Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / April 2022

I am so happy that the weather is finally turning warm - in fact, today here in Virginia Beach, it will be 89 degrees !! I hope that Spring weather has reached you wherever you are .. Have you been starting your holiday cards along with us ?? It's never too late to start !! Michael, Lisa and I are posting each month on the 25th to inspire you and stay ahead of the holiday rush ..

For my first card, I used the stamp set - Whimsy World - Noel - by Colorado Craft Company . This stamp set is actually on sale right now and is a wonderful addition to your holiday stash.

• In the upper left corner of a piece of patterned paper, I stamped a string of lights from the Busy Sidewalks stamp set from Crate Paper.
• I stamped the other images to create a scene, using a variety of colors of Memento Dew Drop inks . All are from the Whimsy World - Noel set .
• The string of lights are colored with glitter pens and the scene with my COPICS.
• I added a few strips of holiday washi to the bottom left of the stamped panel.
• Confession time - I stamped a different house image on the patterned paper but was not happy with it .. So I stamped the Colorado Craft image onto the same patterned paper then placed it over the original. 

My next 2 cards are made with the Vicki Boutin - Warm Wishes collection . This collection has the most amazing elements - stamps, ephemera, washi, stickers. All are just beautiful !! It was the one complete collection I could not resist last year ..

• On a piece of Warm Wishes patterned paper, I stamped JOY and the bird with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink . The other words were stamped with Memento Dew Drop Ink -Lady Bug .
• I stamped the stars on another piece of Warm Wishes patterned paper and then fussy-cut them.
• The bird and JOY were colored with my COPICS.
• I popped up the 3 stars with foam tabs onto the stamped panel.
• A cream-colored card base was used.

• On a Kraft card base, I adhered a piece of Warm Wishes  patterned paper.
• I used ephemera from the collection  - a string of stars along the top, reindeer on the left side and a 25 on the right.
• This card needed nothing else - no bling or glitter .. I think it is just simply perfect as is !!

My last card was made with the Shine Bright Girls stamp by Angie Blom from Unity Stamp Company . I was so excited when the image fit inside the opening in my new favorite wreath die .

• I die-cut the  Momenta Holly & Berry Christmas wreath with dark green cardstock.
• The Shine Bright Girls was stamped onto cream cardstock with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink .
• I die-cut the wreath again with the stamped image to get the circle. And I now have a cream-colored wreath to use for another card.
• I adhered the stamped circle and the wreath to a 5x7 Kraft card base near the top .
• A Happy Holidays sticker from the Vicki Boutin "Warm Wishes" collection was placed under the wreath.
• Unicorn Stickles Glitter Glue  was used on the hats.

Unicorn Stickles detail

I was happy to use some new stamps and collections for my Crafty Elf cards this time.. I know they were all purchased before the holidays last year but never used. I'm excited to add them to my holiday stash !!  Please take a look at Michael's and Lisa's blogs to see what they have created . I'm sure that they are all fabulous as usual ..

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds-Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

I will also be posting one or more of these cards in the Christmas 2022 Linky Party sponsored by Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers .  They are a group of papercrafters who are also making their holiday cards all year long . You can learn all about the Linky Party at their website HERE .  #springintochristmas2022byshclp

Thank you for stopping by again to see the Crafty Elves' April inspiration. We hope that you will start to create some holiday cards of your own. Take care, stay safe and until next month, stay creative.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - May 2020

Well, we're still staying home here in Virginia but slowly re-opening. It's hard to believe we have been doing this since March . I wear a mask at work at the hospital and also when I have to go out. I'm playing it safe and so is Brian, but I see many who haven't gotten the mask/social distance message. I've had lots of time at home to read, relax on the deck and get creative. My creative mojo comes and goes, but I enjoyed making  the cards for this month . I hope that you enjoy them too !! For this month's post,  we have another Crafty Elf joining us - Amy Tsuruta is an amazing papercrafter and the  host of the amazing Coffee Loving Papercrafters page on Facebook . She is also a creator of the Coffee Lovers Hops, one of which is going on right now  ( May 22-29 ) . So of course, I had to include a hot cocoa card in May's line-up !!

I decided to use bright green card bases for all of my cards this time. Sometimes I spend lots of time figuring out what color /pattern of card base to use. So this time I made it easy on myself and chose one color. I also used my favorite Versafine Clair Nocturne ink to stamp all the images. 

Stamp ; Gretta by Lindsay Ostrom for Impression Obsession

Ephemera Sentiment ; Crate Paper

Stamps : Snowman by Rubber Moon

Joyous Christmas by Rubber Moon

This stamp is retired but they have many more fabulous snowman stamps

Stamps : Christmas Cookie stamp set with matching dies by Stampendous
This card will also be linked up at the current Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Hop

Stamps: Holiday Cookies by Fun Stampers Journey
For the cookie jar card, I stamped, colored and fussy-cut all of the cookies.

No long detailed instruction lists again this time.  The images were colored with a variety of my favorite markers - Stabilo, Faber-Castell, Sharpies and Pilot pens. I then just chose some coordinating washi, patterned paper, ephemera and sequins to complete these cards. And I realize that I have 5 cards this time but the last 2 just went together so well that I posted both !! Take some time now to look at the other Crafty Elf projects -- I'm excited to see them also. And a big thank-you to Amy for putting on an elf hat and joining us for this month's countdown !!

