Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / March 2023

Here we are with our Crafty Elves' post for March !! We have finally been seeing some signs of Spring here in Virginia. Our temperatures haven't quite figured it out yet, but the pollen is already out in full force. Thanks for  stopping by to see what Michael, Lisa, Misty and I have created to inspire you this month ..

For this month's Crafty Elves project, I am using a fun Holiday Elf stamp designed by my friend, Nola Chandler for Impression Obsession Stamps . Although they are no longer making single red-rubber stamps, they still have many amazing clear stamp sets available. And they will also be releasing some limited edition red-rubber stamps each month.  Holiday Elf is no longer available but you can find Nola's other stamp sets HERE .

• I stamped Holiday Elf  on Mixed-Media paper with Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop ink  .
• The image was trimmed then colored with my COPICS.
• I cut 2 pieces of paper from the Spellbinders Winter Wonderland paper pad .The left side of the red patterned paper was cut on the diagonal to show the plaid paper underneath.
• The completed stamped image was adhered to the patterned papers.
• A Tim Holtz holiday sentiment was adhered below the stamped image.
• A turquoise and a red rhinestone were placed as ornaments.
• The completed panel was adheres to a pale pink card base.

The other Crafty Elves have also been busy with their holiday inspiration. I hope you will go and see what they have created !!

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Misty - Jolly Fat Elf

Have you started on your holiday cards yet ?? We will be back every month on the 25th with our designs to get you inspired . It's nice to have a stash of cards available when the holiday rush arrives . Until next time, Stay Creative ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / February 2022

February is the month for love, so it's fitting that our theme this month is hearts . We have had a bitter cold few weeks here in Virginia and I'm so looking forward to spring.. But until then, we will stay busy with Valentines, heart-shaped chocolates and all things LOVE !!

I have also been making cards each month with a few friends to celebrate quirky holidays. This week we celebrate Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day and I decided to combine that with this Coffee and Cards post in one fun card !! I hope that you like this card as much as I do .

• I adhered a piece of multi-colored hearts paper from The Paper Studio to an A6 cream card base.
• The stamped image is More Than Ice Cream from Impression Obsession . It was designed by my creative friend Nola Chandler. 
• I stamped 2 of the images and cut the ice cream cone out of one.
• I colored the ice cream cone with my COPICS .
• Those cool confetti heart stickers were found at Hobby Lobby and seemed perfect to fit right on top of that cone !!
• I adhered the fussy-cut cone right on top of the base panel image using foam tabs to create depth.
• I matted the completed stamped panel onto a piece of dark blue glitter paper, leaving only a small margin around the image .
• The entire panel was then adhered to my background of hearts .

Take a look at Celeste's heart creation over at her blog - Crafting Junky She will also be telling you what her drink of choice is for February.  I am drinking Blueberry Cobbler Coffee from my new cup given to me by Brian. He had it made with our likenesses and names on it . I'm even drinking from a "Starbucks" cup !! It was a sweet surprise and I love it !! But what the heck - we both have gray hair ..When did that happen ?!?!?!?!

Thank you for stopping by to see our February Coffee & Cards .. We hope that you come back each month for some creative inspiration .. Until next time, stay creative.. And above all stay safe !!

Debra Davison - Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / August 2020

 Celeste and I are back with our August blog posts and I am dreaming of cool Autumn weather..  Pumpkin Spice Lattes, sweaters, a cool breeze, sitting outside on the deck in the evening .. We have had many days with temps close to 100 degrees and I am so looking forward to a chill in the sir..  And just for that reason, our inspiration photo is all about Autumn..

I wanted to use this fun Pumpkin Spice Kitty stamp from Impression Obsession for my card .. It was designed by my friend Nola Chandler.  You can all of her wonderful stamps HERE .

• I cut a piece of Paper Studio Sunflower paper from Hobby Lobby to fit my A2 Chalkboard Yellow card base - leaving a small margin around each side.
• The Pumpkin Spice Kitty image was stamped on Strathmore Watercolor paper and then fussy-cut.
• I also stamped the kitty onto a piece of patterned yellow paper and fussy-cut the head.
• The watercolor image was colored with Copic Markers.
• I adhered the patterned kitty head over the watercolor paper image .
• The patterned sunflower paper was adhered to the card base and then the Pumpkin Spice Kitty was popped up with foam tabs to the front of the card.
• I adhered an Idea-ology Small Talk sentiment to a piece of dark orange cardstock and then  placed that in the lower right corner of the card.

I had so much fun with this image that I made several cards for friends !! And I absolutely LOVE that sunflower paper ! 

I'm sure that Celeste over at Crafting Junky has come up with a great design to welcome Autumn. Are you looking forward to cooler weather ?? We are all still wearing masks here in Virginia ( well, almost everyone ), so cooler weather will be so much more comfortable !! Who knows how much longer we will be social-distancing .. I am really missing my time hanging out at the coffeeshop and the bookstore..  I am enjoying some Maple Pecan coffee in a new Owl mug from Hobby Lobby.. I got it for $1 last year after the holidays !! Isn't it just perfect for this post ?!?! And I just had to include the ever-present hand sanitizer !!

