Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste 12/16

Hard to believe we will be celebrating Christmas in less than 2 weeks !! Are you finished your cards ?? How about your holiday shopping ?? I told myself that I wasn't going to get stressed this year and so far,so good. Cards will be finished tomorrow and some might be late. Presents are mostly bought . I even bought some for ME !! Our new kitty Pixie seems to be the big winner so far when it comes to presents !!

Because coffee is such a big part of this blog and it is the holiday season, we decided that our theme this time would be Holiday Coffee. Our guest for this last collaboration of 2018 is Shanna Slater. We met through our love of coffee and paper-crafting -- I think it was on the Coffee Loving Papercrafters Facebook page. You can find her blog at Caffeinated Craftiness  -- see, she's the perfect guest for us !!!

For my card today, I used the cutest little elf stamp and made sure she had a nice BIG cup of Gingerbread coffee to energize her while she finishes those last-minute Christmas cards !!

• I placed a strip of Little B red-foiled plaid washi tape down the left edge of a Kraft card base.
• I stamped Crafty Little Elf from Unity Stamp Company onto Neenah Stardust White cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
• The elf image was colored with a variety of my favorite markers - Brea Reese, Faber-Castell, Sharpies & BIC Flair. My favorite yellow Cutter Bee scissors are in her apron pocket !!
• I adhered the stamped image to the bottom of the Kraft card and then placed the red cup next to it, popping that up with Tombow Foam Tabs. I do not remember where that red digi cup came from . If anyone knows, please tell me so I can give them credit.
• The sentiment and red checkered paper are both from the Merry Merry paper pad from Pebbles Inc.

I'm sure that Celeste will have a fabulous project over at Crafting Junky . And Shanna has  undoubtedly come up with something fantastic that you can see at Caffeinated Craftiness. We are so glad that she joined us for our holiday collaboration !! 

My coffee for this post is Sugar Cookie and I am drinking it from my new Starbucks mug. I recently cleaned out some kitchen cabinets and that included some of my vast mug collection. But I really could not resist this one that I found at the Starbucks inside our local Target. Isn't it the sweetest ?!?!?!

Thank you once again for visiting Meticulosity and following along each month with us. Celeste and I have had such fun and hope that you have too !! I hope that you will be back for some more inspiration and creativity in 2019. Merry Christmas to all of you from me, Brian & Pixie. And a happy, healthy 2019 to all of you ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

December Cookies - Take 1

I absolutely loved the Inspiration picture for this Challenge because it reminded me of some fabulous new supplies I recently bought - the Carta Bella "Christmas" collection . This 2 week challenge from If You Give a Crafter a Cookie  will be the last until March. The blog will be taking a short break but will definitely be back with more fantastic cookie inspiration in the New Year ! So I was really excited to get to use my new products for this simple, but beautiful card.

These cookies reminded me of Kraft paper and I was especially drawn to the candle images.I rarely make cards without any stamping on them, but this  was a fun exception. Out sponsor for this challenge is The Cutting Cafe . If you link up a project in the next 2 weeks, you just might win a prize from them !! So get inspired by our fun cookie picture and create a holiday project. I did !!!

• I started out with a Kraft card base. It really did remind me of the cookies from our Inspiration picture.
• From the Carta Bella Collection  "Christmas',  I adhered a large tag from the Ephemera pack to the right side of the card.
• At the bottom left of the card, I placed a lantern with candle from the Chipboard Accents pack .
• I paper-punched the banner flags from scrap glitter cardstock and adhered 4 in Christmas colors to the top left of the Kraft cardbase. 
• All items were adhered using my Scotch ATG Gun .

I love the simplicity of this card. I know I will be making several more with this collection and will probably incorporate some stamping into the designs as well.  I would love to see what you come up with using our Inspiration picture.. Take a look at the Challenge Blog to see what the team has created. As I said earlier in this post, we will be taking a break for a few months. I will keep you up to date on our return so you can join us again in some fun Cookie Challenges !!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Stay Creative !!

