Each year, I try to dream up a fresh idea for our Christmas card and some time ago I decided to create a stamp.  Or a set of stamps.  I wasn't quite sure, but as the weeks went by, it was time to get on and do something more than think about it.

I looked through my photographs for suitable images and one in particular seemed perfect for my needs.  I'd hoped for a set of four, but though I had other, similar pictures, they were just too similar, if you know what I mean.  I decided to go with the single stamp and opened my Silhouette software to create the stamps for our cards.

I looked at a sheet of "real" stamps and counted the perforations before putting together a sheet.  It proved surprisingly tricky to align the holes so they met at the corners!

Having printed the sheets of "stamps", I cranked up my Silhouette.  A digital cutter like this makes such tasks easy - once it's set up correctly.

Except...well, you can see what happened.  Back to the drawing board - or rather, switch it off, go and have a cup of tea and come back and try again.

Hooray!  Some of the perforations needed a little poke, but otherwise, all systems go.

Both our desks and the studio floor were littered with perforations, which seemed to get everywhere!

But the end result looked respectable and as I'd imagined.  But though I intended to write the recipient's names on the front, it still looked a little sparse.

A good job I had a cute rubber stamp handy, then!

I saved the first completed card in my Christmas Journal and my Hero and I wrote, addressed and posted them to our friends and family.  I know that they have reached far flung corners of the UK and the rest of the world already, so I felt able to share our 2017 greetings here and, as we printed on the inside, we wish you a First Class Christmas!