Multiple Cards anyone?

One day last week I was asked by two different people how many cards I create at one time.  I said I almost always do only one at a time.  This got me thinking... I think I have only sent one (yes, one!) card to anyone in the last six years or so. Other people make more than one at one time?

I make my cards and I keep them as my "samples" and I guess I don't want to part with them.  I just plain LIKE making cards!  I have had people want to buy my cards but I have always suggested that I teach them how instead (I did have someone strongly pressure me to sell her one of my cards because it "was the perfect card and I need one tomorrow" - which I ultimately did and I charged her a whopping $2).

I have given a stack of cards as a gift and my intentions are always that I give more card gifts. But... why don't I make more than one?  I know that I waste a lot of paper creating a card and I usually have a half dozen or so "false starts" before I end up with something I like. It also takes me hours to make just one!

My challenge to myself was to make several at one time and find a design and just stick with it.

I started with the card I made a couple of hours earlier (the Christmas Dove).  I decided that I really didn't like the leaves I added (put on because of the sketch challenge I was entering).   Here is my first batch:

Okay, I'm on a roll..I should be in bed but I have more ideas that I want to work on... So here was my second card (closeup at the top of this post):

This was heat embossed with clear embossing powder and then sponged with Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede. I rubbed the ink around in a circle with an extra sponge (so I didn't contaminate the colors) to be able to blend the colors a little more. I then stamped the background words from the Stampin' Up! Flores Suaves set (to be discontinued at the end of May). Of course I rubbed off any ink that was on the embossed image.

Yes, I should have gone to bed (the sun will be up soon....) but I wanted to do one more while I was "rollin'".  This one needs to be quick and easy. Here is the result of that one:

This was stamped (Inspired by Nature) in Versamark and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I stamped the sentiment (from Service & Sacrifice) and punched it out using the Decorative Label Punch,. And ... I made several of them:

Well, I'm tired but I DID IT!!! I actually made several of the same card at the same time!!

What do you do?  Do you make one at a time?  Do you make a bunch at a time? A combination of both?

Do you give card sets as gifts? Do you sell your cards? Do you send handmade cards at various times during the year? Do you have a "stash" of cards ready to send out as you need them?

Christmas Dove

Have you started your Christmas cards yet?  LOL!  The challenge I am entering tonight is from Always Playing With Paper for their Merry Monday #16 (Merry Christmas) Challenge.

I haven't thought about Christmas cards for several months, but there's no time like the present to start thinking of ideas. I decided that I'd do something decidedly different than what I have been doing lately.

I selected a stamp set from Stampin' Up! that will be discontinued at the end of May (Gifts of Christmas) and two in-colors that will be discontinued (Poppy Parade and Pear Pizaazz.  I made the background pieces by creating my own designer paper stamping the same image all over the paper.  I cut the strips and distressed the edges.  

For the center piece I took Versamark ink and stamped the dove image and heat embossed it with iridescent ice embossing powder to give it a little sparkle. I took several pictures but I wasn't able to get the sparkle to show.  I sponged the two ink colors over the main image piece and rubbed off excess ink from the embossed area.

I took some leaves cut with a Sizzix Embosslit cut out of scraps of the in-color pad paper and inked a little of Poppy Parade over it.  I then sprayed a little Smooch to give them a little shimmer.

The especially nice thing is that I only used white cardstock (except for the small scraps I used on the leaves).  With a little ink anything is possible!

So, again, have you started on your Christmas cards yet?