Have a Happy Holiday !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Polka Dot & Peppermint - Coffee Hop # 2

I just had to make a card with this Freebie set from Polka Dot Orchard . It is being offered free  HERE for the Hop and as soon as I saw it I thought - Peppermint Mocha !! Jessica Pickeral Burnham is the owner and she's also a Super Sponsor for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop . Check out her blog post and see the rest of her digi stamp sets !!

• I started with a Kraft card base . I always love Kraft, but at Christmas time especially, I think it give a great vintage feel to a card .
• The background image and  coffee cup digis were printed on Neenah Stardust White cardstock . I fussy-cut the cup and trimmed the background to fit the base .
• I also printed the cup on a Holly-patterned paper from The Paper Studio. It was then cut out and adhered to the cup.
• The images were colored with my favorite variety of markers - Brea Reese Markers, Sharpies and Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens.
• I placed a strip of Little B Red-foil Striped washi  across the upper part of the background digi.
• A gold tinsel bow by American Crafts added more shine to the middle of the washi strip.
• I adhered the background to the Kraft with my Pink Scotch ATG Runner and popped up the Coffee Cup with Tombow Foam Tabs. 
• A few red rhinestones were added to the holly paper on the cup and Fine White glitter was used on the whipped cream. 

There are already over 350 projects linked up at the 2018 Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and it is only Day 3 !!  Be sure to go there and check out all of the inspiration and think about linking up a Fall/Winter themed Coffee, Tea or Cocoa project of your own !!

Thank  you again for visiting Meticulosity. Please comment for a chance to win some Blog Candy from me  -- I will choose 1 person at random at the end of the Hop from those who comment.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

2018 Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop #1

This is absolutely one of my favorite times of year and this Blog Hop has so much to do with that !! There are always hundreds of amazing projects linked up and I am always inspired !! And this year there are 86 Super Sponsors with some amazing prizes !! I have been playing with some long hoarded paper lately and came up with this cute design for a Coffee ATC Swap that I am participating in .. It is red and sparkly - 2 of my all-time favorite things !!! I hope you like it  as much as I do . 

• I covered an ATC card with the red sparkly checked pattern from Mrs. Claus's Kitchen Stack by DCWV. I have long hoarded this 12x12 paper stack but it was perfect for this ATC !!
• I placed a strip of Simple Stories "Merry & Bright" washi down the left side of the ATC.
• I printed the Coffee Cup digis onto Neenah Stardust White cardstock, fussy-cut them and then colored them.
• I used Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens,Akashiya SAI Waterbrush markers, Sharpies & BIC Flair Pens to color the images.
• The cups and sentiment were adhered with Tombow Mono Adhesive + Permanent Runner .
• The sentiment is from the Vera Lane Studio Barista set. Also printed on Neenah Stardust White cardstock.
• I used my "dirt" stamp to make the sentiment a bit vintagy -- with Juniper Ranger Adirondack ink.
• A Simple Stories "Merry & Bright" sticker was placed at the bottom right side of the sentiment.
•  A Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Marker was used to create some shimmer on the cups .

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my first Blog Hop project !! I'd also love for you to follow my blog if you don't already/. At the end of the Hop, I will be choosing a winner at random for a bit of holiday blog candy, from those who leave comments!!

Thank you so much for visiting Meticulosity and a great big shout-out to Amy Tsuruta from the Coffee Loving Papercraters Facebook Page for again hosting another of these fabulous Blog Hops !!     

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

November Cookies - Take 3

Our third inspiration photo for If You Give a Crafter a Cookie is all about red, white and yummy candy canes !! Just in time to get us all in the holiday spirit. My favorite color is RED , so this was perfect for me !! Our sponsor for this Challenge is Cute As A Button and if you link up a project before December 13, you could win a prize from them !!

   

As soon as I saw this inspiration photo, I knew what paper I wanted to use. I have been hoarding it for a long time, but just had to get it out for this challenge !!  I loved mixing patterns for this card ..

