Scrapping by Design

This morning’s mail brought this lovely snowflake Holiday card from another member of the CST (Canadian Stamp Talk) group.

This card is done on navy card stock. The outer snowflakes are stamped.

The medallion shape in the middle is a type of paper cutting. I’m not familiar with it — perhaps this is a die cut, or perhaps it is hand cut. Either way, it is intricate and lovely.

Tiny silver star stickers appear around the edges of the circle.

Thanks so much for this lovely hand made Christmas card.

Sharon Reinhart, a Canadian gal who I know from my email group, Canadian Stamp Talk, has just had her newest craft book published, Iris Folding for Christmas.

It’s not yet available from stores, but one can pre-order it from Amazon.

Sharon says her book has recently been released by Annie’s Attic (DRG Network -- edited by Tanya Fox, Cardmaker Magazines editor).
It is presently available for preorder through Amazon and hopefully in the near future it will appear at local paper craft and scrapbook stores.

In  an email message, Sharon reported that the book contains traditional and non traditional designs as well as rubber stamped accents.

She writes: “I live in Calgary and have been designing, demonstrating, teaching and writing for the craft industry since 2002. My first book The Card Gallery was published in 2003 Unfortunately the publisher Grace Publications is no longer in business. A lot of my designing teaching and demo work was done in the US for Fiskars and other manufacturer’s. I’m trying to promote things here in Canada a little better. ”
I’ve seen pictures of Sharon’s work and its excellent. I can hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of this one.

If you don’t know how to do iris folding, here’s a video demonstrating the technique:

Iris folding is a technique for creating beautiful embellishments for scrapbooks, mini albums, hand made cards and any other paper craft project that you may be working on.

A week or so ago, I did a post in which I compared the Provo Craft Cuttlebug and the Sizzix Big Shot.  I was struggling to decide which tool to purchase.

It wasn’t an easy choice, because both machines are apparently very good. In the end, I went with the Sizzix Big Shot Universal Die Cutting and Embossing Machine.

Three  factors influenced my decision.

First, the Big Shot will handle the Bigz Dies from Sizzix but the Cuttlebug, I am told, will  handle some, but not all. These dies are awesome and I know I will want to purchase some sooner or later.

Second,  my local craft store, Scrap Arts in North Vancouver, was selling the Big Shot at a better price than you usually find. You had to order it in, but it arrived within a few business days so this was not a big problem.

And a question about the warranty was the last  factor that influenced my decision. I am told that the Cuttlebug’s warranty is void if you use any die or folder other than Cuttlebug’s. Although the machine works with most other dies, or so I am told, the company won’t replace it if there is any damage and you have been using a non-Cuttlebug product.  I left a message with Provo Craft customer service asking if they would verify this.  There was no response. I tend to shy away from businesses who do not respond to customer questions.

So, the Big Shot won out.

So far, I love this machine. It required almost no assembly, other than attaching the handle. It works like a charm on the folders and dies that I have tried.

So far, I have used it successfully with the Cuttlebug embossing folders, a Cuttlebug die, a QuicKutz die and a brass embossing template.  All worked well.  For the brass embossing templates, I had to purchase a package of Spellbinders 5 Inch by 7 Inch Wizard Enlarged Embossing Pads.

The brass templates I am using do leave a border around the embossed design, which is unfortunate. Apparently there is no way to avoid this, at least not with the templates that I have.

I have a video demonstration of the Big Shot using the Cuttlebug, the QuicKutz and the brass templates.

I want to correct one mistake I made when explaining the use of Tab 1 or Tab 2, or no tab. I said you choose your tabs based on the width of the project.  I should have said the thickness, not the width.

Here is the video tutorial:

Note: Since first publishing this post and the video, some kind visitors have left comments or emails telling me how to use the brass templates or stencils without getting the border. You cut the foam mat to be just smaller than the brass stencil. I haven’t tried this yet but it certainly makes sense and sounds as if it should work.

Should I get the Provo Craft  Cuttlebug or should I get the Sizzix Big Shot/Big Kick? I asked that question to the email list, Canadian Stamp Talk (CST).

My question was motivated by the highly important (to me) fact that Michaels Arts and Craft store has the Provo Craft Cuttlebug and accessories on sale for 50% off this week — or at least it’s in sale in Vancouver, where I live.

Both machines do die cutting and embossing — and apparently both do it well.

I received some excellent information from fans of both the Cuttlebug and the Big Shot. Seemingly the Sizzix machine is called the Big Kick  when sold at A.C. Moore, Jo-Ann Stores and Michaels. It’s called the Big Shot when sold in elsewhere, including the smaller craft shops.  I don’t think there is any difference between the Big Shot and the Big Kick.  If there is, someone please correct me.

Comparing the Big Shot and the Cuttlebug

Size

The Provo Craft Cuttlebug Machine is smaller than the Sizzix 655268 Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine.   The Big Shot’s measurements are 14-1/4 by 8-1/2 by 6-1/2 inches and it weighs 11.5 pounds.  The Cuttlebug measures 12 by 7-4/5 by 9-1/2  and the mouth is six inches wide. It  weighs seven pounds.

