Believe in the Magic of Christmas – Card

Today I’m sharing one of the Christmas card designs that I made for family and friends this year and some treats from the Garstang Victorian Christmas Festival that we went too a couple of weeks ago – Happy Christmas!

This card is designed with an embossing folder and stamp set that came free with a crafting magazine. To start, I embossed some white blank cards using a village scene embossing folder and my Big Shot machine. Then I stamped Santa and his reindeer flying across the sky and the wording “Believe in the Magic of Christmas” using a VersaMark Watermark stamp pad which I then covered with Tinsel Red embossing powder. I shook and tapped off any excess powder and used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder until it became dimensional with a sparkly glossy finish.

Next I used my Big Shot machine to die cut some snowflakes out of some festive design paper; I adhered a single snowflake to the front of each card adding a gem to the centre. Then I stamped some snowflakes around the snowflake and wording using Love Letter Memento Ink.

To finish, I also decorated the inside of the cards using a panel of the design paper that matched the die cut snowflake, another one of the die cut snowflakes and the snowflake stamp using the Love Letter ink again.

The Garstang Victorian Christmas Festival was wonderful! We enjoyed walking around listening to the music, shopping, sampling the food and taking in the joyous atmosphere. We particularly enjoyed these German marshmallow treats called ” Schokokuss” or “Christmas Kisses”.

We bought a box home with us; the flavours we chose were Caramel, Cherry, Rum and Raisin, Cinnamon and Baileys. If you are interested you can tour the factory and see how they are made here.

This is what they look like inside, so light and yummy! They were a lovely treat for our elevensies with our green tea being served in our new mugs (grin!). As T Stands for Tuesday I’m pleased to join the T Gang and wish you all a very Happy T Day and Happy Holidays!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

With my wintry village scene, I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Winter challenge.

As the challenge over at Country View Challenges is Christmas, I’m pleased to join them with my Believe in the Magic of Christmas card.

With all the stamping and sparkly Tinsel Red embossing, I’m also joining the Winter Sparkle challenge over at Stamping Sensations.

I’m pleased to be able to join the Christmas Challenge over at The Artistic Stamper with my Believe in the Magic of Christmas card too.

As this is the first time I have used an embossing folder, I’m joining the Try Something NEW! Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday.

I’m also pleased to be able to join the Picture Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps too with the red and white colours and snowy village scene that I included on my card.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tsukineko VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad
• Papermania Embossing Powder (Tinsel Red)
• Memento Ink (Love Letter)
• Winter Wonderland embossing folder and stamp set- free with magazine
• Dovecraft Cutting Dies (Merry Christmas DCDIE052X16)
• White card stock
• Poundland (Christmas Craft Pack)
• Oaktree UK Eleganza Craft Stickers (3mm 418 Gems Red No. 16)
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Stix2 double-sided tape

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Christmas Robin – Card

As you are probably aware I love robins, especially at Christmas, so today I created a Robin Christmas card using a Tim Holtz stamp and a pretty wintry background that was leftover from a previous project.

The leftover background was previously created using mixed media paper which I stamped with snowflakes using Simon Says Stamp Frozen Fractals stamp set and VersaMark Watermark ink and then covered with white Stampendous embossing powder. I shook and tapped off any excess powder and used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder until it became smooth and dimensional with a glossy finish. Next I used Milled Lavender, Chipped Sapphire and Salty Ocean Distress Ink to colour the background by spritzing the panel with water then applying the inks. Then I created my robin by stamping the bird on a branch stamp from Tim Holtz Urban Tapestry stamp set using Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I coloured the bird using Poppy Red and Charcoal Grey Derwent Inktense pencils and also added more details to the feathers, eye and beak using a black Derwent Graphik marker, white Uniball gel pen and a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. The foliage is stamped using the Urban Tapestry stamp set and the same brown inks too. I die cut the berry branches using Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens Thinlets and my Big Shot machine from white card stock and also a brown design paper. They are layered together slightly off centre making the white card stock look like a coating of snow, then I added Christmas Red Stickles to the berries to give them a glittery finish. I also die cut the “Merry Christmas” wording from the white card stock and brown design paper again as well as some blue vellum. I layered the three pieces together slightly off centre so the white card stock was on the bottom, the blue vellum was in the middle then the brown paper was on the top using a Zig Memory glue pen. To finish, I edged the panel with the Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker, then I stuck the berry branches and wording in place using mini glue dots and the Zig glue pen.

