All Aboard! Introducing The Candy Cane Express!

Good morning! Welcome to the second day of the Christmas In July release introductions (the new release goes live on our website on Friday 7/3 at noon EDT)! As always, I will be going live tonight on Instagram to answer any questions you might have about today's introductions.

Today we're introducing our Candy Cane Express Collection! Let's get into it!

First up, we have the Candy Cane Express: Engine Die (retails for $38).

Choo! Choo! Here comes the Candy Cane Express! This lovable seasonal train is ready to deliver holiday cheer to your decor this year and beyond. The body of the Engine is ample enough to accommodate the Keepsake Dates, Monogram Alphabet, and Accessory Alphabet Dies so you can truly personalize your projects.

Next up, we have the Candy Cane Express: Cargo Car Die (retails for $38).

The Candy Cane Express is pulling into the station, loaded with holiday goodies! Fill this Cargo Car with a Christmas tree, a stack of packages, or whatever your heart desires. You can even decorate the car with holly leaves and a peppermint or jaunty looped embroidery.

To round out the Candy Cane Express Collection we have the Candy Cane Express: Passenger Car Die (retails for $38).

All aboard the Candy Cane Express! This Passenger Car can even be decorated in multiple ways for added variety. Embroider your car with a festive garland, a candy stripe, or “Express.” to make all of your trains unique and special.

We also have a couple of additional dies that I think you're really going to love. First up is the North Pole Die (retails for $32).

Welcome visitors to Santa’s workshop with the North Pole Die! The candy-striped pole includes a separate finial, so you can add additional pops of color, a snowbank, and two unique signs to add versatility to your projects.

Next, we have the Santa Delivery Details Die (retails for $8).

This details die coordinates with the Love Notes Die to add holiday flair to your itty bitty envelopes. Create gift card packaging, notes to Santa, countdown activities and more with this handy die set!

And finally, we have two sizes of the Tabletop Tree. The Large Tabletop Tree (retails for $38) is a three-dimensional tree that comes together easily and can disassemble in a snap for easy off-season storage. This size stands 6 1/2" tall.

Decorate these trees to your heart’s content with beads, sequins, or the mini ornaments included in the die. You’ll love making them in every color of the rainbow!

 

The Small Tabletop Tree (retails for $20) is a smaller version of the Large Tabletop Tree. This size measures 4 3/4" tall.

Whew! So many fun new dies to share today! Check out what the ladies have created for you!

Audrey turned her train into a birthday train and I couldn't be more smitten! Make sure to check out her Instagram for all of the details.

 

Amanda's cheerful train garland is such a lively addition to her holiday decor. I love the embellishments she added to make her train sparkle! Check out her blog to see even more.

Kelly's cheerful color palette is sure to create a delightful scene during the holiday season. Make sure to check in on her blog to see more of her projects!

These ladies have outdone themselves! I've been playing along with these dies and I can't wait to share.

I'm starting today with a couple of mini envelopes made with the Santa Delivery Details Die (paired with the Love Notes Die).

I used the "To Santa" message on the Conifer envelope and "From Santa" on the Cardinal envelope. I added the postmark cancellation design and Cardinal Dot stamp to the Conifer and Spearmint Stamp to the Cardinal envelope.

I closed these envelopes with snaps rather than magnets (in case I want to use these for gift cards - the magnets can erase gift cards), hiding them inside the shaped seals from the Love Notes die. I can't wait to use these for small gifts or even notes to Santa from our girl!

Next up, I have a couple of Tabletop Trees to share.

This first set I created with the Ribbon Candy Color Story and some polka dotted fabric I happened to have in my fabric stash. I cut the large tree from Tundra and decorated it with embellishments from the Ribbon Candy embellishment box and tiny felt ornaments. I treated the polka dot fabric with Terial Magic to cut it cleanly and then sewed it together with a Tundra felt core. I highly suggest using some sort of glue to secure the tips of the tree tops. It will make your trees more durable for the long term. I just used a pin to apply Tacky Glue.

This second set of trees is the very first thing I created when we first received our test dies. I couldn't wait to see if they worked as well as I hoped. I cut the trees from Conifer and sewed them together with DMC 368. I used a chipboard core in each piece to add stability and added mango stars. I love how the skipping stitches look on these trees. It adds interest without being too distracting. So cute!

Next up is my train garland. I have wanted to create a Christmas Train for at least three years. After many hours of drawing I am thrilled to share the Candy Cane Express. I used the Whistle Stop Color Story to create this garland.

I started this garland with the North Pole sign. I used a Petal base, Cardinal stripes and finial, and Soft Jade sign. I added some sparkle with beads and sequins.

I used Graphite as the base for my Engine. I used the Keepsake Dates Die to add the year to the back of my Engine, but the body is large enough to add initials or a name if you wanted to personalize your train. I added the bow from the set and holly leaves from the Cargo Car die.

The next car is a Petal Cargo Car using the Christmas Tree filler. I used the embroidered looped design and beads to add interest to the car. The Conifer tree embellished with sequins looks like shining baubles. I love it!

I cut the first Passenger Car from Cardinal and finished it with Conifer trim. I embroidered the "Express" from the die set and embellished with a Petal bow (from the Engine Die) and sequins.

I used the gift filler with the second Cargo Car. The base of the filler determines the color of the bag. I cut it from Granite and added Soft Jade and Cardinal Dot gift boxes. I also decorated the Cargo Car with the peppermint and holly leaves included in the set.

The final Passenger Car I cut from Soft Jade with Cardinal trim. I embroidered the garland using a mix of lazy daisy stitches and running stitches. I added another Petal bow and a generous sprinkling of beads.

I finished the garland with a Railroad sign that I made with the North Pole Die (all of the pieces are included in the North Pole Die). I started with a Granite base and added Soft Jade stripes and finial. The sign is made with Tundra and Cardinal and the snow bank is Tundra with a bit of sequined embellishment.

I can't wait to create more with this series of dies. I have big dreams of a table runner and Christmas tree skirt.

This series would also be cute to create gifts for train fanatics for any occasion!

My last project today is an ornament I created with the North Pole Die.

I wanted to create a North Pole full of sparkle, but glitter felt is so hard to cut though. My solution is glitter spray paint. I cut the base from Tundra and the sign from Spearmint. Then I cut the finial from Mango, the stripes from Crabapple, and the snowy elements from Tundra.

I used Cherry Bomb Glitter Krylon for the Crabapple, Diamond Dust for the Tundra, and Glistening Gold for the Mango. I finished the pieces off with the spray sealer and let them dry and air out for a few days before stitching everything together. I used a chipboard core to give my ornament added stability. I am so tickled how this turned out. It's so shimmery!

I hope you enjoyed today's introductions! I will be live on Instagram this evening at 8pm EDT to answer any questions you might have about today's introductions. We will have so much more to share with you tomorrow, so I hope you will stop by to take a peek!

In the meantime, it wouldn't be a grand debut without a giveaway! Leave a comment on this blog post letting us know:

Have you ever taken a train?

before 7am on Friday (7/3) and I will randomly select one winner to receive a $50 gift certificate to our store. The winner will be announced in a blog post on Friday (7/3) at 9am. The winner has 30 days to contact Customer Service (customerservice@poshtadesign.com) and claim their prize. Good luck and we'll see you tomorrow for more inspiration!