A New Look at the Top Note Die!

I got a big box from the UPS guy Friday!! I have played all day long! I have Sale-a-bration stamp sets to share with you, Occasions Mini items, and some other stamp sets I got. Plus, I got the Matchbox Die that I will share a few projects with you over the next week or two. It is so exciting!! Out of everything I got, over half of it was FREE!! With Sale-a-bration, you get a free stamp set with every $50 purchase you make!

Now on to today's project, which is basically a collection of Hot Tips!. A while back I was searching the Internet for ideas and came across a lady who used the Big Shot Top Note Die in a new way. I can't remember who it was, but I do appreciate the inspiration. The following photos show the step by step process.

• This first photo shows the Stampin' Up! Top Note Die for the Big Shot. Some of you might ask, "Why do I need a Big Shot, when I already have a Cricut?" Here is the reason I have both. The cricut doesn't have things already perfectly sized for a card. You have to figure it out with trial and error, which uses a lot of paper. Also, the Top Note Die is exclusive to Stampin' Up! and is only for the Big Shot. Plus, it is nice to cut out what you want without having to go through all the trouble of setting up the Cricut.
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• Photo 2 shows the the cut the Top Note Die makes. Isn't it gorgeous? Cut it from chipboard and make a mini album or add it to a card for a great accent!
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• For the first step of the Altered Top Note: Photo 3 shows how you lay the paper. You take the cut out Top Note and rotate it 90 degrees, making sure you line up the points really well. You will get several pieces that you can use for brackets, photo corners, etc. from the waste!
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• Photo 4 shows the result of the cut. You end up with a nice square piece and two brackets. Use chipboard and you can make a mini album from this square shape and get great brackets too!
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• Photo 5 shows how you orient the paper for your next cut. (Sorry, I forgot to take this photo with the original paper, so I had to use a second sheet.) Basically, you just turn it 90 degrees again. Again, be careful to line it up correctly, and your scrap pieces will be pieces you can use.
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• Photo 6 shows is the result of the cut made in step #5.
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• Photo 7 shows how you orient the paper for the last cut.
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• Photo 8 shows the final result. A nice circle shape to use that is great for a photo mat or embellishment background!
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• Photo 9 shows a Hot Tip I came up with, unfortunately it was AFTER I finished the tutorial. I used a ruler to mark the points of the Top Note die with a white gel pen. It makes it much easier to line up the cuts!!

Use these cuts in a project and send me a photo! I will post it on my blog! I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial. Have fun with your Big Shot dies and try something new with them!!

Contact me for a customizable Big Shot Bundle that is ONLY available from me! Thanks for stopping by today.