Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / September 2025

Lisa, Michael and I are bringing you our holiday cards as we continue to count down to Christmas !! I had every intention of making my card early in the month and somehow it was time to write up my post and the card wasn't even stated. I really didn't even have  a card idea in my head except maybe for a stamp set to use. But after working a 12 hour shift today, I decided to make it easy on myself and use some fabulous Pink Fresh Studio supplies  I had in my stash !!! I actually got them at one of their clearance sales a few years ago .

All of my supplies are from the Pink Fresh "Holiday Dreams" collection . The paper, stickers, ephemera etc.. are absolutely beautiful 

•  I adhered a piece of green plaid paper to a white card base.
• The red scalloped border at the top of the card was a strip from another piece of paper in the Holiday Dreams collection .
• I adhered 4 of the Wood Accent Stickers below the border .
• A Puffy Sticker sentiment was placed near the bottom of the card .

Easy Peasy !! How quick this card came together and I could have made many more with all of the elements . In fact, I probably will next week . Tuesday, Sept. 30 is my last shift at the hospital . I am retiring after 38 years there .My creative time will be on my own schedule !!

Take a look at what Michael abd Lisa created over at their blogs -

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 3 short months away . Have you started on your holiday cards ?? I love having a stash all ready to go when the season rolls around.  Thank you for stopping by . We hope we inspired you with our creations this month and we will see you again in October !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

He Made It / She Made It - Sept. 2025

Michael Trent and I are back with another long overdue "He Made It / She Made It" post .This time we are not using the same stamp ; we are using products from the same company. He introduced me to the amazing digital papers from KCS Designs by Kim . She has the most gorgeous digital papers, ephemera, clip art etc. !! I am not a pro by any means when working with digital products but I can print papers to be used on my cards . And that is exactly what I did today ..  

I chose Autumn Flair Buttons and Vintage Gingham Floral Journal Paper from KCS Designs by Kim for the 2 cards I made . There are 24 flair buttons in different designs and colors . The journal paper has 12 different patterns/colors . I absolutely fell in love with all of those . They would be perfect for journal pages and I also printed some to use in my planner . I used a discontinued Photoplay Paper stamp  set- I Love Fall  - that was perfect for these papers !!

• I printed the Autumn Flair Buttons and resized them on my printer to fit a 1 3/8" round punch .
• I printed the Gingham papers in a 4x6 size to make my card fronts.
• The papers were adhered to a cream and a dark brown card base.
• I fussy-cut the girls and Fall elements and then colored them with my COPICS.
• The girls were each adhered to their card bases.
• I popped up the buttons and pumpkins with foam tabs.
• The leaves and acorns were adhered to the pumpkins.

I am in love with these 2 cards !! Michael is a brilliant creator with digi products so I cannot wait to see what he came up with . KCS Designs By Kim is having a 35% off sale through the end of September. Her designs are fabulous and there are a variety of themes for you to use  - Vintage, Holiday, Fall, Botanicals and Mixed Media to name a few. I already have my eye on a few more designs for some upcoming cards !!

Be sure to check out what Michael made over at World of Michael Trent . And don't miss the sale at KCS Designs By Kim .If you're not a digi product user, go there anyway and try out a few of her papers. Its as easy as downloading and then printing them !! If I can do it, you can too .. And one of these days, Michael is going to give me a personal tutorial on digi stamps etc. ... I'll recruit him when I break down and buy a new laptop .. 

A big shout-out to Kim Sheen for her amazing Etsy shop !! I was excited when Michael told me he was creating with her products and rushed right over to KCS Designs . The Vintage Gingham and Flair Buttons were my first purchases but definitely not my last ..  Thanks for stopping by to see  the latest He Made It/She Made It  ..  Stay tuned for more of these posts in the future .  

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / September 2025

This month, Celeste had the great idea to use up some of our scraps . I used to keep two whole  drawers full of paper scraps - 1 for solid colors and another for patterned paper. But I decided to consolidate and just keep one drawer, which narrowed down my selection for today. I did find some great pieces of scrap paper though and made a great background for my card .

