Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / August 2025

Here we are about to say good-bye to summer and hello to Sweater Weather !! Christmas will be just around the corner so Michael, Lisa and I are continuing to show you our holiday cards each month on the 25th to inspire you to get started on your own . It's a great way to beat the holiday rush and decrease your holiday stress level .

For my card today, I used the Photoplay stamp set - I Love Christmas . I also used the matching dies.  The cute holiday ephemera is from Aall & Create - Warm Wishes .

• I stamped the girl and tree images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then die-cut them with the matching dies .
• The images were colored with my OLO Markers .
• I adhered a piece of green patterned paper to a white card base.
• I cut some Glitter Zig-zag paper and adhered it to the bottom of the card base for a snowy background.
• The red border at the top of the card was found in my scrap drawer . I'm pretty sure it was from a Tim Holtz die. ( one of my favorites ) .
• The tree the girl is holding is popped up with a foam tab . It is one of 5 designs that can be stamped and die-cut for her to hold . There are also a cup of cocoa, a stocking, a present and candy canes. 
• I adhered the girl onto the left side of the card base .
• The presents were placed on the bottom right of the card base - the 2 on each end were adhered with mono adhesive and the center one was popped up with a foam tab.
• I adhered the Warm Wishes tag at the top right of the card then popped up a bird with another foam tab.

There was absolutely no reason for me to procrastinate on making this card since I have been off all week. But I did !! However, I did have the stamp set picked out. And from start to finish on this card, it took me exactly 2 hours . To stamp, die-cut, color and also come up with a layout !! Not too shabby, if I must say so myself. AND I'm happy with the finished product ..

Please take a look at Michael and Lisa's cards at the links below. I know that they both always inspire me with the cards they create .

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

Thank you for stopping by to see our latest cards . We hope we inspired you to make some of your own before the holiday begins. Until next time, stay creative .. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

He Made It / She Made It - Sept. 2023

Michael Trent and I are back with our He Made It / She Made It for September .. We choose a stamp set from the latest release at Technique Junkies and create with it .. This time we chose the Explore the World stamp .. Let's see what we each came up with !!

This stamp is one sentiment - You Don't Need to Travel to Explore the World. The first thought I had for this stamp was BOOKS. Books take you all over the world, even into outer space, without leaving the comforts of your own home. I have been a booklover all my life and had such fun making this card ..

• I adhered a piece of book-themed paper from the Book Club collection at Photoplay Paper to a Kraft card base.
• The Explore the World stamp was stamped on a piece of paper from Photoplay with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. It was actually the double-side of the book-themed paper !!
• I die cut a circle from red textured cardstock.
• The die-cut circle was adhered at the top of the card. with foam tabs
• A Doodlebug bookstack was placed on top of the die-cut circle.
• The sentiment was adhered below the circle with foam tabs.

I can't wait to see what Michael has done with this stamp !! I'm wondering if he thought of books too .. Or maps, Or some sort of local sight-seeing .. You can check out his blog - World of Michael Trent - to see what he made. 

For my bookworm friends, here is a list of some of my favorite books that you can "travel the world" with ...

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See / China

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K.Rowling / Scotland

The Book of Lost Names - Kristin Harmel / France

Between Two Kingdoms - Suleika Jaouad / USA

The Dry - Jane Harper / Australia

The Rose Code - Kate Quinn / England

The Martian - Andy Weir / Space, the Final Frontier

The Around the World Cookbook - Lorenz Brooks / the World

I hope that you were inspired to check out the stamp  we used and all of the other   September Release stamps from Technique Junkies  There are so many fabulous images to choose from. Take a look and treat yourself. Use my code TJ10Deb to save 10% on your order.. Happy Stamping AND Happy Reading !! We will see you again in October. 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity