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How to navigate to the rest of the site: navigate to birthday cards: | personalised birthday cards with butterflies & dragonflies | personalised handmade birthday card with animals | personalised  birthday cards with flower illustrations | range of birthday cards with abstract floral images |  personalised birthday cards with flower photographs | personalised handmade birthday cards for kids | handmade birthday cards with Welsh castles | personalised birthday cards with Welsh cobs | birthday cards with Welsh landscapes | handmade birthday cards with Welsh trains navigate to Christmas cards: | Christmas cards with Welsh cobs and animals | Xmas cards with illustrations and photography | personalised Christmas cards with traditional watercolour landscapes | handmade Christmas cards with photographs | Christmas cards with illustrations of Welsh steam trains and Welsh castles | Christmas cards with windows navigate to wedding stationery:  | exciting new range of designs with abstract flowers in watercolour | personalised wedding stationery with butterflies and calligraphy | handmade wedding stationery with windows | personalised weddings invitations with iconic images | wedding invitations with ampersands and petals | creative wedding invitations with gate folds and watercolours miscellaneous: | personalised engagement and wedding anniversary cards | new baby christening cards | handmade Dydd Santes Dwynwen cards |  Saint Valentine's day cards | handmade Easter Sunday cards | Saint David's Day cards | Mother's Day cards | Father's Day cards | thank you cards | get well soon cards | with sympathy cards prints and original work by Peter Kitchin: | watercolours of Welsh landscapes | watercolours paintings of Ffestiniog trains prints and original work by Rebecca Kitchin: | Welsh cob paintings | illustrations of cats and dogs | watercolours of Ffestiniog trains general pages: | contact details | site map | about us and contacts | terms | resources | new concepts | about buying | postage | home page

Handmade personalised greeting cards from Wales plus signed prints and originals Handmade personalised Christmas cards with illustrations and photographs. Click on any thumbnail below to view a larger image and make a purchase. Click here if you need translations (including Welsh). *If you wish to learn how to write and speak Welsh just click here. Christmas cards with illustrations 1 Christmas cards with illustrations 2 Christmas cards with illustrations 3 Christmas cards with illustrations 4 Christmas cards with illustrations 5 Christmas cards with illustrations 6 Christmas cards with illustrations 7 Christmas cards with illustrations 8 Christmas cards with illustrations 9 Christmas cards with illustrations 10 Christmas cards with illustrations 11 Christmas cards with illustrations 12 Christmas cards with illustrations 13 Christmas cards with illustrations 14 Christmas cards with illustrations 15 Christmas cards with illustrations 16 Christmas cards with illustrations 17 Christmas cards with illustrations 00 The development of the Christmas card The design and giving of Christmas cards originated in England over 150 years ago. By the late 1800's there was such a demand for Christmas cards that many famous artists and writers were employed in what was a  growing and important industry. Writers like Kate Greenaway, and the Victorian illustrators Frances Brundage and Ellen H. Clapsaddle, were favourites at that time. Many cards became extremely elaborate and finished with fringe, silk and satin. Others were sculpted liked fans and crescents, and others cut into images of Christmas like bells, birds, candles and even plum puddings. Other Christmas cards were 'pop-up', puzzles and some made amusing noises when opened. For some strange reason this Christmas industry did not spread to America immediately but they had to import English Christmas cards for more than 30 years. Fortunately Louis Prang, a German immigrant, set up a lithographic shop and produced the first series of American Christmas cards in 1875. Soon he was printing more than five million Christmas cards each year with traditional Christmas images like snow scenes, fir trees, glowing fireplaces and children playing with toys. They were so beautifully produced his cards are collectors' items today. In the UK, John Calcott printed the first Christmas card and set it to his friend Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy industrialist, who it is claimed, came up with the concept in the first place. Many of the first images were of charity scenes with rich people giving to poor people - perhaps a reflection of guilt in an age were few were wealthy and many were poor! As with the present day, nativity scenes were always popular and illustrated by painters of the time. With the growth in electronic technology consumers developed the desire to use the Internet to send the electronic greeting card or E-card in the late 1990s. Unfortunately this lazy trend is still gaining momentum. Do talk to Peter or Rebecca if you need a specially designed and illustrated personalised birthday card, they enjoy the challenge, just click enquiry@celtic-1.co.uk PLEASE NOTE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: At present we have no holidays scheduled. Please note actual delivery is totally out off our hands although we normally print the same day (orders received before 3.00 pm) and post 1st Class the following morning. ORDERING CARDS TO ADDRESSES OUTSIDE THE UK For orders outside the UK please order a minimum of 6 cards (you can mix designs if you wish). GOOD NEWS FOR WELSH LEARNERS If you want to write your own Welsh message we have now added more pages to help you here. If you want to investigate the Welsh language further and perhaps learn a few phrases we have added a totally new section here. Don't forget - you can write ANY message on ANY card with ANY image - just enjoy yourself ! IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2010 / PWYSIG DYDDIADAU I 2010 New Year's Day: January 1st Dydd Santes Dwynwen* (Saint Dwynwen Day): January 25th Saint Valentine's Day: February 14th Saint David's Day (Patron saint of Wales): March 1st St Piran's Day (Patron saint of Cornwall): March 5th Mother's Day: March 14th Saint Patrick's Day (Patron saint of Scotland): March 17th Good Friday: April 2nd Easter Sunday: April 4th Easter Monday: April 5th Saint George's Day (Patron saint of England): April 23rd Early May Bank Holiday: May 3rd Spring Bank Holiday: May 31st Father's Day: June 20th Summer Bank Holiday: August 30th Saint Andrew's Day (Patron Saint of Scotland): November 30th Christmas Eve: December 24th Christmas Day: December 25th Boxing Day: December 26 Saint Stephen's Day: December 26th New Year's Eve: December 31st *Welsh equivalent of the English Saint Valentine's Day. Handmade personalised greeting cards from Wales, signed prints and originals. NODWCH GWYLIAU RHAGLEN: Dim gwyliau rwan. Am traddodiad: yn amlwg darparu gwirioneddol yn hollol allan oddi ar ein dwylo er ein bod bob amser yn argraffu ar yr un diwrnod (archebion a dderbyniwyd cyn 3:00) ac ar ôl 1 Dosbarth y bore canlynol. ARCHEBU I ANNERCH Y TU ALLAN I'R DU Ar gyfer archebion tu allan i'r DU os gwelwch yn dda er o leiaf 6 cardiau (gallwch cymysgedd dyluniadau os ydych yn dymuno). NEWYDDION DA I DDYSGWYR CYMRAEG Os ydych chi eisiau ysgrifennu neges eich hun Cymru erbyn hyn rydym wedi ychwanegu tudalennau mwy i helpu chi yma. Os ydych am i ymchwilio i'r iaith Cymraeg ymhellach ac efallai ddysgu ychydig o ymadroddion rydym wedi ychwanegu adran hollol newydd yma. Peidiwch ag anghofio - gallwch ysgrifennu neges ar y cerdyn UNRHYW UNRHYW gyda delwedd UNRHYW - dim ond mwynhau eich hun!