Top Dog Dies: Vintage Alphabet Christmas

Last night I finally had a little time to catch up on holiday card posting...I got to babysit our sweet baby Jaxon for a few hours this weekend.  You can't do much else when you are holding a cute little baby in your arms, so here's a card I made using Top Dog Dies Vintage Alphabet Die Set.

I die cut a great big stack of red letters using Top Dog Dies Vintage Alphabet Die set...it's very easy as the dies are altogether on one die.   Then, the hard part, trying to think up as many six letter holiday words as I could come up with!  I admit I cheated and did a google search.  The letters were run through my Xyron and arranged in as straight a line as I could come up with and still have them fit on an A2 card base.  The final row was cut in black and was my attempt to make this card look a bit like Santa and his black belt.

Top Dog Dies has lots of holiday dies available in their store...here's a link to their store for a little last minute craft shopping!

Here's my favorite photo of Jaxon...so far!

The Card Concept and 25 Tags of Christmas

 

Welcome to the Card Concept Challenge!  This week we have some extra-special fun for you...The Card Concept is joining our good friend Tracey McNeely for her annual holiday challenge, The 25 Days of Christmas Tags!

For specific details, you can check out Tracey's blog...but in a nutshell, there are lots of PRIZES available from companies we all know and love just for leaving a comment on Tracey's blog here...but all of the designers for the entire 25 days are each drawing a name from their blogpost for an additional chance to win one of these great prizes...so, PLEASE leave a comment for me!

  

 

   

How do you participate?  First, take a look at the inspiration photo for the challenge:

All you have to do to participate for the Card Concept challenge is make a tag...or a card with a tag that has a snowman on it in one of the Card Concept Design styles:

Clean and Simple

Clean and Layered

Clean and Graphic

Freestyle Collage

Shabby Chic

Classy and Elegant

 I can not imagine any crafter not having at least one snowman image or die...if not, what a good excuse to go out and get one! Here's the tag I made:

I used some new dies from Top Dog Dies for my tag, lucky me that there was an adorable snowman die just released.  I used Top Dog Dies Snowman Globe Die Set as well as a brand new Top Dog Dies Gift Tag Die Set .  I especially love the cute to/from diecuts...so easy now to make a very quick and easy gift tag!

You have a lot of work to do now!

Leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win a prize.

Leave a comment on Tracey's blog for a chance to win a prize.

Leave a comment on all of the other Card Concept Design Team Members posts for yet another chance to win a prize!

Finally...get busy making your own tag with a snowman and link it up over at the Card Concept Challenge Blog...I can't wait to see all the fabulous snowmen you all create!

Thank you Tracey for including me in your annual 25 Days of Christmas Tags!

This weekend I needed a fun birthday card for a 4 year old boy and my first thought was the cute Top Dog Dies Dragon die...what little boy wouldn't love to see a "friendly-looking" dragon on their birthday card?  My little nephew is quite the talker...very funny and always says the cutest things, so I love the fun sentiment dies included with Top Dog Dies Thanks A2 Mat Die set.  The "You rock" sentiment seems like it was made for the dragon die...don't you think?

I also added some cute banners (Top Dog Dies Banners #1 Die Set) along the top attached with a staple and a bright red #4 using Top Dog Dies Vintage Numbers Die Set.

Top Dog Dies has just released a whole bunch of new dies, some for the holidays and some all-occasion dies too.  If you haven't seen them yet, here's a quick link for you to follow...you are going to want to see them!

Top Dog Dies November Release: Thanks A2 Mat Die

The Top Dog Dies Design Team has been very busy the last few weeks and the day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived.  Top Dog Dies is releasing six brand new dies which will be available in the Top Dog Dies Store today!  The Design Team will be sharing cards made with the new dies all week long, and today I am sharing my favorite die...Top Dog Dies Thanks A2 Mat Die.

The Top Dog Dies Thanks A2 Mat Die cuts a perfect frame making it very easy to create a quick and easy Thank You card that really packs a punch.  It's also detailed, yet makes for a nice, flat easy to mail card.  My daughter-in-law has been receiving so many presents for our soon to be born grandson and she asked me to make a few extra special thank you cards for some of the handmade blankets and quilts she received.  I also used the Baby Stroller from Top Dog Dies Baby On Board Die Set which looks super sparkly with the rhinestone star embellishments.  Now that you have seen my favorite die of the release...here's a picture of the other dies being released today at Top Dog Dies.

