Christmas card with Cosmic Oyster mandala and poetry is digitally printed using pigment inks on silky, bright white, acid-free paper. Folded card is 5.25" by 5.25" and comes with a beautifully made, bright white envelope. The photograph I used to create the mandala is printed on the back of the card with the photo location and a little story about the artwork. Merry Christmas is printed inside in flowing purple script. The paper is super smooth, not slick, and takes gel, ballpoint, and other inks well. The card and envelope are packaged together in a plastic sleeve and mailed in a stiffened mailer. Note: Orders of one or two cards  are shipped via First Class Mail with no tracking. Larger numbers ship together via the most economical means, which usually includes tracking.

Interior Message. Merry Christmas (with a flourish at the end)

Framing. This card is created using high-quality archival materials, such as might be used in a museum. The print is sharp, bright, and frameable. To protect the vibrancy of the artwork, I frame using UV glass or acrylic, and I recommend it. If you use plain glass or acrylic, make sure you hang this sweet, little piece and all your beautiful art away from direct sunlight.

About the art. The digital collage on this card, titled Cosmic Oyster, was created using this original photo of a cathedral bells bloom taken in my gardens on Pleasant Hill in Brookhaven, West Virginia. A native of Mexico, this plant grows as a flowering vine. An excellent pollinator plant, it provides ample pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

In Cosmic Oyster, I’ve imagined a rocky asteroid springing open to reveal a lush interior of magenta and mauve velvet worked with creamy satin cords and bows of gold-dusted braid. Pink pearls are carefully stitched within the loops of cord. The cosmic oyster floats in a sea of loving green, spangled with golden stars and billows of galactic dust. The energy here is surprising and fun—a little exciting and unexpected while also decidedly peaceful.

The Poem. Velvet purse of fine design, pull the cord, within I find, not pearls, nor gold, nor sprigs of pine, not fine-cut gems, nor spices fine, but friends and fam, good health, good cheer, Christmas treasure without peer.

~poetry and artwork created by Linda S. Gribko