WOYWW 394 - Cards Past & Present (but no future ... yet!)

SO here it is

Merry Christmas

  a couple of days early but what the heck!

Next few days will be a flurry of activity and then a few days to recover once it is all over ... all good fun, of course!

Nothing to show on my workdesk so my WOYWW post this week is somewhat fraudulent I'm afraid - hoping our head desker and much, much loved leader, Julia over at The Stamping Ground will forgive me as I have, literally, just cleared it all away now until "after the festivities" ... am well in hand with my birthday cards for next year so no immediate panic after Christmas to get the early January cards made ... or the late January ones for that matter ..

Or February 

Or March 

as they are all done!  

Well, practically - just need to matt them onto a decent piece of card as when splashing and splooshing inks around the reverse of the tags get awfully messy and only a fellow crafter MIGHT appreciate the somewhat arty backs.

Yes, they will be tags again.

My far preferred type of card to make.

But they will not go down too well with some.

Shame.

So no workdesk to share so thought I would share my Christmas cards for this year (that's the present part of my post title!)

For most of our friends I made tags (no surprise there then!)

SOOoooo, you know how you KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) when you have lots cards to make?

Well, Stupid couldn't manage that.

So, 27 stages per card later, we had 180 cards.

BUT - did manage to keep them flat for minimal postage!!!!

For family and close friends I wanted them the same but different ... so enlarged the tag and design and went with gilding flakes.

Never again!

Flakes, that is, not a larger tag.

 Then there was little great-nephew Henry's card

Not at all how I wanted it to be but figured he is 20 months old so will not be all that upset that it did not turn out as Great-Aunt Grubby Bee hoped!

Now they have all been received I can share the birthday cards (the past bit of my post title!) I sent this year.

All a variation of the same - just batches of different colours.

The panels down each card were Brushos (such fun!) and then simply stamped and embossed and backgrounds stencilled.

Girls got hummingbirds

Boys got clock faces or feathers

 Anniversary cards were plain and simple and 

WERE NOT TAGS!

So not really my thing but figured I can't keep foisting tag cards on everyone when they are not considered (by some) to be proper cards!

The flourish was stamped and embossed and the little red hearts just punched.

Then came the "In Memory" cards I sent this year.

But decided they will be my last as news reached me that a few people found them offensive and upsetting.

I wrote a very polite note in each explaining that I shan't send a card in 2017 but will, of course, keep those who would have received one in my thoughts.

Oh, not forgetting the cards made when Nephew Number One got engaged!

One on the left from us and the one on the right made for daddy to give

So that covers another year of card making

Around 300 in total

Plus all the extras I made for charity events or at workshops

Some of which I have probably blogged already so won't share again

On top of that will be all the canvasses, wooden hearts & panels and a ton of stuff I have forgotten

Have plans for next year so am cutting back on cardmaking to leave me more time for more arty stuff but it's been a full on year of a life full of art and craft and I can't wait to do it all again in 2017!

Only better.

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

AND ALL THE BEST FOR

THE NEW YEAR