Be sure to go check out all the other projects using the new November dies...here's a link to make it extra easy for you to jump right over to the store.

Top Dog Dies: Naughty or Nice?

Have you ever had an idea for a card that is way outside of your comfort zone?  Did you end up making it?  That was how I felt a few days ago when I had a card idea using the Top Dog Dies Corset Die.  I decided to go ahead and make the card that I envisioned even though I am not exactly sure when I will actually use this card.

Top Dog Dies Corset Die is going to be the die I always think of when I need to make a bachelorette or bridal shower card.  I love all the intricate details on the die and today I added some white pom-poms to turn it into a holiday corset...not sure Mrs. Claus could fit into this one...I know I sure couldn't!  I used Top Dog Dies Scalloped Frame and Mat Die Set for the base of my card and added some embroidery floss stitching through the scalloped openings.  I thought it was a nice contrast against the red and white.  The sentiment is digital and is printed on vellum so the candy cane print can shine through.  This card would be perfect for a bridal lingerie shower that falls near the holidays, so I'm going to tuck this one away and wait for just that kind of occasion.  

Top Dog Dies: My Happy Place

Being a cat lover...I have watched many times as my cats stared intently through our windows watching birds fly in and out of the trees outside our home.  When I got my Top Dog Dies Cool Cats Die Set, I set out to re-create the scene I have seen over and over.  I used Top Dog Dies Scalloped Frame and Mat Die Set to create my window scene.  This die creates the most perfect cutout for a window with a really cute scalloped detail.

I stamped a tree outline, added a bird's nest and some eggs to further tempt my sweet kitty silhouette made from Top Dog Dies Cool Cats Die Set.  I love the two cats in this set, and the banners are also part of the Top Dog Dies Cool Cats Die Set...notice the cute little mouse cutout?  

If you don't already have this die set...you NEED it and there are lots of ideas of how to use them in the Top Dog Dies gallery...take a look here.

Top Dog Dies Fall Foliage Birthday

I am writing this from vacation in Montana...and finally, I am really able to see some beautiful Fall colors!  Brown, and more brown leaves are all I have been seeing at home, so what a welcome sight!  Today I am sharing a birthday card I made using some very colorful Top Dog Dies Fall Foliage leaves.  Top Dog Dies has just released some beautiful Fall, Winter and Holiday dies.  If you haven't seen them yet...get on over there!  Nine new dies have just been released just in time to help you get busy on your holiday cards.  Here's a link to the Top Dog Dies Store.

My task this week was to make a "colorful" card...I think the shiny bright foil leaves quality as colorful...don't you?  I used origami paper to die cut the leaves with Top Dog Dies Fall Foliage Die Set and layered them all on top of each other.  The foil really shows off the embossed detail on the leaves.  I also used Top Dog Dies Vintage Numbers Dies for the "29".  My daughter-in-law was a very good sport when I gave this card to her...I'm not sure how many more years I will be able to get away with putting the numbers on card...I'm thinking 30 is about as high as I should push it!

Please stop the by the Top Dog Dies Store and check out our new dies...you will love them!

Fall Foliage October Birthday

I needed a birthday card in a hurry yesterday...had to get it in the mail or else I would need to use a belated birthday sentiment, so I used one of Top Dog Dies recent release dies as the focal point of a very CAS card. 

Top Dog Dies Fall Foliage Die Set includes two leaves and a cute little acorn that have such beautifully embossed details to them...I am thinking these leaves could be used all year long.  I made my leaf a bright red to give it a nice contrast to the white card base.  Wouldn't this simple design make a quick and easy set of "All Occasion notecards"?  

A Lab for All Seasons

Just a heads up...today I am sharing a project on the Top Dog Dies Blog...and for anyone who is a dog lover (especially Labs),  I hope you will stop by and see what I have made!

Here's a sneak peak (They are refrigerator magnets):

Follow this link to the Top Dog Dies Blog

Top Dog Dies October Release Preview

TOP DOG DIES IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY!

There's was lots and lots of fun around the Weber house last week.  Top Dog Dies is releasing nine new dies just in time for your holiday card making.  I literally didn't know which die to try first, so being the cat lover that I am...I opened up the Top Dog Dies Cool Cats Die Set first.