Thank you so much for visiting Meticulosity once again !! I hope that you all are taking care of yourselves and staying healthy .. Stay creative until next time ........

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

July Cookies - Take 1

Do you think of Lemonade when you think of Summer ??  Well, If You Give a Crafter a Cookie does and that is the theme of their latest challenge.. I knew the exact stamp I wanted to use - it was perfect !!

My friend Nola Chandler designs for Impression Obsession and her fun stamp Lilly Lemonade was the first thought that popped into my head when I saw this challenge's theme ..

• I cut 2 coordinating pieces of patterned paper from the Recollections "Mint To Be"  paper pad to fit on the front of an ombre' yellow card base.
• I colored the Lilly Lemonade image with my Copic markers, trimmed the image ( leaving only a small margin ) and adhered it toward the top of the patterned paper with foam dots.
• A Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker was placed at the bottom right of the stamped image. 
• The glass of lemonade is a sticker from the Drinks sticker pad by Me & My Big Ideas.

I can't wait to see what yummy creations my teammates have come up with for this summery challenge !! Head over to the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie BLOG to check them all out. We're all into month 4 of social-distancing and mask-wearing.. How are you all doing ?? Are you being more creative or finding yourself in a crafty funk ??  We would love for you to link up a project of your own by August 5 . Please take care of yourselves and I will see you in a few weeks for the next challenge. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - June 2020

Who would have ever thought that 3 months later we would still be in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic ?!?!?! My state of Virginia is seeing a drop in numbers and is slowly opening, but I am still mostly staying home and wearing my mask everywhere else ! The RN in me knows that it's still a time to be careful and not take unnecessary risks, as much as I miss my coffee shop and bookstore time !

I am having a hard time concentrating and being crafty for very long these days so this post will be short and sweet and not as descriptive.. Please let me know if you have questions about any of the cards .  Coloring was done with my new Copic Ciao markers that I found on clearance at Michaels. My first card just popped into my head when I got this stamp set and I had to make it ... I'm hoping I don't have to look for holiday-patterned masks but just in case --- this card will be ready to send !!

• Close to My Heart "On Repeat" stamp set
• Holiday washi tape from Recollections
• Planner sticker "Ho Ho Ho" cut and popped up on foam tabs
• Paper-pieced mask on cute kitty  ( hey, it's Pixie !! )
• Red card base

• Impression Obsession "Cup of Cheer" stamp ( designed by my friend Nola Chandler )
• Ladybug Doodlebug Sprinkles
• Kraft card base

• Stampendous "Curio Santa Scarf" stamp
• Merry Christmas washi
• Sequins

• Lavinia World "Fairy Wish" stamp
• Lavinia World "Fairy Merry Christmas"
• Lavinia World "Moon'
• Bronze glitter washi

It's hard to believe that we are half-way to Christmas !! My Crafty Elf teammates have also been busy with their projects and you can see them here -

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Jessica Pickeral - Polka Dot Orchard Blog

I hope that all of you are staying safe and keeping busy .. Have you been able to stay creative in the middle of all that is going on ?? I'm grateful to have Michael, Lisa and Jessica helping me to stay sane and creative !! Take care of yourselves and let me know if I've inspired you to get a jump-start on your holiday cards !!

Until next time --

Stay safe and creative 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity 

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste 2/25

This month Celeste and I decided to highlight some of our Favorite Stamps .  This month instead of having a guest blogger, we are telling you about a new blog. My friend Nola Pierce Chandler has designed some stamps ( her first ) for Impression Obsession AND has also just started a blog Snickerdoodle Studios . Of course, I fell in love with her coffee stamps and they are my favorites for today's post !! I also decided to use another of my favorite supplies - Project Life cards. 

• Using the Impression Obsession stamp set Coffee Set / Valentine , I stamped the girl image on a Project Life "Gather"  journal card and the travel mug images on several colors of scrap paper. Memories India Black Ink was my go-to ink.
• A fun striped card base from the American Arts "Shimelle"  boxed card collection added a fun background to the stamped images.
• Brea Reese Markers  were used to color in the images. These are my latest marker purchase and I really LOVE them !! I also used a few Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens.
• I cut a small tan doily to fit in the upper left corner of the journal card and adhered it with my Tombow MONO+ Adhesive Runner . I then adhered the journal card at a diagonal on the right side of the card base. 
• I stamped my initial, Celeste's and Nola's on the travel mugs. 
• The travel mugs were fussy-cut and popped up on the left side of the card base with Tombow Foam Tabs .
• Ranger Glossy Accents added the appearance of glass to the lenses. 
• A Wink of Stella Glitter Clear Brush Marker added some shimmer to her hair.

Teal, pink and purple are the colors of the Thyroid Cancer ribbon.. I am a 3 year survivor and find myself using these colors often in my projects. They seemed perfect for this card !! I hope that you will check out Celeste's blog Crafting Junky to see what she chose as her favorite stamps. And Nola's blog at Snickerdoodle Studios is a fun place to get lots of creative ideas. You can also see all of her stamps at Impression Obsession . 

My coffee for today is Cinnamon Churro  in a beautiful Starbucks cup that was designed by English fashion designer, Charlotte Ronson. I actually didn't now who she was, but just fell in love with the cup !!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !!

Debra Davison