Betty and Henry Christmas Mouse

I made this card using Betty & Henry Christmas Mouse from Whiff of Joy. I followed Jane’s tutorial on combining the charm and pin. This is such a cute stamp and I’m offering it as Blog Candy this week – so don’t miss out! This was my first time using lacy lace and I think I’ll use it more often – it changed the whole feel to the card!


Challenge: Sparkle Creations Christmas Card Challenges
Main Stamp: Betty & Henry Christmas Mouse (WoJ)
Patterned Paper: Signature Christmas (MME)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eleven
Copic Colors:
-mice: W1, W3, W5, W7, E04, RV11, R35
-clothes: YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99, R35, R37, R39, E51, E53, R00, R20, R22, E41, E42, E43, E44, W3
-other: C1, E41, E42, E43, E44, R00, R20, R22,

Did you know? Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric.
[Lace, Wikipedia.org]

Blog Candy – Whiff of Joy

I have a candy corn toy that sings these lyrics in the style of “I Want Candy” by Aaron Carter. Because of it, every time I walk down the Halloween aisle or see someone’s blog candy offerings, it immediately fills my head!

It’s Halloween, let’s Trick-or-Treat,
up and down the scary street;
Candy bars on every side,
drop the treats and stuff inside;

I want candy,
I want candy!

Now that I’ve got the song stuck in your head…. who wants blog candy!?!? Thanks to Katharina from Whiff of Joy, she sent over this adorable Betty & Henry Christmas Mouse stamp along with some wonderful embellishments, including metal beads and Hello Kitty charms! If that wasn’t enough, I’ve added a small sampling of Signature Christmas paper from My Minds Eye.


Here’s what you have to do: If you’re not already, become a follower of my blog then leave a comment on this post. That’s it! If you wanted to tell me your favorite cards or site features that would be fun, but it’s not necessary. The blog candy closes on September 28 CST and a random winner will be announced on September 30! Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Firefly Chloe

I made this card using Firefly Chloe digi from InStyle Stamps which will be released later this week. Our projects this week were sponsored by Glue Arts and I’ll be posted my review which describes all the products I used. Check out the InStyle Stamps blog for a chance to win your own Glue Arts products and to see more projects using Firefly Chloe.


Theme: InStyle Stamps Release Preview
Main Stamp: Firefly Chloe (ISS)
Patterned Paper: Paper samples from ISS – thanks Virginia!
Metal Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four
Copic Colors:
-skin: E000, E00, E11
-hair: E50, E51, E53
-clothes: 0, B000, B52, E50, E51, E53, YR000, YR01, YR02
-other: G20, G40, E82, E94, E99, G000, R05

Did you know? Fireflies or lightning bugs are winged beetles known for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a “cold light”, with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. This chemically-produced light from the lower abdomen may be yellow, green, or pale red – wavelengths from 510 to 670 nanometers.
[Firefly, Wikipedia.org]

Tips, Tricks & Techniques 0x01B

InStyle Stamps teamed up with Glue Arts this week and generously provided us with Glue Arts products to use and review. Want some? Be sure to check out InStyle Stamps Blog for more details and a chance to win some Glue Arts products this week!

Thanks to InStyle Stamps and Glue Arts, I received the Glue Glider Pro, Ribbon Adhesive, 3D Combo Pack and Mini Adhesive Squares. I used them on all my InStyle Stamps cards this week, which are Firefly Chloe today, Amelia Chloe on Thursday and finally Janice on Friday. Below list the details on where I used them on these projects and how they worked out for me.


[1] On each of my cards I used the Glue Glider Pro adhesive gun with the Perma Tac cartridge. At first the despensor was awkward because I’m used to the small Tombo design for Mono Adhesive, and in comparison, this one dwarfed that model. However, toward the end of my projects I was able to handle it gracefully and even got good at using the built-in brake. The adhesive sticks well and has a nice secure bond. I give this product a thumbs-up and will continue to use it.

[2] The 3D Combo Pac included Raisen’s, double-sided adhesive squares, and UCutIt, 3D adhesive foam sheets. The Raisen’s has the same feel and stick as the stuff on a gift card when you buy it from a store. You know the rubbery silicone stuff that keeps the card to the paper? Although it didn’t hold any of my embellishments, it would be good to use for a temporary application, such as gift cards or bookmarks that are meant to come off. I attempted to use it on the butterfly button, flower charm and paper ticket but finally had to use something else.

I used the UCutIt 3D foam to add dimension to each of the cards, including the paper ticket, but since I had to go through the effort of cutting it, I’d rather use foam dots. With that said, however, the foam sheets would be perfect for specialized applications such as shaker cards. My suggestion for both? Keep a pack on hand for specialized applications but it wasn’t helpful to me for my everyday card making.

[3] I tried using the Ribbon Adhesive Spool on the black and pink orandy ribbon. The stick was very good and would have held the ribbon well. However, I couldn’t easily access the tape without making a big ball of a mess. The spool edges were too high and kept me from pressing the ribbon into the tape, and when cutting off a strip, it would stick to the scissors and separate from the backing before I could transfer it to the ribbon. In the end, I finally set it aside and left the ribbon to hold on its own accord.

[4] Finally I tried out the Mini Adhesive Squares but had the same trouble accessing the squares on the spool. I ended up carefully taking them off with my fingers to apply them. This is what I finally used on the butterfly button, flower charm and paper dragonflies. They worked just as well as the small Glue Dots but without the thoughout packaging. It was still handy to use so I’ll be able to finish the product but I’m going to tear off one side of the spool.

Tiny Dancer

I made this card using Tiny Dancer from Wags ‘n Whiskers. The challenge is to create a card or project with a birthday theme. I colored a black outfit because that’s what I see more often than not, especially at dance classes.


Challenge: Wags ‘n Whiskers – Challenge #32
Main Stamp: Tiny Dancer (WnW)
Patterned Paper: Nana’s Nursery – Baby Girl (DCWV)
Metal Die: My Favorite Things Die-namics Cloud Trio
Copic Colors:
-skin: E000, E00, E11, R20
-hair: E43, E44, E47, E49
-clothes: W2, W4, W5, W7, W10, R20, R22

Did you know? There are three main types of ballet: Classical, Neoclassical and Contemporary. It is easy to recognize Classical ballet because it adheres to these rules:
* Everything is turned-out.
* When the feet are not on the floor, they’re pointed.
* When the leg is not bent, it’s stretched completely.
[Ballet, Wikipedia.org]

Christian Back to School

I made this card using Christian Back to School by Simply Betty Stamps. I’ve been set on a personal challenged by my husband to truly make “the impossible” boy card since we think hand-made does not equal boy! However, he says this one fits the bill! The other one posted today didn’t – win some, loose some.


For the sentiment, I drew out HB for Happy Birthday and colored it graffiti style then set it on a decorative bottle cap. The second one shows one I drew for my Mom on the same day. The challenge is to create a card or project using a birthday boy theme, all about boys, and finally to use Amy’s Straight Hair technique.


Challenge: Lollipop Crafts – Challenge #8
Challenge: Color Me Copic – Challenge #4
Challenge: The Creative Cottage – Challenge #23
Main Stamp: Christian Back to School (SBS)
Patterned Paper: Homeroom (TPCS)
Copic Colors:
-skin: E000, E00, E11
-hair: E11, E13, E15, E19, E08
-clothes: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, E40, E41, E43
-other: YR20, YR21, YR23

Did you know? Darwin’s bark spider, a species new to science from Madagascar, weaves its huge web over flowing rivers, stretching up to 80 feet (25 meters) over rivers. It is so big that it can catch 30 or more prey insects at any one time.
[Gigantic Spider’s Web, BBC.UK.Co]