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

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / August 2021

I find it hard to believe that in 4 short months, it will be Christmas !! I can honestly say that I will be glad when August is behind us .. I managed to spend my whole 2 weeks of vacation mostly on the phone dealing with car and home insurance issues / repair work . And neither is resolved yet !! Being crafty did take my mind off of it at times but I still was not in much of a creative mood. Which is why I procrastinated on this blog post until the last minute .  So I will be posting just the stamps I used, without a full description with details . I'm sure that by Sept. 25, I will be back to a normally hectic life !!

We have another special Guest Elf this month . Misty Lavigne - aka The Jolly Fat Elf - is a fantastic card-maker with her own FB page and You Tube channel . You can see her projects and get all of her info at the link at the end of this post 

My first card is made with an older stamp set from Ink Blot Shop  - Seasoning's Greetings . It's no longer available but they have many other wonderful stamp sets for you to choose from !!

Unity Stamp Company's Joy To Go has always been a favorite of mine !! Fun to color and so easy to bling it up a bit with some Wink of Stella or glitter .

The Holiday Cat Stamp from Paper Source reminded me so much of our rescue kitty Pixie that I just had to use it this month !!

And last  - but certainly not least, - is my card with the sweet Anita Jeram  Anniversary Mini . This mouse couple was a good pick for wishing someone a Marry Christmas AND a Happy New Year !!

I hope that you will also take a look at the other Crafty Elves' cards for August, as well as our special guest, Misty !! 

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak -  Life of a BZ Scrapper

Misty Lavigne - The Jolly Fat Elf You Tube Channel

Thank you to Misty for joining us this month . We hope that you are inspired by all of our  creativity and start on your on holiday cards !! You will be so much less stressed when you have a nice stash of cards ready to send .. And even if you start in September, you will have at least 12 cards to send to friends..

Until next time, stay crafty and above all, stay safe !! 

Debra Davison - Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / August 2021

Celeste & I have chosen a birthday theme for this month . That leaves us with so much to work with and I couldn't wait to get started. I wanted to go with a non-traditional design - no cake, no candles .. And of course, I found the perfect stamp in my stash ..We hope our cards  inspire you to make a  birthday card for someone special in your life .. I'm sure you have the prefect stamp in your stash .

The stamp I chose to use is from the Planner Gal collection by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company - All About You . And it had the sweetest sentiment in the set also . 

Today is All About You

• I stamped the Planner Gal image on watercolor paper, leaving space on the right side for my sentiment .
• The sentiment was stamped to the right of the Planner Gal image .
• I colored the images with COPIC markers and Flair pens.
• A strip of Sarah Frances Rainbows washi was placed underneath the sentiment.
• The stamped panel was matted onto a piece of adhesive-backed cork .
• The completed panel was adhered to a floral card base .

Celeste's birthday creation can be found over at her blog - Crafting Junky .I'm so glad that you stopped by to see what we have for you this month !! For my August coffee, I found this cute mug for 59 cents at Hobby Lobby last week and I'm drinking some delicious Vanilla Macadamia Nut coffee.  What is your drink of choice when being creative ??

Be Your Own Kind of Wonderful

Thank you for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to share our collaboration . We always do appreciate it and hope to see you next month . And maybe we will have some cooler weather by that time. 

Until we see you in September.

Stay Creative & especially Stay Healthy

A Creative Bibliophile - July 2021

This has been a month of amazing books for me, but one stands out among the others and I'm excited to tell you about it ... I actually spotted this in the New Book section at my local library and looked at it from just seeing the cover.  Do you ever do this ?? I have found some of my favorite books by being attracted to the cover. That just might be a future blog post topic !! 

My bookmark this month actually has no stamping on it !! I recently purchased a Public Library  kit by October Afternoon from Peachy Cheap. This website has a deal a day - stamps, cardstock, scrapbook kits, etc.... This kit was absolutely made for me and was perfect for my latest bookmark !! The pretty gold letters are from Pink Paislee. 

The Holdout by Graham Moore is my book for July . It's about a reality tv show that is bringing back the jurors from a sensational murder trial after 10 years. There was one holdout on that jury and the rest of the jurors ultimately were persuaded to return a verdict of Not Guilty. The book explores how this decision impacts all of their lives. And to complicate matters, on the eve of the reality show, one of the jurors is found dead in the room of the holdout - who is now a defense attorney herself. The plot thickens as she attempts to prove her innocence. 

The story has many twists and turns and great characters.  And I'm pretty good at  guessing the ending of a book, but this one was a surprise to me.  The author has talked about his own experience on a jury and how it has affected him and in turn, helped shape this book. I had never heard of this author before but learned a great deal about him after finishing this book . He won an Academy Award for screenwriting for the movie The Imitation Game, that I am already planning on watching with Brian.  He is well-known as a historical fiction writer and you can learn more about his books HERE . I highly recommend The Holdout and plan on reading his other books. 