Amy Tsuruta - Tsuruta Designs

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Jessica Pickeral - Polka Dot Orchard Blog

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - February 2020

February has basically kicked my butt !! Despite getting a flu shot, I came down with a whopping case of Influenza A AND a nasty bronchitis. Right before Valentines Day, I thought I was getting over a bit of a cold. Couldn't have been more wrong !! But I think the worst is behind me and I'm excited to be here to show you my cards for February. Remember that Michael and Jessica are joining along with me and Lisa as we create a Christmas card each week all throughout 2020. 

For my first card, I chose the Forest Friends Snow Globe stamp from Impression Obsession., designed by  Alesa Baker.

• I started by stamping the image twice - once on a blue background and again on a light brown paper, making sure I captured the complete base of the globe. Versafine Clair Nocturne ink was used. 
• I fussy-cut the globe and base and adhered them onto a metallic border card.
• The image was colored with a variety of my favorite markers - Tombows and Faber-Castells.
• I added glitter to the pink tree.
• A sentiment from Crate Paper was adhered to the top of the card.   

The next stamp I chose to use is Nordic Town, designed by my talented friend Lindsay Ostrom, also   for Impression Obsession .

• I stamped the image on watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and cut the panel to fit on the front of a dark brown card base.
• The image was colored with my favorite markers.
• A strip of red glitter washi was placed along the bottom of the row of houses.
• Two strips of narrow gold-marbled washi were placed across the top of the panel, leaving a small space between the 2.
• A My Mind's Eye ephemera sentiment was popped up with foam tabs below the gold strips of washi.

This next stamp is going to be used every holiday from here forward !! From Fun Stampers Journey - Sparkly Christmas - is just too much fun and oh so true ..  Just a simple image but after adding a few sequins, I was sure I had a new Christmas classic !!

• The image was stamped on a scrap piece of pale blue paper with  Memento Dew Drops - Cottage Ivy and cut to fit my card base.
• I cut 2 coordinating scrap pieces of Christmas-patterned paper to mat the stamped image. The red dotted paper is glittered.
• I adhered the papers at an angle. The red to the green, then the stamped base to the red. I am OCD about straight lines and often mount images at an angle to give myself a break !!
• The completed matted image was adhered to a white card base.
• Numerous sequins in a variety of holiday colors and sizes were attached to the sentiment.

For my last project, I pulled out a stamped base that I made several years ago when I was stamping with a group of friends. I remember liking the background so much that I made several to use at a later date. And when I was destashing a few weeks ago, I found them again !!

• I stamped the paint stroke in 3 colors on a peachy-pink card base in 3 colors. It looks like I used 2 coordinating greens and a reddish ink . This is from an older Stampin' Up set - Work of Art .
• At the bottom right, I stamped the sentiment - from a Crate Paper stamp set I found at Tuesday Morning -  with a Memento Dew Drops - Cottage Ivy ink. 
• In the center of the paint strokes, I mounted a Crate Paper snow-globe shaker sticker. It is filled with snow and has to be one of the the prettiest stickers EVER made !!!

I'm thrilled that Michael has joined me on my crazy journey as I make a Christmas card each week throughout 2020. Head over to his blog at World of Michael Trent for some more inspiration  I'm also sure that Lisa at Life of a BZscrapper and her crafty partner, Jessica from Polka Dot Orchard were just full of great ideas for our second Crafty Elves post of the year !!

Have you started your holiday cards yet ?? Do you plan to stay ahead of the holiday rush and get your cards,  envelope-addressing and inside the card stamping done throughout the year along with us ?? We would love to hear your ideas for staying organized this holiday season. 

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb and Celeste 10/9

Welcome to Week 2 of my crafty collaboration with my friend, Celeste !! I'm sure you all know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. My card today is made with that in mind as our theme for this week is THINK PINK..I guess I still must be on a high from the Fall Coffee ( and Tea and Cocoa )  Lovers Blog Hop because the card also has a tea theme. I wanted to use a stamped image that didn't require lots of coloring but that I could use a variety of pink shades on. This one seemed perfect and I love it !

• On a piece of white cardstock, I stamped a Tea Love image from Unity Stamp Company with Memories Black India Ink. I colored the image using my favorite pinks from Stabilo, Stampin' Up and Distress Markers .And those  2 little prints near the word "tea" were colored with my fingerprint after pressing it onto a pink ink pad.. Below the image I placed a piece of Pastel Welcome Words Washi from Recollections. 
• The Awareness Ribbon stamp ( and die ) are by Amuse Studio. I stamped the ribbon once then die-cut the image and also die-cut a piece of DCWV Watercolor Stack cardstock. That stack is gorgeous with many sheets having a touch of gold foil.They were both placed above the stamped image.
• Pink sequins were scattered throughout the stamped image. A hint of green was used on a tea cup to signify growth because having been through a cancer diagnosis ( mine is Thyroid ), I can tell you that the process includes growth as a person, as a patient, as a survivor.. 
• A piece of contrasting pink paper with sweet little hearts from the Hello Love collection by Crate Paper was placed on the pink card base at an angle. The completed stamped  image was then popped up  ( using Dimensionals ) on top of that paper, also at an angle. I am very OCD about getting images, cardstock etc. straight on a project so I place many images, cardstock etc.  at an angle to allow me to create with just a bit less stress !!

Today's card is brought to you by a wonderful cup of Starbucks Caramel coffee in my fabulous new mug from my friend, Rae. Are we starting to see a theme here with these mugs ?? 

Thank you  for visiting Meticulosity again. Now head on over to see Celeste at her fabulous blog Crafting Junky. Leave her a comment and/or sign up to follow her blog. We hope you are being inspired by our posts. We will see you back here next Sunday !! Make yourself a nice cup of coffee -- or tea -- and create something today !!