When I make 150 Christmas cards each year, I can’t get too fancy because I would never get them done and I would be overwhelmed.  I know some people gasp when I tell them how many cards we send out each year and they have asked how we get these done before Christmas.  We both have our roles in getting this many cards sent out each year and have a good system in place now.  

In all honesty, I don’t start making the cards until usually the second week of December.  Since our son got married this year, I knew the family photo would be in our cards, so I watched for printing specials early in the year.  Since purple was the wedding color, I also got the cardstock ordered early.  I update the mailing labels, create the return address labels, as well as the label for the back of the photo and print all of these.  Dan buys the postage stamps.  Dan is in charge of the envelopes.  He puts on all the return address labels, mailing labels and postage stamps.  He puts all the labels on the back of the photo’s.  Then he divides the envelopes in two piles:  one for him (his relatives, his friends, our mutual friends) and one for me (my relatives, my friends, some of my customers).  Meanwhile, I’m making the cards, assembly line style, whenever I find a few spare minutes.  I had them all done and didn’t like any of the inside verses I had, so I decided to search for one on the Internet and typed it on mailing labels, which I put inside the cards.  Then we both dig into our piles of cards and start writing inside each one of them.   It is always a huge relief to drop the last of the Christmas cards off at the post office.  But the most fun is getting so many great cards in the mail and hearing from family and friends!

Tags: Holidays, Stamping

About a week ago, I got to go to my manager’s house for a bonus Achiever’s event.  My downline, Denise, got to go with me.  Do not faint!  But, I, Sue Lehrer, really did make this Frosty the Snowman box!  I had no problem with making the front and back of him.

It is the folding and cutting to make a box which really challenges me.  But Denise helped me more times than she probably wants to remember!  LOL

Tags: Big Shot, Gift Item, Holidays

It’s time to change from the Thanksgiving decorations around the house to the Christmas decorations.  The photo below is my original Thanksgiving project.  The photo above is the same project, just with real red cardstock and holly greenery.  Super simple!

Tags: Decor Elements, Holidays

It is December 11 and my friend, Shari, needed help (not really help, but motivation) to make her own Christmas cards this year.  Shari is in one of my Technique Clubs and she also belongs to some networking groups with me.  I ended up not having to watch the grand girls today, so it was a last minute "come on over" day.  We had a blast making about 80 cards in less than 4 hours.  Of course, there was a whole lotta stamping therapy going on too.  Here’s Shari proudly showing that she CAN stamp!!!!

Of course, Dan’s question to me today was "so…when do you think you’ll have our Christmas cards done?"  It’s only December 11, I have all of next week to get them done, right?  The photo’s have been printed since October, so half of the work is done in my eyes!  It helps to have a wedding during the year because we have a nice, formal family picture to include!  Stay tuned for my cards sometime next week!

Tags: Holidays, Stamping

Yesterday, I opened up this Christmas card from one of my downline, Autumn.  I about flipped because it is soooooo unique and original!

What a great use of the Round Tab Punch for the top of the ‘ornament’!  You are a stampin’ rock star Autumn!

Tags: Holidays, Stamping