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

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / October 2024

Can you believe that it is October already ?? Christmas is only 2 months away and the Crafty Elves are here with their latest cards for your inspiration. Michael Trent is joining us again this month so you will have triple the creativity..

For my card this month, I used the Avery Elle "Dear Santa" stamp set. I recently purchased several stamp sets from a friend at her "Crafty Garage Sale" online and decided to ink up this set and use it for my card . I actually made 6 cards, using different patterned papers, But I was interrupted by something and didn't get to take my pictures in good light, so you will only see 1 here.  I will post the others in my Facebook group and on IG. The cat reminds me of our sweet Pixie !! She would NOT be caught dead wearing a Santa hat, but she would definitely go for that beautiful bow !!

• I positioned the cat, holly and sentiment images on my MISTI and stamped them on white cardstock. I used Tuxedo Black Memento ink for the cat and holly and Ruby Impression Obsession ink for the sentiment.
• The stamped image was die cut with a scalloped oval die by Stampendous.
• I colored the images with my OLO markers .
• A piece of Miss Mary Christmas  glittered holiday striped paper was adhered to a Kraft card base. This is a fun paper pad from Hobby Lobby.
• A strip of the holiday striped paper was adhered across the top of the card.
• Several enamel dots of various sizes were placed above the sentiment.
• A Santa hat dimensional sticker was placed on the cat's head.
• The completed stamped panel was adhered to the card base with foam tabs.

Thank you so much for stopping by to see what the Crafty Elves have been up to .. Take a look at what Lisa and Michael have created at their links :

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Have you started on your holiday cards yet ?? Lisa and I will be back next month with more inspiration for you . It feels nice when I have a stash of cards to use when holiday mail time rolls around. See you in November. Until then, stay creative and enjoy some beautiful Autumn weather.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / September 2024

Can you believe that Christmas is only 3 months away ?!?!?! Lisa and I have been posting holiday cards each month on the 25th to inspire you to get started on yours along with us. Take some of the stress out of the holidays by getting your holiday snail mail ready early.We hope you like our creations for September.

For my card this month, I used a sweet Penny Black stamp set - Balancing Act. I don't think it was meant as a holiday stamp but I immediately got the idea to use it with holiday colors . I also made some cards with Fall colors .

• For both cards, I stamped the Girl with Cat image on pieces of white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
• The stamped panels were die-cut with a Big and Little Chain Rectangle Die.
• I colored the images with my new OLO Markers .
• I matted each of the stamped panels with dark green cardstock.
• Scraps from my patterned paper drawer were adhered to A2 card bases - 1 Kraft and 1 white.
• The completed panels were adhered to the card bases with foam tabs for added dimension .
• Tim Holtz sticker sentiments were adhered to each card.

My new OLO markers were a birthday present to myself in August, Check out their website at the link to learn all about them. I love the way they color and the ability to have 2 brush colors in 1 marker. I never have used the chisel tip of my other alcohol markers so I was thrilled with this feature, I am not affiliated with OLO - I purchased all  my markers. I just love them already and wanted to share my honest opinion. Have you tried them ?? I'd love to know what you think of them if you have. 

You can see Lisa's September cards over at her blog -Life of a BZscrapper . Thank you for stopping by to see our holiday inspiration. We really do appreciate it. Are you getting a head start on your holiday cards ?? Enjoy the start of Fall and cooler weather and we will see you in October with more of our creations.

Until next time,

Stay Creative

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / July 2024

Here we are in July, posting our Crafty Elf cards !! Michael Trent is once again joining us to bring you some holiday inspiration .. Our weather has been brutal here but certainly not as bad as other areas of the country. As I made my card, I thought of cooler temperatures, hot cocoa with whipped cream and holiday snail mail.

For my slimline card today, I chose a sweet design from Stampendous - Mini Holiday Wheels  . It even has our sweet cat Pixie looking out the window as we drive off on an adventure.

It's the most wonderful tie of the year

• I stamped the Mini Holiday Wheels stamp on white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with my COPICS .
• I trimmed the stamped image and then matted it with bright green cardstock.
• The plaid patterned paper was adhered to a Kraft card base.
• I adhered the completed stamped panel to the plaid paper.
• A Tim Holtz Idea-Ology sentiment was placed above the stamped image.
• A dark red glitter candy dot was placed on either side of the sentiment.
• Small colored pearls were placed on the wreath.