I have a number of robin Christmas decorations around the house too, some of which you may be able to see in this photo of me and my hubby – we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m so happy to be able to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Winter challenge with my wintry Christmas Robin stamped card.

As the challenge over at Country View Challenges is Christmas, I’m pleased to join them too as my Christmas robin fits this theme.

With all the stamping, the red glittery Stickles and shiny white embossing, I’m also joining the Winter Sparkle challenge over at Stamping Sensations.

I’m pleased to be able to join the Christmas Challenge over at The Artistic Stamper with my stamped Christmas Robin.

Over at That’s Crafty! Challenge Blog their theme is Anything Goes so I’m also joining this challenge.

I’m pleased to join in the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps too.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Simon Says Stamp Clear Stamp Set (Frozen Fractals SSS101694)
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Cling Rubber Stamps (Urban Tapestry CMS061)
• Tsukineko VersaMark Watermark Ink Pad
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Milled Lavender, Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo)
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Poppy Red, Charcoal Grey)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• Faber-Castell Craft Stamper Big Brush Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Garden Greens 661206)
• Dovecraft Cutting Dies (Merry Christmas DCDIE052X16)
• White Card Stock
• Simon Says Stamp (Blue Vellum)
• Poundland Design Pad (Changing Seasons CR0701/16PL1)
• Ranger Stickles (Christmas Red)
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Stix2 mini glue dots

Gift It … for Simon Says Stamp

Hi everyone!

I’m really enjoying my time in the Designer Spotlight this month over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

This week the theme is Gift It.

I’ve made packs of note cards for my friends, but you could also make a gift tag, gift bag or even wrapping paper etc.

I created two packs of note cards; these gift sets consist of a pink or blue wallet containing two note card designs with matching envelopes.  If you are interested to find out how I made everything, the details are below.

For the note cards, I started by cutting a panel out of white cardstock slightly smaller than 6×4 inch to fit my blank cards using my Fiskars paper trimmer. Then for the first design I stamped the circles from the Altenew Halftone Circles Stamp Set using Picked Raspberry, Mermaid Lagoon and Mustard Seed Distress Ink onto the panels. The sentiment is from the same stamp set and stamped using black Ranger Archival Ink.

Next I die cut a flower from white card stock using Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens Thinlets and my Big Shot machine, then I stuck the flower in place using a Zig glue pen. When the glue was dry, I outlined the flower with a black fine line marker to make it stand out more.

For the second note card design I followed the same process but I used Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean and Seedless Preserves Distress Inks for the circle stamping, one of the other sentiments from the same stamp set and also a different flower thinlet.

To finish, I edged the panels using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then I stuck each panel onto a blank card that I also made from the white card stock, using double-sided tape.

As these note cards are a gift I also created a wallet to present them in. The wallets are made from either Simon Says Stamp Cornflower Blue or Cotton Candy card stock which I scored to create fold lines on my Fiskars paper trimmer using a scoring tool.

I adorned them using the same stamp set and inks and die cuts but rather than repeating the card design, I created the die cut flowers out of white cardstock stamped using the circle stamps and Distress Inks, stuck them to the front of the wallet and outlined them so they stood out more. I then I stamped the sentiment using the black Archival Ink.

I inserted the card into the wallets with the matching envelopes – I hope my friends like them (grin!).

As I included bursts of colour as part of my gift set design, I’m also pleased to join Stamps and Stencils and their Remember, Remember 5th November challenge too.

