Growing in Unity Week - Day 3

I'm back with my card for Day 3 and this one might just be my favorite for the week !! It has books, coffee and a furry best friend.  What more could a stamper want ?!?!?!  The Dog-Eared Days stamp set was chosen to represent my friend Michael . A fellow stamper, he lives in Brazil by way of New York City. He loves coffee and books as much as I do. And he has a houseful of rescue dogs that he absolutely loves & spoils on a daily basis !!  Michael, this one's for you !!  But I sincerely hope you do not dog-ear your book pages  .  We would seriously have to reconsider our friendship  .  LOL

  

I'm thrilled at all of the comments I've seen the past 2 days. I'll be randomly choosing 2 commenters to win $20 Unity Gift Credits at the end of my week . Looking forward to seeing you back here tomorrow ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / June 2025

For the month of June, we've chosen a fun theme. Everyone who knows me knows that I am an avid reader - a bookworm from way back. Even before I could read, I can remember sitting next to my dad on the couch with a book in my hands, while he read his latest book. We took weekly walks to the library that was only a few blocks away. And as I got older, books continued to fascinate me - I read everything I could get my hands on. My library card was a prized possession.  I'm still in love with books and although a physical book is still my favorite, I do have several e-readers full of thousands of books/samples.  Books/Reading is our theme for June. I hope you enjoy what we have made as much as we have enjoyed making them !!

For my card today I pulled out a never-used stamp set by Ellen Hutson . Although she has since retired, she has placed some of their fabulous products on Amazon . I used the stamp/die set Bookworm Lady from their Leading Ladies series . 

• I stamped all the elements on white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink  - the bookworm lady, book, bookstack, bookmark and cup.
• The matching dies were used to die-cut the images.
• I colored the images with a variety of markers, OLO, COPOC, Tombow.
• The background papers are from the CraftSmith "Book Club " paper pad.
• I adhered the word background paper to a pink card base.
• The book shelf border at the top was cut from another piece of Book Club paper  and adhered at the top of the card .
• The sentiment is a piece of a bookmark that I cut and adhered to the card .

If I must say so myself, I love this card !!  And I can't wait to see what Celeste has made using our theme.. Go to her blog - Crafting Junky - to check out her card . For my coffee this month,  I am having Cafe Bustelo Dulce le Leche . I found the K-cups at Target on sale and just had to try them . Believe me when I say that the coffee is delicious !! And in keeping with our theme, I am using a fabulous cup given to me by a good friend for my birthday a few years ago . 

Thank you for stopping by to see our June creations. We are having a heat wave here and temps will be in the 90's all next week ( with heat indexes over 100 ) .. I think next month I will be drinking iced coffee !! Until then, stay creative AND cool. And drink some good coffee ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

A Creative Bibliophile - July 2024

I haven't written a  Creative Bibliophile post since September 2021. But lately I have been feeling the need to post about books again and I also have some fabulous book sleeves to show off !! I love any and all kinds of book - "real" books and the virtual versions and every so often, an audible book .  I have cute cases for my Kindle Fire and my Paperwhite . But I wanted a padded sleeve for them too . And hopefully ones that could hold my "real" books also . So basically, that is why I am back . To show off - I mean show you ( LOL ) - my wonderful finds.

I'm in several book groups online and also check out links when someone recommends bookmarks or book sleeves or even book stickers.  I happened on a link to a Facebook Group  - CAM Creations Booksleeves & More and found the most amazing selection of booksleeves.. They have a fantastic variety of fabrics to choose from - book-related, true crime, cartoon characters, tv shows, dogs, cats, flowers etc....  I bought 2 already and just ordered another one today !!  And you'll soon see why I can't get enough of this fabric 📕

These fabrics are even more beautiful in person .

This is a large and a Kindle Paperwhite sleeve . 

A hardback book will fit in the large.

 

FRONT

BACK

I just started reading The Spellshop and will write a post about it along with a new handmade bookmark in a few weeks.  I hope you will go to CAM Creations and join to take a look at all of their fabulous sleeves ( and other bookish products ). The Featured tab will give you info on sizes and prices. The Albums with all of the themes can be found at the Media tab. I do not work with or for Melissa and I am not getting any freebies for writing this post .. I am just a nerdy bookworm who loves to share fun bookish items that I am lucky enough to find !!

