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

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - August 2020

I never in my wildest imagination thought that 6 months later, we would still be dealing with COVID .  I miss hanging out at the coffee shop and the bookstore, meeting my friend for coffee every Saturday if I am not scheduled to work,  trying out new restaurants with Brian and  getting out with him when he plays music. I am still being very cautious with trips out mainly to the grocery store and work . I can't risk getting sick. And I see so many who are not being safe.So I stay home and create when I can concentrate . But I'll admit that it gets a bit harder as the months go by.  But here we are again - The Crafty Elves - , inspiring you as we make a Christmas card each week and post them on the 25th of each month . Jessica, Lisa, Michael and I are excited to help you beat the upcoming holiday stress.

This month, I used a stamp set by Craft Sensations by Grafix from the Netherlands and 2 stamps from Technique Junkies. I also used a variety of papers, my Copics, sequins, sentiments and some glitter pens to decorate the cards. 

Santa Checks stamp from Technique Junkies

Mrs. Santa's List from Technique Junkies

Coffee Cup stamp from Craft Sensations 

 

Ornaments ( paper-pieced ), Holly, Star and Skate by Craft Sensations by Grafix

The other Crafty Elves have also been  keeping very busy making holiday cards and you can take a peek at them all here on their blogs -

Lisa - Life of a BZScrapper

Michael  - World of Michael Trent

Jessica -  Polka Dot Orchard Blog

Thanks so much for visiting Meticulosity once again.. There are only 4 months left until Christmas and we will be returning next month with more inspiration !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

August Cookies / Take 2

The latest challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie is a sweet one. We would love for you to link up a project of your own before September 3. I had a few stamp sets that I could have used but the one from Stampendous kept calling my name ! This was just the cutest inspiration photo...

I love this line of fairy stamps from Stampemdous.  The Whisper Jam  stamp seemed to be exactly what I needed for this challenge . She was such fun to color and I stamped several additional  images to color at a later date. 

• I stamped the Whisper Jam image from Stampendous on Strathmore Marker Paper with Gina K  Amalgam ink and then fussy-cut the image.
• The image was colored with  my Copics.
• I cut a piece of Jillibean Soup Coconut Lime Soup paper to fit my watercolor card base and then cut that piece of paper in half on the diagonal - from lower left to upper right.
• After adhering the diagonal piece of patterned paper to the base, I placed the stamped image on the lower right side of the card. 
• Stampin' Up Silver Glitter Glass was placed on the wings for some shimmer.
• I made a red label with my Pink Dymo Label Maker and adhered it  on the upper left side of the card. 

Take a look at all of the Design Team's projects over at the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie blog .Get inspired and create something of your own. I hope that you are all taking some time to de-stress during this period of social isolation/masking .  Get creative, read a book, write in your journal .. Take  some time to create a card to link up with us ..  And until next time .........

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity

Debra Davison

Lavinia Guest Designer - Challenge #33

I'm thrilled to be back as the Guest Designer for the latest Lavinia World Challenge #33. As always, the hardest part of these challenges for me is choosing which stamps to use.. The stamp I chose for today is Fleur . She reminds me of Russian Folk Art and my heritage on my father's side.  There is a new Lavinia World   "Anything Goes" Challenge every 2 weeks and we would love for you to link up a project .  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 . 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.

This Fleur stamp immediately caught my eye.. She didn't need lots of bling or sparkle . Just some bright colors and I absolutely fell in love with her.. 

• I stamped the Fleur image twice on Strathmore 400 Series Marker paper and trimmed it to fit my card.
• I fussy-cut one of the flowers from the stamped images.
• Both the image and extra flower were colored with my Copic markers.
• I cut a piece of Prima patterned paper and adhered it to a navy blue card base.
• The colored image was adhered at an angle on top of the patterned paper.
• A chipboard sentiment was placed in the lower right corner of the stamped panel.
• The extra flower was adhered with a foam tab for a bit of dimension.
• Several green and turquoise rhinestones were placed for a bit of shimmer. 

Take a look at the Challenge Blog Page to see the projects of the Design Team members. I'm sure that they are all fantastic as always !! You have until Monday, August 24 to link up a creation of your own. The challenges are bi-weekly and begin every other Thursday. I have had a wonderful time as a Guest Designer for Lavinia World.  Everyone has been very welcoming and supportive and I can't thank them enough !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

August Cookies / Take 1

Well here I go with the new Blogger !! If you ever end up reading this post, it will really be something of  a miracle.. The latest If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Challenge is a beautiful photo of white/off-white flowers . I really do love the card I made and hope that you do too ..

I got this Close To My Heart stamp /die set  Love Your Story  last year and immediately saw it in my mind when I first looked at the latest Challenge picture. It is just so dainty and was really fun to create with .. 