I enjoyed making these gift sets and I hope that you will be inspired to join the Gift It challenge too! For more inspiration please check out the amazing creations from the Design Team over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Don’t forget that Simon Says Stamp are generously giving away a $50 voucher to shop at the Simon Says Stamp Store! and one lucky participant will be randomly drawn to win this voucher. How amazing is that! Good Luck to everyone!

As this is my last week in the Designer Spotlight this month with Simon Says  Stamp, I’d like to thank everyone for all your kind comments and support throughout the month and also say a special thank you to Simon Says Stamp for giving me the opportunity to design for them; I’ve had the most wonderful time!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of the materials over at Simon Says Stamp that were used to create this art journal page:

• Crafter’s Companion Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock
• Fiskars Paper Trimmer
• Altenew Halftone Circles Clear Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad Mini Kit 1 (Picked Raspberry, Mermaid Lagoon, Mustard Seed)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad Mini Kit 2 (Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens Thinlets
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Zig Chisel Tip Glue Pen
• Faber-Castell Fineline Artist Pens
• Faber-Castell Craft Stamper Big Brush Pen (Black)
• Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# Cornflower Blue
• Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# Cotton Candy
• Docrafts Clear Stamp Block Papermania
• Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy Cleaner

Just for you – Card

Excited to use my new Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour paint set again, I created some cards using my favourite stamps and embossing powders (grin!).

I started by cutting a panel of mixed media paper to fit a white 6×4” card which I made from white cardstock. I embossed white doily shapes and black butterflies onto the panel by first stamping a Doily by Kaisercraft using VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad and applying white Stampendous embossing powder over the top. Then I shook the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and tapped the tag against the table to make sure I’ve removed any stray powder. Once the excess powder was safely returned to its container, I used a craft heat gun to melt the embossing powder until the embossing powder melted into a glossy finish. I repeated the same process for the butterflies using a stamp designed by Graphic 45 Hampton Art using the VersaMark Watermark stamp pad again and this time I used black Papermania embossing powder. I added a filigree leaf stamp by Crafter’s Companion using Cottage Ivy Memento Ink and also a Script stamp by Kaisercraft using black Archival Ink. Next I painted the watercolour to the background by first wetting the paper and then adding Sap Green Light, Viridian and Lemon Yellow watercolour paint with a paintbrush and once dry I painted the filigree leaves with the same colours. I also added some Yellow Ochre watercolour paint to the centre of the card to break up the white space, then when the card was dry I splattered it with black DecoArt acylic paint. The “Just for you” is from the same stamp set from Crafter’s Companion and is stamped using black Archival Ink. I edged the paper panel with black Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker and stuck it on the 6×4” card using double-sided tape. Then to finish, I added silver glitter details to the butterfly wings using Ranger Stickles and also some glittery heart decorations using Glossy Accents.

Just discovered this gladioli in our garden this morning, isn’t it beautiful! I may just use this colour combination on one of these cards as I created several panels of the same design for painting later (grin!).

Here’s my new Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour paint set, the box is lovely!

You may remember this set of watercolours from a previous post; I’ve been so impressed with them so far, the colours are amazing!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my watercolour card.

Over at A Vintage Journey the challenge is How can you resist? so as I used embossing powders with my new watercolour paints, I’m pleased to join challenge this challenge too with my Mixed Media Style card.

Using my favourite Kaisercraft Doily stamp on my card means I’m also able to join in the fun over at Stamping Sensations and their Use your ‘current’ favourite stamp challenge.

With all the stamping and the butterflies on my card, I’m also happy to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their It’s A Bugs Life challenge.

As butterflies are part of the animal kingdom, I’m pleased to join the Animal Magic challenge over at That’s Crafty! too.

