Do you have a problem making ALL your Christmas cards identical?

[harrahx2]

I have tried both ways, mass production and individual. I like them both but find I do MUCH BETTER when I stamp a lot of images, have them ready and then sit down to play. I have my holiday background papers and I can then just enjoy without all the struggle. I mass produce some and then I play with the images I have done. It breaks up the boredom of the same card while unleashing creativity. Works for me.........;)

[Scamper64]

I am a mass producer. I come up with my design--which seems to take me forever--and then I get to work on it. This year I had to wait for my Nesties to arrive--which they did this week--so I got to work on them. I cut the paper, cut out the shapes, etc. and put each into little plastic baskets. Then I go to assembling the fronts and my last step is attaching them to the base. This works for me. If I made different cards for everyone, I'd never remember what I did for anyone and would probably end up sending a card next year to the same person with the same patterned paper! LOL

[AirForceWife]

I get together with 2 friends to make our Christmas cards. Each of us comes up w/ 2 different designs then we each put together everything needed for each of us to make 6 cards of each design (cutting all the papers, cards, envelopes, embelishments). Then we get together on a Sat or Sun to make our Christmas cards. We generally pool our stamps so we can choose what sentiment we want to put on our own cards. This is not only a fun, girls' time, it saves us each a lot of brain power trying to come up w/ more than one or two designs. Plus, we can bounce ideas off each other on different ways to do one of the cards or improve on a design or technique. The first year we did this, we each came up w/ 3 designs, but it just took us too long to get them all made - not to mention it got a little expensive. This still gives each of us 36 cards ready to mail out when we are finished. We generally try to make each design fairly simple (i.e. not too involved, not too many steps and no difficult techniques) and try to make sure that our designs are mailable w/out having to use extra postage. Each of us (three) has a different style so we really get a range of designs each year. This is waaayyy better than trying to come up w/ several designs of your own and making them all by yourself! We also do this once in the summer except we make different occassion cards (baby, thank you, birthday, get well, etc) we each choose a different occassion. We are thinking about doing only masculine cards this summer as we never seem to have a card of any kind for the men in our lives.
Merry Christmas Y'all!!!
Barbra

[vanislandwoman]

That sounds like a fun way to do things, Barb!
I don't like mass-producing even if they are different. Last year a friend and I shared a scrapping kit, and I decided to do one of those "40 cards from one kit) type of things. Even though almost every card was different, I was bored out of my skull, digging out all the stamps I could find to make variations. Another time I bought a set of instructions, and all the supplies needed,intending to do a class. It didn't work out, so I wound up with about 8 sets to make 8 cards each. Same thing- I was bored silly within a short while. It took me months to finish them off, but I do now have some handy gift sets...
I don't send a lot of cards, so usually make cards with friends or at classes, save them up, and then give them at Christmas. I generally try to make special individual cards for family members and a few close friends. I still have about a dozen left from last years marathon, so I will use them.

[natalie3m1]

I got my cards done! I always make 2 kinds - one a keepsake and one a tossable but still handmade simple one. I don't mind the assembly line once a year, I kind of look forward to it in a weird way. Thanks for checking them out - this is the first year I've had the opportunity to get them critiqued!

[sylviad]

I made 95 cards this year, four different designs. I stamped penguins and house mice and colored them on the airplane taking me to Hawaii from Detroit, so I had LOTS of time to color. I did get very tired of coloring those stupid penguins, though! I had two on one card version and three on another! All-in-all, I colored about 100 of the penguins. Oh I also had snowmen from Flaky Friends to color, but they weren't too bad. I didn't get them in my gallery yet, maybe after Christmas. :rolleyes:

[ranalouwho]

I feel stressed when I make my cards different!!! Which one goes to who and I want to remember which one I gave you this Christmas so I can give you a different one next Christmas!! ugh! So I do mass production. Every single person gets the one that I wanted them to have this way

[sillyfilly]

I am going to participate in the Christmas card challenge this year. That way I will be done by Nov and I won't get bored making the same card.

[skdeleeuw]

I agree that mass producing cards ends up being tedious and boring. That being said, I always mass produce my Christmas cards. I send out between 150 and 175 cards. Since they are all the same, hubby doesn't mind helping me. I do a 5x7 card with a photo on the outside and sentiment on the inside. I use the computer for the sentiment. There isn't much stamping on these cards. The last two years I used a background stamp. This year I'm using a CB embossing folder. Now, if I would just get them started and in the mail!

[LaurieR]

I sent out about 90 cards this year. I started in March and did 4 sets of 20 cards every other month. I also used some swaps I had received. I used to do just one design, but mass producing that many was just icky. I really enjoy doing sets of 10 or 20 much more! I also have an excel spreadsheet to track who gets what and check off if I get a card in return. Yep...I'm nuts!

[Jill with a G]

I did use Snow Swirled this year, and made about 65 cards with that set. I did vary the way I cut out the sentiments, the ribbon, and the snowflakes.
Some cards I stamped the snowflakes and some cards I die cut the snowflakes with my Cuttlebug die and machine. I varied the color of ribbon, but I stayed with the Baja Breeze colors. They all look similar but slightly different. I did emboss the Cuttlebug snowflakes folder for all of them because it looks so good. I also used stickles on all the exposed embossed patterns. I did it for a few cards and decided they all looked better with the glitter, so I went back and stickled the first ones I didn't glitter up.
I am also making 30 more different cards for folks at work. I am using all my holiday stamps and papers just to vary what everyone gets. Still working on these. Next year, I plan on doing the Christmas card challenge so I get 10 done a month so I don't stress out near the holiday time.

[Inky Paws]

If I was making just a few for extra special people, then they would be different. I just made 115 cards and they are all the same, the only difference is that I used different colored stickles for ornaments and that kept it from getting boring. I have made soooo many cards over the years, that I almost prefer doing the assembly line type, I spend the most time trying to come up with the perfect design.

[butlerlfy24]

This year my system was that I would make things in small batches where I would get everything cut and ready, then assemble 5ish at once, a la assembly line style. This way I could get a bunch done without getting bored, then I would move on to lots of the next set of stamps and ribbon I wanted to play with.

I found that this also allowed me to pick and choose from different cards for different people because as we all know there are always those few people who don't appreciate the work and love you have put into handmaking your cards.

[blwaganer]

I can not do more than 2 usually that are just close to being the same. I don't usually make them exactly the same. The color changes or somthing.
I like using new sketches, stamps, paper, etc.

[shastess]

I can not do ALL of mine the same - if I do I never want to see the stamp set / paper again!!!! So I make sets of 8 this year I am doing 6 sets of 8 and individuals here and there.

[scrappinspadiva]

I've never made my Christmas cards to send out because I'm one that has a really hard time mass producing, so the thought of doing about 80 cards that are different stresses me out. My friends/family get handmade cards for birthdays, etc but not at Christmas. How sad! And I have a TON of gorgeous Christmas stamps! One day, I tell myself, one day!

[mrs_hawkins]

Two years ago I did all my cards the same, but alternated the colors (some with Real Red cardstock as the base, some with Old Olive). Last year I made 6 cards a month. 3 each of 2 designs and every month I used a different stamp set. This year I used one stamp set and made every card different. I'm spending the holidays in Florida, so I wanted to use Crab & Co. for all of my cards, so I just went with the flow. I've been making them for the last 4 months.