Until next time --

Read a book 🕮

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

He Made It / She Made It - Sept. 2023

Michael Trent and I are back with our He Made It / She Made It for September .. We choose a stamp set from the latest release at Technique Junkies and create with it .. This time we chose the Explore the World stamp .. Let's see what we each came up with !!

This stamp is one sentiment - You Don't Need to Travel to Explore the World. The first thought I had for this stamp was BOOKS. Books take you all over the world, even into outer space, without leaving the comforts of your own home. I have been a booklover all my life and had such fun making this card ..

• I adhered a piece of book-themed paper from the Book Club collection at Photoplay Paper to a Kraft card base.
• The Explore the World stamp was stamped on a piece of paper from Photoplay with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. It was actually the double-side of the book-themed paper !!
• I die cut a circle from red textured cardstock.
• The die-cut circle was adhered at the top of the card. with foam tabs
• A Doodlebug bookstack was placed on top of the die-cut circle.
• The sentiment was adhered below the circle with foam tabs.

I can't wait to see what Michael has done with this stamp !! I'm wondering if he thought of books too .. Or maps, Or some sort of local sight-seeing .. You can check out his blog - World of Michael Trent - to see what he made. 

For my bookworm friends, here is a list of some of my favorite books that you can "travel the world" with ...

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See / China

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K.Rowling / Scotland

The Book of Lost Names - Kristin Harmel / France

Between Two Kingdoms - Suleika Jaouad / USA

The Dry - Jane Harper / Australia

The Rose Code - Kate Quinn / England

The Martian - Andy Weir / Space, the Final Frontier

The Around the World Cookbook - Lorenz Brooks / the World

I hope that you were inspired to check out the stamp  we used and all of the other   September Release stamps from Technique Junkies  There are so many fabulous images to choose from. Take a look and treat yourself. Use my code TJ10Deb to save 10% on your order.. Happy Stamping AND Happy Reading !! We will see you again in October. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / January 2023

Another year is starting - time to get organized, make resolutions, plan your next 365 days .. Celeste and I are back with our January Coffee and Cards posts to welcome 2023. Our theme is Books. I am an avid reader and know I will have fun choosing a few books to start off my 2023 reading list .

For my card , I chose an older stamp from Whimsy Stamps - Book Worm. It's no longer available but they have a few other fun book-related stamps. I have been a bookworm since childhood - and can remember "reading" with my dad long before learning the alphabet !!

• I stamped the image with a Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad on white Mixed-Media paper.
• The image was colored with COPIC markers.
• I matted the stamped panel with green cardstock,
• I adhered a piece of book patterned paper from the American Crafts Project Life paper pad - Desktop Edition onto a turquoise card base.
• The completed stamped panel was then adhered to the book paper.
• A Tim Holtz Idea-ology sticker phrase was placed in the bottom right corner of the completed stamped panel .

I'm excited to see what Celeste did with one of my favorite themes !! You can check out her project over at her blog - Crafting Junky .  Are you a reader ?? If you are, let me know one of your favorite books so I can add it to my reading list .  I will choose one commenter to send a card and bookmark to .

My coffee today is my all-time favorite - Gingerbread.  I found some Starbucks K-cups on sale at Target and also some boxes of store brand K-cups at Food Lion  for $2 each, so I stocked up !! And because I'm drinking "holiday" coffee, why not use a holiday mug I picked up at Life is Good at a recent sale.. This might just be a new favorite mug .. 

Thank you for joining us as we kick off the New Year with our book-themed posts .. We'll be back in February with more Coffee and Cards. Until then, stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

A Creative Bibliophile / August 2021

The month of August got away from me . I've basically spent the whole month dealing with insurance companies etc.. re a house and a car claim.. When it rains, it pours !! But finally, it seems like things are working themselves out and here I am to talk about my August book ..

I have been reading many domestic thrillers and "dark" mysteries and historical fiction lately . The hospital has been getting busy again and I needed to read something "light". Just when I was trying to decide on something, a package arrived in the mail from a dear friend. She must have read my mind because enclosed was my August book review - The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.

This quirky romance asks the question - "What if your flatmate is your soulmate ?" But the bigger question is "Can this be true if you've never met in person ?"  Tiffy needs a cheap place to live after a bad breakup and Leon needs extra money for a family situation. He works nights, she works days and the arrangement means they will never meet in person. Simple, right ??? They get to know each other through their Post-it note communications . The stories about each of their lives gives us a background into each of these characters and an understanding of what is now drawing them together. I really loved this story and the characters . I highly recommend it if you want a sweet story that will draw you in with its interesting premise and then keep you interested to see what develops .. 

My bookmarks this time were made with a fantastic book-themed stamp set from Unity Stamp Company - Not The End of Your Story . It has 2 book themed images and 10 sentiments .. 

And as always, I put some sort of ledger/lined paper on the backs of my bookmarks . This allows me to keep a book list or take notes while reading  etc... 

Thank you for joining me for my August book review ! A light, quirky romance .. Do you have any books like this that you could recommend to me ?? And thanks to my friend Barb for sending me this sweet book .. There will be something on its way to you soon ..

I'll be back later this month ..

Until then, Stay safe and Read a good book !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / January 2021

I was really hoping to wake up on January 1 and COVID would be a big blur in my rear-view mirror. But it's still rearing its ugly head, is getting worse and just might be around for awhile .. So Celeste and I are trying to stay positive AND stay crafty as we have coffee & cards with you all again each month this year !! We are both healthcare workers and I know that getting creative helps keep us sane in these crazy times.. Celeste was running low on her stash of birthday cards so that is our theme to start off the year ..

I found a page of sweet sentiments in a paper pad and decided to use it for my card - The Best Is Yet To Come. Don't you think that's perfect for a birthday card, especially this year ?!?!?! The paper pad is Turn the Page  by Pink Paislee for American Crafts. 

The Best Is Yet To Come

• On a patterned card base, I adhered a strip of wood-grain paper across the bottom. 
• The cat, chairs, cup and books were stamped on watercolor paper and a blue polka-dot paper. They were then fussy-cut. They are from the fun  Waffle Flower "Hello Stampurr" stamp set .
• I colored the images with my COPICS . 
• A gold doily was folded to fit in the left upper corner of the card base.
• I added 2 strips of washi tape to the doily, stapled them to add some texture, then adhered the doily. 
• The chair, cup and books were adhered to the card base with Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue.
• I popped  up the cat on the chair and the sentiment with foam tabs.

This card has 3 of my all time favorite things - cats, coffee and books !! I love them all . I am actually going to be doing a book-themed blog post each month so I hope that you will join me for that -- there will be a handmade bookmark with each post !! Please take a look at Celeste's first project of ours for 2021 over at her blog - Crafting Junky .

I guess I'm kind of not over the holidays yet because the coffee I am drinking today is in a cup that I got on sale after Christmas.. And it was just too pretty to wait until next year to use it !! I have some Toasted Almond Caramel coffee in the Get Toasty cup .. 

Thank you for stopping by to enjoy some coffee and cards with us. We hope to see you each month as we get creative .. Until next time, stay safe ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

September Cookies / Take 1

It's Back To School for the latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge .That is looking a bit different this year, depending on where you live .. Are your children going virtual, heading to a classroom OR something hybrid ?? Whatever it is, I know it must be challenging !! So let's have some fun and get inspired by our latest photo ...

I actually had a piece of scrap paper with pencils on it that started my idea for this card...   And this stamp set by A Jillian Vance Design Coffee and Books is one of my all-time favorites !! 

• Using my MISTI,  I stamped the sentiment and book image on a piece of Strathmore Marker Paper with Gina K Amalgam Jet Black Ink.
• I cut the paper to fit on a Blue Blackboard base card and adhered the stamped image to the base. 
• The cup and books were colored with Copic Markers.
• Clear Glitter Wink of Stella was added to the coffee cup for shimmer.
• A piece of striped washi was placed at the bottom of the stamped paper.
• The pencil border was adhered at the top of the Blue Blackboard card base . 
• Now it's time to hit the books !!!

Challenge #150 will be live through September 16  and we would love for you to link up a project of your own !!  Take a look at the rest of my teammate's projects over at the blog HERE . We hope that you are inspired !!

