One of the hard and fast rules I have for craft supplies is that I never buy stamps without dies. So how come I got the House Mouse Creative Day Stamp Set? The answer is simple — giveaways. I always include a handmade card when I send off a giveaway prize. The creative day sentiment and the cardmaking mouse are just perfect for those cards!
Stamping and Coloring
I stamped the little mousie with Ranger Archival Ink in the color Watering Can on Hammermill Cardstock.
Then I colored her with my Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. I know that conventional wisdom says that Archival Inks aren’t alcohol-marker friendly. But it worked fine. 🤷🏼♀️ I didn’t try to heat set the ink or anything.
For the colors I used, check out the table below.
Instead of a Die
To help myself with the fussycutting, I created a template from acetate. I did this by tracing around the stamp. Then I cut out my template. I added a piece of washi tape to it, so I won’t lose it. The nice thing about acetate, is that I can see through it. So I know how well I’ve placed it.
Next I placed the template over one of my stamped images and gently drew the outline in pencil. Then I followed the pencil line while cutting. I smoothed out the curves with an emery board that I only use for cardstock. The kind I use has different grits on the two sides. They’re also great for removing the little “hairs” that you some times get when die cutting.
I repeated the same process for a piece of Accent Opaque, but cut well inside the lines. I glued it to the back of the colored piece. Then I added foam tape to the back.
Sentiment
I stamped the sentiment with Versamark Embossing Ink. Then I sprinkled on Distress Embossing Glaze in Salvaged Patina, Kitsch Flamingo and Speckled Egg. I heated it with my Wagner heat gun and allowed it to cool. Finally I cut it out with a Spellbinders sentiment strip die that unfortunately is retired. I also cut one more from Accent Opaque and layered it behind the embossed one.
Assembly
For the front of my A2 notecard, I selected a blue-gray textured paper that I got in a destash many moons ago. It goes well with the Speckled Egg in the sentiment. I popped up our creative mouse on some foam tape. Then I glued the sentiment to the top of the card.
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