Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - March 2020

Well, last month I had the flu and now this month, we are all in the midst of  the COVID-19 pandemic. In Virginia where I live, our Governor just cancelled school for the remainder of the school year. We are asked to not gather in groups over 10 and to social distance when out, but I'm afraid we will be asked not to leave our homes unless absolutely necessary if  the cases continue to rise as quickly as they have been. I'm an RN and considered "essential" personnel at the hospital so I am expected to be at work when scheduled.  I hope that all of you are staying safe and can get the necessary supplies. I know that in times like this, I create to decrease my stress level.  Our Crafty Elves' Countdown has me looking forward to December and the holidays and that is nice. Thinking about the future one card at a time. 

I chose  the stamps Moonstruck by Marylinn Kelly and 5 Trees  by Kae Pea for Rubber Moon for my first card . They have so many fun stamps for Christmas AND all year long !!

• I stamped the Moonstruck image on watercolor paper and the 5 Trees on a multi-colored patterned paper.
• The images were then colored and fussy-cut.
• I adhered the images to some fun journal cards. I have an addiction to journal cards and know that I must have thousands !! 
• On the journal card with only the Santa image, I placed a strip of Watercolor Words washi below Santa.
• The completed journal cards were adhered to red card bases.

• I stamped that sweet kitten from a Recollections stamp set from Michaels on a piece of watercolor paper.
• The image was colored with my favorite markers.
• A sentiment from Small Talk Stickers by Tim Holtz Idea-ology was placed below the stocking.
• I adhered the stamped image to a black striped card base.
•  A sliver glitter heart fit perfectly in the space on the left side of the stocking.
• I placed a piece of Animal Christmas washi from Michaels along the bottom of the card.

• I am absolutely in love with this Posh Planters stamp set from Paper Smooches. I stamped the VW image on watercolor paper and fussy-cut it.
• The image was colored with a variety of my favorite markers.
• On a white card base, I adhered a piece of black patterned paper ( it has the word "merry' all over it ).
• The Christmas Exhibition and Special Delivery die -cuts are from a  Tim Holtz Christmas Ephemera Pack. I adhered them to the black patterned paper.
• The VW image was popped up on the bottom right corner of the card with foam tabs.
• The joy on the license plate is also from Small Talk stickers.

• This cute little penguin was in the same Recollections stamp set as the kitten in the stocking. I stamped it and the sentiment on a piece of watercolor paper, then cut the image to fit my red card base.
• I colored the image with a variety of markers.
• The stamped image was mounted on a piece of silver glitter paper and then that was adhered to my card base.
• I'll admit that this was my last card made and my mind was elsewhere. I'm not entirely happy with my coloring but he is starting to grow on me !!

The other Crafty Elves have also been busy and I hope that you will check out their holiday goodies over at their blogs .

Michael Trent - https://worldofmichaeltrent.blogspot.com/

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - https://bzscrapper66.blogspot.com/
Jessica from Polka Dot Orchard is taking a break this month but will be back soon

I also want to give a shout-out to my friend Vannessa Osbourn . She has been following our Crafty Elves' posts from the beginning and was inspired to start creating  along with us. You can see many of her cards on the Unity ( show & tell ) page on Facebook . She is also on  Instagram @ VCLAIREO . This is just one of her many fabulous cards !!  I love the patterned paper she used  and you all know that any stamp with a coffee cup is a favorite of mine !!

I hope that all of you stay safe and have everything that you need. Take some time to call a friend or check on a neighbor . Today I found eggs at the grocery store  ( finally ) and bought a dozen for my next-door neighbor. When I took them over, she gave me 2 small bottles of hand sanitizer ( cranberry, my favorite scent ). As we practice social distancing , we still need to connect with others. We are doing that with our Countdown to Christmas and are so happy that you have come to visit this month.

Until next time -

Stay Creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / March 2020

So, who else needs a break from all of the COVID-19 craziness ?!?! I know that I do .. I'm an RN and work at a hospital and the word "stress" does not even begin to address the way I am feeling on a daily basis.  So I was happy to create this weekend with my buddy, Celeste and we went back to basics for this month's post. Our theme is COFFEE !!  I had a fabulous Inspiration photo picked out and a few stamp sets in mind. Then I spotted a coffee cup at Starbucks earlier this month and my card idea was born !! You'll see what I mean at the end of this post ..

I have to admit that I bought the Posh Planters stamp set by Paper Smooches for the cute VW bus planter but it was the scenic coffee cup also in the set that was perfect for this post !! I do not have a green thumb at all so the closest I get to having beautiful plants is through my papercrafting ..  

• The scenic cup planter was stamped on a piece of watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.
• I colored the cup with my favorite markers - Faber Castell, Staedtler  and Tombow Dual Brush - and then fussy-cut the image.
• The silver area on the cup was colored with a Brea Reese metallic marker.
• I cut a piece of wood-grain paper and adhered it to my card base.
• The sentiment - also from the Posh Planters stamp set - was stamped inside a pale green hexagon on a piece of patterned paper, also with Nocturne Ink and then fussy-cut.
• The cup was adhered to the lower right corner of the wood-grain paper  with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue.
• The sentiment was popped up on the upper left side of the wood-grain paper with foam tabs.

