July My Monthly Hero Countdown: Idea #7 + Giveaway!

The launch of our My Monthly Hero kit for July is almost here! There's only one more day of ideas before we release the kit at 1pm eastern/1oam pacific tomorrow, July 5th! This morning Libby is showing you the other optional add-on to the kit, and then Clare will be here later today to share another idea for using the main kit. Make sure you're commenting on all of our posts to enter our giveaway - scroll down to the bottom of the post for more about that!

This may sounds weird to some of you, but I've always loved octopus. It's such a unique and interesting creature. And so intelligent! I love reading about how good they are at solving puzzles - the escape artists of the ocean floor! (I also grew up in Michigan, a big Detroit Red Wings fan. Any other Wings fans out there?) :) So I was instantly enamored with this month's kit and add-ons. Today I get to introduce you to the super fun and unique Paper Layering Octopus die!

This optional add-on is an addition to the line of Hero Arts Paper Layering dies. Similar to the [hero_product_link sku="DI187" text="Palm Tree"] and [hero_product_link sku="DI180" text="Hedgehog"], it comes with a Frame Cut, so you can cut the entire image out if you'd like. Or, you can just use the inner die (pictured above) and cut it in the middle of your paper for a different look. I used both the layering die and the frame, but then chose to hand-trim around the octopus, to have it completely trimmed with no extra paper frame around it.

In the photo below you can see the fun dimension he adds to a card. The tentacles come right out, and the little suckers on the tentacles can be pushed out a bit too. So much dimension in one little die-cut!

I created a quick watercolor wash for the background, and embossed the message from the main kit with white embossing powder. The fabulous sequins included in the kit finish the card.

Win a kit before you can buy it! Just leave a comment on this (and every) Countdown to Creativity post! We’ll randomly draw one lucky winner from all of the comments left across all countdown posts, and announce the winner first thing Tuesday morning, July 5, before the kit launches at 1pm eastern. The more you comment, the more chances to win!