• I printed the image of DeDe Christmas Candy Canes from Bugaboo Digi Stamps on Neenah Stardust White cardstock and cut the image to fit a card.
• Using Kraft cardstock, I cut a card base. 
• The red checked paper is from the DCWV paper stack "The Mrs. Claus's Kitchen Stack". I have been hoarding this paper for years and have used it on a few projects this week. Success !!
• I colored the digi image using Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens, Akashiya SAI Waterbrush pens, Sharpies and BIC Flair pens.
• The checkered paper was adhered to the Kraft base and then the digi image was placed on the right side and also adhered - both using Tombow Adhesives ( MONO Aqua Liquid Glue and also a MONO + Permanent Adhesive Runner ).
• A strip of Holly washi from Simply Vintage Christmas by Simple Stories was placed down the middle of the card between the patterned paper and the digi image.
• I placed an American Crafts Tinsel Bow in the middle of the checkered paper.
• A Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush Pen was used on the digi  image for some added shimmer. 

I can't wait to see what the rest of the team made for this month's Challenge. You can check them out HERE and while you are there, think about linking up a project of your own. You have 2 weeks to be inspired !!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity. What inspires you this time of year ?? Are your Christmas cards all ready to be sent !! Remember to take a minute and do something for YOU in all the rush of the holiday season. Until next time, always stay creative !!

Debra Davion /Meticulosity

Vera Lane Studio - Take 4

It's hard to believe that this is my last week as Guest Designer with Vera Lane Studio !! I've had so much fun creating with their new releases and this week is no exception. Ragamuffin is a sweet set that includes 2 images and a sentiment. It spoke to my heart and I immediately thought of my sweet kitty, Anna, who has been gone almost 2 years. I made this ATC with her on my mind.

• I covered an ATC card with patterned paper from the We R Memory Keepers "Hello Darling" paper pad. 
• The images from Ragamuffin were printed on Neenah Stardust White cardstock and fussy-cut.
• I also printed the girl image onto the same patterned paper as the ATC, cut out the dress and adhered it to the girl image.
• The girl and cat images were colored with  a variety of markers - Brea Reese, Sharpies, Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens and Akashiya SAI  water brush markers. 
• I placed a strip of grass washi along the bottom of the ATC.
• The girl and cat were adhered to the ATC with Tombow Adhesives. 
• I paper-punched several clouds from scrap ledger paper and adhered those to the ATC, along with the sentiment. 
• I placed a red button on the cat's eye and a blue button on one of the clouds.
• Several candy dots were placed down the front of her dress.

Thank you so much to Janet Klein, the owner of Vera Lane Studio and also to Stephanie Eaton, a member of the VLS Design Team.They have both been so helpful and answered all of my many questions. I was so excited to be able to join them for a month of creativity !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Deb & Celeste - Gratitude & a Giveaway 11/2018

Celeste and I have been  doing our blog collaboration since October 2016 !! Can you believe that !?!?  What started out as a plan to blog together each week for a month has turned into a monthly event.  We have had amazing guests along the way and I'm grateful that Celeste and I have been able to continue this.  Our theme this month is Gratitude, so what better time to have a Giveaway !! Everyone that comments on this blog post of mine will have a chance to win 3 beautiful 6x6 paper pads - a Fall pad, a metallic Fall pad and a glitter pad. I will also add some extra goodies.  It will be my way of saying Thank You for joining me on this creative journey.

The cards I made for today are thank- you cards for 2 friends who do an annual review of Pumpkin Spice products online in October called "30 Days of Basic White Girl".  Allie and Becca are sisters who have cracked me up with their fun videos and crazy sister banter !! I even told them that I wanted to be their sister too .. This October, I won a contest that they had for a Pumpkin Spice t-shirt , and these cards are to say thank-you to them !! I'm not a big Spice Girls fan but these rubber stamps cracked me up and I thought they were perfect for my cards !!  

