Lavinia Guest Designer - Challenge #29

It's time for Lavinia World Challenge #29 and the hardest part for me as the June Guest Designer was choosing which fabulous stamps to use for my project !! They host a new Anything Goes challenge every 2 weeks and I would love for you to consider linking up a project of your own.  You can use any clear or rubber stamp ( no digis ) - it does not have to be a Lavinia stamp  if linked on the blog - and you could win a $15 gift code for Lavinia World .

I must admit that this is the most fun that I've ever had with laundry !! The Fairy Washing Line stamp was one of the first that I had my eye on when I was introduced to Lavinia World . It is such a sweet image !!

The big moon shines in the sky 

• I stamped the Fairy Washing Line on Lavinia "Autumn Hues" paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink .
• 2 borders were die-cut and trimmed to fit at the top of the stamped base .
• I placed a small pencil mark on the area where I wanted to stamp the Fairy Hive set so they were positioned in between the die-cut scallops . They were also stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink .
• The perfect sentiment was found in my stash of stickers and I mounted it on a piece of black cardstock for contrast.
• Foam tabs were used to pop up the sentiment across the moon.
• Dark pink rhinestones were placed at the tips of the washing line stems.
• The completed image was adhered to a glittery white card base.

I've had such fun this month as Lavinia's Guest Designer and will be back for another Challenge in August . Please go to the Challenge Blog page to see what the Design Team members have posted.  I hope that you will be inspired to link up a project of your own . You can also post a project for the Anything Goes  challenge in the Anything Lavinia Facebook group - these projects must include either a Lavinia stamp or paper. You have until Monday,  June 29.

I appreciate all of the wonderful comments that I received for my first Lavinia Guest Designer project and hope that you like this one too !! My new Lavinia friend Charlene Short will be their Guest Designer for July, so please visit Lavinia World again next month to see what she creates !! I will be back for their August 13 Challenge .

Until next time,

Stay safe AND creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Lavinia Guest Designer - Challenge #28

I was so thrilled to be chosen to be a Guest Designer this month for Lavinia World . They have a Challenge Blog with a new Anything Goes Challenge every 2 weeks.  My projects will be posted in the June 4 & 18 Challenges with links to my Meticulosity blog post. I am extremely thrilled to be working with such a fantastic company . Their stamps are whimsical and can be used to create beautiful scenes !! And their Design Team have been beyond welcoming and supportive ..

Welcome to Lavinia World Challenge #28

Dance with the fairies and Talk to the moon

Lavinia World Supplies Used :

Enchanted Dreams

Slender Mushrooms

Toadstool Miniature

Talk to the Moon

Moon

Lavinia Papers - Delight 

 VersaFine Clair Inkpad - Nocturne

• For this card, I cut a piece of the Delight paper 4 x 6 inches to fit the scene I had in my head.  I positioned the stamps on my MISTI  and that gave me an idea of the paper size I needed .
• I stamped the snail, mushrooms and toadstool images on the Delight  paper with VersaFine Nocturne ink.
• The sentiment was stamped on watercolor paper also with Nocturne ink, trimmed to size and then cut in half.
• The moon was stamped on Delight paper and paper-punched into a 1 3/8" circle. I also paper-punched 3 watercolor paper circles and adhered all of them together with the stamped circle for added thickness.
• Silver molding paste and a Tim Holtz Bubble layering stencil were used on the left side of the Delight paper to add some dimension . I added it at a diagonal from top to bottom where I knew I would be placing the moon. I also took into consideration where I would be placing the stamped images.
• Sugar Shimmer Fairy Dust Glitter was sprinkled over the molding paste for added shimmer.
• The sentiment was adhered above the snail on the upper right side.
• The moon was adhered over the stenciled area at the upper left.
• I placed black rhinestones on the tips of the snail's tentacles.
• The finished image was popped up on a navy blue cardstock card base leaving a margin on all sides.

These stamps are a dream to work with . Take a look at the projects from the Design Team over at the Challenge Blog . Get inspired and think about linking up a project of your own. You could win a $15 gift code to Lavinia World .The Challenge at the blog post is Anything Goes - you can use any clear or rubber stamp, it does not have to be Lavinia ( but no digi stamps are allowed ). You can also post a project to their Anything Lavinia Facebook page  if you use a Lavinia World product ( stamps, paper ). You have until Monday, June 15 to enter this Challenge.

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my post !!  This card  is a bit different than my usual style cards but I had fun being out of my comfort zone and stretching my creativity .. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think .. 

Until next time, 

Stay safe AND creative..