Celeste's Scrap Stash

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the scraps I chose so I just placed them on a card base and hoped I would come up with an idea !! I decided to look through some Close To My Heart stamp sets and found one that I thought would work with my background. Here are the scraps that I used , All I did was trim them down to get several lengths and attached them to a navy card base.

And here is my finished card ..

• The stamp set is I'd Rather Be Reading from Close To My Heart  (which unfortunately has closed ).
• I stamped the shelf and sentiment on cream cardstock . I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink for the shelf and the matching die to cut the shelf .
• The sentiment was stamped with Impression Obsession Ruby  ink .
• The shelf was colored with Copics and Sharpies.
• I adhered the shelf to the scrap paper strips with foam tabs to add some dimension .
• The sentiment was die-cut with a Big Little Chain Rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs .
• I adhered the sentiment to the bottom right corner of the card base .

I am really happy with how this card turned out, especially since I had no idea what I was doing when I sat down to make it !! Do you ever grab some scarps from your stash and create with them ?? This was a fun theme !!  I can't wait to see what Celeste came up with . Take a look at her blog Crafting Junky to see her card ..

For my coffee this month, I chose McCafe'  Affogato .. It tastes like Vanilla soft serve ice cream and is absolutely delicious !!  My cup is a Starbucks Amsterdam mug brought back for me by a friend. It must have been International Day here because I'm reading a book set in Scotland from a Netherlands cup while drinking American coffee !! 

Thank you for joining me today as I use up some scraps . I hope Celeste and I have inspired you to take a look in your stash and create something !! Until next time, I hope you will enjoy some creative time, drink some good coffee and read a good book .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / August 2025

Here we are about to say good-bye to summer and hello to Sweater Weather !! Christmas will be just around the corner so Michael, Lisa and I are continuing to show you our holiday cards each month on the 25th to inspire you to get started on your own . It's a great way to beat the holiday rush and decrease your holiday stress level .

For my card today, I used the Photoplay stamp set - I Love Christmas . I also used the matching dies.  The cute holiday ephemera is from Aall & Create - Warm Wishes .

• I stamped the girl and tree images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then die-cut them with the matching dies .
• The images were colored with my OLO Markers .
• I adhered a piece of green patterned paper to a white card base.
• I cut some Glitter Zig-zag paper and adhered it to the bottom of the card base for a snowy background.
• The red border at the top of the card was found in my scrap drawer . I'm pretty sure it was from a Tim Holtz die. ( one of my favorites ) .
• The tree the girl is holding is popped up with a foam tab . It is one of 5 designs that can be stamped and die-cut for her to hold . There are also a cup of cocoa, a stocking, a present and candy canes. 
• I adhered the girl onto the left side of the card base .
• The presents were placed on the bottom right of the card base - the 2 on each end were adhered with mono adhesive and the center one was popped up with a foam tab.
• I adhered the Warm Wishes tag at the top right of the card then popped up a bird with another foam tab.

There was absolutely no reason for me to procrastinate on making this card since I have been off all week. But I did !! However, I did have the stamp set picked out. And from start to finish on this card, it took me exactly 2 hours . To stamp, die-cut, color and also come up with a layout !! Not too shabby, if I must say so myself. AND I'm happy with the finished product ..

Please take a look at Michael and Lisa's cards at the links below. I know that they both always inspire me with the cards they create .

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Thank you for stopping by to see our latest cards . We hope we inspired you to make some of your own before the holiday begins. Until next time, stay creative .. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / August 2025

Our theme for August is TRAVEL .. My post will be short and sweet since I am having laptop issues and want to get this written before I have more problems. 

