Top Dog Dies: Signature Chelsea Die

It is officially Fall and time to get serious about making a few Halloween cards.  Top Dog Dies is having a new die release this week and my card today features not only a new die, but also some previously released dies dressed up to celebrate Halloween.

One sure sign of a versatile craft die is when the negative of the die is a good as the positive.  That's what I used today to introduce  one of the five new Top Dog Dies, "Signature Chelsea Die".  Top Dog Dies is releasing five new card shape dies that not only make great shaped cards all by themselves, but also bits and pieces, both positive and negative can be used to create all kinds of projects.

The negative portion of Top Dog Dies Signature Chelsea makes a really nice border for hills, snowy banks and in this case, a sidewalk.  I rubbed some ink along the top edges to bring out a little more definition in the edges and popped the panel up with dimensional foam.  I think you will recognize that cute little scottie dog and bow from Top Dog Dies Dog Days #2Die Set...this time dressed up as a scary witch.   I used one of the wings from the Top Dog Dies Dragon Die to make his cape and added a few stickers, buttons, broom and even a spider to turn that sweet puppy into something scary.  Let's face it, he's not scary, but he is awfully cute!

The Top Dog Dies Design Team is going to be sharing cards with the three new dies for the next several weeks...here's a peek of the five new dies available exclusively at Top Dog Dies  in two days on Sept. 26th...Time to shop!

Signature Finley

Signature Chelsea

Signature Emerson

Signature Delilah

Signature Beatrix

Top Dog Dies Halloween Candy Jar

Today is my day to share something I have made with my Top Dog Dies and since it is officially September...and in my mind, Fall is officially here, my crafting theme has switched into holiday mode.  First up...Halloween and something fun to fill (and refill) several times before Halloween actually arrives!

It's easy to make a cute jar to hold all the candy corn I plan to consume before Halloween is over with Top Dog Dies Pumpkin Album Finishers Die Set and Halloween Trio Die Set.  I used both sets today to decorate a simple jar from Michaels.  Instead of card stock, I used vinyl to die cut my images.  No glue, no mess...just peel the back off the paper and apply it to your jar.  It can also be removed and repositioned until you get the placing exactly right!  The front and back of my jar used the cute pumpkin face from Top Dog Dies Pumpkin Album Finishers Die Set.  I couldn't resist adding some googly eyes too!

The other two sides of my jar use Top Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die Set.  I love the cute ghosts, black cat and bat dies...scary and fun all at the same time!

The vinyl even picks up the cute stitched detail on the bat and punches out the eye holes for the ghost!  I added a few rhinestones and pearls for the eyes, some ribbon trim and a bow and filled my jar with candy.  So easy!  Let's see how long this jar of candy lasts...LOL!

To Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die Set

Top Dog Dies Pumpkin Album Finishers Die Set

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12 Kits of Occasions - September with Kim

(Make sure to check out our Pinterest board here)

I'm back.  After an 8 month break, I am so excited to be back in the 12 Kits of Occasions club where every month a group of 12 crafters take turns hosting a themed card kit.  Although I am glad to be back, I'm so sorry it took a sweet friend (Jeanne Jachna) leaving in order for me to do so, but I plan to make the most of this opportunity.  

When I opened my package of goodies from Kim Heggins, this month's hostess...I knew the kit was going to be something great...something cute and scary...something that was going to cause tons of card making ideas to swirl around in my head.  It did!  Want to see why?

Before I show you my cards...here's a little peek of the kit we had to work with this month:

Photo courtesy of Kara

Look at all this!  Didn't Kara take the best picture capturing all the great ingredients in our kit from Kim?

Here's the cards that I made with our September kit:

I think everyone must have had a Trick of Treat bucket at some point...I know every one of my kids had one and it was so much fun re-creating those buckets with all the cute embellishments that Kim sent us.  I used Lil' Inker Stitched squares for mats and some black jute twine to suspend the buckets across my card.  I pinked the edges of the chevron patterned paper from our kit and added my own die cut sentiment.  First card done...about 1/2 hour total.

Kim sent us lots of die cut silhouettes in black and I used two of them to create quite the mess with glitter.  I ran both die cuts through my Xyron, then dipped them both into black glitter.  Wow, a mess, but totally worth it as they are so shiny and really dress up the cute bingo card Kim sent us.  I also used a Cheery Lynn Polynesian Sails Oval cut from black...the bingo card fit perfectly over it along with more great patterned paper and ribbon from Kim.  If you include the the clean-up of glitter everywhere...this one took about 45 minutes or so to finish.  

