Twelve years ago for the last Year of the Rabbit I had a bunch of cards printed up, thinking they would be terribly popular and I would make a lot of money. I took them around to local book stores and card shops to no avail. I even went up to San Francisco sure that I could get some card shop, some boutique, some sort of Asian store to carry them. After a day of not so much luck my car broke down and I didn't try that again. I did get a listing with an Internet distributor which was not terribly successful, but it was nice to be listed. This was all in the days before Etsy and easy DYI websites and pretty much everything, though not in the days before rabbits. The rabbit depicted, especially the Rabbit and Ginkgo design, is the magnificent and still much loved Bandit. She lived free range in a no pets apartment with my son and I and ruled the roost between life threatening illnesses. A big girl, 12 pounds, with a big heart.
Rabbit with Ginkgo Leaf
The images were created with my ink paintings and digital help of a graphic designer friend, Toni H. Because rabbits tend to breed if not checked the printers made a mistake and printed twice as many cards as I had ordered. they didn't charge because it was their bad, but now I have two thousand of each design. Not thinking I included the date, 1999, so as a card they are un-usable for the coming year. However clever cropping, as I've done with the posted images once again makes them useful. My plan is to crop some down to postcard size, maybe mount them on a backing so they are sturdy and sell them through Etsy. Have I told you how much I love Etsy? Keep you eyes open, I'll have them up before the Rabbit Year starts on February 3rd. Maybe I'll sell a few here and there this time !!
Rabbit in the Moon
14 comments:
beautiful Diana!!
what are they like uncropped?
Maybe I like them just the way they are??
I'm not into date fussiness so 1999 doesn't bother me one iota but I do like these and I love the blue one especially!!
do you want to 'etsy convo' me? :)
and you are so funny about the printer, because when I lived in Sydney 15 years ago I thought I would paint 18 animal cards and sell them in the local shops, after all there was nothing in the card shops I wanted to buy, and I would make masses of money in the process. My printer printed double by mistake and didn't charge me, I sold about 5 in total and now have a few thousand to 'move on' :)
That sounds like a great idea. The cards are beautiful, it would be a shame not to find a use for them.
Absolutely gorgeous!
They're too beautiful not to use somehow, sounds like you've come up with a great way to recycle them. Will definitely want to buy some once you have them up on Etsy.
I bought a generic box of Christmas cards last year, and the best design of the lot was completely unusable because the greeting inside was misspelled. I think I have them stashed somewhere because the picture was so beautiful, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out.
Loving them! So beautiful D! I will have to have some for sure! I'll keep checking your shop.
xx, shell
Two of my favorite things: rabbit and ginko. I especially like the rabbit in the moon. Been seeing it ever since I was a kid and read some other cultures' takes on the man in the moon.
Oh, I just remembered: I, my daughter, and my mother are all born in the Year of the Rabbit. My maternal grandmother was born in 1868, missing being a Rabbit by one year.
They are simply gorgeous! Can't wait to see what you do with them. I love etsy too :) Will be keeping an eye out...
An old Ted Williams baseball card is worth a wad. I bet an old Bandit card is too. Just don't flood the market all at once.
Put them on Craigs list about 5 at a time -- "Rare official 1999 Year of the Rabbit cards - wow your friends, buy extras for all the kids."
Bandit deserves immortality. There really aren't that many rabbit cards on Etsy (my rabbits like to get and give rabbit cards on occasions, and also find it odd that the search quantities are different when in the card section one uses "bunny", "rabbit", or "bunny rabbit").
yes! mount, frame, sell!
how do your buns not eat the sheets?! bambi, cinnamon and meadow have all destroyed their new sheets when i did the bun pen makeover.
I like Rabbits Guy's idea....
The designs are beautiful, specially rabbit in the moon.
these are really pretty pics!
:)
I wrote a childrens picture book :) Thank you for asking btw! :)
How Beautiful!!! (I did buy a year of the rabbit t-shirt from your skreened shop :-x I'm awfully excited about the year of the rabbit coming!)
I love the one I got with my Tyler and Sidney stamps. My husband tried to throw it away but I stopped him, saying, "Not on your life!" Bunnies 4-ever!
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