Today I am drinking Ethiopian coffee from my new Starbucks cup that I found at my local Target.  I almost jumped for joy when I saw that cup because I immediately thought of the  Posh Planters stamp set and that is the exact moment that this blog post was born !!  Isn't it funny how we come up with ideas for our cards sometimes ?? I'm excited to see what Celeste created  - you can see her  card over at Crafting Junky.  We both sure do love our coffee !! I hope that you can find some quiet time to create -- make a cup of your favorite coffee and choose a pretty cup to drink it out of. It's the simple things that can really make our days brighter .. 

Until next time -

Stay Creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

March Cookies / 2020 - 2

Cookie Challenge #138 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie had me thinking about Spring - and with all we are dealing with these days,it was a welcome task to create a card.  I am in several letter-writing groups and I send lots of postcards. I had the perfect stamp set to create a fun postcard to send to someone special. Isn't this the sweetest Inspiration photo ???

The stamp set I used is Special Delivery from The Cat's Pajamas PaperArts.  I have had it for awhile but hadn't ever inked it up. I especially loved the bird garland and thought of that set as soon as I saw this Challenge.

the promise of all things made new

• I started off by choosing a 4x6 Strathmore Watercolor Postcard.
• Using my MISTI, I stamped the bird garland on the right side of the postcard towards the top., with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.
• I placed strips of Wendy Wecchi Make Art Washi Tape down the left side of the postcard, using 3 of the coordinating patterns.
• The signpost, rabbit and house were stamped together, using my MISTI to get proper placement and a nice crisp black design.
• I colored the elements with a variety of my favorite markers - Staedtler, Tombow and Faber-Castell.
• Along the bottom of the postcard, I placed a strip of beautiful Hand-painted Wildflowers washi tape from PaperHouse Productions.I folded it so there is also a strip on the other side of the card.

We would love it if you linked up a project during this Challenge - you have through April 1 to be inspired by our lovely photo. Head on over to the Challenge Blog to see what the other Design Team members have created !! 

Until next time, please stay safe. Curl up with a good book or make a card. Listen to some music or call a friend you haven't spoken to in awhile.  Practice social-distancing while still staying connected to friends and family. And stay creative !!  

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

March Cookies / 2020 - 1

I love the inspiration photo for Challenge #137 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie. I have never been to Paris but love all the images that relate to the city - the Eiffel Tower, macarons, those cute little dogs, cafes ... I did have  several stamps I could have used but was just searching for digi stamps for the fun of it and found one I couldn't resist !! I hope that you like it as much as I do ..

As soon as I saw the Paris Coloring Page from Cross Stitchy Designs on Etsy, I knew that I wanted to paper-piece it. Luckily, the image in my head translated successfully to paper !!  I love it when that happens..

• I printed the image 4 times on a sheet of watercolor paper. The size was 3.5 x 5 ..
• I adhered 4 different colors of ledger paper to a sheet of copy paper and printed the image again 4 times .
• The houses were fussy cut individually so I could use each of the 4 colors on all 4 cards. 
• I cut the watercolor images to fit my card bases and then colored them and the fussy-cut houses with my favorite markers - Faber Castell, Sharpies, Tombow and Staedtler.
• I adhered the houses side by side with Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue, using each of the 4 colors of ledger paper.
• The clouds for this card were fussy-cut from the blue ledger paper .
• The completed panel was adhered to a fun watercolor card base. I got a box of 50 card/envelope sets for $5 with 10 different color patterns at Hobby Lobby.

This challenge is open through March 18 and we hope that you will link up a project of your own. Take a look at the other team member's cards HERE - they are pretty amazing !! 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity 

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - February 2020

February has basically kicked my butt !! Despite getting a flu shot, I came down with a whopping case of Influenza A AND a nasty bronchitis. Right before Valentines Day, I thought I was getting over a bit of a cold. Couldn't have been more wrong !! But I think the worst is behind me and I'm excited to be here to show you my cards for February. Remember that Michael and Jessica are joining along with me and Lisa as we create a Christmas card each week all throughout 2020. 

For my first card, I chose the Forest Friends Snow Globe stamp from Impression Obsession., designed by  Alesa Baker.

• I started by stamping the image twice - once on a blue background and again on a light brown paper, making sure I captured the complete base of the globe. Versafine Clair Nocturne ink was used. 
• I fussy-cut the globe and base and adhered them onto a metallic border card.
• The image was colored with a variety of my favorite markers - Tombows and Faber-Castells.
• I added glitter to the pink tree.
• A sentiment from Crate Paper was adhered to the top of the card.   

The next stamp I chose to use is Nordic Town, designed by my talented friend Lindsay Ostrom, also   for Impression Obsession .

• I stamped the image on watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and cut the panel to fit on the front of a dark brown card base.
• The image was colored with my favorite markers.
• A strip of red glitter washi was placed along the bottom of the row of houses.
• Two strips of narrow gold-marbled washi were placed across the top of the panel, leaving a small space between the 2.
• A My Mind's Eye ephemera sentiment was popped up with foam tabs below the gold strips of washi.

This next stamp is going to be used every holiday from here forward !! From Fun Stampers Journey - Sparkly Christmas - is just too much fun and oh so true ..  Just a simple image but after adding a few sequins, I was sure I had a new Christmas classic !!

• The image was stamped on a scrap piece of pale blue paper with  Memento Dew Drops - Cottage Ivy and cut to fit my card base.
• I cut 2 coordinating scrap pieces of Christmas-patterned paper to mat the stamped image. The red dotted paper is glittered.
• I adhered the papers at an angle. The red to the green, then the stamped base to the red. I am OCD about straight lines and often mount images at an angle to give myself a break !!
• The completed matted image was adhered to a white card base.
• Numerous sequins in a variety of holiday colors and sizes were attached to the sentiment.

For my last project, I pulled out a stamped base that I made several years ago when I was stamping with a group of friends. I remember liking the background so much that I made several to use at a later date. And when I was destashing a few weeks ago, I found them again !!

• I stamped the paint stroke in 3 colors on a peachy-pink card base in 3 colors. It looks like I used 2 coordinating greens and a reddish ink . This is from an older Stampin' Up set - Work of Art .
• At the bottom right, I stamped the sentiment - from a Crate Paper stamp set I found at Tuesday Morning -  with a Memento Dew Drops - Cottage Ivy ink. 
• In the center of the paint strokes, I mounted a Crate Paper snow-globe shaker sticker. It is filled with snow and has to be one of the the prettiest stickers EVER made !!!

I'm thrilled that Michael has joined me on my crazy journey as I make a Christmas card each week throughout 2020. Head over to his blog at World of Michael Trent for some more inspiration  I'm also sure that Lisa at Life of a BZscrapper and her crafty partner, Jessica from Polka Dot Orchard were just full of great ideas for our second Crafty Elves post of the year !!

Have you started your holiday cards yet ?? Do you plan to stay ahead of the holiday rush and get your cards,  envelope-addressing and inside the card stamping done throughout the year along with us ?? We would love to hear your ideas for staying organized this holiday season. 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / February 2020

February is here and so are Celeste and I with another collaboration  !! It's been a bit cooler here in Virginia Beach  ( along with some 70 degree days  ), so what better time to start thinking about pretty Flowers that hopefully soon will be blooming .. Our theme is Floral !!

My wonderfully talented friend, Lindsay Ostrom creates stamps for Impression Obsession and I was lucky enough to get this one at her latest recent "unboxing" on Facebook. Coffee Blooms seemed to be the perfect stamp for this post and actually inspired it !! I hope that you will check out all of her stamps from Impression Obsession  here at their website.

• I stamped the Coffee Blooms image in the bottom right corner of a piece of watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.
• The images were colored with a variety of my favorite markers and watercolors. 
• I had bought a clearance tube of washi tape at Michaels recently with a coffee/floral theme. How perfect !! I added several strips of the coordinating washi at a diagonal across the watercolor paper base, above the stamped image. 
• The card fronts were adhered to several different card bases . 

Thank you for visiting my creative corner of the world for out latest collab !! Take a peek at Celeste's project over at her blog -  Crafting Junky. . Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think  of our February cards. We also would love it if you would follow our blogs ..

In spite of having gotten a flu shot, I still got a nasty case of Influenza A along with bronchitis. Because of that, I have been drinking lots of hot tea lately . But for my post today, I made a cup of Vanilla Biscotti coffee in a favorite bright RED Starbucks cup !!

SO glad that you have visited Meticulosity  again.

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison 

February Cookies / 2020 - 2

Another challenge is here over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog and this one  - # 136 - is all about Celebrations !! Get inspired by our cookie photo this time and link up a project of your own before March 5. I am currently at home with the flu and a nasty bronchitis so this post will be short and sweet.. 

For my card I used stamps from Anthony's Paper Craft. I am a member of their Design Team also and these are 2 of my favorite stamp sets. Village Set 3 was used for the diner image and Sentiments by DeZinesbyEM  provided the sentiment and cake slice.

• I had a fabulous Retro paper pad by American Crafts - Sparkle City Project Pad  - that included papers and stickers. The diner was stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink on a piece of cloud-patterned paper, leaving the cool dotted border at the top.
• The sentiment was stamped above the diner with a Bahama Blue Memento Dew Drop ink .
• I placed a fun retro arrow sign at the top of the dotted border, pointing down to the diner. 
• The cake slice was an afterthought when the card was completed but I think it was the perfect touch !!
• Images were colored with my favorite markers - a variety of Tombows, Faber-Castells & Staedtlers. 
• I mounted the completed stamped image onto a multi-colored blue card base.

Thank you for stopping by to see my latest post !! Please take a look at all of the other team member's projects over at the main BLOG. We would love for you to link up something of your own too !! The Challenges run for 2 weeks.

This diner stamp reminded me of the Beacon Diner in Hometown, PA. I spent many hours here with my family as a child !! This post brings back some wonderful memories..

Until next time - Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity