I went to our letterbox the other day and found the first Christmas card of the season.

A bit early, I know, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. We have relatives who like to get their cards out by mid-November! Eek!

So with Christmas card season officially here I thought I'd share some tips to make your bulk cardmaking a little easier.

1. Pick a design early

Found a card you enjoy making? Then stick to it. This will be your official "Card of the Year".

2. Keep it simple

Chances are you'll be making a lot, so try hard to resist the temptation to add bits here and there. Keep it simple.

3. Have enough supplies on hand

Check that you have enough ribbon, adhesive, cardstock and embellishments. Is your favourite ink pad a little patchy this year? Add a reinker (they're only $5.95) to your order. Allow a week for me to get the raw materials to you.

4. Set up your crafting space

Clear off a bench or desk, or pull out the trestle table for the weekend. Think carefully about how you can best set up your craft station using optimally planned logistics. I'm serious! Five minutes spent in careful planning could be a great investment. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has stamped a bunch of images and then thought 'I should have moved the stamp pad over to this side next to my hand'. lol.

5. Set up an assembly line

Mass produce elements first, assemble later.

6. Don't forget the envelope

Stamp it, emboss it… you name it. The envelope is the first thing the lucky recipient will see in amongst that pile of bills. Get them smiling before they even see your card by prettying up the envelope.

And most importantly, crank up the Christmas tunes and have fun!

I can't wait for Christmas this year. It will be the first Christmas dinner that I'm hosting at home, and I'm so looking forward to the challenge. Bon bons, place settings, festive decorations… *squeal*.

Happy stamping,

****CLASS UPDATE – Classes Booked Out: If you are a newsletter subscriber you'll have seen the NEW CLASS SCHEDULE released this month.

Thanks for your interest. All 2011 classes are now filled. 

Welcome back for our second July stamp club project.

Another based on the reflection technique, this one is a CASE from the fabulous Amy Celona.

Thanks for the inspiration Amy.

Of course we don't get snow here at Christmastime but it IS winter at the moment and MIGHTY cold where we live! Brrrrrr.

This card uses Lovely as a Tree, Welcome Christmas and Heard from the Heart stamp sets.

Unlike the Reflection Technique card I posted the other day, this one uses Glossy Cardstock so looks oh so shiny. We couldn't use the shimmer paint spritz on this one but instead BLINGed it up with Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the trees.

Will be back soon with some of the highlights from our big biannual team day. So exciting.

Stay warm, and happy stamping.

p.s. And safe journey to all those from the EurekaStampers travelling to my hometown for our team day this weekend. See you soon.

Tags are quick and easy projects to make with few supplies. Best of all, any leftover tags can easily be converted into full cards!

To do this, simply decorate a base card made from a colour that coordinates with your tag (here we've used Stampin' Up!'s Soft Suede). Then all you have to do is adhere the tag to the card. You could even make it a removable tag (gift and card in one!) by adhering it with repositionable adhesive or sliding the tag corners into slots cut with a craft knife.

We're now in the home stretch leading up to Christmas… less than a week to go! Hope you are enjoying this special time, and can take a few minutes out for some quiet rest & relaxation.

Happy stamping,