I love Christmas.  It’s a wonderful family holiday, and for me as for many, it’s a holy season as well.  I don’t like over-commercialization though, and it makes me crazy to hear Christmas music in stores in October.

(Quick diversion – my local Chico’s was playing Christmas music in early October, around the 7th or so.  I commented to my friend who works there how much I objected to it and she suggested I send an email to corporate.  I did, and received a nice reply  – then learned a week later that my email was forwarded to all the stores and they took the music off!!  WOO HOO!!  A company that listens…what a concept.)

So, back to topic…Christmas is in December.  And in my opinion, Christmas decorations and music belong in December.  That would be AFTER Thanksgiving, one of the best holidays in the American calendar.  But I am in the craft business, and everyone knows you cannot do all of your Christmas crafting in one month, especially when that one month is also crammed full of holiday parties, Christmas cookies, Christmas shopping and wrapping, school Christmas programs, Nutcrackers, Messiahs, Festivals of Trees, and the arrival of Santa in his Canoe (and yes, he does come in a Canoe, I have seen him myself).  I’ve posted a few other Christmas cards, and starting today you’ll see a few more.  You won’t see them every day, because this is the Thankful Month, but you’ll see enough.

All right, I’ll get off my soap box now.  I do tend to rant and rave.

• Delightful Decorations, All Holidays, and Snow Swirled Stamp sets
• Night of Navy, Whisper White and Kraft card stock
• Night of Navy and Sahara Sand Classic Stamp pads
• Big Shot and Petals a Plenty Embossing folder
• Linen twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals and the Ornament punch

This is a card that is simple enough to produce in quantity without making a crafter any more insane that she/he already is.  (See how Politically Correct I am becoming??)  There are nearly endless color combinations you could use on this card too.  And note the tone-on-tone background on the card front – using a couple of sentiments is one of my favorite ways of adding texture to a card front.  I used to stamp randomly, but that didn’t work well because the words didn’t like being stamped on top of one another when I didn’t leave adequate space between images.  Now I start with one image and stamp it diagonally down the page.  I fill in with a second stamp in line with the first one, and continue across and down the paper.  If I have a third sentiment I’ll use that next , but as often as not, I just alternate two stamps across until the page is full.   A wheel would work really well too – I was just too lazy to go find my Jumbo Handle.

Enjoy Christmas crafting…but don’t forget the Thankful month.