• I stamped the image on Strathmore Marker paper with Gina K Obsidian Amalgam ink  and used the die to cut it out.
• I cut a piece of vintage-patterned paper to fit a black card base and stamped the sentiment at the bottom, also in Obsidian ink.
• The image was colored with my Copic markers.
• After I adhered the patterned paper to the card base, I popped up the die-cut image with Foam Tabs.

One observation about the new Blogger is the ability to size your photos.  In the older version, you had to choose a size. I found that the large often wasn't large enough but extra-large went over into the images along the right side.  Now you can use a plus or minus sign that allows you to increase or decrease the size in a much more user-friendly manner.

This Challenge runs through August 19 so please link up a project of your own . Think flowers or doilies or pearls or baskets .. I'd love to see what you create !! Take a look at my team member's projects HERE .. Thank you again for visiting Meticulosity .. I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy ..

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Coffee and Cards with Deb and Celeste / July 2020

Here we are another month into our COVID-19 world and I was happy to be blogging with Celeste this weekend.  It gives me something to focus on besides what design mask I will wear next or should I really really venture out to the grocery store again !! This month we decided to do a Christmas in July post .. Many companies are having Christmas in July sales, there is a blog hop going on and even a few Facebook pages are focused on holiday card-making ..

For my card this time, I used an Inked Girl stamp "Becky" from Ink Road Stamps . It was their December 2019 Inked Girl .They are limited edition and there is a new one released each month. I thought that this one was perfect for the times we are in .... Normal anxiety, COVID anxiety, holiday anxiety. And then there is always hurricane anxiety !!  I will admit I am a bit of a worrier. 

It's time to switch 

from my regular anxiety

To my fancy

holiday anxiety

• I stamped Becky and the sentiment onto Strathmore Marker paper with Gina K Amalgam Ink.
• The image was colored with Copics.
• I cut banners from multiple patterns of holiday paper and stapled them to the left side of the stamped image.
• I adhered the image to a piece of red dotted paper and  then that piece to a pink card base.
• The sentiment was popped up with foam tabs.

Celeste has created a fun card over at her blog - Stamping Junky . Please take a look and leave her a comment. We would love for you to sign up to follow us each month.  This month I will be sending some holiday mail to one lucky commenter on this blog post .. I'll choose 1 person at random on August 1. So be sure to comment here !!

This month I'm drinking some  Hostess SnoBall Coffee in a beautiful holiday cup I got last year from Rifle Paper Company.  The coffee is chocolate, vanilla and coconut flavored.. Tastes just like a cupcake !!

Thank you for visiting Meticulosity once again . I hope that you are ALL staying safe and healthy.  I'm looking forward to the day when I can take my coffee picture at my local coffee shop while I hang out !! Until next time, stay creative !!

Debra Davison / Meticulosity

Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas - July 2020

Here we are in July --- we are still staying home  for the most part here in Virginia and also wearing mandated masks when we go out.. It has also been near 100 degrees for most of the week AND we just had a power outage while I was starting to work on this post !!  But I am not complaining . I have much to be grateful for .. And that includes all of the holiday cards that I have been making each week along with the other Crafty Elves - Michael, Lisa and Jessica !! 

No big descriptions again this month - just a quick list of supplies .. I did have fun with some favorite Rubber Moon stamps !! And my last card used some cute chipboard die-cuts that I have been hoarding .  If you have any questions about any of my cards for this month, just ask ..

Cardinal Sled with Snowman - Rubber Moon

Strathmore Toned Tan Mixed Media paper

Small Talk sentiment - Tim Holtz Ideaology

Tumbled Glass Distress Glitter

Copic Markers

Bird with Star and Tree - Rubber Moon

Moonlighting - Rubber Moon

Small Talk sentiment - Tim Holtz Ideaology

Watercolor Words washi- Rubber Moon

Give Me Paper  - Rubber Moon

Lots of patterned paper !!

Merry Everything paper pad - Recollections

Christmas paper pad - Carta Bella

Small Talk sentiment - Tim Holtz Ideaology

Copic Markers

I changed the words from " my next birthday" to Christmas !!

I loved this so much that I had to make 2 !!

Chipboard Die Cuts

To My Bestie stamp set - Close To My Heart

Copic Marker

The other Crafty Elves have been busy all month too and I can't wait to see what they have created !! You can check them out on their blogs here :

Lisa Reynolds Bzibziak - Life of a BZ Scrapper

Michael Trent - World of Michael Trent

Jessica Pickeral -  Polka Dot Orchard Blog

Thanks so much for following us all these past 7 months as we create our holiday cards each week for our monthly post !! I've already started addressing envelopes so I will be even more ready when Christmas season arrives ..

There is a also fun holiday blog hop right now - hosted by my crafty friend, Crystal Minkler and her team.  She has a Facebook page - Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers . Check out their Hop HERE for all of the info . I will be linking up these 5 cards of  mine throughout today.

Debra Davison / Meticulosity