Basic Grey Christmas Card Class

It's never too early to start making Christmas cards. I think I need to start making Christmas cards year round though so I will have enough of them when Christmas actually gets here. Here's what usually happens . . . I start making my cards in July or August with leftover paper and embellishments from the year before . . . I put them in my stash for safekeeping and wait anxiously for the new paper and embellishments to start coming out in October . . . when the paper finally gets here, I make more cards with the new paper and put those in my stash . . . I've got most of my Christmas cards already made by November 1st and I can focus on my gift shopping . . . then my non-making card friends come over to my house and start going through my cards to see what last-minute birthday, anniversary, new baby, and thank you cards they might buy from me . . . they know I love to sell my cards to them because they gush all over them and tell all their friends that "Pegi made it" . . . and then . . . they spot the stash of Christmas cards and decide that they hate the store-bought Christmas cards they had to get and want to buy a few of mine for a couple of special friends . . . oh and a cousin or two . . . and they forgot about that client . . . and the boss . . . and the neighbor down the street . . . and before you know it . . . my Christmas card stash is gone and I have to scramble at the last minute to make my Christmas cards because I didn't have the heart to say no to my dear friends . . . and . . . well . . . everybody already knows me as the day late and a dollar short girl . . . so why break tradition. And this year is going to be no different. I am still a day late and a dollar short and will probably be scrambling at the last minute to make my Christmas cards . . . it's a tradition.

One very different thing about this year is all the beautiful friends I have met from all over the world through stamping and blogging. I feel so blessed to have you all in my life. So as I continue to scramble to get all of my Christmas cards made, and beat myself up for always being a day late and a dollar short, I will manage to say a little prayer and count my blessings for all the wonderful friends that are always right on time with their friendship, love, and support. Thank you ladies!!!

Oh yeh . . . about the cards . . . I made these three cards for my October card-making classes at Memory Creek. I love teaching classes, but have found it a bit difficult to come up with something that people will be able to make. My biggest challenge is that number one . . . I can't use anything Stampin' Up! . . . and number two . . . Ann doesn't carry any stamps in her store. Okay . . . so how do you teach advanced cardmaking/stamping without any stamps? Easy . . . you either go through your stash of what you may have at home . . . you go to Archivers and purchase what you may want to use . . . or in this particular case . . . you score a really cute Stampendous Christmas Tree stamp at a garage sale for $3.00. The other two stamps I already had at home in my stash.

Have a great night everybody . . . I'm off to get started on my Christmas cards . . . and I will be back again tomorrow with a frame I made for my craft show.

Big stamping hugs!

~ Pegi