Let's make Some Christmas Cards!

Happy Thursday! Ron here with a quick formula for making your holiday cards this year. Yeah, I know it's already December 13th, but this year just got away from me - so many things to get done and not enough hours in the day many times. I'm not complaining - I've had so much fun this year and being busy is great, but before I knew it, it was December, and I hadn't started making my Christmas cards yet! What's a crafter to do? Buckle down, and git 'em done, that's what!

I actually had a really cool idea for a card - I saw some fir trees made out of paper on Pinterest and thought I could make those for the front of my card - Jac and I even talked about it in October, but talking about it is as far as I got. By the time December 1st rolled around, I realized that I'd have to shelve that idea until next year and come up with something simpler.

I do a lot of my creative thinking while driving to and from work each day - it's the same route everyday and I can come up with some good stuff in that half hour commute, so on the morning of Dec 3rd, I designed a simple card in my head while I was driving. That afternoon during my lunch break, I searched GHM! for the papers that I'd need and quickly placed an order for a few things (including the WOW Holiday UM sheet for this year - after all, I'd need a sentiment stamp for the inside of the card, right?).

My order arrived on Saturday (those fine folks at the Mothership are so speedy! Thanks, Beth & Deb!!) and I got to work. First the Tan 12X12  from Comfort Zone - this would become the card base. I had purchased a box of 250 A6 envelopes a few years ago, so this year's card would be 4X6. I quickly scored and cut 20 sheets of paper to make 60 cards (yeah, I make about 60 cards each year for Christmas). Tricia taught me that if you score before you cut, you save a bunch of time - I only had to score 20 times for these cards! Here's my scoring and cutting diagram:

Next was a small green panel for the front - I chose the green from Full Circle - it's a nice muddy green - I was going for a subdued look this year. I needed pieces that were 2¼X6, so this is how I cut them:

I started with the 6 inch cut, then stacked the 2 6X12s and cut both at the same time with my trusty 12" Tonic Trimmer at 11¼, 9, 6¾, 4½, and 2¼ - 10 panels per sheet, so I only needed 6 sheets of paper for this. (And very little waste - just a couple of 6X¾ strips per sheet - which I know you could all come up with a use for!)

Lastly, I cut some Equestrian Ivory card stock into 2¾ inch squares and stamped them with a snowflake from the 2010 Silent Night Kit using Earth ink. I inked all the edges with the Earth ink, too - love those inked edges! Here's how I cut those squares:

I start by trimming the paper down to 11X11, then cut at 8¼, 5½, and 2¾. Then cut each of the strips using the same measurements. Easy-peasy!

I decided that the front of the card needed a little pop of color, so I opted for some red & white baker's twine (just happened to have a spool of it on my craft table!). Finally I stamped the inside and the back ('cuz they're homemade by me, after all!). Now I just have to sign them, write out the envelopes, and get 'em into the mail (um, once I go to the Post Office to buy the stamps!). With any luck, I'll still manage to get 'em into the mail in a few days. Some folks might even get them before Christmas!



Here's the finished card:

Whew! I usually don't wait this long to make my cards, but it's nice to know that it is possible to create some nice (and fairly easy) cards in record time - thanks to the fast service at CS® and some careful cutting!

In celebration of the upcoming holidays, the Club Scrap Creates! Blog is hosting "12 Days of Giveaways!" For 12 days (from Dec 11-23), we'll give away a Club kit to one lucky winner, chosen at random, from those who write comments on the post, through midnight (CS/Central time), each day.

Today's prize is a Comfort Zone Club Stamp Kit with Project. To qualify for this giveaway, simply leave a comment below, by midnight tonight (Thursday, Dec. 13th). A winner will be chosen at random and will be announced here tomorrow morning.

That's it for this week - now go and create something wonderful