I couldn't do it -- a sheetload of cards.

I got this 12 x 12" Jen Hadfield Patio Party paper pad at Tuesday Morning a couple of weeks after Christmas.

I was going to do a "sheetload" of cards, using the instructions at Call Me Crafty Al's website.  The concept is great. Just cut your 12 x 12 papers per the instructions and assemble. Easy peasy, right? There was even a page of cut-apart tags that could be used for the focal element/sentiment.  Well, my paper selections weren't so appropriate for this style of layout.  I used solid card stock to layer some of the pieces, but I still wasn't happy with the results.

By this time I had started cutting into different papers for the background, looking for just the right balance of patterns.  Funny thing, that one green fern pattern looks exactly like sheets I had in the 70s and 80s.

After this I gave up and started just putting down paper as I liked, card sketch be darned.

On the last card I gave up using different papers from the set and just used one, cut with a wavy border die.  The gold birds are from Paper Smooches..

So, the cards on the navy card bases got tied together with their matching envelopes into a set I hope someone can use.  The others on white card bases, and the one pink one, got the envelopes fancied up with the rest of that last flowered paper. They too will be tied together into a gift bundle, as soon as I get more pink ribbon.  Who knew I'd run out of ribbon?

The part that has me laughing is that I bought that paper pad because I loved the sheet with the flamingos.  I'm hoarding it.  

Edited to add this last card which I missed in the last photo shoot. It belongs here, so here it is:

Say Freeze Craft Smart paper pad

Just before Christmas I took one last trip to Michael's and bought several 12 x 12 paper pads. I know I shouldn't have, but the images on "Say Freeze" really called to me so I did it.  I already had the 6 x 6 version of the same paper, I just had to have the bigger one, too.

The poinsettias are from the smaller paper pad, and the outside sentiment is from Queen & Co's Special Delivery kit. The inside sentiment is from Avery Elle's "Comfort & Joy" sentiment set.  The die cut poinsettia on the front is a Sizzix die that came with a pillow box die. The inside of the flowers are embellished with copper colored Nuvo drops.

Here's the real reason I needed the larger paper pad.  There is this wonderful image of snowmen driving a red pickup truck.  It's larger, covering the front of these two 5 x 6.5" cards.  The "Merry Christmas" die is from Kat Scrappiness, cut once from gold card stock and once from cream card stock, and layered together, a little offset.

On the inside of the card I layered another piece of patterned paper and the same sentiment as above from Avery Elle. The inside sentiment is on a panel cut with a scalloped die from Gina Marie Designs.

This second truck card features the "Fa La La" die and shadow from Simon Says Stamp.  The little sentiment, "Make it jolly, so jolly" is silver embossed from a sentiment set from Scrapbook.com called "Make it Jolly".

The inside sentiment is from an old Hero Arts set CL359 from 2012.  It's embossed in silver, with a couple of snowflake stamps that I can't immediately identify. 

So, I don't need anymore Christmas cards, but I've decided not to stop making them because, I don't want to stop.