I’m also pleased to join the August Link Party #42 – Anything Goes over at Cropstop Blog with my card as I included some products from companies that they carry in their store.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this card:

• Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paint set (Sap Green Light, Viridian, Lemon Yellow, Yellow Ochre)
• Tsukineko VeraMark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Cottage Ivy)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
• Papermania Embossing Powder (Black PMA4021006)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Doily CS297, Script CS752)
• Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO134)
• Crafter’s Companion Signature Collection by Sara Davies stamp set (Just for You – Butterfly Lullaby S-BL-ST-JUS)
• Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper
• White Cardstock
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Ranger Stickles (Silver)
• Stix2 double-sided tape

Wedding Card

Today I’m sharing the wedding card that I made for our dear friends who got married last Saturday – I hope you like it!

I started by creating a square card using white cardstock which has a glossy finish on one side, then I cut a square piece of Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper that was slightly smaller so it left a 5mm (3/16”) border when placed on top of the card. Next I stamped some tree branches from a Kaisercraft stamp set and also two lovebirds in a birdcage using a VersaMark Watermark stamp pad. I covered them with white Stampendous embossing powder, shook off the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and also tapped the paper to make sure any stray powder was removed. Then I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder by sweeping the gun over the stamped images, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long until the embossing powder melted to a glossy finish and became smooth and dimensional. Next I applied three different Distress Inks using a blending tool to give an ombré look, which emphasised the melted embossing powder beautifully. The ink colours I used were Chipped Sapphire at the top of the card, Salty Ocean in the middle and Peacock Feathers at the bottom; I blended the colours together so one colour merged with the next. I then flicked some water onto the paper using my fingers to re-activate the ink then dabbed with a piece of kitchen towel to leave a mottled effect – I love the dreamy look this created. I edged the paper with the Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink using a blending tool and stuck it onto the card using double-sided tape. To finish, I added the sentiment topper and lots of tiny pearls to the tree branches.

For their wedding present we gifted them some money towards their honeymoon, so I created a little card wallet using a card and envelope from the Docrafts Papermania Capsule Collection which I stamped using black Archival Ink; the stamps I used for the outside were an alphabet stamp from Dovecraft, a scroll stamp from Penny Black and a heart stamp from Hallmark Cards.

For the inside I used the same scroll and heart stamps and some Destination and Travel stamps from Royal & Langnickel – such fun!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today with my wedding card:

I’m pleased to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Use inks anyway you want challenge as I enjoyed using my Distress Inks with the stamped white embossing to create this card.

As I created an ombré effect with my blue inks, I’m also pleased to in the fun over at Stamps and Stencils and their Ombré challenge.

With the sparkly look I created using the Distress Ink background, white embossing and pearls, I’m also pleased to join Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Add A Little Sparkle challenge.

Over at the That’s Crafty! Challenge Blog, their challenge is Close to Nature so I’m happy to join them with the pretty branches and bird detail on my card.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this wedding card:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Tsukineko VersaMark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Dovecraft Clear Stamps (Birdcage DCCS015)
• White cardstock
• Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper
• Card Topper
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Stix 2 double-sided tape
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Oriental Fish – Birthday Card

Following all your lovely feedback last week, I have another card to share with you that I created using the stamp set from Paperbabe Stamps that I won recently.

This card was gratefully received by a member of my family who keeps goldfish in her garden pond, I hope you like it too!

I started by cutting some white cardstock to make a square-shaped card when folded and also a square of textured paper that is slightly smaller than the card. The paper is recycled from an old birthday card and I smooshed it with some blue Distress Inks to create a water effect; I did this by applying Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean ink onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the paper. When dry, I stuck it to the card using double-sided tape and added gold cherry blossom outline stickers diagonally across the card and also some gold border outline stickers around the edge to frame it. Next I stamped the beautiful fish from Paperbabe Stamps onto plain white card using Spiced Marmalade and Festive Berries Distress Ink and fussy cut them out; I stamped it by applying the Spiced Marmalade ink to the whole stamp and then I added the Festive Berries ink around the outside of the stamp. They are stuck in place using a UHU Stic and I added the bubbles and splash marks from the same stamp set using the blue inks. To finish, I added some glittery Icicle Sparkles by Ranger to the bubbles and a pretty “For you…” heart-shaped topper that I had in my craft stash.

