I'm in the mood..

at last! I'm in the mood to make some Christmas cards. I realise now that it's not seasonal, (although the ones I make in December will still be better, because as we discussed a few posts ago, they will be infused with a spirit of the season), nor is it about mojo or remembering to use glitter. It's about having new stamps to play with! And last night, I came home from the Workshop with a carrier bag full. Really. I do not want to invoke jealousy, I want you to share my joy, and possibly what will eventually turn into my pain. So here's the story. (And you know me - I can't make a long story short!)

Annually, for more than a handful of years, I and a friend have staged a 'Card Making Marathon'. Hire a hall, make 20 cards and then supply materials and instructions for a bunch of people to copy 'em. Like a workshop but on a grander scale, lasts longer and for some, a slight time pressure to get lots done. This year for Christmas, I wasn't going to do a Marathon; my access to 'fresh' stamps severely curtailed by foolishly losing a job and my own collection of Christmas stamps severely curtailed by erm, not wanting to use the same old same old. But, friends who like to do the Marathon came up with the idea of lending me stamps. 'So what' they said, if they weren't bang up to date, making the cards using stamps you may not otherwise come across will be great. So, I was flattered into having a run at it. And of course, I spoke to Lady Nurse about it. She rummaged through 2 of her 6 boxes of Christmas stamps (I've talked about her collection here, it's very impressive) and 'lent' me a bag full of stamps to make a start with. A start?! Most of them are unused and Lady Nurse generously would like ideas for them and doesn't mind that in a Marathon environment they'll get a bit used. Mucky, even. I hope you're starting to get a deeper understanding of why I cherish the crafting community. So, I'm as fickle as a fickle thing on fickle day then really - gimme something new and my mojo gets fired up. Although I think this may only apply to rubber stamps. I'll have to report back about the effect of new paper; am fairly sure that I let that sit awhile before I force myself to use it. Maybe that's because it's finite. But with stamps, well, I could go on forever. As you are starting to realise!