How to re-stick your mats - and a giveaway

I promised you a peek at how I make my mats sticky again, this works for all die cutting mats - I have used it for years on Cricut and Cameo mats with no ill effects. There is no sticky on the parts of the mat that shouldn't be sticky, so no damage is done.

Firstly, give your mat a really good scrub with hot soapy water - this might revitalize it and you may not need to move onto the next step, but sometimes, they are beyond help.........leave it to dry before the next step

In which case, this is what you need. Some Aleenes Tack-It-Over-And-Over glue, a foam brush, a plastic container with a lid and a measuring spoon. I made up a solution with just 1/4 of a cup of glue and 1/4 of a cup of cold water.......

This makes quite a watery solution.......

Very carefully apply a thin layer of the solution to your mat, keeping within the cutting area - to make sure no glue has strayed onto the grid line markings, I use a damp kitchen towel to wipe down after applying the glue. Set aside to dry - it doesn't take long.....

When you are done, cover the solution with a lid, it will sit nicely until the next time....

You may find your mat is TOO sticky after this treatment. Pat it down with a lint free cloth like an old T shirt before using it. The sticky will last for a long time - much longer than the original stickiness! I found the glue in the adhesives aisle in Michaels, and I know it can be bought online in the UK

Here's a few cards I made very quickly using the Paper Boutique CD's from Polkadoodles, I was really just testing out how the machine would cut - it made quick work of it...... 

One cute feature on the CD is that you print out a back for your card - this is the back of the house...............

A quick little robot, I added a few metal bits and pieces, this will probably be a birthday card for Max who turns seven in May......

and a cute ladybird (I'm not quite sure what the orange patch is on the photo, it's not like that in real life!). I covered her with glossy accents.....

When we were spending half of the year in the USA, Nikky used to give me two copies of the new releases, so that I didn't have to lug them backwards and forwards across the Atlantic. So I found my second copy of Paper Boutique Vol 1, and even though it's been used, it's in perfect working order, and I'm happy to give it away to one of you. You don't need a Scan N Cut of course, a good old fashioned pair of scissors works just fine. Just leave your name under this post and I will draw a winner on Sunday, when I draw the other candy winners. Good luck, I'll see you tomorrow x