Debra Davison/ Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / March 2020

So, who else needs a break from all of the COVID-19 craziness ?!?! I know that I do .. I'm an RN and work at a hospital and the word "stress" does not even begin to address the way I am feeling on a daily basis.  So I was happy to create this weekend with my buddy, Celeste and we went back to basics for this month's post. Our theme is COFFEE !!  I had a fabulous Inspiration photo picked out and a few stamp sets in mind. Then I spotted a coffee cup at Starbucks earlier this month and my card idea was born !! You'll see what I mean at the end of this post ..

I have to admit that I bought the Posh Planters stamp set by Paper Smooches for the cute VW bus planter but it was the scenic coffee cup also in the set that was perfect for this post !! I do not have a green thumb at all so the closest I get to having beautiful plants is through my papercrafting ..  

• The scenic cup planter was stamped on a piece of watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.
• I colored the cup with my favorite markers - Faber Castell, Staedtler  and Tombow Dual Brush - and then fussy-cut the image.
• The silver area on the cup was colored with a Brea Reese metallic marker.
• I cut a piece of wood-grain paper and adhered it to my card base.
• The sentiment - also from the Posh Planters stamp set - was stamped inside a pale green hexagon on a piece of patterned paper, also with Nocturne Ink and then fussy-cut.
• The cup was adhered to the lower right corner of the wood-grain paper  with Tombow MONO Aqua Liquid Glue.
• The sentiment was popped up on the upper left side of the wood-grain paper with foam tabs.

Today I am drinking Ethiopian coffee from my new Starbucks cup that I found at my local Target.  I almost jumped for joy when I saw that cup because I immediately thought of the  Posh Planters stamp set and that is the exact moment that this blog post was born !!  Isn't it funny how we come up with ideas for our cards sometimes ?? I'm excited to see what Celeste created  - you can see her  card over at Crafting Junky.  We both sure do love our coffee !! I hope that you can find some quiet time to create -- make a cup of your favorite coffee and choose a pretty cup to drink it out of. It's the simple things that can really make our days brighter .. 

Until next time -

Stay Creative

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

February Cookies / 2020 - 1

I wasn't sure what I wanted to make when I saw the latest batch of cookies in the inspiration photo for  challenge #135 at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie !! A baby card, a Valentine ?? Something red, something with hearts or animals ?? I hope that you will get inspired yourself and link a project up of your own before February 20. 

I found this embossing folder/stamp set at Michaels last year on clearance for $1.00 !! It was the perfect time to use it for this card ..

• I embossed a piece of black cardstock with  a red inner core, using the pawprint embossing folder. 
• Using my sanding square, I sanded off the top layer of black to show some of the red color underneath .
• The embossed panel was adhered to a Kraft card base.
• The cat was stamped on a piece of watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and then fussy-cut.
• I adhered a Starbucks giftcard in the lower right corner.
• The cat's Valentine was colored with a red Sharpie marker and then the cat was popped up next to the giftcard with foam tabs.  

This card includes 3 of my favorite things - the color RED, coffee and cats !! I know I will be making many more of these in the future !!  I hope that you love it as much as I do ..  Take a look at the other Design Team member's creations over at the main BLOG page. And link up a project of your own !!

Until next time, Stay Creative.

And thank-you for visiting Meticulosity .

 Debra Davison

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - January 2020

A New Year has begun and the Crafty Elves are back for more .. Last year. my amazingly talented friend Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak and I created a Christmas card each week and blogged about it on the 25th of each month.  We kept each other inspired and when the holidays rolled around, we had a nice stash of cards ready !! I had many friends comment that they were going to try to do the same this year along with us . And for 2020, Lisa and I have each added a Crafty Elf to our Christmas Countdown. Michael Trent is joining me from Brasil with his blog- World of Michael Trent and Lisa has asked Jessica Pickeral from Polka Dot Orchard. We are thrilled to have them for our 2020 posts !!

I learned a few things over the course of 2019. This year I will be addressing my envelopes as I make my cards.Even though I had many cards made, it still took quite a bit of time to address envelopes, stamp the insides of the cards and put my "Made By" stamp on the backs of the cards. I send many cards to the same people every year so I will be ahead on that for 2020.  Another tip I have for our Countdown is to choose your stamps, supplies at Week 1 for the entire month. I have MANY Christmas/holiday sets and I had a hard time choosing each week, especially when I was trying to work quickly on my deadline to finish a card each week. So this month, I chose 4 stamps/sets and put them in my dedicated Countdown to Christmas box, along with other supplies I thought I would use. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has plans to make a card and then when you sit down to finally get started, you can't find that 1 supply you had your heart set on !!

For  January, I gathered some holiday washi, twine, my Versafine Clair Nocturne ink pad and my favorite 3.5  x 5 watercolor Visual Journal by Strathmore. I also placed 4 stamp sets in the box and these were my main supplies for the month. Another tip is to stamp extra images and keep those in your stash so you have some ready to color or embellish for more cards . I'm starting 2020 off with one of my favorite new images from Unity Stamp Company.

