Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / May 2026

The Crafty Elves are back with their May holiday inspiration for you !! Michael, Lisa and I post each month on the 25th to get you in the mood to start on your holiday card-making along with us.

I got out an embossing folder I have been wanting to try, along with a favorite Impression Obsession stamp designed by my friend Nola. The image was colored with my new sets of  Ohuhu markers .I got a 48 count Honolulu B bright set and a pastel set .These have a brush and a fine tip and I am really enjoying them already !!

• I stamped the IO image on a piece of white cardstock .
• The image was colored with my Ohuhu markers.
• I die-cut the stamped image with a stitched border die.
• I used the Sizzix "Texture Fades" Holiday Knit embossing folder by Tim Holtz  on a piece of red cardstock .
• The embossed panel was adhered to a white card base,
• The stamped panel was popped up on the embossed panel with foam tabs.
• A Tim Holtz sentiment strip was adhered at the bottom of the card .

This was a fairly simple card to make and I love it .. I even stamped out a few more images to color . You can see what Michael and Lisa made over at their blogs -

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

We are having some cooler weather here thankfully. But with it came rain !! We did need it but maybe not on a long holiday weekend.  Thank you for stopping by . We will see you next month, when we will be at the halfway mark to Christmas 2026 .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

She Made It / He Made It - May 2026

Michael Trent and I are just 2 crafty friends who bonded online over paper and coffee !! He's in Brazil and I'm in the USA. We have very different styles and like to challenge each other every so often .. We choose a theme, technique, stamp or in this case, a date  and each create a card .  Here is our latest  collab for today - May 21 - International Tea Day .

I chose to use a Close To My Heart set - Tea-rrific . It was a Stamp of the Month . I colored it with my new Ohuhu Honolulu markers. My COPICs are slowly drying out ( I have had them about 10 years ) and I have also had splatter problems with them and also my OLOs.... So I decided to try Ohuhu since the price was excellent. So far I am really enjoying them ..  Time will tell - I'll report back in about a month and let you know how it's going .

• I stamped all of the tea cup images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• The sentiments were stamped in a variety of colors of Impression Obsession inks.
• I die cut each stamped panel .
• The images were all colored with my new Ohuhu markers.
• I fussy-cut the tea bag papers and popped them up on each card with foam tabs.
• The completed stamped panels were adhered to pre-made patterned card bases.

I feel like a bit of an overachiever this time because I actually made 4 cards . I spotted an older wood-mount stamp by Judikins of a tea pot and just had to use it . It was designed by Paula Best, a favorite artist of mine .. The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company . I thought the embossed star background was perfect for the card ( found in my scrap drawer !! )

International Tea Day is all about celebrating the cultural heritage, health benefits and economic importance of tea. Grab a favorite cup, choose a lovely variety of tea and enjoy some quiet time today .  And don't forget to check out Michael's card ( or cards ) at his blog - World of Michael Trent . He is usually the overachiever in this relationship, so let's see what happens !!

Thank you for stopping by our latest She Made It / He Made It  posts  . Let us know if you have a favorite card that we've made. Until next time, stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb and Celeste / May 2026

This month Celeste and I decoded to make a slimline card. These are a fun alternative to standard A2 size cards.  Standard slimline cards are 3.5" x 6" . I usually make mini-slimline cards with 6x6 paper. I swear I must have 100+  6x6 paper pads so I try to use them as often as I can . Here's an example of a slimline card ..

I chose an Ink Road Stamps image - Inked R'Chel - from October 2023 .  I had an idea for my card but unfortunately I had a bit of a mishap with a marker. More about that later. 

• I stamped the R'Chel image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on cream cardstock .
• The sentiment was also stamped on cream cardstock with Memento Teal Zeal ink .
• I paper punched R'Chel with a square punch . 
• The sentiment was trimmed .
• I colored the image with my COPIC markers .
• A piece of pink cardstock was die-cut to be used as a mat for the R'Chel image.
• I folded a 6x6 piece of patterned paper ( found in my stash - source unknown ) for my card base. 
• The matted panel was adhered at the top of the card .
• I used foam tabs to place the sentiment below the stamped panel .

So, about my little mishap ... I was just starting to color R'Chel when my marker bled onto my image . I have had this problem occasionally with my OLO  markers but rarely with my COPICs. And I have tried all the solutions, but this day was just trying to be difficult. I almost just crumpled the image to throw it away but then had an idea !! 

First it bled on her leg ..

Then a few other places as I moved the marker .

Sooooooooo, here was my solution ..

I guess I could be like Bob Ross and call it a "happy accident" . 

Have you had to save a project from a mistake, "happy accident" ? I also just hate wasting paper so it was good that I could use the top half of that image for my card .  I sure hope that Celeste had better luck with her creative process .  To see what she made, head on over to her blog - Crafting Junky . 

This month I'm drinking Caramel Pecan coffee from a coffee cup given to me by my lovely friend Nola. She was my rock after my son died in a car crash 12-23-21 . She lost an adult son to cancer 15 years ago .  We have formed our own little support group with another friend who also lost an adult son . Nola bought us each this cup and I cherish it . It sits on my desk always. 

Thank you for visiting us once again. We look forward to bringing you more Coffee & Cards next month . We had a few weeks of lovely Spring weather but are now in for some 90' days until next weekend.  I hope you are enjoying some coffee and cardmaking wherever you are !! Until next time, stay creative ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity