]

Thank you very much, strawberry :).

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

That's beautiful Matt. Looks like on of those Thomas Kinkade (think that's his name!) light up pictures

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks and I was only talking about Thomas Kinkade earlier today! The painter of light and he really is, he is brilliant. Me and my mum like to do his jigsaw puzzles around this time of year :).

[StrawberryCream in reply to Matt2584]

I would like to buy ones like yours rather than the mass produced .........(I can't think of the word I want to describe the typical ones ........crass or cheap xmas santa's etc..... Maybe the words will come to me later.

[Matt2584 in reply to StrawberryCream]

I think I know what you mean. Mass produced work would be famous/popular work and as for me, I am not famous nor popular, I am an amateur artist as I have been described.

[StrawberryCream in reply to Matt2584]

I brought all mine from Headway and the Meningitis Trust as I felt it important to be giving a % of money to the organisations that have done lots to help me. But my son is at this very moment sat next to me writing all his Xmas cards to his school friends and has one of those chain store mass produced tacky boxes of cards!

[Matt2584 in reply to StrawberryCream]

That is very good of you to buy the cards at these charities rather than at the shops.

I saw quite a scary video about envelopes and the glue they use that people lick to seal the envelope. This woman had soreness in her tongue one day, she had it checked out at the docs and it turned out she had a cockroach growing in her tongue! The vat that holds the glue is not well looked after and was swarming with eggs.

I think this happened in America but it does make me wonder if something similar could happen here.

I like to buy packs of Christmas cards from Marks and Spencer's where there is no licking involved. If I do use envelopes where I have to lick, I lick my finger and spread saliva on the glue, it is safer that way.

[Hidden in reply to Matt2584]

Thanks Matt I have now have a phobia of envelopes

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

No problem :).

Hey, I hope that wasn't a sarcastic 'thanks', I could be saving your life by telling you that story haha.

[Hidden]

BEAUTIFUL AS USUAL & SO ATMOSPHERIC

[Matt2584 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Zeb

[cat3]

Nice work Matt. Said it before, I know, but you should be producing greetings cards for charities (such as Headway). x

[Matt2584 in reply to cat3]

Funny you say that Cat, but I have been thinking of doing something like that for a while.

[cat3 in reply to Matt2584]

OK Matt . . . . . . . there's never a better time to make a start than the present !!

I want to be able to say someday, "I knew him before he made the big time".

[Matt2584 in reply to cat3]

I might have to get in touch with my local Headway manager about this. She did say once before about me possibly be making cards.

At my other group, I sometimes work with a lady who is a professional artist and I have spoken to her about selling my pictures or getting myself known and she says it is very hard to do such a thing.

For a professional artist, it probably is hard but I'm not a professional artist and starting off by selling cards through Headway could be a start for me.

I'll have to do some talking.

[cat3]

Do you have a printer Matt ?

[Matt2584 in reply to cat3]

Nope, I'm afraid I don't. I might get one some day but haven't got much room for one right now.

[cat3 in reply to Matt2584]

Well that might be a good way to start. They're pretty affordable now ; I just bought a new wireless Hewlett Packard for less than £40. It's a good machine & not too cumbersome.

Once you can print your drawings out on decent quality paper, folded into a greeting card (even better with a simple greeting inside) you can really show them off to their best advantage. x

[Matt2584 in reply to cat3]

Thanks for the info, Cat :).