Using people on greeting cards, Monopoly strategies, cartoons & more
Newsletter #21
Hey! You're on a Greeting Card!
One of my jobs is to create greeting cards for Recycled Paper Greetings -- and sometimes that means using my friends and family as amateur models.
One time I had an idea for a Father's Day card, and I needed a dad who looked like he was in his 30's. My husband has too much gray hair, so I couldn't use him (to his immense relief).
I asked a friend of ours if he would pose as the dad. I explained that I would be loading his hair up with clips and bows.
He didn't love the idea.
But I persisted, and eventually he grudgingly agreed. I got his hair all done up, and I was just about to say, "Act like you don't enjoy this," but he was already making the perfect expression. What natural talent! Here's the front of the card:
And here's the inside:
The card actually got selected for the Mother's Day line! And when I told our friend it would be on shelves, his expression was pretty much this:
He hasn't been the only victim of my card-making. Another time I used my friend's Glamor Shot from the early 1990's on a birthday card. Here it is in all its glory.
And on the inside:
I would have used my OWN Glamor Shot (below), but my hair wasn't quite as spectacular. (It was close, though.)
I know what you're thinking and, yes, I WILL be making my Glamor Shot available in a poster format.
I also used my nephews on a Halloween card. Oh -- and their sweet neighbor, who I'm sure only gives out the BEST candy, got roped in as well (see the guy in the background. Sorry, sir.)
And then there's my friend's son, who appears on "The Road Less Traveled" card.
In fact, I've used his son on MANY cards over the years. Here's another.
Unfortunately, this kid is now 11 years old, and his chubby toddler adorableness is gone forever. Thanks, kid! Thanks a lot for growing up!
So I guess what I'm saying is, if you see me taking your picture, try and look your best. That photo might just end up on a card at your local retailer.
Playing Monopoly
"We should all play Monopoly!" Kate announced earlier this week.
"That sounds awful," I said.
"No," said Claire.
"No way," said Jack.
Kate (age 14) knew just how to play this, though. She turned to me and said, "I'm going to be out of the house in a few years, Mom. Then you'll wish we had this family time back."
"We're all playing!" I yelled. Jack and Claire groaned and moaned, and we set the game up.
And guess what? It wasn't that fun. What is it with Monopoly? It's such a long, drawn-out exercise in frustration. After nearly two hours Kate was on track to beat Jack, but then the tables turned and Jack unexpectedly won.
"That was fun!" Jack said cheerfully, as we put the game away.
"WHY DID WE EVEN PLAY?" Kate shouted.
Good times.
Here's a cartoon I created two years ago about the game. (Note my strategy, which I believe is the best one.)
Cartoons
In the past two weeks we've covered laundry, technology, food packages and more. If you missed any, head over to my website to check them out!
The most popular cartoon on Facebook in the past two weeks was this one, from yesterday! I did this to Jack, then a few days later Claire did it to me.
On Instagram this next cartoon was the most popular. It's part of a series of cartoons I created for the company Foodstirs. They hired me to create six cartoons, and they'll be releasing them over the next several months. I'm very excited!
Hedger Corp Update
Hedger Corp is back! This week we found out what happened to Derek during his therapy session. Let's just say some very difficult questions were asked... Here's the story.
Support = Rewards
My Hedger Humor cartoons are supported by you! For as little as $1.00 per month you can help me keep all this fun going. Just check out the details on my Patreon page. I send out behind-the-scenes information to patrons, and different rewards for different levels. THANK YOU to all those who already support my work! My goal is to bring more humor into your life!
Subscribe to this newsletter here.