My Valentine

I've been crafting up a Valentine storm with lots of hearts and Top Dog Die sets! Today I have a couple of those projects to share with you starting with these yummy goody bags filled with calorie-free washi! 

Many of us are trying to cut back on all the holiday sweets so I thought giving my crafty friends some pretty washi tape would be ideal!

I used the Sophie A2 Mat Die Set and the Sew Much Fun Die Set for this project...along with pretty papers from Pebbles' Yours Truly collection

These would be great little giveaways at your next crop, don't you think?

I created this Valentine card also with the Your Truly collection and another favorite Top Dog set called the Alexa Frames Die Set.

I'm always so pleased with the detailing of these dies and how easily they cut!

Just wait until you see the oodles of projects I've been creating with these gorgeous Pebbles papers!

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Have you done any Valentine crafting yet? It's one of my favorite activities in January and February...makes winter feel just a wee bit cozier! 

Sew Beary Much

Top of the week to you! Once upon a time I used to do quite a bit of cross stitching. How about you? I'm always surprised to hear how many paper crafters used to stitch. Anyway, I've been thinking about doing another project or two lately and dug out my box of floss and pattern books. 

Look what I found in my stash...a little bear I never completed. I tried to finish him, but I could barely see these little squares anymore!!! I'm going to have to get some magnifier glasses!

Then it dawned on me that this little bear would look adorable just the way it is on a card with my favorite Top Dog Dies, Sew Much Fun.

This floss holder was created with one of the dies from the set...looks real, doesn't it?

The card name is Sew Beary Cute and it was so beary fun to put together. It'll be perfect for someone who loves to stitch.

Since I made this card I started working on a cross stitch silhouette project and I look forward to sharing it with you!

Die Cut Embossing

I'm back after a lovely and restful weekend spent with the hubs. Christopher was at mini camp over the past few days so Dan and I had time to dine, wine, visit the history museum and catch a movie.

I also got to spent a little time in the craft room playing with a new set of Top Dog Dies called Leafy Flourishes.

I thought it would be fun to make a faux dry embossed background with this set.

It's super easy! Just create a few cuts...

...glue them to the same color card stock...

...and use a white ink pad to wipe across the design. Looks neat, huh?

Then I added my 'embossed' design to some lovely Pebbles patterned paper from the Front Porch collection.

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To finished the card I added patterned paper hearts and a sentiment card along with a mini clothespin and a jute bow. I love all the texture, how about you?

Well, I've got some more crafty ideas I want to work on so I'm going to play some more! ;)

Paper Chains

Here we are just a couple days away from Christmas which means the kiddos are out of school and it's a great time to make something crafty with them. How about a good old fashioned paper chain? Remember those? I thought it would be fun to create one using Top Dog Dies' Wesley Boarder Die.

What do you think? This die makes a beautiful paper chain, doesn't it?

I love all the detailing!

Here's a picture of it on our little tinsel tree. 

There's so many ways to deck the halls with paper chains...draped along a buffet table or mirror. I thought several of these hung vertically on a door would be pretty. How would you decorate with paper chains? Ohhh...what about weaving some lights through one?

Well, I've got a few presents to wrap! And cookies to devour! Last Friday's baking went smoothly. I only ruined one batch of cookies and made the biggest mess! At the end of the day I don't think there was a single surface in our kitchen that wasn't sticky! But we got it all cleaned up in time for company on Saturday and there were lots of  happy, cookie eating folks at our place!

Last Minute Gift

I can almost hear Santa's sleigh! We're just days away from Christmas! No need to panic if you find yourself in need of a last minute gift or two. How about a Starbucks gift card and reusable cup decked out with a bit of ribbon and some die cuts from Top Dog Dies? 

I used the gorgeous Madison Doily Die, the Bird Cage Album Finishers Set, and the Snowflake Trio Set along with some pretty papers and accents from Bella Blvd's Christmas Countdown collection to make this gift festive. 

What do you think? If you want to give several of these to teachers and neighbors you could skip the reusable cup and ask the lovely folks at Starbucks for paper cups to decorate instead. 

Whatever you do...don't panic, gift giving is all about fun and the season is meant for spending time together. Yesterday I went to a Christmas treats and sweets exchange....oh so yummy and a great way to catch up with the neighbors!

Top Dog Dies Holiday Blog Hop

Welcome to Top Dog Dies first ever blog hop! To gather a sleigh load of crafty ideas for the holidays, you will be hoping through each design team member’s blog:

 Michelle Neddo

Angela Bode

Kendra Sand

Kathy Martin

Vicki Dutcher

Lisa Somerville

Nasayi Atkins

Maureen Cronin

Shellye McDaniel

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For today's hop, I created this tri-fold card with three of my favorite Top Dog Dies...A2 Card #4, Ornaments and Tags #1, and the Snowflake Trio Set, 

Tis the season for goodies! For my next project, I made some treat bags using glassine bags and Top Dog Dies' Madison Doily Die and the Snowflake Trio Set.

Tucked inside each bag are dark chocolate covered almonds...a staple at our house! ;) These would make sweet gifts to give away at a cookie exchange, don't you think?

The party isn't over just yet...we’re giving away $50 Top Dog Dies eGift Cards to two lucky winners. Entering is easy: Just add your email address here and you’ll be included in the giveaway!

You can earn extra entries by commenting along the blog hop and by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Even better news? You have until Friday Dec. 13 to enter and we'll announce the winners on Monday Dec. 16.

Thanks for joining us for our first – but definitely not our last – blog hop.

Happy hopping!

Let it Snow!

I've got it bad for snowflakes lately! They're appearing on just about every wintry Christmas project I've made in the past couple weeks! And my favorite snowflakes are these I've been creating with the Top Dog Dies' Snowflake Trio Die Set. 

They're my favorite because of the gorgeous detailing and varying sizes. I started this card by making negative snowflake shapes and then filled them in with the die cut snowflakes.

I love the texture and dimension this technique creates!

The soft colored patterned papers I used are from Pebbles' Front Porch collection.

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I finished the card with a few glittered snowflakes accents, some baker's twine and a couple jingle bells.

The weather in North Carolina has been below normal for days now so this card is quite fitting, don't you think? Each morning we've been waking up to a blanket of frost. It's so pretty when the sun comes up and makes everything sparkle!

Thanks for dropping by! :)

A Top Dog Dies Christmas

Hello, hello! I have a couple Top Dog Dies projects to share with you today using one of my favorite die sets, the Ornament and Tags #1 Die Set. 

A lot of gift giving goes on during the holiday season which means you'll probably be needing some tags at some point. To create a these ornament shaped to/from tags simply fold a piece of paper in half. Then lay your die on your cutting platform and place the folded paper just inside the die's cutting edge.

After I cut my tags, I used the Snowflake Trio Die Set to make colorful snowflake accents.

These pretty patterned papers and rhinestones are from Doodlebug Designs' Home for the Holidays collection.

For my next project I wanted to show you how beautifully Top Dog Dies cuts felt.

Using the same ornament die set and some good quality felted wool, I cut two of the ornament shapes along with the decorative top layer then blanket stitched them together, filling with cotton.

I love how every little detail of this die cuts easily and makes such a pretty little ornament. A little baker's twine and a shiny jingle bell complete the project.

For years, I don't even remember how many now, I've made ornaments for my friends and family. I think this design will be the one for 2013. Does anyone else do a yearly ornament? 

Hope you have a super day! :)