Be Prepared: 3 simple steps to avoid a Festive beading nightmare

Before I get on to my September ‘be prepared’ campaign, I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who answered my two questions. You’ve given me some great ideas. So, I’ll be introducing even more improvements to help you all. If you missed the little survey, you can still take part here.

Saving you from a Festive nightmare…

Now tell me honestly, which of these best describes you?…

1. ‘Be prepared’ is my motto for life. So by 24th December I will be reclining in an easy chair, with Christmas all sorted.
2. ‘I’m normal’, so on 24th December, I will be running round like a headless chicken wondering why we have Christmas every year!

For those of you who fall into the second group, I have a plan… This September, we’re going to change all that. This year, we are all going to be prepared. We’ll do it together and we’ll start today.

My typical scenario

Every year, I vow that I will start my Christmas craft preparations early. I ‘should’ start in January, but no, that’s crazy – I’ve only just crawled through this Christmas. Why on earth would I want to start thinking about the next one?

So, I’ll start next month. Then Easter comes along. Then the warm weather hits and Christmas is the last thing on my mind. But that’s ok because I really will start in August.

August is the perfect month to start making Christmas cards and little beaded gifts for friends and relatives. If I do that, I’ll be prepared. Then, in December I can just focus on writing the cards, wrapping gifts and sorting out food.

So, here I am in September and have I made a Christmas card or gift yet? Don’t be silly…

This happens every year and every year I end up reaching the day before ‘last posting date’ and shutting myself in the craft room to actually make my Christmas cards. Inspiration has flown and it’s just a last-minute battle to stick something vaguely festive onto a card front.

Or maybe I’m rummaging through boxes of old beading projects to see if there’s anything I can quickly finish and use.

This year will be different…

Well, I’m making a pact with you all right now. This year, my motto is going to be: ‘be prepared.’ So, I will be relaxing with a happy smile on my face, gorgeous handcrafted cards and those special gifts all wrapped up by December. And I want you to join me.

The only way we’re going to do this is by starting right now. Yes, September is the perfect month to start Christmas crafting.

(Notice, I’m not starting Christmas – I can’t stand to hear Christmas Carols and songs before December. I vow to walk, eyes closed, past all the Christmas displays in the shops right now).

And, I think we all need a bit of moral support for this. So, will you join me in this ‘be prepared’ campaign for Christmas 2017?

I hope you just said ‘yes’ because I have a plan…

Be Prepared for Christmas 2017: 3 simple steps

So, here we go…three simple steps to avoid that Festive nightmare.

Step 1

Make a card list. Sit down right now, today, and make a list of the people who will get a hand-made Christmas card.

If you’re on my mailing list, I’m going to be sharing a simple and quick beaded card with you next week. So, make sure you’ve signed up to get that.

Step 2

Plan your beaded Christmas presents. Start by making a list of the people who will be getting a beaded gift this year.

Remember, make life easy for yourself. Not everybody deserves a beaded gift. Not because they aren’t wonderful people. But the fact is, not everyone appreciates crafts.

We’ve all been there. Spent hours choosing the perfect beading pattern, debating colour schemes. Then more hours beading the thing. Proud as punch, we give the gift to the lucky recipient. We look with anticipation as they open it up and…wham!… Out comes the bland, ‘thank you, that’s nice.’ Translation, ‘What do I want with this? Why couldn’t you have just bought me a proper present?’

So, put some thought into this today. Who is really going to appreciate your beaded gifts?

Then, we’ll be talking Christmas gifts later in the month, with simple tips to get you prepared.

Step 3

Do you need a new Christmas decoration for this year? Well, now is the time to start finding a pattern and get making.

So, throughout September, I am putting ALL my Christmas beading projects on sale. In some cases they will be on sale all month. In others, just for a couple of days. So, make sure you keep checking back to grab your sale bargain.

And a word of warning… the beading kits are all in limited supply. So, grab yours while you can!

Click on the stars to find all your Christmas beading projects in one place. You might want to bookmark that section so you can come back each day to check for your sale bargains.

Treat Yourself Now!

And, lastly, I’ve got the opportunity for one lucky person to win a copy of my ebook, ‘Beaded Christmas Decorations‘. So, if you want to be in with a chance of winning, click on the image below to find out how.

Stay Tuned…

I’ll be back next week with news of how my preparations are going and some more help for you. Together we can do this! We will be prepared for the Festive madness!

Learn how to make a beaded Christmas card>>