I'm so glad that Michael has joined us today. He always creates such fabulous cards and I'm sure today will be no exception. You can follow the links below to see what he and Lisa have made to inspire us.

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

There are now only 5 months until Christmas !! Have you started your holiday cards ?? It's a good feeling to have a nice stash when the time comes to start on your Christmas card list ..  I look forward to seeing you again next month ..

Debra Davison

Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / March 2024

Spring is in the air and the Crafty Elves are back with their March cards. We create holiday cards every month and post them on the 25th - giving you some inspiration to start on your  own stash . This month, Michael  Trent is back for a visit . He joined us as a Crafty Elf in January 2020 but recently stepped away . Luckily for us though, he's back as our Guest Elf for March. 

For my card this month, I used a sweet set from Art Impressions - Sledding Window Set . These stamps can also be used with their Shadowbox Window Die  I have many of their Window stamps and absolutely love them !! Several of these sets now also come with a matching accent stamp/die.

• I stamped the window & snowman images on white cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento ink .
• The window image was die cut with a Stitched Square die and the snowman was cut with the matching die that came with the stamp set .
• I colored the images with COPICS.
• I cut a piece of Sizzix "Winter Greetings" paper and adhered it to a Kraft card base.
• The completed window was adhered to the patterned paper with foam tabs.
• I used 2 foam tabs to adhere the Sledding Snowman to the window for some extra dimension .

I hope you will take a look at the cards from Lisa and Michael .

Life of a BZscrapper

World of Michael Trent

Thanks to Michael for joining us this month . It's just like old times !! I hope you are having some Spring temperatures where you are and if not, stay warm, grab a cup of coffee and do some stamping  !!   We will be back next month with more inspiration. I'd love to know if you've started your holiday stash yet .. Until next time.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / December 2023

It's time for the Crafty Elves to share their last cards of 2023 .. I'll admit that I'm running a little late this year  - I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which seriously put me behind on a bit of holiday spirit !! But now I'm thrilled to have 3 days off , I'm drinking an uninterrupted cup of coffee and can finally finish this post !! Michael isn't joining us this month and also has decided to take a break for 2024, but he definitely has an open invitation as a Guest Elf whenever he'd like to join us..

I made 2 cards this month with some of my favorite new stamp sets ..  The first was made with the Pooh''s List stamp set from Unity Stamp Company. This set is so sweet and I loved making this card and coloring the images .

My next card was created with the latest Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart -Christmas Snow Globes .These are fabulous images to fussy-cut but you can also buy a stamp/die set .  There are 4 snow globes, 2 sentiments and a border included in this set . 

Since I'm running late, I won't bore you with instructions !! Grab some pretty paper, ink , your stamp , some markers and adhesive and VOILA !!! Oh - and a bit of Stickles for the headlights ..

Take a look at Lisa's December creation over at her blog - Life of a BZscrapper . Her cards are always masterpieces !! It's hard to believe that 2024 will be our 6th year posting as the Crafty Elves !! It's always nice to have that stash of cards to use when the holidays roll around.. If you'd like to be a Guest Elf with us one month, please get in touch with me or Lisa and let us know .. We'd love to have you join in !!

We will see you again on January 25 as we begin another year.

Until then, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / November 2023

I don't know where the time went .. This past year has flown by !!  4 weeks until Christmas and here we are again - the Crafty Elves - AND we have a very special Guest Elf. Amy Tsuruta is an amazing papeecrafter and the force behind the Coffee Loving Papercrafters page on Facebook !! She just finished up the Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and was gracious enough to agree to join us . I really can't say enough nice things about her .. I'm excited to see what she creates for us this month .

There are so many new Christmas stamps in my stash .. I had a hard time deciding which ones to use for this post .. But finally Tim Holz's Christmas Cartoons won . I love these stamps . They remind me of the Jetsons !!

• I stamped the images on white Mixed Media paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• The sentiments were stamped last, using my MISTI for proper placement.
• The images were colored in with my COPICS.
• I adhered pieces of some hoarded Tim Holtz Christmas patterned paper to a powder blue and a bright green card base,
• I matted each of the completed stamped panels with green cardstock 
• The stamped panels were popped up on the card bases with foam tabs.
• I placed a silver glitter mini clothes pin at the top of the stamped panel on the powder blue card base .

These images were so quick and easy to color !! I know I will be making many more this holiday season. Now it's time to see what the rest of the Crafty Elves have created .. You can find them at the links below -

 Amy Tsuruta - Craftee 1

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZscrapper

We hope that you like our creations for November. Thanks so much to Amy for joining us  I will be sending some holiday blog candy to 1 commeter on this post .. I'll choose someone at random .. Let me know if you've started on your holiday cards yet. If you haven't, you might want to make a resolution for 2024 to follow us each month for inspiration !!

Until next time, Stay Creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / September 2023

It's time for the Crafty Elves to show you our creations for September.   There are only 3 months until Christmas and every month on the  25th, Michael, Lisa and I  show you our holiday cards to inspire you to start on your own .. This month we have a Guest Elf - Pam Stang  of Mustang Creations .

 I used the Happy Gnomes Bundle from Hero Arts to make my card, I recently won a prize of  a gift card from Hero Arts and this stamp/die set was one of my purchases.  I am really not on the gnome bandwagon like many are lately, but I did love this set .

 

• I stamped the 2 gnomes on white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and used the matching dies to cut them .
• The sentiment was also stamped on white cardstock with Tuxedo Black ink.
• The images were colored with my COPICS.
• On a pink card base, I adhered a piece of patterned paper from the Miss Mary Christmas paper pad.
• I used the Dashes and Frills Heart Die Set from Unity Stamp Company to die cut a heart from pale pink polka-dot paper.
• The heart was adhered to the center of the patterned paper near the top.
• The gnomes were positioned on either side of the heart .
• I trimmed around the sentiment and adhered it to a piece of the same pin polka-dot paper.
• The sentiment was popped up on the card front with foam tabss.

You can check out the other creations at the links below :

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Pam - Mustang Creations

Thank you to Pam for joining us this month !! We hope that you are now ready to make a few holiday cards. I look forward to having you check us out again next month.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste 6/2023 - and a few Crafty Elves

This month's edition of Coffee & Cards has a few guests tagging along with us !! Today is also the day for Crafty Elves so I'm combining my posts .. And it seems like the elves have brought over some of their holiday spirit because I've created a Christmas card !! Celeste and I   decided to each make a card with supplies that we have but have forgotten about, like the supplies I recently found while cleaning out the garage !! I even found my very first Cuttlebug machine,  along with the plates - how cool is that ?!?!

So as I said above, we are cleaning our garage.. A new garage is being installed shortly so we had to get a few things moved away from the present door . Once we got started, we figured we might as well just clean the entire garage.  To give you an idea of what it looked like, let me say this - we can now see the floor !! I found lots of great craft supplies - paper,  stickers, rubber stamps etc.. And most in excellent shape.. So I decided to use a paper collection kit that I found - Crate Paper "Peppermint" .

• This one is easy-peasy !! On a pastel card base, I layered paper, stickers and die-cuts from the Peppermint collection  by Crate Paper .
• The stocking banner, snowflakes and Christmas sign were popped up with foam tabs.
• Several rhinestones in shades of blue were placed on the snow globe.
• The card is finished !!

Since this is being posted on the 25th of the month, the Crafty Elves are also joining us with their holiday creations. And I'm sure Celeste has found something wonderful in her crafty stash for her card too .. I'm hoping she created something different than a holiday card - LOL

Follow these links to see what Celeste, Michael, Lisa and Misty have created this month..

Celeste - Crafting Junky

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Misty - Jolly Fay Elf You Tube

My coffee this month is giving me Christmas vibes - it's Starbucks Gingerbread   I could drink this coffee all year long and usually buy several boxes on sale after the holidays. My coffee cup was recently given to me by a dear friend. Life has been tough these past 18 months since my son was killed but this cup reminded me that I am indeed tough too !! It sits on my desk so I can see it every day ..

