Technique Tuesday.... Top Note Die

Today's technique isn't really a technique but some new uses for one of Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies - the Top Note die.

You know this die, right?  It was one of the first exclusive dies offered by Stampin' Up! when we began offering the Big Shot.  But we have all just been using it like this, haven't we?  Well, let's get some more mileage out of our dies by cutting it up some more.

Here's the first way.  Take your cut Top Note and turn it 90 degrees and run it through the Big Shot again.  You get this very cool diamond shape and a couple of "brackets" that you can use as well.

Okay, now take that diamond and turn it so the points of the diamond are at the top, bottom and sides.  Run it through the Big Shot.  Then turn it one more time 90 degrees so all four points are trimmed off and you get this cool circle.  Mine is a little off because I wasn't careful enough on my alignment but I am sure you will be.  Thanks to Becky Roberts who showed me these two shapes that you can get from the Top Note die.

So here's something cool I noticed when I made the shapes above.  Not only do you end up with the two brackets, but you end up with two tulips and two bats!  (I have only one bat pictured here.)  Since the bat punch was retired, this is a perfect way of getting a bat for your Halloween cards!

Finally, here are a couple of neat frames that you can get out of your Top Note die as well.  You can make these either the long way or the short way.  First, cut your Top Note out.  Then move it down below the halfway points so that the sides line up with the edges of the cut lines of the die itself.  Run it through the Big Shot and you end up with one of the rounded labels.  Turn it around and repeat on the other side and you end up with a very cool label in the middle as well.  These would be great for layering larger sentiments like those found in the Curly Cute stamp set or the new Sweet Essentials stamp set.

Let me know if you have come up with any other great ideas for the Top Note die and I will share them here!