For card #3 I tried to use up a whole bunch of the kit ingredients on this card...it is definitely a hand it to you kind of card because it has lots of pieces to it.  This one is going to my little niece who loves to paste stickers everywhere.  Her mother is going to love me for this one.  I used a Lil' Inker Folded tag and one of the embellishments Kim had attached to our packages.  It was too cute to not use it.  I added a rhinestone and some of the twine that Kim sent us in our kits.  That chevron ribbon also was in the kit and this one took about an hour to finish. 

After a little lunch break I got started on card #4.  I decided to use up some more of that great patterned paper.  I used the spider web border and a punched tag decked out in rhinestones backed with another Lil' Inker stitched circle.

My final card is my favorite. 

The trick or treat sentiment and the crow are Silhouette cut files from Kim and pairing them with the Impression Obsession Halloween Hill die cut made the creation of this card the fastest of them all.  I love when a card just practically makes itself (as Joyce of Cards by the Sea) always says.  

Thank you Kim for helping me to have a fun and creative Saturday!  Ready to see some more Halloween magic?  Here's a link to the other members of our 12 Kits of Occasions card club.

Renee 

Kelly 

Jessica

 Amy

 Kim

 Joyce

 Tracey

 Marybeth

 Sharron

 Christina

 Kara

We also have a guest designer this month!  Darnell Knaus

Don't forget to check our our 12 Kits of Occasions Blog too!

Halloween Spider

Today I have a Halloween card to share that is more cute than scary.

I used Serendipity stamps (Spider) and (Boo, large).  The spider is embossed in back and colored with copics and stickles.  He is hanging over a Stampin Up embossing folder (Spider Web).  I tried something new to me with this card.  I used a brayer to spread ink over the flat side of the embossing folder.  I wanted the raised portion to stand out and by using the same color ink as the cardstock, the raised portion is just a bit lighter.  The ink is PTI Winter Wisteria and did make quite a difference when you compare an inked sheet vs a non-inked sheet.  The last touch on this card is the little pair of googly eyes to make him a cute spider, just perfect for a card for my 3 year old niece.

WMSC #115 - Hocus Pocus Graveyard

Today I have another Halloween card for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #115, a cute sketch by Jennifer Holmes.  

I thought this sketch reminded me of my Madison Grand Window Die and there are so many ways to use that particular die with Waltzingmouse Stamps...almost every stamp set could be turned into a card looking in or out of that great window.  I decided to make a Halloween card and used Halloween Party and Hocus Pocus to create a spooky scene as you look out my window.

The patterned papers are by MME, Haunted Collection and the graveyard scene is from Memory Box (Graveyard Landscape).  Instead of the bow in the sketch, I added a string of Halloween lights in orange and gray from Cheery Lynn (Christmas Light Swag).  Thanks for taking a look at my Through the Window Halloween card.

WMSC#114 - Bewitched

I have to write up todays post really quickly, I am writing this on my break at work with my ipad, so no editing like I usually do.  This is a card for Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #114, a cute sketch by the sweet and talented Anya Schrier.  I wasn't going to do this week's sketch because I am not one to add lots of little embellishments on cards and all those circles threw me, but I decided to give it a try and turned the circles into the steam from Wanda's cauldron.  The papers are from MME, Haunted collection and the stamps are from Halloween Party and Hocus Pocus.  The great steamy swirl is from Flourishes Scallops and Dots.  All the images are embossed and are super shiny, which turned out to be difficult to photograph, but sure do pop in real life.  I added some rhinestones as bling representing all those little circles in the sketch.  Thanks for taking a            look and now, back to work!

Boo!

Today I have a Halloween card that was so easy to make, 10 minutes tops!  I got some new Halloween dies in the mail and decided to make a Halloween graveyard scene.

I added Serendipity Stamps (Bare Tree) embossed in black to the new dies.  Those trees look so good embossed, so shiny and a perfect addition to the graveyard scene.  You can't have a graveyard without some spooky looking trees, right?  The dies are from Memory Box (Graveyard landscape) and Impression Obsession ( Halloween Hill).   The sentiment is from Serendipity Stamps (Boo, small)  stamped onto a Spellbinder label.  The clouds are die cuts from PTI).

Serendipity Stamps is having a sale now too, so you can pick up the tree stamp for a great price. The sale lasts until September 12th and if you buy three items, the 4th one is FREE! Here's a link to the Serendipity Store.