Today I Am Grateful

• For each card, I used a Kraft card base. I chose papers from the giveaway prize as the first layer on each card. 
• The stamp set for these cards is PSL from The Ink Road .
• Using my MISTI, I stamped the words and the basic heart onto a piece of Neenah Stardust White cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I left room between those images for the sweater to be placed.
• I stamped the sweaters onto fall leaf scraps of paper and then fussy-cut them. They were also stamped with Tuxedo Black ink. 
• After adhering the sweaters to the center of my stamped images, I placed that layer onto a piece of Orange Glitter paper from the giveaway prize.
• The glitter layer was adhered to the patterned paper - all using Tombow Adhesives.
• On one card, I wrapped orange/black twine around the upper area of the card. On the other, I wrapped some long-hoarded Fall-colored fibers. 
• I also placed several orange rhinestones on each sweater.

Gratitude Changes Everything

 

This month, I am having Pecan Pie coffee in this cup from Target  that I was lucky enough to get 50% off. It's perfect for this post, don't you think ?!?!?! I really love it when things just fall into place like that. I can't wait to see what Celeste has created for this collaboration. Take a look at her  Gratitude post over at Crafting Junky  I want to also tell Celeste how grateful I am that we are still continuing this collaboration. She is dear to my heart and I am grateful for our friendship. And who knows, one of these days we just might be lucky enough to meet in person !!

Please remember to comment on this post for a chance to win some fun paper.  The glitter paper alone is so beautiful !! I will choose someone at random December 1. I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving and are staying warm as winter weather approaches. We will be back next month with a fun holiday blog post .

Blog Candy 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity 

Vera Lane Studio - Take 3

For my third week as Guest Designer with Vera Lane Studio , I'm thrilled to be using a new holiday set - Mr. and Mrs. Claus. I wanted to make something to display on the table in my front hall and decided to alter a word block that I was lucky enough to find for 60% off. I loved the pick-up truck on top and could imagine Mr. and Mrs. Claus driving along a snowy road, bringing their tree home in it. After all, the elves can't do everything !!

• I traced the outline of the word block and cut a piece of snowflake paper and a piece of white glitter paper to create the base for my scene.
• I adhered the snowflake paper to the top of the block and then cut the glitter paper to look like a hillside and adhered that at the bottom.
• Any rough edges were sanded down with my sanding block.
• In addition to the  Mr. and Mrs. Claus set, I also used the Christmas set for the star and the It's Good To Be Home set for the trees and house. 
• I printed the elements on Neenah Stardust White cardstock, fussy-cut the images and then colored them with my favorite Akashiya SAI brush markers, Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens , Brea Reese markers and Sharpies.
• All images were adhered with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue.
• A variety of candy dots and rhinestones were placed on the trees  for a festive look.
• Clear Glitter Wink of Stella was placed on the star and also Mr. Claus's mustache.
• Picket Fence Distress Stickles were placed on the lenses.
• I placed a strip of glitter washi across the top and bottom of the sentiment.
• To finish, I placed a strip of Tim Holtz Holiday Word  washi tape along the right and left side and the bottom of the block .

This project was such fun to make !! I can't wait to decorate my table for Christmas and display it. I will at least wait until Turkey Day is over .  These Mr. and Mrs. Claus images would also be really cute for holiday cards . Take a look at all of the great stamp sets and collage sheets in the Vera Lane Studio Etsy Shop. Maybe you should think about buying yourself some early Christmas presents !! Digi-stamps are cost-effective and don't take up any room in your house !!! I'm excited to see what the Vera Lane Studio Creative Team does with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Thank you for once again for visiting Meticulosity . I am grateful for everyone who follows my blog and/or Instagram pages. Also those of you who I know from Facebook. It's wonderful being able to share my creativity and love of paper-crafts with all of you !! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will see you back here soon !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

A Cookie For Santa - Take 2

The second November Challenge over at If You Give A Crafter A Cookie is full of holiday inspiration !! And it ties right in with the November Stamp of the Month from Anthony's Paper Craft . A wonderful image of Santa holding a chocolate chip cookie that was left for him by the children is a fabulous stamp for your  holiday cards ! And for the entire month of November, if you add this stamp to your basket, you will receive free shipping ( USA only ) .