If you are interested you can see the previous card that I made here.

This card reminds me of the fish we use to have in our old house, here is Popeye and his friends in the pond enjoying the sunshine; we called one of the fish Popeye as he had a funny shaped lip which reminded us of the cartoon character Popeye – “toot, toot!” (grin!).

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

Blue is my favourite colour and I love the Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean Distress Ink colours that I used to create this card, so I’m joining the lovely DT over at Moo Mania & More where there challenge is Your Favourite Colors.

Over at The Artistic Stamper, the challenge is Colour it Blue so I’m pleased to join in the fun with my blue water effect card too.

I’m also pleased to join the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where their theme is Anything Goes with my Oriental Fish birthday card.

I’m also joining the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my card that I created using their fabulous stamps!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this card:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries)
• Paperbabe Stamps (Oriental Zen Stamp Set)
• Cardstock (White 200 GSM)
• Textured paper – recycled birthday card
• Francoise Collection Outline Stickers (Gold 2238)
• Docrafts Anita’s Outline Stickers (Straight Line Borders – Gold)
• Heart-shaped Topper
• Ranger Stickles (Icicle)
• UHU Stic
• Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape

Oriental Fish – Card

I often make cards for family and friends but I don’t tend to share them on my blog, but I was so excited to get creative with my fabulous new stamp set from Paperbabe Stamps that I thought I’d share this one with you today to see what you thought.

I was lucky enough to win a voucher on one of the Paperbabe Stamps challenges to spend in their shop so I chose their Oriental Zen Stamp Set – thanks so much!

I started by cutting some white card to make a square shape when folded, then on the front of the card I stamped the concentric circles stamp from the stamp set using Spiced Marmalade and Festive Berries Distress Ink; applying the Spiced Marmalade ink to the stamp first then adding patches of Festive Berries Ink and stamping them onto the card. I then cut a semi-circle of textured paper which I recycled from an old birthday card using my circle cutter. Then I smooshed it with some blue Distress Inks to create a water effect by applying Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean ink to an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the paper. I also edged the semi-circle with these two blue inks using a blending tool. I added some gold cherry blossom outline stickers to the card and then layered the blue semi-circle over the top using double-sided tape. Next I stamped the beautiful fish which is from the same stamp set using the Spiced Marmalade and Festive Berries Distress Ink onto plain white card and fussy cut them out. They are stuck in place using a UHU Stic and I added the bubbles and splash marks from the same stamp set using the blue inks. To finish, I added some glittery Icicle Sparkles by Ranger to the bubbles and a “Love” topper from an Eastern Promise set that I had in my craft stash.

Here’s all the materials including the stamp set that I chose from Paperbabe Stamps and I have to say I love it (grin!). I’m sure I’ll be using it again very soon as I need to make quite a few birthday cards this month. I also wanted to say a big “Thank you” to Kim from Paperbabe Stamps and I hope that you and the Design Team like the card that I made!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

As I created this card using lots of stamping I’m very pleased to be able to join Stamping Sensations and their Anything Goes challenge.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where their theme is Bright and Cheerful with my bright and cheerful coloured card.

I’m also pleased to be able to join the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge and their June Challenge: Anything Goes!: (stamping MUST be included).

I’m also joining the Sketch … challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps as I used their sketch, which I rotated to the left, as a template for my card design – I hope you like it!

I’m also pleased to join the Cropstop Blog and their June Link Party #40, thanks for the invite Esther!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean)
• Paperbabe Stamps (Oriental Zen Stamp Set)
• Cardstock (White 200 GSM)
• Textured paper – recycled birthday card
• Francoise Collection Outline Stickers (Gold 2238)
• Hunkydory Luxury Topper Collection (Eastern Promise EAST104)
• Ranger Stickles (Icicle)
• UHU Stic
• Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape