Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste /April 2021

Celeste and I are back for our April Coffee & Cards posts !! It is National Letter Writing Month so we decided to do a Snail Mail / Happy Mail post .. I send many letters and postcards every month to friends all over the world . But in April, I am in a group that assigns a penpal for the month, so I am sending even more snail mail than usual..  And this past year when we have all been spending much of our time at home and away from friends and loved ones, it's even more important to stay connected . It's always nice to see a letter from a friend in my mailbox. So, pick up a pen and some paper and write a note to someone.. You will make their brighter !!

I love all things snail mail - postage stamps, rubber stamps, paper, washi etc.. It was hard to choose a stamp set to use but I finally decided on Mr. Snailman from Trinity Stamps . The set includes a cute snail, sentiments and also stamps suitable for decorating your envelopes !!

Snail Mail - paper hug enclosed

Envelope Art

• On a pink-pattered card base, I adhered a piece of envelope patterned paper from the sweet Lucky Charm paper pad from Dear Lizzy by American Crafts .
• I stamped the snailman image on a piece of Solar White  cardstock and also on an April calendar panel from Graphic 45.
• Snail Mail was stamped with Ladybug Memento ink.  The snail and sentiment were stamped with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam ink .
• I fussy-cut the snail shell from the Neenah cardstock.
• The images were colored with my COPICS.
• I  created a border with a Martha Stewart border punch and a piece of vintage white ledger paper also from the Lucky Charm paper pad.
• A strip of thin pink confetti washi was placed down the vintage white border.
• I adhered the border down the left side of the card.
• I popped up the Neenah cardstock snail shell on top of the snail with a foam tab.
• The calendar panel was also popped up on the front of the card with foam tabs.

I also used several images from the Mr. Snailman stamp set to decorate the front of the envelope for this card . I always like to at least add some stickers or a stamped image to the front and back of my envelopes. Some of the envelopes I have received from friends are true works of art !!

I am sure that Celeste has created a fabulous Happy Mail card .. You can check out her post over at her blog - Stamping Junky ..Today I am drinking Twinkie coffee from a Mikasa cup. The pattern - Garden Gallery - is perfect for a gorgeous Spring day !!

I hope that you all are doing well and staying safe. Take care of yourself .. Thank you for visiting me once again  at  Meticulosity.. Until next time, Stay Creative !! And don't forget to let someone you know that you are thinking of them -  write a letter and send it off soon !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

April Cookies - Take 1

Challenge #91 over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog is all about transportation.  Our fun inspiration photo features, trains, planes, automobiles, hot air balloons etc.. The sponsor for this challenge is The Cutting Cafe. 

In case you didn't know, April is National Letter Writing Month. I absolutely love snail mail and writing and receiving letters and postcards. I am in a group that celebrates this BIG TIME !! I have a penpal for the entire month and have sent something every day to Snohomish, WA. My penpal is a world traveler and I made my card for her. She's been to an ice hotel in Finland, traveled to South Korea and visited St. Petersburg, Russia , just to name a few. 

• I adhered a piece of patterned paper from the Uncharted Paper Pad  to a piece of turquoise cardstock for my card base. This paper pad has the most amazing map images and it is available at Hobby Lobby.
• The Retro Van was stamped on Stardust White paper and also a scrap of blue patterned paper; then colored and fussy-cut.
• I stamped the sentiment with Embossing ink and used Adirondack "Bottle" Embossing Powder to create a fun sheen.I don't emboss as much as I should. This embossing powder is really gorgeous !!
• I used a scalloped die to cut out the sentiment and also the next larger size die for a contrasting colored scalloped mat for a layer under the sentiment.
• Using Tombow Mono Adhesive +, I adhered the sentiment to the upper left of the card base.
• I popped up the Retro Van  in the lower right corner of the card base using Tombow Foam Tabs.

I took the picture of this card on top of my vintage Hermes Rocket typewriter. I bought it from a friend who found it at a thrift store. It still works and I have been using it for some letters to my penpal. My teammates have also been inspired by this challenge and I hope you will check them out here. This challenge runs for 2 weeks and we'd love for you to link up a project for a chance at a prize from The Cutting Cafe.

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !

Celebrate National Letter Writing Month by sending some a handwritten letter !!

Debra Davison