I was proud of myself because I used paper scraps to make this card !! I have 2 scrap drawers in a rolling cart - 1 for solid colors and another for patterned paper. I had the plaid papers that I used as well as the snowflake paper. Unfortunately that only reinforces my need to save all those scraps !!

• I stamped the Santa image on pieces of white wood-grain paper and  a scrap of snowflake paper, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
• I colored the Santa image  and frame border using my favorite Brea Reese markers and Akashiya SAI Watercolor Brush Pens .
• I cut the snowflake background and adhered it to the wood-grain background.
• I layered a tartan plaid strip across the center of a  piece of  green plaid paper cut to fit my Kraft card base. I loved that the tartan plaid scrap had navy blue on it to match the lighter blue snowflake background.
• I wrapped a piece of black checkered ribbon around the plaid papers, tying a bow off to the left side of the card. 
• The Santa image was adhered to the center of the plaid papers on top of the ribbon,using Tombow Adhesive  -MONO Adhesive + Permanent Runner .

My fellow Anthony's Paper Craft Design Team members are posting each day this week with this fun Santa image.  You can see the other projects on the Anthony's Paper Craft Facebook Page.. Take a look at all of the great stamps HERE that Anthony's Paper Craft  has to offer , and be sure to add this Stamp of the Month to your cart through November to get free USA shipping. 

I also want to give a shout out to my Challenge teammates at If You Give A Crafter A Cookie. And to our sponsor this time -Fred She Said. If you link up a project before November 29, you just might win some free digis.  Take a look at the Design Team's inspiration here  from the photo shown below :

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity for some holiday inspiration !! See you again soon..

Debra Davison

Vera Lane Studio - Take 2

Choosing my second project as Vera Lane Studio's November Guest Designer was a no-brainer. I have been wanting to play with these images for awhile . I just never had a clue that I was going to alter the set like I did !! I used the Succulents Set, which contains 10 images and 2 sentiments. But when you see my card, you will see just how much fun I had with these images.

• On a Kraft card base, I adhered a piece of patterned paper from the Collage Art Paper Stack by Die Cuts With A View. This stack has beautiful papers that look like mixed-media backgrounds and I am absolutely in love with them !!
• I printed the images from the Succulents set and the sentiment and cup handles from the Coffee Cup Collection set onto Neenah Stardust White cardstock.
• I have always thought that the pots that the succulents were in would make fabulous coffee cups. So, I cut the succulents off ( saving them for a later project, of course) . I then matched up some handles from the Coffee Cup set and cut those out too. You could also draw the handles and cut them out but my drawing ability is slim to none !!
• Using a variety of markers - Sharpies, BIC markers, Faber-Castell & Akashiya SAI, I colored the  cups. 
• The handles were adhered to the pots and like magic, I had coffee cups !!
• I stacked the cups on top of the saucer, finishing with a plain cup that I decorated with a few strips of washi tape !!
• I mounted the sentiment words onto pieces of Pink and Royal Blue glitter cardstock and then adhered them to the patterned paper next to the cup stack.
• All items were adhered with my Tombow MONO Adhesive + Permanent Runner .
• This is the Succulents  set that I used to make the coffee cups :

Thank you for once again visiting Meticulosity as I create some fun projects with Vera Lane Studio. I will be back throughout the month of November and will also be sharing some of their great new releases. Let me know what you think about my "unique" coffee cups !! See you again and in the meantime, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Vera Lane Studio - Nov. Guest Designer

I have fallen in love with the digi designs at Vera Lane Studio . They are fun, quirky and one-of-a-kind !! Their digi stamps and collage sheets have found their way into many of my recent projects.  They have some fantastic coffee-themed stamps and you ALL should know by now that I am a lover of ALL things coffee !! So when I was asked to be their Guest Designer for the month of November, I didn't hesitate . I will be making something every Tuesday and will be blogging it as well as posting on Social Media. I might even sneak a few extra projects in too !!

For my first project, I am using a new release - Cocoa and Latte . I  am sure that their Design Team members will also have fun with these images. I wanted to make a Fall project and decided to do a fun tag with lots of dimension.

