Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / May 2026

The Crafty Elves are back with their May holiday inspiration for you !! Michael, Lisa and I post each month on the 25th to get you in the mood to start on your holiday card-making along with us.

I got out an embossing folder I have been wanting to try, along with a favorite Impression Obsession stamp designed by my friend Nola. The image was colored with my new sets of  Ohuhu markers .I got a 48 count Honolulu B bright set and a pastel set .These have a brush and a fine tip and I am really enjoying them already !!

• I stamped the IO image on a piece of white cardstock .
• The image was colored with my Ohuhu markers.
• I die-cut the stamped image with a stitched border die.
• I used the Sizzix "Texture Fades" Holiday Knit embossing folder by Tim Holtz  on a piece of red cardstock .
• The embossed panel was adhered to a white card base,
• The stamped panel was popped up on the embossed panel with foam tabs.
• A Tim Holtz sentiment strip was adhered at the bottom of the card .

This was a fairly simple card to make and I love it .. I even stamped out a few more images to color . You can see what Michael and Lisa made over at their blogs -

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

We are having some cooler weather here thankfully. But with it came rain !! We did need it but maybe not on a long holiday weekend.  Thank you for stopping by . We will see you next month, when we will be at the halfway mark to Christmas 2026 .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / September 2025

This month, Celeste had the great idea to use up some of our scraps . I used to keep two whole  drawers full of paper scraps - 1 for solid colors and another for patterned paper. But I decided to consolidate and just keep one drawer, which narrowed down my selection for today. I did find some great pieces of scrap paper though and made a great background for my card .

Celeste's Scrap Stash

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the scraps I chose so I just placed them on a card base and hoped I would come up with an idea !! I decided to look through some Close To My Heart stamp sets and found one that I thought would work with my background. Here are the scraps that I used , All I did was trim them down to get several lengths and attached them to a navy card base.

And here is my finished card ..

• The stamp set is I'd Rather Be Reading from Close To My Heart  (which unfortunately has closed ).
• I stamped the shelf and sentiment on cream cardstock . I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink for the shelf and the matching die to cut the shelf .
• The sentiment was stamped with Impression Obsession Ruby  ink .
• The shelf was colored with Copics and Sharpies.
• I adhered the shelf to the scrap paper strips with foam tabs to add some dimension .
• The sentiment was die-cut with a Big Little Chain Rectangle die from Gina Marie Designs .
• I adhered the sentiment to the bottom right corner of the card base .

I am really happy with how this card turned out, especially since I had no idea what I was doing when I sat down to make it !! Do you ever grab some scarps from your stash and create with them ?? This was a fun theme !!  I can't wait to see what Celeste came up with . Take a look at her blog Crafting Junky to see her card ..

For my coffee this month, I chose McCafe'  Affogato .. It tastes like Vanilla soft serve ice cream and is absolutely delicious !!  My cup is a Starbucks Amsterdam mug brought back for me by a friend. It must have been International Day here because I'm reading a book set in Scotland from a Netherlands cup while drinking American coffee !! 

Thank you for joining me today as I use up some scraps . I hope Celeste and I have inspired you to take a look in your stash and create something !! Until next time, I hope you will enjoy some creative time, drink some good coffee and read a good book .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / July 2025

There are only 5 months until Christmas !! Where has the time gone?? Lisa, Michael and I have been making our holiday cards all year long and will have a nice stash when it comes time to mail them off to family and friends .. 

   

When I think of the holidays, I always remember that it is also Hallmark movie season.  A new batch of movies to watch along with some older favorites .. They start showing them before Thanksgiving and I have to admit that I'm hooked . Are you ??  I made my card with a wood-mounted stamp from Impression Obsession  - Hallmark Movie Season, designed by Lindsey Waltman Ostrom .. IO is now closed but I definitely have a wonderful stash to use when I create. 

• I stamped the "Hallmark Movie Season" image on a piece of white watercolor cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• I trimmed the stamped image, leaving room at the top and bottom for some holiday washi .
• The image was colored with my COPICS.
• 2 strips of holiday washi were placed above the stamped image and 1 below.
• I adhered a piece of Cozy Christmas paper from My Mind's Eye to a tan card base. The paper reminded me of a cross-stitch pattern !!! I used to cross-stitch constantly and love that paper design . 
• The stamped image was matted with a piece of green cardstock, then adhered to the patterned paper with foam tabs.
• A gingerbread man was placed on the stamped panel under the N in season .

We are glad you stopped by to see our latest holiday creations. And we hope you are inspired to start on your holiday cards ahead of time too!! Check out the links below to see what Michael and Lisa have created.

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZscrapper

 We will be back next month with some more holiday  cards to show you .

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste / March 2024

For our post this month, Celeste and I are going with a Green theme ! Very appropriate for St. Patrick's Day today AND to link up to the latest Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge , whose theme this month is also GREEN. 

My first card today is an idea that I immediately thought of when we decided to do a Green theme for March .  I used a $1 Clearance stamp from Impression Obsession  - Lillian . AND I got to use one of my favorite cereals in my photo !!