The die set includes two different size and style cats...and together they remind me of a couple of "kitty" sweethearts.  The heart-embossed border at the top is another recently released die from Top Dog Dies, Signature Delilah.  Those cute hearts are also part of the new Top Dog Dies Cool Cat Die Set and there's also a cute little food dish, ball of yarn, mini banner and a sweet little fish tag.  There are lots of dies for your money with this set!  Are you ready to see the new dies being released tomorrow, October 7th in the Top Dog Dies store?  Here's a sneak peek of all nine dies.

October Holiday Release

The Top Dog Dies Design Team will be sharing peeks of the new dies on their blogs over the next few weeks...I've got another cute card using Cool Cats to share on Wed, Oct. 8th.  In the meantime...head over to the Top Dog Dies store tomorrow and don't forget your checkbook...you are going to want every single one of these dies!

Card Concept #20: Color Challenge

Welcome to Card Concept Challenge #20.  There have been so many fabulous cards made during the past 19 challenges,  but I am certain when you see this week's challenge theme and photo,  we are going to see a record number of "spooky" cards popping up in our gallery.

Yay!!! This week we have a color challenge, just in time for you to get busy with all of your Halloween stamps and dies, and admit it...you have a lot of them!  Right?  By now, you all are familiar with the the Card Concept challenge rules.  All you have to do is create a card using the weekly theme and based on one of the following card-making styles:

                                                       Clean and Simple (CAS)
                                                       Clean and Layered
                                                       Clean and Graphic
                                                       Freestyle Collage
                                                       Shabby Chic
                                                       Classy and Elegant

This week I used dies from Top Dog Dies.  They just released some new Shape/Border dies and one of them was just perfect for my card representing the Freestyle Collage style.

The embossed panel with the spider web is Top Dog Dies Signature Delilah.  I folded it before I cut it and made an twine wrap around closure.  That cute cat (Halloween Trio) and the mini banners are also from Top Dog Dies (Banners # 1 Die Set).

The inside of my card uses Top Dog Dies Vintage A2 Mat die and the bat is also from Top Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die Set.  I had a lot of fun piecing together sentiment stamps from a variety of stamp sets and also had to add a few spiders to my web.

There's a lot more examples of the five different card style over on the Card Concept Blog...you have two weeks to play along.   The contest closes on Monday October 13th at noon PST.  I hope to see your card in our gallery very soon!

Top Dog Dies Signature Delilah Die

To Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die Set

Top Dog Dies Vintage A2 Mat Die

Top Dog Dies Banners #1 Die Set

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CASology #114: Flutter

It has been For-Ev-Er since I played along with CASology and their fun word cue challenges...but this week (#114) I just had to.  I didn't even have to take time to think what the cue word meant to me...I just KNEW!

Flutter.  Just a couple of days ago my son Andy and his wife Ashley came over and showed us the first ultrasound of their baby due in April.  The ultrasound very clearly showed the fluttering of the baby's heartbeat.  It was such a relief to see and it made every one of us so happy.  Here's the card I made inspired by the ultrasound:

I don't know that their baby is going to be a girl, but since our son Matt and his wife Katie are having our first grandson in November, I am going to pretend that Andy's baby is a girl...at least until I know otherwise!  A grandson and a grandaughter, wouldn't that be perfect?

I used Top Dog Dies Onesie Card Die and Onesie Card Finisher Dies along with a little heartbeat cut with my silhouette.  I am going to give this to my mom along with a copy of the ultrasound...just a fun way to show off her latest great grandchild.  This was such a fun cue word...what does Flutter mean to you?

Top Dog Dies Onesie Card (A2) Die

Top Dog Dies Onesie Finishers Die Set

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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 Trio

I had a very busy weekend...and very little time for crafting.  I did still fit in some time to make a few Halloween decorations for my daughter to take to her classroom in a few weeks.  I know she will want to decorate her classroom...with a Halloween birthday, it will make the day seem that much more special.  It's very easy to make some quick and easy decorations using some very inexpensive "Dollar" aisle bargains from Target.  A few additions of some sparkly die cuts from Top Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die set and Carly's classroom will be right in the spooky festive mood.  Here's what I made:

I  had my husband drill three small holes into the plaques and inserted jewelry wire into the holes with glue.  I then added Top Dog Dies Halloween Trio die cuts sandwiched over the top of the wires.  I bent the wire until it looked right and that was it.  My little Halloween Trio dies have sure gotten a workout this year...here's a link for you to check them out for yourself in the Top Dog Dies Store.

To Dog Dies Halloween Trio Die Set

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