inspired…

…at the grocery store?

My Christmas cards have been in the back of my mind for a few weeks. A lot of you already have them planned, executed and ready to mail. Whatever. Overachievers. :)

I’ve been handmaking our cards for over 10 years. Every year I wonder why I got myself into it. But 12 months later I’m planning the torture again. LOL. I can’t NOT do it.

So last year I attempted to simplify—and my simple design had way too many time consuming details. I couldn’t help myself.

  (front)

I spent way too many evenings assembling them—while I could hear my family playing in the other room. It’s not how I wanted to spend my time during an already crazy, busy season. So I said NO MORE. I even blogged about it…saying I would order photo cards instead…gasp! (Not that there is anything wrong with photo cards. Photos are my favorite part of Christmas cards…but there is something in MY crazy head that says the cards coming from me just have to be a bit more. I know, get over it!)

(back)

After the craziness passed I knew I’d still do it in 2010. But I promised myself SIMPLE!

• No stitching (a signature detail in the past several years)
• No rhyming (I gave up on that several years back)
• No detailed letter (does anyone really have time to hear all of that?)
• No over the top cutting, piecing, piercing or hand drawn details.

So here I am…2010. My cards need to go out in the  next couple of weeks. I’ve had ideas floating in my head…but I’ve vetoed them…not simple enough.

Then today, I’m pulling my groceries out of the car and the side of the paper bag caught my eye.

(if you’re local, these are the holiday bags from Raley’s/Bel Air)

Now, I still don’t have a design in my head…but these green dots got me excited.

I love kraft (as evidenced by last year’s card). And the simple green dots on the kraft? Yum.

So I cut the side panels off my bags and they are sitting on my desk for inspiration.

I’m happy because…

1. My color scheme is chosen.
2. They were ‘free’.
3. They are being re-used…how very green of me.
4. Re-using them makes up (a tiny bit) for the fact that I keep forgetting my re-usable bags in the car…grrrrrrr

I know they are going to have to be distressed somehow (probably crumpled) since there are creases and dents in them already.

But today I was inspired…at the grocery store!

Kristen