• The Lillian images ( girl and sentiment ) were stamped on a piece of white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• It was cut with a square decorative die .
• I colored the image with my COPICS and then added some clear glitter to the wings.
• Green rhinestones were placed  above the sentiment .
• A piece of floral patterned paper was adhered to an ombre' green card base.
• The completed stamped panel was adhered to the  patterned paper with foam tabs.

My second card was made with the Warm Winter Wishes stamp & die set  from Brutus Monroe . I'm linking it up to the latest Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge. Follow that link for all the details .  It's a fun monthly challenge that will inspire you with holiday ideas  to help you build your stash .  There is always one randomly chosen winner each month to win a prize.

#caffeinatedchristmascardchallenge  #cccc27

• I adhered a piece of blue/green plaid patterned paper to a white card base.
• The cup image was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on white cardstock and the sentiment on a piece of red cardstock .
• The images were cut with their matching dies .
• I colored the cup/hands image with my COPICS and then adhered it to the plaid paper with foam tabs.
• The sentiment was placed on the bottom right corner of the card .

I'm drinking a yummy Cafe' Bustelo "Cafe' Con Leche" in a fun Calamity Mug that my friend Nola gave me .. The K-cup already has sweetener and milk added and it is just perfect - like dessert in a cup !!

Be sure to check out Celeste's project for March over at Crafting Junky . Thank you for stopping by .. I'm wishing you all the luck of the Irish today and all year long with one of my favorite Irish sayings - 

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

There's a New Challenge in Town

I saw some information about a new Challenge Blog that intrigued me. The Four Seasons Challenge Blog is a monthly challenge and the theme is always Seasonal Anything Goes. You can read all about it at their link . September, October and November are the Fall months so I decided to link up a project of my own to get me in the mood for cooler days, sweater weather, pumpkin spice and beautiful autumn colors !! Their mood board is absolutely gorgeous !!

For my card, I used a favorite stamp from Impression Obsession - Coffee Blooms - designed by my amazingly talented friend, Lindsay Ostrom. This stamp can be colored to match any season, but I think it's especially beautiful  with Fall colors.

• The Coffee Blooms image was stamped on watercolor paper with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam Ink and then punched with a 2.5 inch circle punch.
• I colored the image with my COPICS .
• Using scraps from a favorite paper pad -       - I cut out several coordinating Fall-patterned strips. 
• I used a larger scrap for the main panel of my card, adhering it to a Kraft card base.
• The Fall strips were adhered vertically  across the card, leaving space between
• The completed circle was adhered in the lower right corner of the card with foam tabs.
•  Several coordinating sequins were placed around the cup.
• A piece of twine was tied across the top of the card to complete it.

You have through September 25th to enter this Challenge and winners will be announced on the 28th . I hope that you will welcome this new Challenge by linking up a card of your own. I know that all of my crafty friends have a stamp/stamps they can use !! 

Thank you for stopping by Meticulosity and checking out my Fall Four Seasons project ..  Show Darlene and Diane and their new Challenge Blog some love by creating something of your own ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / March 2021

March is here and it's feeling like Spring but that doesn't mean you can't be getting ready for the holidays !! Michael, Lisa and I are back with our cards as the Crafty Elves Countdown to Christmas As always, I'm excited to see what they make because it always inspires me. I hope that we all inspire you too !!

I've been working full-time during this past year of COVID and creativity is my bliss.. I enjoy looking through all of my holiday stamps and choosing  what I'll be using for my cards. This is the first month that I wasn't sure if I've used a stamp before or not.. I guess I should have kept a list !! Maybe that will be a project for the coming week..

 

This Paula Best "Cat Christmas Tree" stamp is a favorite. I'm not sure if I've used it before  in these posts!! Her stamps are no longer available except on Etsy or eBay etc.. I feel lucky that I have quite a few of them.

It was stamped on Strathmore Watercolor paper with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam Ink and colored with my COPICS. 

 

• I made a mini-slimline card with a piece of fun tree paper. I took a 6x6 piece and folded it in half. I am challenged filling all the space of a traditional slimline card so this mini size is perfect !!
• I used a hexagon paper punch and punched out 7, using coordinating Christmas design paper. I adhered them to the left side of the mini-slimline  in a wreath pattern - using the landscape positioning. 
• The snowman is from the Snowman Trio 2 set from Anthony's Paper Craft . It was stamped with Gina K Jet Black Amalgam Ink next to the hexagon. 
• I cut apart a Tim Holtz Idea-ology sentiment and adhered it next to the snowman on the right side of the card. 
• Red and green rhinestones were placed above and below the sentiment. 

• This stamp was designed by mu friend, Lindsay Ostrom ! She is a Hallmark movie lover and I absolutely love this stamp - Hallmark Season from Impression Obsession.
• It was also stamped with Gina K ink on watercolor paper and colored with my COPICS.
• I used some strips of washi above and below the stamped image. 
• A Tim Holtz Idea-ology sticker sentiment was placed beneath the stamped image. 
• Th cute border - stamped and die cut - at the top of the card is from Close To My Heart.

• This Starry Forest Die Cut Set caught my eye as soon as I saw it !! I was lucky that it was during a Spellbinders sale . I never pay more than $10 for an item during these sales and sometimes find very detailed die sets for $5 or less. 
  
• I cut the images out of different colored cardstock and also from a gold metallic paper. 
• I used several scrap papers to create a background scene and adhered them to a Kraft card base.
• The images from cardstock were adhered to the  metallic images, leaving a small golden edge showing .
• The images were adhered to the card base. I used the example on the Spellbinders packaging .. 
• A Paper House Productions Merry and Bright 3D sticker was placed on the upper left of the finished panel. 

These were fun cards to make and are a nice addition to my holiday stash !!  Take a look over at Michael's and Lisa's blogs to see what they have created for March. In the upcoming months we will have some Guest Elves joining us and are so excited to see what they create !!

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Lisa - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Comment on this post and I will choose someone at random and send them some fun holiday supplies to make a few holiday cards of their own !! Until next time, stay creative and above all,  STAY SAFE !!

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 - 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

April Cookies / 2020 - 2

Challenge #140 at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge Blog is an Anything Goes Challenge . I will post the original inspiration photo that you can use if you'd like. But with all of this COVID-19 quarantine/social distancing /global pandemic happening now, we decided to make it easy for you to play along with us and not worry about a theme. Just spend some time creating and lose yourself in something that soothes your soul for a bit.  The original inspiration pic has coffee in it and you'll probably be surprised that my card doesn't include that at all !! After all, it is a favorite theme of mine !! 

I'm an RN and work at a hospital. I'm no longer in direct patient care in the ICU where I worked for 25 years, but I still take care of patients behind the scenes and work with staff daily in the Telemetry department.  COVID-19 has transformed our workplace into something I never would have thought possible.  Employee's temperatures are checked as the enter the building to begin their day.  There are NO visitors except for certain circumstances. Masks are being worn by just about everyone  in all areas of the hospital. But along with all of these strange new parts of our day, we have formed a stronger, more cohesive, supportive team !! So when I saw this image created  by my friend Lindsay Ostrom, I just had to use it for this Anything Goes Challenge. 

• I printed the Miss You image from  Lindsay on Neenah Stardust White cardstock . You can find this and other images on her Creative Hand Lettering with Lindsay Facebook page or at this Impression Obsession link . 
• I cut the image to fit on a polka-dot card base and adhered it with my Scotch Pink ATG Gun. at an angle. 
• The masks and lettering were colored with my Mildliner Double Ended Highlighters . These are such fun highlighters  - I love all of the colors !! They have a bullet tip as well as a chisel tip. 
• A piece of twine was wrapped around and then tied into a bow on the left side of the card. 

I hope that all of you are staying safe and following the rules of social distancing in your areas. The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner we can get back to some semblance of our old normal... What is happening in our hospitals on a daily basis is tragic and we all can all be a part of the solution. In the meantime, take care of your families and yourself. Set aside some time to lose yourself in creating something. Read a book . Call a friend you haven't seen in awhile. I have coffee every Saturday with a friend and we still have coffee by phone each week.. I haven't talked her into a video chat yet !!  If you want to, create something and link it to our Anything Goes Challenge here .  You have 2 weeks to join in - it runs from April 16 through April 29. I hope you will also take a look at what some other team members have created. 

Thank you so much for visiting Meticulosity.

Until next time, Stay Creative.

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 & Celeste / February 2020

February is here and so are Celeste and I with another collaboration  !! It's been a bit cooler here in Virginia Beach  ( along with some 70 degree days  ), so what better time to start thinking about pretty Flowers that hopefully soon will be blooming .. Our theme is Floral !!

My wonderfully talented friend, Lindsay Ostrom creates stamps for Impression Obsession and I was lucky enough to get this one at her latest recent "unboxing" on Facebook. Coffee Blooms seemed to be the perfect stamp for this post and actually inspired it !! I hope that you will check out all of her stamps from Impression Obsession  here at their website.

• I stamped the Coffee Blooms image in the bottom right corner of a piece of watercolor paper with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.
• The images were colored with a variety of my favorite markers and watercolors. 
• I had bought a clearance tube of washi tape at Michaels recently with a coffee/floral theme. How perfect !! I added several strips of the coordinating washi at a diagonal across the watercolor paper base, above the stamped image. 
• The card fronts were adhered to several different card bases . 

Thank you for visiting my creative corner of the world for out latest collab !! Take a peek at Celeste's project over at her blog -  Crafting Junky. . Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think  of our February cards. We also would love it if you would follow our blogs ..

In spite of having gotten a flu shot, I still got a nasty case of Influenza A along with bronchitis. Because of that, I have been drinking lots of hot tea lately . But for my post today, I made a cup of Vanilla Biscotti coffee in a favorite bright RED Starbucks cup !!

SO glad that you have visited Meticulosity  again.

Until next time, Stay Creative !!

Debra Davison