• I printed the larger Latte Fairy and sentiment on Neenah Stardust White cardstock. The fairy was also printed on a sheet of patterned paper  of Fall words and a sheet of whitish fur-patterned paper.
• On an oversized tag, I placed a layer of brown patterned paper. 
• I stenciled a floral pattern using Brea Reese Gold Metallic Texture Paste and then sprinkled a bit of glitter over the paste.
• A strip of Fall Polka-Dot patterned paper was placed along the Left side of the tag on top of a piece of gold mesh. I stapled the mesh onto the tag in areas that would be covered by the Latte Fairy.
• I paper-pieced the cup and the Latte foam after coloring the rest of the image with a variety of my favorite markers-Faber-Castell, Brea Reese & Akashiya SAI Brush Pens.
• A piece of orange/black twine was wrapped around the top of the tag several times. 
• A  strip of dark red glitter washi was placed down the Left side of the sentiment and adhered to the upper Right side of the tag. I also used a background stamp called Dirt on the sentiment.
• White Lightnin' Glitter from Double Trouble Scrapbooking  was applied to the Fairy wings.
• I made the eyes of the Fairy with a round pencil eraser dipped into a green stamp pad !!
• The completed Latte Fairy image was popped up at the bottom of the tag with Foam Tabs. All items were adhered with Tombow Adhesives, except for the tiny staples by Tim Holtz Idea-olo
• I placed several Prima "Amber Moon" crystals down the strip of Polka-Dot paper. 

Vera Lane Studio has a variety of fabulous digi stamps in their Etsy Shop. I am thrilled to be able to show you their fun styles this month !! They have a business page on Facebook , as well as a fun community of Vera Lane lovers  in a Closed Group .We share our projects and have monthly swaps. The theme of this month's swap is Coffee !! Stay tuned for more new releases.throughout the month amd projects from me.  And thank you so much again for visiting Meticulosity !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Color Washed Thanksgiving Day

I recently received this stamp set from Anthony's Paper Craft and immediately fell in love with it . Thanksgiving Day has a beautiful lantern/pumpkin scene and I knew I just had to make some cards with it. I wanted to use a watercolor-type background but didn't have the time to play. so I thought of the amazing Color Washed paper pad from Paper House Productions. It had the perfect colors to match my stamp !!

• For card bases, I used a golden-orange and a bright orange cardstock. 
• I cut pieces of the Color Washed paper to fit the card bases.
• Using my MISTI, I stamped the lantern/pumpkin image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on the Color Washed paper.
• I stamped the sentiment on scraps of Color Washed paper, also with the Memento ink.
• I cut some scraps of glitter cardstock and adhered the sentiments to them with either adhesive or staples.
• A strip of dark red washi was adhered to the bottom of one of the sentiments.
• On one of the golden-orange card bases, I applied strips of Autumn American Crafts washi tape on the R and L sides of the card in the Landscape position.
• After adhering the sentiments to the cards, the stamped images were attached to thee cardstock.

I really love how these cards all look so different, depending on the pattern of the color-washed background !!I really love these stamps and already have an idea for the cute little piece of pie stamp that is in the set. And wouldn't that turkey be a fabulous stamp for place cards for your Thanksgiving table !!

Thanksgiving Day

I recently had the honor of doing my first Make-n-Take at the StampScrapArtTour in Hampton, VA as a member of the Anthony's Paper Craft Design Team. It was a quick card on both days as the show was going on and I had so much fun. I was meeting Anthony Gilbert of Anthony's Paper Craft  in person for the first time and he couldn't have been more welcoming !! We are already planning my next Make-n-Takes !!  Here are a few pictures from the show....

 Hello, My Friend

Snowman 2

I hope you are inspired by my latest cards. I really can't say enough about this stamp set and these papers . I love stamping on patterned backgrounds, especially those with text. I even love to use old book pages !! Are you making any Thanksgiving cards ?? Let me know what you favorite Fall images are .  Stay creative and have a wonderful November !! 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Debra Davison