Until next time -

Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

I { HEART } Books ( and bookmarks )

Yes, that is exactly what it says -- I { HEART } Books !!  Apart from my absolute love of card-making, I am also quite fond of books. From the time I was a child and would walk to the library with my dad, I have had a fascination with books. Growing up in a very small town, we knew everyone, and the town librarian was a friend of our family. After I had read all of the children's books in the library, my father wrote out a permission slip for me to be able to take out any book that I wanted. Miss Faust kept it in my file so I never had a problem. I remember going through the card catalog alphabetically and just finding topics of interest, then taking many books home on that 1 subject. That was in the days before computers when we relied on the Dewey Decimal system  ( now I am really showing my age ).. More info on that at the end of my post of you are interested.

So where am I going with this, you might ask ?? Well, with a love of books comes a love of bookmarks. I have used the occasional slip of paper to mark a page  ( have never been one to dog-ear a book !! ). In the past, I have even cross-stitched bookmarks for myself and as gifts. But lately I have been seeing these cute ones made from envelopes and just had to give it a try.

Any book-lover MUST get this amazing book that is an alphabetized reading list that I refer to often. Nancy Pearl is an American librarian and author who shares her love and knowledge of books with all of us. And isn't my cute owl just perfect in that corner !!

I used the Going Wild stamp set by Susan K Weckesser co-branded with Unity Stamp Company. After stamping the images with Susan K Weckesser's  Clearsnap Colorbox Color POP Dye ink in Mystery , I colored them with a variety of markers ( Distress, Stabilo and Stampin' Up ). I fussy-cut them and applied Ranger Glossy Accents ( if you don't own this, you need to run right out with a coupon and buy some ).. On the owl, I applied the Glossy Accents to the glasses. There are also a few strips of feather washi on the back of this bookmark.

The fox image also came from the Going Wild stamp set. I added a strip of grass washi to the bottom of this bookmark, then gave this cute little fox a cup of coffee cut from a fabulous roll of Paper Studio washi. A few cups were also placed on the back of this bookmark along with a favorite stamp of mine from Paper Angel. Glossy Accents were applied to the ears, paws and polka-dots on the bow tie. The fox and owl were adhered using my TOMBOW Mono Aqua Liquid Glue -- my bookmarks get lots of wear and tear and TOMBOW is my go-to adhesive !!

For those of you as OCD as I am, and who could not just cut a corner off of an envelope to make these bookmarks -- this is how I made mine. I used a 5 x 7 Kraft envelope because the Kraft paper is sturdier. On the bottom corners of the envelope, on each side I measured 3 inches in, made a dot with a pencil, then drew a straight line connecting the 2 dots. I then cut across the line and erased any pencil marks that remained. Use your imagination to create any kind of bookmark that you want !!

I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my other LOVE- Books !! I love all kinds of books and finally did get a nook which now has about 1000 books and samples on it. I still love the feel of a "real" book in my hands but also love the ability to have so many choices with me at one time.

My current reading list includes :
1. The Fireman - Stephen King
2. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend - Katarina Bivald
3. Packing for Mars - Mary Roach
4. Collage Playground - Kimberly Santiago
5. The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware

And who says you can't use a bookmark with an e-reader ?!?!?!?!

And for those of you who have never seen how I used to find my way around a library, here are a few pics. Now I wish I had a card catalog like that for my craft supplies !!

 Dewey Decimal System

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Coffee, my nook ..... And a book

I can spend a whole day at a local bookstore or coffee shop, reading and drinking coffee ( or tea sometimes ).. This stamp set by V's Sweet Ideas was perfect for ME !! At first, I wasn't sure I would like e-readers.. Holding a new book has always been an amazing feeling for me; turning the pages and always picking out a favorite bookmark ( usually hand-made ).. But I have grown to love my nook. I now have almost 1000 books/book samples on it as well as magazines .. I used an American Crafts "Lucky Charm " card base and some of their Glitter paper as a mat. I positioned 3 stamps on an acrylic block and stamped the image. The twine is by Martha Stewart and the sentiment was made with my awesome DYMO label maker.

I have had such fun creating cards for this Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.. I am so happy that you have visited my blog and I am grateful for all of your lovely comments ...