I used the Colorado Craft Company stamp set Wanderlust and the Tim Holtz stamp set Noteworthy . I was so excited with the first card that I made that I quickly created 2 more !! The map and Air Mail papers that I used are from my stash - I have had them forever .. I stamped all of the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .  On two of the cards, I matted the main stamped image with brown cardstock. The travel labels were stamped and fussy-cut, then popped up on each card with foam tabs. 

I will also be entering this card in the Color Throwdown Challenge . Thanks to Celeste for telling me about it . It is #839 . Be sure to check out all the info at the link .. The colors for the challenge are Aqua, Red & White .  . #ctd839    #colorthrowdown 

Be sure to check out Celeste's card over at her blog - Crafting Junky . She likes to travel so I'm excited to see how she used our theme!! For my coffee this month,  I'm drinking Apple Cider Donut coffee from Dunkin' from my new Prescription Coffee cup that Brian just gave me for my birthday .

Thank you for stopping by .. I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer and looking forward to Fall and Sweater Weather !! I know I am .. Until next time, stay creative and drink good coffee.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / July 2025

There are only 5 months until Christmas !! Where has the time gone?? Lisa, Michael and I have been making our holiday cards all year long and will have a nice stash when it comes time to mail them off to family and friends .. 

   

When I think of the holidays, I always remember that it is also Hallmark movie season.  A new batch of movies to watch along with some older favorites .. They start showing them before Thanksgiving and I have to admit that I'm hooked . Are you ??  I made my card with a wood-mounted stamp from Impression Obsession  - Hallmark Movie Season, designed by Lindsey Waltman Ostrom .. IO is now closed but I definitely have a wonderful stash to use when I create. 

• I stamped the "Hallmark Movie Season" image on a piece of white watercolor cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• I trimmed the stamped image, leaving room at the top and bottom for some holiday washi .
• The image was colored with my COPICS.
• 2 strips of holiday washi were placed above the stamped image and 1 below.
• I adhered a piece of Cozy Christmas paper from My Mind's Eye to a tan card base. The paper reminded me of a cross-stitch pattern !!! I used to cross-stitch constantly and love that paper design . 
• The stamped image was matted with a piece of green cardstock, then adhered to the patterned paper with foam tabs.
• A gingerbread man was placed on the stamped panel under the N in season .

We are glad you stopped by to see our latest holiday creations. And we hope you are inspired to start on your holiday cards ahead of time too!! Check out the links below to see what Michael and Lisa have created.

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

 We will be back next month with some more holiday  cards to show you .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee and Cards with Deb & Celeste / July 2025

July is here . And that means a fun, summer theme from me and Celeste !! We are having crazy hot weather here in Virginia Beach . I keep waiting for it to cool down a bit for even a day, but that hasn't happened yet.  So sit back, relax with a nice iced coffee and enjoy our cards for this month .    

I am in love with stickers of all kinds and especially love the chipboard variety . I know that I have had these  from Crate Paper 's "The Pier" collection for years !!! So now seemed like the perfect time to use them.

• I adhered a piece of paper from the "Domestic Goddess" collection by Stampin' Up to a 5x7 pale turquoise card base. The design reminded me of a picnic tablecloth we had when I was a child. 
• Chipboard stickers from Crate Paper's "The Pier" collection were placed on the patterned paper . The Summer Days heading was perfect!!

This was such a fun, quick and easy card to make . Totally different from my original idea but I was really pleased with the outcome. I can't wait to see what Celeste's idea was for our Summer theme !! You can see her card over at her blog - Crafting Junky .  While I was making my card, I was drinking some Vanilla Caramel Iced coffee in my new SWIG Sunset Travel Mug . I am not affiliated with the company at all - just love that I can keep my coffee or water either cold or hot on my desk for hours !! And they also have such pretty straws !! It's my go-to cup at work now ( until I retire at the end of September ).

Thanks so much for dropping by to see our summery creations. I hope you are having a nice weekend doing something that you love - read a book, take a walk, call a friend.  Be kind to yourself and others.  We will see you next month .. Until then, Stay Creative .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity