Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas / May 2024

It's hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year !! This month Lisa and I are being joined by our former Crafty Elf teammate, Michael Trent !! We are happy to have him back for May and can't wait to see what he's come up with ..

For my cards this month, I used 2 stamp sets by Julie Nutting for Prima Marketing Inc. - Merry Nice and Warm Wishes . These are older stamp sets from 2014 but can still be found on Etsy and eBay. 

• I stamped the Warm Wishes Prima girl on  2  pieces of white cardstock and then stamped the holly leaf next to each girl , using Memento Tuxedo Black ink .
• The girls and holly were colored with my COPICS.
• Using Memento Lady Bug and Cottage Ivy inks ,I stamped the sentiments.
• Naughty or Nice was stamped on a piece of white cardstock and then die-cut with a Pierced Chain Round Die.
• Happy Winter was stamped on a piece of tan patterned paper and then die-cut with a Stitched Rectangle Die.
• The scallop borders were die-cut from a Basic  Grey 25th and Pine paper pad that I have been hoarding since 2013. I used a Tim Holtz Alterations  Scallops  die from Sizzix .
• I adhered a scalloped border to the top of each stamped panel . The die  makes 2 borders - 1 with holes punched across the border and 1 without .
•  I adhered the sentiments to each panel with foam tabs.
• Naughty or Nice was adhered to a Kraft card base and Happy Winter to a white card base.

I have many of these Prima girls and will be inking more of them up soon !! I hope they inspire you to get started on a few holiday cards .. For more creativity, take a look at Michael's and Lisa's cards at these links -

World of Michael Trent

Life of a BZscrapper

Thanks so much for stopping by . And a BIG thank-you to Michael for joining us, We will see you next month as we reach the halfway mark to Christmas 2024 !! 

Until then, stay creative ..

Coffee & Cards with Deb & Celeste - November

It's been a busy month here for me with work and creative deadlines and trying to balance home life. But especially at this time of year, I try to remember that I have so much to be thankful for. And that includes having a virtual cup of coffee each month with my friend, Celeste. This month, our theme is Thankful & Grateful.

For my card, I wanted to use a Mommy Lhey Design stamp set - Sweater Weather.  It has many fun stamps included that I decided to combine for my project.

• Using my MISTI and Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, I stamped each of the images - the fox, sentiment, pumpkin and sweater - in a square pattern onto a piece of watercolor paper.
• I colored the images using Tombow Dual Brush Pens .
• On a dark brown card base, I adhered 2 coordinating patterns of Julie Nutting "November - December" paper .
• I added several Prima Marketing Crystals to the lower right side and upper left side of the card. 
• The stamped image was popped up on the card base with foam tabs.

As I sit here writing this, I am drinking a cup of Pecan Pie coffee in a holiday Starbucks cup. I just bought a new turquoise Keurig coffee maker and have been thoroughly enjoying it.

I'm excited to see what Celeste has made and you can check it out on her blog  - Crafting Junky . With Thanksgiving coming , I just want to say thank-you to everyone who visits Meticulosity. I appreciate all of your comments - please sign up to follow me so you don't miss any new posts. 

Until next time, Stay Creative.

Debra Davison

TAGS --- You're it !!

Cards are my comfort zone....I create one almost every day.. I have made small gift tags, decorated several notebooks and made a few containers at the stamping groups I attend. But this year, I happened to see a Halloween Tag Swap sponsored by Jess Kinderstampo -- officially  the Kinderstampo Julie Nutting Halloween Tag Swap.. We were to use a Julie Nutting paper doll stamp and the theme, of course was Halloween.. I had to make 10 and send them in when I was finished.. I would then get 10 in return from others in the Swap... I do not like to make the same card twice - exactly the same way - so I ended up creating 10 different designs. I wanted to try something new and was also excited to be involved in it with a group.. After some initial hesitation ( because I had seen some of the previous gorgeous tag swap designs ), I had a blast making all of them.. I thought of them as cards and this lessened my nervousness at sharing them with 10 other designers..I used transparencies, flowers, washi, Distress markers, ribbon etc.... And I am now officially in love with Julie Nutting's paperdoll stamps..

Gathering my supplies, choosing paper for the dresses... Oh, and gotta have my coffee. I used some of my favorite Graphic 45 "Steampunk Spells" paper. It was perfect !!

My Julie Nutting Paper Doll gals

I really had so much fun making these tags. They were all colored using my 

Ranger Ink / Tim Holtz Distress Markers

I will admit that when I sent them out after completion, I had a little tear in my eye.. It was like sending 10 little children to kindergarten for the first time.... Below are the tags I received in return... All amazing works of art. I challenge you today to get out of your comfort zone... Sign up for a swap, make something different, try a new technique.. You will be so glad you did !!

Thanks to Jess Kinderstampo for hosting this Swap and to the amazing Julie Nutting for creating such amazing stamps.