Thank you all for stopping by to see what we have been up to this month. We are at the halfway mark to Christmas - can you believe that ?!?!?! Have you started your holiday cards yet ? The Crafty Elves will be back next month with more holiday inspiration for you .. Until then, stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / May 2023

Here we are at the end of May and another edition of Crafty Elves !! Michael, Lisa, Misty and I bring you holiday inspiration every month on the 25th to help you get ready for the holiday season. We hope that you are joining along with us . This month we have a guest elf - AJ Vander Ende . We met recently as new members to the Technique Junkies Design Team. She is an amazing papercrafter and I'm looking forward to seeing what she creates 

For my card this month, I used a stamp set from Pink Fresh Studio - Happy Hugs . I actually bought it from a friend's destash !! There is also a matching die . 

• I stamped the night sky background on white cardstock with Teal Zeal Memento Dew Drop ink and then cut it out .
• The bear hug image was stamped on white cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Dew Drop ink  and then cut out with the matching die .
• I colored the bear hug image with my COPICS.
• The sentiment was stamped on white cardstock with Memento Dew Drop inks - Cottage Ivy and Lady Bug.
• I matted the sentiment with some green cardstock .
• On a blue card base, I adhered a piece of pale blue dotted paper.
• I adhered the night sky near the top of the completed card base and image then the bear hugs image on top of the night sky.
• The matted sentiment was adhered below .
• I used some Stampendous Shaved Ice for the pom-pom on the hat.

This was really a fun card to create and I am sure I will be making several more for my holiday stash . It was also very quick and easy to color. I hope you are inspired to make a few holiday projects of your own . Take a look at the other cards our elves have created . You can find them at the links below  -

Michael -  World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZScrapper

 Misty Lavigne -  Jolly Fat Elf You Tube

AJ Vander Ende - Technique Junkies Blog

Thank you again for visiting as we continue to make holiday cards throughout 2023. I'd especially like to thank AJ for joining us this month as our Guest Elf. Please leave a comment and let us know if you've been making your holiday cards early also . It sure is a great way to decrease some of the holiday stress and get your holiday happy mail ready ahead of time.

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / February 2023

Hard to believe that it is the end of February. The Crafty Elves are getting started on their holiday cards for 2023 and bringing you inspiration each month to create some of your own.  I have been a fan of Art Impressions for years, especially their Windows to the World series. This month, I used the Christmas Drive Window stamp and created 2 cards - one with a traditional color scheme and one non-traditional. 

For both of my cards I used the beautiful Noel paper pad by Craft Consortium. This pad has such beautiful papers that I just wanted to hoard it but I finally broke down and decided to use it this month.  This pad has 40 double-sided sheets of heavyweight cardstock.

• I stamped the image onto a piece of mixed-media paper and a piece of watercolor paper and trimmed around the design.
• The images were colored with COPIC markers.
• Fine glitter was used for snow on the red truck image.
• Holographic glitter was used for snow on the turquoise truck image .
• The completed red truck image was matted on a piece of gold glitter paper and then adhered to a piece of floral patterned paper with foam tabs. It was then placed on a green card base.
• The completed turquoise truck image was matted on a piece of silver glitter paper and then adhered to a piece of holiday patterned paper. It was then placed on a turquoise card base . 

Do you like traditional colors for your holiday cards ?? Or do you create with non-traditional colors ?? I guess I am a fan of both, depending  on which stamp I am using . Let's take a look at what the other Crafty Elves have created for February,

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Misty Lavigne - Jolly Fat Elf

Lisa Reynolds-Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Thanks so much for stopping by .. We will be here every month to share our holiday ideas with you and get you ready to create some of your own. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / December 2022

Once again,  I'm not quite sure how it is Christmas already !!  At first, it seems like it is so far away and then, it sneaks up on you and is here before you know it .. Michael, Lisa and I are back with our last minute Christmas cards for 2022 .. Enjoy !! Misty is taking a much-needed break this month. 

I'm a bit under the weather as I write this so I will only be listing the stamps I use .And then I will be settling down for a small winter's nap .. I hope that our cards have inspired you this past year and that you will continue to follow us in 2023.

Snowman to Go - Unity Stamp Company

Simple Little Joys - Unity Stamp Company

 Cuppa Christmas and Calm & Bright Printable -

 Mandy Ford Art & Illustration

Both cards are from :

October 2022 Stamp of the Month -

Close To My Heart

To see what my fellow elves have come up with for out last post of 2022, check them out here -

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak -  Life of a BZscrapper

I hope that you all are staying safe and healthy and warm.. It is 21 lovely degrees here today and will be staying there overnight ..  We look forward to seeing you back here with the Crafty Elves in 2023 !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / November 2022

I really do not know where this year went !! The thought of Christmas being only 1 month away is hard to believe. My 46 year old son Carter died in a car accident on 12/23/21and this past year has been hard to navigate.. Being creative has literally been a lifesaver to me, along with family and friends who have stood by my side. I haven't blogged as much as I usually do but looked forward to our Crafty Elf post each month. This month's cards of mine are a tongue-in-cheek guide to surviving the holidays..

For my 2 cards I used stamp sets from Jaded Blossom Stamps . I have to thank my creative, coffee loving friend Vanessa Buzard for the inspiration for my cards . She used one of the stamps sets recently and I loved it so much that I bought it  !! Plus another one that  I also used for a card today. 

• I stamped the image from Santa Latte on a piece of cream cardstock with Jet Black Archival Ink .
• The image was colored with my COPICS .
• I matted the stamped image with a piece of red cardstock .
• A piece of scrap glittered holly paper was adhered to a green card base .
• The stamped panel was popped up on the bottom left corner of the card with foam tabs  .

• The Surviving Christmas image was stamped on cream cardstock. The bottle was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink and the sentiment with a Bamboo Leaves Memento Dew Drop ink .
• I colored the image with my COPICS.
• The stamped panel was adhered to a turquoise mat .
• A piece of scrap color-block paper was adhered to a Kraft card base .
• The stamped panel was popped up in the center of the card with foam tabs.
• Rhinestones in coordinating color were adhered randomly around the stamped panel.

So, that is my guide to surviving the holidays. Coffee to get the day started and help keep me awake to finish all those projects I have started !! And maybe just one drink or two when things get a bit stressful - like maybe when I'm addressing my last minute holiday cards !!!

For more holiday inspiration, please check out what Michael, Lisa and Misty have made .. Their links are below  :

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Misty Lavigne - Jolly Fat Elf

I hope that you and your family had much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day . I look forward to seeing you back here in December. Until then, stay safe and always be creative .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / October 2022

I'm back with my Crafty Elf friends to show you our cards for October .. And we have a new addition to our family - Misty Lavigne.  Also known as the Jolly Fat Elf , she has been our guest in the past but now will be joining us each month with her fabulous creations. Please welcome her by going to her blog post and commenting on her cards .. We are so happy to have you with us, Misty !!

I have created 1 card for October. We have each decided to create at least 1 card every month going forward, but there may be times when we make more. Somehow the month got away from me and  I feel lucky to have created this 1. I hope that you like it as much as I do ..

• I used paper and die cut shapes from the Spellbinders Joyful Christmas collection. 
• On a piece of pastel plaid paper with gold highlights, I adhered several die cut shapes - a Nutcracker, gifts, a tree, a star, an ornament, a mouse, a branch and a poinsettia .
• The 3 gifts die cut was popped up in front of the other images with foam tabs.
• I used a sentiment from the Winter Mega Paper Pad from Echo Park Paper and adhered it at the top Right next to the Ornament and branch die cut .

Sometimes a card comes together without the need for any stamping and this was 1 of those !! The collection had everything I needed. And I can always count on Echo Park for the perfect sentiment.  I'm sure that my fellow elves have come up with some amazing creations as always,  so please take a look at their blogs/videos also .

Michael Trent  /  World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds - Bzibziak  /  Life of a BZ Scrapper 

Misty Lavigne / Jolly Fat Elf

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !! Please leave a comment and let me know if you have been working on your holiday cards .. I'll choose 1 commenter to receive some holiday card-making goodies !! Until next time, Stay Creative ....

Debra Davison / Meticulosity