A very good article from AEzine...

.......and I love to share it with all my readers (if u haven't visit her blog please do so and I promise you wont regret) http://aliedwards.typepad.com/

capture life + create art issue twenty five
November 21, 2007

Greetings!
What projects are on your creative list this holiday season? Are you overwhelmed already? There seems to be a fine balance between enjoying the opportunities for creativity and totally going overboard and ending up exhausted and frustrated. Read below for my top five tips for holiday craft sanity. Also, check out what holiday crafts I have been up to by following the links to the right. Also in this issue, my new book came out this past month and I have been receiving some great comments and questions through email. This week I want to take some time and address a few of these in an extended question + answer section. Enjoy, Ali

AE TOP 5 TIPS for Holiday Craft Sanity

1. Plan ahead + don't try to do it all at once. Most of the projects I have been working on for the holidays have been put together in a series of simple steps. Break the steps down into manageable tasks. Step one is always planning ahead - this includes making a supply list. Step two may be making a trip to your local craft store for supplies or shopping online. Step three is beginning the project. Often times I will do one thing each day - such as painting - and then the next night I will tackle the next piece of the project. Don't feel like you need to do it all in one sitting or all on one day - stretching it out a bit makes it manageable and lends a certain creative festivity to the season.

2. Gather up all your holiday supplies and store them together. In general I store products by manufacturer with the exception of my Christmas supplies. Christmas supplies are stored all together in a separate container that makes them easily accessible from year to year and when I find myself in the mood to create with my holiday stash.

3. Dedicate a small area to holiday crafts. Whether this is a corner in your bedroom, your dining room, or a corner of your scrapbooking room, clear out a little area just for holiday crafts. A designated space makes it easy to pop over there, do a little of this and a little of that, and then move on to other things you have going on at home. If you have little kids running around you may want to consider some sort of storage that allows for easy in and out (so you can store it quickly and safely away from little fingers if necessary). Right now I am using a portion of my dining room table and a corner of my dining room floor (supplies are kept in baskets on the floor and in a chest of drawers that sits in our dining room).

4. Don't try to do everything. Seriously. Pick a couple projects you want to put together and go for it but don't feel like you have to do every cool thing you see online or in magazines. If you see something you like, print it out or rip it out and add it to a holiday inspiration notebook (love Molly Irwin's example here). Do as much as you feel like and no more. When you feel like you are getting overwhelmed or going overboard, take a step back and a look at your overall holiday experience and priorities.

5. Make sure to enjoy the season. This time of year only comes around once - don't miss it by being too busy making stuff. Enjoy it. Savor it. If you don't feel like doing any crafty stuff then don't - and feel absolutely no guilt. Just because you are creative doesn't mean you have to make homemade gifts for everyone in your neighborhood. Focus on what this season means to you and your family rather than being bound to other expectations.