Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / July 2022

There are 154 days until Christmas !! Can you believe we are over halfway there ?? It's been fun sharing our holiday cards with you all year . This month, Michael is taking a break so Lisa and I  are holding down the fort and posting our cards for your crafty inspiration !! He will be back with us next month .. 

First order of business is to announce the winner of some holiday blog candy for commenting on June's post .. Karen Ladd left a sweet comment and especially loved the kitty cards !! I will be contacting her .. Thank you to all who commented - I appreciate each and every one !!!

Our weather is brutal here in Virginia Beach , with temps close to 100 many days and my crafty energy seems to dwindle as the month comes to a close. So for my cards this month, I will only list the stamp /stamps that I use . If you have any other questions about supplies,  please feel free to ask .

Enerson Girl by Angie Blom from Unity Stamp Company

Cozy Wishes from Fun Stampers Journey

Fall Gal by Jeanie Hays from Unity Stamp Company

 Stamp from 2010 - Cuddle Season by Stampendous  

I'm actually happy with my cards this time -- I think that sometimes we can be very self-critical but this time, I am satisfied with the outcome .. I hope that you are inspired to create some holiday cards ahead of the rush too . Please take a look at Lisa's cards .. They are always masterpieces !!!

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZscrapper

There is a Christmas in July Linky Party sponsored by Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers . They have fabulous sponsors, amazing prizes and tons of holiday inspiration. I will be linking these cards up to join in on the fun !!  I hope that you will visit them and maybe even consider linking up a card of your own !!  #christmasinjuly2022byshclp

Thank you again for visiting Meticulosity and watching as we get ahead of the holiday happy mail rush each month.. I'm looking forward to having Michael back in August .. Until next time., stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb and Celeste / July 2022

I am really having a difficult time believing that it is July already !! And it is even harder to think about Christmas in a month where our temperatures have often  been close to 100 degrees. But that is our theme this month - Christmas in July .. Celeste and I will bring you some creative inspiration to give you some ideas for your holiday happy mail ..

I used Cozy Wishes by Fun Stampers Journey for my card this month .. It's a great set and can be used with fall or winter colors for different looks .. It's also a excellent set for a teacher gift, using the apple stamp . It's on sale now and very easy to fussy-cut !!

• I stamped the cup image on white cardstock and the heart on a pale blue patterned paper with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink .
• The cup and heart were fussy-cut. These images are so easy to cut .
• I colored the knitted lines with various shades of blue COPIC markers.
• The holes in the heart "button" were made with my Crop-a-dile ..
• A piece of silver gift patterned paper  - from the Studio Calico "Magical" collection - was adhered to a silver card base.
• The cup was popped up on the patterned paper with foam tabs.
• The heart "button" was also adhered to the cup handle with foam.
• A sentiment from my stash was placed above the cup - also with foam tabs for dimension .

This card was so easy to make and a breeze to color !! Perfect for some Christmas in July projects .. I'm excited to see what Celeste has designed - please take a look at it over at her blog - Crafting Junky . We hope that you have been inspired to start on some holiday cards of your own..

 I'm also posting this card to the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Linky Party - Christmas in July 2022 . There are some amazing sponsors and prizes and tons of fabulous inspiration for your holiday cards !!  #christmasinjuly2022byshclp

For my coffee this month , I thought that Gingerbread would be very appropriate !! I am drinking it from a a holiday mug I found on clearance at Barnes & Noble in January .. It's always a good time to find holiday sales !! The hard part is remembering that you bought them when the holidays roll around ...

Thank you for visiting us this month ... Until next time, Stay Creative ...

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / June 2021

Can you believe that it is June already ?!?! We are halfway through the year  - and what a year it's been  I hope that all of you have been safe and healthy . As Michael, Lisa and I show you our holiday cards for June, we also have a guest again to show you hers !! Have you been working on your cards along with us ?? I know I'll be so happy when December rolls around and my cards are ready to be signed and sent.  I have been addressing envelopes each month too, which is also a big help when the season rolls around ..

My first card is made with a Lil' inker Designs stamp set. This company is no longer in business, but I just had to ink this stamp set up for this  post !!  I know I have had it for a few years so it was about time to get creative with it ...

• I stamped the image with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink on Mixed Media paper and also on a piece of pastel shaded paper .
• I fussy-cut the bird and the banner from the shaded paper.
• The Mixed Media stamped image was colored with my COPIC markers. 
• The shaded bird's body and banner were adhered on top of the stamped panel image.
• The panel was trimmed and then adhered to a piece of red glitter cardstock.
• The red glitter panel was then adhered to a piece of red/black plaid patterned paper.
• The completed panel was adhered to a cream card base.

This next card uses one of my favorite Angie girl images by Unity Stamp Company - Pure and Simple . It was inspired by the latest sketch challenge over at the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Group on Facebook . My friend, Crystal Minkler is an Admin of that group and she is also our special guest this month . Her group has a new Sketch Challenge each month and encourages us to get an early start on our holiday cards .

• The Pure and Simple image was stamped on watercolor paper, punched out with a 2.5 inch circle punch and then colored with my  COPICS.
• I placed a strip of my favorite Tim Holtz Noel washi tape  across a piece of plaid patterned paper - just a bit above the center of the paper. This paper already had that splatter pattern that is so cool !!!
• On a black card base, I adhered the plaid paper..
• I adhered the stamped image to the right side over the washi tape.
• A sentiment cut from a paper pad was popped up to the left of the stamped circle.

I absolutely love this Santa's List stamp set from Essentials by Ellen . I purchased it at a recent sale that they had and was excited to use it for one of my cards !The finished product was nothing like what I had imagined creating, but I'm overall happy with the card ..

• I stamped the Santa, tree, and sled with bag on Mixed Media paper with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam Ink . I cut the paper to fit an A2 card and created a scene with the stamped elements .
• The tree was also stamped on a piece of green patterned paper and fussy-cut .
• The bag was also stamped on Kraft and fussy-cut .
• The list was stamped on a scrap of Mixed Media paper and fussy-cut.
• Tim Holtz Christmas/Noel washi was placed at the bottom of the stamped panel and also under the tree and Santa. 
• The stars were stamped with Memento Dew Drop Dandelion and the sentiment with Memento Dew Drop LadyBug.
• I fussy-cut the list and popped it up with foam tabs near Santa's hand.
• The glittery red border at the top was creates with a Martha Stewart punch.
• I placed a strip of Tim Holtz washi across the top of the border .
• The completed stamped panel was adhered to  a piece of the same paper that I had used to fussy-cut the tree.
• A cream card base was used for this card.

My final card was made with an older stamp/die set from Erin Lee Creative . It is.  n longer available but they have many more fabulous products to choose from .

• The Vintage Postcard panel was cut from a piece of 12x12 paper in a CraftSmith Classic Vintage Paper Pad. 
• I adhered the postcard panel to a tan card base.
• The girl and snowman were stamped in Gina K Amalgam Jet Black ink  on Mixed Media paper and then die-cut.
• I colored the images with my COPICS.
• The images were adhered to the postcard panel - the girl was popped up with foam tabs.
• A Tim Holtz sentiment completed the card .

We are lucky to have the very talented Crystal Minkler joining us this month. Her cards are always fabulous and I have no doubt that this one will be just as amazing. You can check out her card and also Michael and Lisa's at their links below :

Crystal Minkler - Tawny Owl Paperie

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Bzibziak Reynolds - Life of a BZScrapper

As always , we hope that we have inspired you to begin your holiday cards and decrease some of the stress that the season can hold. There are 5 months left so you still have time to join in on the fun and get yours started !! We will be back next month for our Christmas in July posts and we just might have an extra special guest elf . Until then, please take care, stay happy and healthy and also stay creative !!

Debra Davison 

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