Thank you for visiting me again this month to see what has been on my reading list .. Do you have any recommendations for me ?? What are you currently reading ?? Do you have a favorite bookmark ?? I've been known to use receipts, granola bar wrappers, dollar bills etc... Anything is fair game, except I do NOT ever dog ear pages !! I have so many bookmarks that I usually can find one pretty quickly.. And it helps that I love to make them too !!

See you again next month..

Until then, please stay safe and read a good book !! 

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / July 2021

It's hard for me to believe that it is already July and half of 2021 is just about over !! No that I'm upset by that - this year has been filled with many ups and downs and I might just be looking forward to 2022 .. But until then, who doesn't like a Christmas in July celebration ??? Many crafty companies celebrate with sales to help us get ready for the holidays .. Of curse, the Crafty Elves have been getting ready all year long, hoping to inspire all of you along with us. And we are thrilled to have an amazingly talented Guest Elf with us this month who inspires us year round. Angie Blom, the creative mind behind Angie Blom Digital Designs is joining in on the fun for Christmas in July !! You might know her from her line of Angie Girl stamps ( and other designs ) with Unity Stamp Company She was kind enough to share some new digital images with us ahead of time so we could get you in the holiday spirit. She is also having a Christmas in July sale at her website - 40% off all Christmas images. A great big thank you to Angie for being a Crafty Elf with us this month !!

I am really trying to go through all of my many crafty supplies and destash. I actually gave one rather large shoe box full of goodies to a friend last week. I also have a habit of wanting to keep every little scrap of paper until I am inundated with them !! So for all of my cards this month, I used scraps of paper from my cart .. I have a solid drawer and a patterned drawer. And I had the perfect papers !! Hope you think so too ..

This first card is made with a brand new digital image from Angie. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to paper-piece it !! Let's Be Merry  is a fun Santa digi !!

• I printed the digital image on Mixed Media paper and trimmed it to make rectangular card . 
• The image was also printed on a red patterned paper and a text-patterned paper. His robe was fussy-cut from the red and his mustache from the text.
• The hat and face were colored with my COPICS.
• Art Glitter Glue was used to adhere the robe and mustache.
  
•  Dazzling Diamonds Glitter added shine to the hat trim and the pom-pom.
• After adhering the completed digital image to a piece of red wood-grain paper, I completed the card with a cream card base.

Joy Stocking is such a fun image. I chose to use the upper part of the design and think it turned out well. Those 3 snow people are just the cutest !!

• The image was printed on Mixed Media paer and I cut it it so that the 2 snow people at the bottom were included in the design.
• I colored the image with my COPICS, Flair pens & Sharpie markers.
• The completed digi panel was adhered to a piece of red snowflake-patterned paper with a boder around all sides.
• A cream card base completed the card.

Who could resist this next digital stamp - Home For The Holidays ?? I know that I couldn't !! I had the idea to print it out on patterned paper and love how it turned out !!

• I chose a vintage text paper from my stash nd printed the digital image. I made sure that the text was not upside down or sideways - that would have driven me crazy !!
• The image was colored with my COPICS .
• The completed digi panel was adhered to a piece of green cardstock.
• That panel was then adhered to a piece of gold accented patterned paper.
• Dazzling Diamonds was used on the roof and over the front door and a window.
• A teal blue card base completed this card.

I've saved my favorite card for last !! I have loved this digi ever since I first saw it !! I love her outfir ( especially her apron ) and that wonderful gingerbread house. It was a dream to color and  has to be one of my favorite Angie girls !! Sugar & Spice Girl is fabulous ...

 

• The digi was printed on MixedMedia paper and trimmed.
• I colored the image with my COPICS, Sharpies & Flair pens.
• At the bottom of the digi panel, I placed a strip of white glitter washi.
• A piece of red scalloped washi was applied at the bottom of the white glitter strip.
• I used my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher stapler to make 5 X patterns across the washi.
• The completed digi panel was adhered to a gingerbread patterned piece of paper.
• The card was completed with a cream card base.

I hope that you like what I created with these fun digi stamps by Angie Blom.  I cannot wait to see what she has designed as our Guest Crafty Elf !!  Take a look at her blog and also Michael and Lisa's... I am sure that there will be some amazing holiday inspiration from them all !!

Angie Blom - AB Digital Designs Blog

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds-Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

I addition to our Crafty Elf fun this month, the Facebook group Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers is having a Christmas in July Hop  Check them out for all the information about inspiration, fun and prizes . You can link up a project of your own for a chance at some fabulous prizes from awesome sponsors, including Angie Blom Digital Designs.

Thank you again to Angle Blom for joining us and also for sharing some of her new designs with us. Be sure to check out her sale at Angie Blom Digital Designs for some great holiday images .. You will save 40% off !! To celebrate Christmas in July, I will be sending some holiday goodies to one commenter, either from here or in my Facebook post .. You too can get started on your holday cards and beat the holiday rush and stress !!

Until next time, HO HO HO 

and Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / July 2021

I have always loved Christmas so our theme for this month was easy - Christmas in July !! We are halfway to the holidays  Many crafty companies have sales this time of year to help you get ready  . And Celeste and I are here with our creative holiday inspiration to help you too ..

For my card this week, I made an ATC Coin with products from Paper House Productions . I wanted to show that you do not have to do lots of elaborate, stamping, cutting etc.  when making your holiday cards. I love this card and will probably create many of this layout for Christmas. In fact, I have already made 6 !! ATC coins are like Artist Trading Cards  ( which are rectangular ) and are a 2.5" circle that you decorate any way you'd like . People make them, swap them, use them on cards etc...

• All supplies to decorate the ATC coin are from Paper House Productions .
• I used a 2.5 " paper punch to create several circles with Strathmore Watercolor Paper.
• Red Wood Double-sided paper was also used to make some 2.5" circles. 
  
• I adhered the wood paper to a watercolor paper circle.
• Merry & Bright II 3D Stickers were placed on the wood paper to create a scene. I love that car sticker with the Christmas tree !! I also used the word JOY and a star.
  
• A snowflake and snow dot from   Snowmen Puffy Stickers were placed on the ATC coin. 
• I adhered the completed ATC coin to a ready-made Christmas card base that I have been hoarding for years. It looks like layers of patterned papers, borders and ribbon !! I think it was from DCWV.

Celeste has also created some Christmas in July inspiration for you and you can see her card over at her blog - Crafting Junky . For my coffee this month, I thought I would have my favorite holiday coffee - Gingerbread .. And drink it from a Holiday Mail cup I bought on clearance last year.   All I need is a bit of Christmas music and I can make several more holiday cards !!

Thank you for stopping by for some  Christmas in July inspiration. Please take care and stay safe wherever you are .. We will see you next month !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

A Creative Bibliophile - June 2021

This month I have a book review, a bookmark, a new Book Club to tell you about AND a bit of Happy Mail to show you !! I hope that you have been reading some good books lately .. I chose a random commenter to send a bookmark to from previous posts, so Julie Blackburn will be getting something in the mail soon.. 

I recently purchased some digi stamps  from Angie Blom Digital Designs with a gift card that I had won in a Blog Hop . One of the stamp sets was just what I needed for this post - A Warm Hug . I can't think of anything more perfect than being snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of coffee and a good book .. The DCWV Humble Abode paper pad was used to paper-piece the blanket, to mat the stamped image and also on the back of the bookmark .

My book this month is another "domestic thriller" and also a newly published quick read .     The Serial Killer's Wife by Alice Hunter . I really couldn't put this one down and it surprised me until the very end. Beth and Tom Hardcstle are the perfect couple - or are they ??  Tom is wanted for questioning about a former girlfriend's disappearance and this sets into motion a twisted story about how well we really know those we love and what we would do to protect them and ourselves . The characters drew me in and I stayed interested in the developing storylines, which included nosy neighbors, a widower and involved police officers. I'm hesitant to say more so I don't give things away - I hope you will pick this one up and try it. 

Last week I went to a meet-up of the Silent Book Club, sponsored by a local bookstore Read Books .This independent bookstore is located at our local Museum of Contemporary Art . Everyone brings their own books that they are reading,  we introduce ourselves and tell about our books . Then we find a cozy spot, read for an hour and head home. Of course, we had to look around the wonderful Read Books before we left . Its owner, Kristin couldn't have been  more friendly and welcoming. When COVID first hit our area, I had ordered a book from Read Books and things were starting to close down along with a crazy hospital schedule for me. They actually drove to my house and delivered the book to me, which I thought was so nice and I will never forget their kindness !! The Silent Book Club will meet om Tuesday mornings through the summer . It is "the book club for introverts" and I am their newest fan !!

The Atrium at MOCA

Read Books

You can also read in the Chihuly room

Last but not least, I have to show you a card sent to me by my friend, Crystal O, Minkler.. It's no secret that I love books and she was sweet enough to send me this card that she made recently !!  I love it .. 

I'm reading a few more books now so will have fun picking one to review next month . I'm already thinking of bookmark designs too .. It's good to plan ahead. I hope you liked hearing about my new book club that I attended. Do you meet up with any groups ?? I'd love to hear about them if you do .. 

Until next time, stay safe and read a good book !!