The Cuttlebug takes up less space, is lighter and is therefore easier to tote around if you go to crops. I don’t go to crops, but storage space is a consideration.

Price

The Cuttlebug is usually cheaper. In my area, it sells for anywhere between $70 and $110. Wal-mart has the lowest price, at $70. Interestingly, at $110, Michaels is by far the most expensive, exceeding even the small mom-and-pop craft stores that fall in between the Wal-mart and Michaels price.   However,  the sale at  Michaels  should bring that down to $60.  The Big Shot sells locally from $90 to $100 and there’s no sign of a sale.

Function and Warranty

Both machines are said to be universal — meaning they will use dies from other manufacturers. Both machines will cut on a variety of materials. The Cuttlebug recommends cutting material that is 1/8 or an inch or less in thickness.  Thicker materials may not cut properly and may damage the machine. The warranty covers manufacturer’s defects only, so this type of damage would not be covered by the Provo Craft warranty, nor would it cover damage caused by using dies from other manufacturers.

One woman who responded to my question said that the Sizzix warranty is NOT void if you use dies from another manufacturer. However, the Sizzix  web site offers no information  about the Big Shot’s warranty, or about anything else that would be helpful for comparison purposes. I find the Sizzix web site disappointing, frankly, compared to the wealth of information on Provo Craft’s site.

Also, with the Cuttlebug, apparently you  cannot  use some of the larger dies like the wonderful Bigz Dies from Sizzix.  I have the Cricut, which is lovely for die cutting, but the Cricut does not work on thicker materials such as chipboard.

Some respondents thought that the Sizzix machine would work on thicker material than the Cuttlebug — but given the shortage of information on the Big Shot web page, I cannot confirm that.  It would be nice to be able to cut chipboard shapes.

Some people who responded to my question said that Cuttlebug is easier to use and to work with. Some others said that the Big Shot is easier to use and work with. One commented that with the Big Shot there is no shimming to make the folders emboss as there is with the Cuttlebug.

Customer Satisfaction at Amazon

At Amazon, customer satisfaction is about equal. Two people gave the Big Shot a five star rating.  The Cuttlebug earned a 4.5 star rating from a total of seven people. The half star was lost because apparently the Cuttlebug’s suction plates are not as good as they could be and the machine tends to move around on the table when you use it.

Dies

Dies for both machines are readily available at local craft stores,  chain stores and online, so availability is not an issue.

What’s your choice? Cuttlebug or Big Shot?  Or some other machine altogether?

Thanks to Corrinne from my Altered Book Yahoo group, I now know the name of the beautiful paper cutting craft I write about yesterday. It’s scherenschnitte. Wikipedia has a brief write up at this link:Scherenschnitte.

If anyone knows more about this craft,why not flesh out the entry at Wikipedia? You register for free and then you can add and modify information on any of the wikis. I do that from time to time myself.

Here’s another blog post with beautiful examples of scherenschnitte. Artisan Jen Miinnis actually has it carved on pumpkins.   Jen Minnis Art Blog

There are so many paper crafts to explore it takes the breath away.

I’ve just looked at a blog showing the most wonderful designs made with paper cutting. This isn’t your garden variety type of paper piercing that scrapbookers often do. This craft has a name of its own, but I don’t remember what it is. In any case, the artisan has made delicate and tiny designs that showcase her amazing talent and skill.

Take a look. This post is at Craftershock, a blog about “all things crafty.”

The post is Unbelievable Cut Paper Crafts

Incidentally, the blogger says she is always looking for craft items to showcase, so this could be your chance to show off your own great work. Craftershock showcases all kinds of crafts, so scrapbook layouts, hand made cards, stamped projects — all would be considered, from the sounds of it.

All good things must come to an end. I finally had to replace my eight years old Fiskars paper trimmer. I assume the company stopped making the replacement blades for it because I couldn’t find them anywhere.

I am a big fan of these paper trimmers. The portable trimmer that I bought is the lowest priced of the Fiskars cutting tools, selling for about $20 US.  It’s light weight, easy to carry to workshops or scraps, works like a charm and practically lasts forever — or at least until you can no longer find the replacement blades.

My only complaint with this cutting tool is that the numbers along the vertical scale are extremely difficult to read.  I don’t know if this problem is rectified in the more costly models or not.

Fiskar’s more costly models include a paper trimmer that cuts through several sheets of card stock at once, and a trimmer that has various paper sizes marked out on the cutting area, which undoubtedly would make it simpler.

Most experienced scrapartists and paper crafters are already familiar with paper trimmers.  Newcomers may appreciate the video below, which shows my demonstration and product review of the Fiskars portable paper trimmer.

Leave a comment and let us know your favorite paper trimmer — Fiskars or otherwise.

Paper cutting and paper piercing is a paper craft technique suitable for us in scrapbooking, card making, altered books or other projects.

The video demonstration below shows me making a paper frame using a paper piercing and paper stencil purchased on Ebay

Other necessary tools are a good craft knife, painter’s tape and a paper piercing tool similar to the ones used for Pergamano (parchment craft).

I don’t do a lot of paper piercing or paper cutting in my scrapbooking and paper craft projects. However, I did make the frame above and it worked perfectly for the title page on a great little gateway album I’ve just completed.