How I slayed [or should that be 'sleighed'?] the Christmas cardmaking demons

Hi, hi.

What with making them in advance for magazines right throughout summer ... I usually really struggle to make Christmas cards nearer to 'real' Christmas.

[To be fair, I also struggle to make them during the summer ... but I'm getting paid to make those ... which magically seems to focus my mind ...].

By November I'm often just Christmas-craft-ed out, but this year I had a bigger demon to slay: a sort of: I can't-be-bothered-to-sit-in-my-craft-room-on-my-own-but-I'm-bored-and-really-want-to-attack-some-paper-and-make-something-anything kind of demon. And it's that one that won the day!

So, armed with just a box of paper and a tote [which, granted, is the craft equivalent of Mary Poppins's bottomless bag!] I sat myself on the settee with a tray on my lap and made Christmas cards.

And it was fun because ...

I restricted myself to using a limited set of supplies:

• 2 sheets of 12x12 featuring vintage festive images [by Pion from 3DJean];
• lots of papers by Collections Elements and Pion which Jean had supplied for my 3DJean Design Team projects over the last year; 
• half-used sheets of alpha stickers / label stickers;
• flowers + buttons;
• only the ribbons I had in my tote;
• and decorative pins.

Because many of the embellishments were the kind of item that tends to get used one or two at a time, I had quite a few odds and ends left over and lurking in my craft tote until, after using them with gay abandon on around 20 or more cards ... they'd all just about gone.

I know some people like to hold their supplies close, saving them for 'best', nurturing them for a while ... blowing the dust off them when they're been their for a while longer ...

... but, from time to time I like to clear the decks and just use something up completely. Gone. Finished. Out of the way. Freeing up space. Put to good use. Fulfilling its crafty destiny!

And, after doing this, not only will you feel righteous and wholesome and cleansed ...

You can then start collecting things again ... guilt free!

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I've got lots more examples of the cards I made the day I slayed the Christmas cardmaking demons which I'll share over the next week or so. and I think I'll do it in in colour order ... because I'm like that.

So, after today's fuchsia offering I'll see you back here for some red + white Christmas card inspiration next time time.

In the meantime, tell me:

• how do you trick yourself into getting inspired?
• do you limit your supplies / pack yourself a kit / set yourself challenges?
• do you use up stash until it's all gone?
• do you, like me, sit onthe sofa in a landslide-like eagle's nest of supplies giving puppy dog eyes at the nearest person to keep you supplied with tea?

Thanks for reading me today.

Julie :-)