• Unity Stamp Company's Pure and Simple is a favorite of mine. She was stamped on watercolor paper with Nocturne ink.
• I colored portions of the image with Red & Green and trimmed the image to fit my card base.
• A strip of red plaid washi was placed along the left side of the watercolor image, next to the torn edge.
• I popped the image up on a black A2 card base with foam tabs.

For my next 3 cards, I chose stamp sets by Flora & Fauna .I used Mini Holiday Van, Mini Reindeer Love and Mini Aviary. I love these little stamp sets and used several others last year for the Countdown. All images were stamped on Strathmore watercolor paper.

• The van was stamped with Nocturne Ink on the watercolor paper and I colored each of them with my Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens.
• I stamped the tree on top of the vans with Memento Dew Drop ink in Bamboo Leaves and the sentiment below the vans in Lady Bug.
• A strip of red glitter washi was placed below the red van and a thin strip of gold marbled washi below the blue van.
• I matted the blue van with a piece of metallic green paper.
• A piece of tree washi was placed down the side of the torn edge of the blue van . It matched the card base perfectly even though from 2 different companies !!
• I tied a piece of holiday twine along the torn edge of the red van and a piece of natural twine along the edge of the blue van.
• I used a red card base for the red van and a tree-patterned card base for the blue van.
• These stamps were so cute that I couldn't resist making 2 cards !!

• The reindeer was stamped in Nocturne ink  towards the bottom of a page of my watercolor paper.
• The sentiment was stamped with a Memento Dew Drop in Lady Bug  and the holly with Bamboo Leaves. 
• I colored the reindeer with a Tombow Dual Brush marker.
• At the top of the watercolor paper, I adhered a border made with a scrap of red snowflake patterned paper,
• Across the top of the border, I adhered a piece of red glitter washi and a piece of holly washi.
• Red rhinestones were placed on the holly leaves for berries.
• A gold glitter heart was adhered  next to the sentiment.

• The bird/branch image was stamped with Nocturne ink.
• I stamped the sentiment with a Bamboo Leaves Dew Drop by Memento.
• I colored the bird with my Faber-Castell PITT Artist pens.
• A strip of gold glitter washi was placed under the branch and a strip of pinecone washi beneat that.
• Red rhinestones were added to the branches.
• I adhered the completed watercolor panel to a piece of metallic pink paper.
• The entire completed panel was adhered to a patterned card base . 

I hope that you are inspired by my January cards !! Are you working on your stash already ?? Please take a moment to look at the other Crafty Elves' creations -

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak @   Life of a BZScrapper

Michael Trent @ World of Michael Trent

Jessica Pickeral @ Polka Dot Orchard

Lisa and I are so glad that Michael and Jessica have joined us as Crafty Elves !! We are a veritable Santa's workshop of holiday card-making. Looking forward to seeing you next month with our February projects !!

Debra Davison/ Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste - December

It's hard to believe another year is coming to an end !! Celeste and I have been busy getting ready for the holidays and this latest inspiration photo was perfect to keep our creative juices flowing .. We hope that all of you are almost ready to celebrate this season with your family and friends.  

I recently learned about the 757 Creative Reuse Center in Norfolk, VA and donated some of my craft supplies that I was destashing. Paper, stickers, stamps, punches - it felt good to know that someone would give them a good home . And of course, while I was there, I had to look around. They have an amazing variety of stamps and I had so much fun looking through drawers and drawers of wood-mounted stamps. I was thrilled to find several Paula Best stamps and was inspired to use one for my card this month.

• I stamped the Paula Best Cat Angel onto watercolor paper, using my favorite Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and trimmed it to fit my card base.
• On a pink glitter card base, I adhered a piece of cat-themed Christmas paper by Recollections.
• A strip of red snowflake washi tape was placed across the bottom of the stamped image.
• The image was colored with some Tombow Dual Brush markers and glitter pens. It's hard to see but the wings have areas of silver and gold glitter.
• This stamp reminded me of our cat Pixie, even though she is not as round !!

Celeste and I showed each other our cards this evening and we were pleasantly surprised that we chose similar colors. You can see her project over at her blog - Crafting Junky. We would love for you to follow our blogs if you are not already doing so. And please leave a comment to let us know what you think of our cards this month.

My coffee this month is Gingerbread and I am drinking it from my new HONDA stainless steel bottle by Fifty/Fifty. We recently bought a Honda HRV and got to choose a fun item from their shop .. Brian got a ball cap and of course, I got a coffee cup !! Isn't it just the cutest !!!! The perfect size for my coffee at my desk at work.

Thank you again for visiting Meticulosity. Celeste and I have decided to continue with our Coffee & Cards in 2020 so you will see us again throughout the New Year. We might even have a guest or two. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday with your family and friends.  I appreciate each and every one of you !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

October Cookies - Take 3

I'm excited that we get to do a 3rd Cookie Challenge this month !! We also get 3 paychecks this month so I am feeling extra lucky !! I have to say that the cookie photo for Challenge #129 is absolutely gorgeous - those colors together are fantastic. This Challenge runs through November 13, so be sure to link up a project by the deadline.

I decided I wanted to use that amazing color combination for my project !! I have been working on my November planner pages and had the perfect stamp to use  from Your Next Stamp. Ellie Loves Lattes was the perfect size for my new Rifle Paper planner. 

• I stamped  Ellie on watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then cut it out with the matching die.
• The stamped image was colored with my Tombow Dual Brush Pens .
• I adhered Ellie to the right side of my November monthly planner page.I used Autumn patterned washi tape and multiple Autumn-themed stickers to complete my pages. Dots were placed on the dates that I work. Coffee cups are placed on the days I have coffee dates with my bestie.
• Many of the Autumn stickers that I used were from PaperHouse  Productions .

My 2020 Rifle Paper planner

Please head over to the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Blog to see what the other Design Team members created for this Challenge !! I'm positive that they will all be fabulous .. And be sure to link up a project of your own before November 14.  Once again, thanks so much for visiting Meticulosity .. 

Debra Davison /Meticulosity

Woodblock Wednesday / Guest Designer

I will admit that I absolutely LOVE my woodblock stamps and must have several hundred. So I was over the moon thrilled when Amy Tsuruta asked me to join her for Woodblock Wednesday. Since July of this year, she has been been using a favorite woodblock stamp each Wednesday and blogging about what she has created. She has also had several guest designers and I was so excited to be asked. 

I have not unmounted any of my woodblock stamps. I have so many favorites  and they are  all displayed on several shelves and cabinets in my craft room. I have given many away as I destash periodically but all of the rest will stay mounted. The stamp I chose to use is one I bought in 2008 - Mimi's Pumpkin Patch from DeNami Design .

• I chose 2 Autumn-patterned papers from my scrap stash and adhered them to a white card base, leaving a small margin around all 4 sides.
• I cut the leaf patterned paper on the diagonal and placed that in the bottom right corner of the card on top of the star paper. 
• Versafine Clair Nocturne ink  was used to stamp Mimi's Pumpkin Patch.
• The image was colored with a variety of my Tombow Dual Brush Pens  and then cut to fit the front of the card. 
• Several Hero Arts Hues "Earth" Dots were placed around the image.
• I popped up the small golden pumpkin on the right side of Mimi with foam tabs for some added dimension.

$5 clearance cabinet with some favorite woodblock stamps

Many thanks to Amy for inviting me to share my love of woodblock stamps as her guest for Woodblock Wednesday. Please check out Amy's blog post  HERE to learn all about her card that is shown below !! Isn't it just the cutest ?!?!?!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity !

Debra Davison

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / October

Our weather here in Virginia Beach is finally starting to cool off.. Today we did have a 75 degree day but now it is cool enough to open windows and there is a lovely breeze!! Celeste chose our Mood Board pic for this month and it is a perfect Autumn image.

I had a fabulous new stamp to use for this month's project.  Ellie Loves Lattes from Your Next Stamp was so much fun to ink up, die-cut and color !! I know that I will be using this stamp set often and already have ideas for a Christmas version !! But for now, she is dressed in her cute Fall outfit, drinking her Pumpkin Spice Latte.

• I stamped  Ellie on watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, die-cut her with the matching die and then colored her with Tombow Dual Brush Pen Markers .
• The sentiment was also stamped with Nocturne Ink, cut to leave a small margin and then colored also with Tombow markers.
• At the top of a brown card base, I adhered an Autumn floral patterned paper border, that was paper-punched with a Martha Stewart border punch.
• I wrapped Orange-striped twine several times around the patterned-paper at the top of the card and tied it in a knot.  ( Fact about me - I hate tying bows because I can't ever seem to get them perfect enough to suit me !! ) 
• At the bottom of the card, I placed a strip of honeycomb washi tape.
• Ellie and the sentiment were adhered to the front of the card using my Pink Scotch ATG gun.

This really was a fun image to play with and the quality of the stamps and die were amazing !! I'm sure that I will be using them frequently !! I'm looking forward to seeing what Celeste came up with for this month's card. I'm thinking it has something to do with coffee, since we both love to create coffee-themed cards !! You can find her project at her blog Crafting Junky .  My coffee for this post is Pecan Pie and I'm drinking it iced in a fun cup that I found at Wal-Mart !! I also used my favorite Prisma Photo App for my iPhone to make the picture even more fun !!

Thank you for stopping by again this month to see what Celeste and I are up to. We hope that you are inspired by our projects and would love if you would sign up to follow our blogs. 

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity