Die cutting on a budget

There are so many die cutting machines on the market nowadays. Which one do you choose if you want to buy one, and why? There are so many things to consider, how much do I spend, how much will I use it and how many dies will I need/buy?
A couple of years ago I bought this.....

.....the original Sizzix machine. It was advertised in a local newspaper for £15.00. The lady who I bought it off was treating herself to a Cricut machine. This machine also came with extras....

...so I had something to practise with. Up to this point I had always cut out my own templates and shapes with either a craft knife or scissors.
My question to myself then was "Am I going to use this and what other dies will I need?" I didn't want to just buy them for the sake of it. They had to be ones which I would use time and time again.
A craft shop in Derby was closing and the owner was selling off all her stock. I bought these two dies....

.... for £4.00 each. These have been invaluable and are still used now.
A couple of months later I went on to the Sizzix website. From time to time they have reduced items and on this occasion there were quite a few for less than half price.....

....so hubby treated me to these. These have been used many times too, and still are.
Last summer I bought a new pair of cutting plates....

....these cost £3.99 with free postage on Ebay.
At the end of summer I thought I'd take a look on the Sizzix website again to see if there was anything which took my fancy and anything which was to be discontinued and reduced. Once again, they had to be dies which can be used in multiple ways. So I bought these...

.....the cost of these dies in total was just short of £27. I was a happy bunny.
A few days later I was browsing on Ebay and I won these little gems....

....my winning bid was £7.99 and I paid £3.50 postage.
Now all I needed was the cutting plates for the Sidekick....

.....as you can see from the label I paid £2.99 for them.
Last week I again went onto the Sizzix website. I still had some Christmas money which I hadn't spent. Here's what I bought...

....

....

...those 7 dies came to just under £26.00. I have chosen ones which will be versatile and give me a lot of mileage. I had looked on Ebay (again) before I bought these but the prices were higher and some were used ones.
I am really pleased with my haul and once the housework is done tomorrow I shall be sorting my papers and card, ( and fabrics) ready for some scrapbook pages and birthday cards.
I do love the nesting shapes and have been looking at the relevant dies. But I can't justify buying them. ( They are quite expensive) and I'm used to cutting those shapes with a template and knife. I use the method we were taught in school.
I shall regularly look out for dies, but only if I know I can get a lot of mileage out of them, and the price will have to be right.
Will I ever upgrade to a new machine? Maybe. I do like the Big Shot, in fact they all look good with some fabulous dies. But I shall never let this one go, it really is brilliant. There are bargains out there, if I look hard enough!

Finished!

My fluffy cozy throw is finished....

.....I am so pleased with it.....

....this yarn had been in my yarn stash cupoard for almost two years...

.... I would never have made scarves or gloves with it...

.....it needed to be something big....

.....and I just know that the grandchildren are going to love it.
Now onto my next project.

Card sharp.

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to recycle as much of these...

...as possible. Well, here's what I did with them.
I used some of my Sizzix dies....

(not a good picture!).....

.....I cut out various letters. I didn't worry about the colours as I didn't want a uniform colour or pattern. I also used my snowflake die and cut out some more snowflakes. I adore this dye, I intend to use it all year. I think it's so versatile. I shall be experimenting in the forthcoming days.
Using some punches I cut out squares and circles....

...the punches were the Martha Stewart punch all over the page. I even saved the outer bits as I have plans for those too.
Words and messages were cut out.....

....some will be used as they are and some will be distressed or embossed.
I cut out images....

....to mat and layer onto nice card. There were some cards which I have yet to decide what to do with, they could end up on a scrapbook page, in some form. Other images were cut down...

.....there was still the other half of the cards to go, so I cut out all the blank parts...

....this will be used for stamping, painting etc. There's a mixture of glossy and plain card and various shapes and sizes.
All in all there was little left to go into the recyling bin, so I'm very pleased.
I happened to tell my friend Carol what I'd done and she says she has a huge box of used cards and would I like them!
I love a bit of glitter and one of my Christmas treats were these...

...the picture doesn't do them justice, ( wrong setting on my camera!) I also have a collection of Art Institute glitters which I bought a couple of years ago, but I generally use them on fabrics. I don't know whether these will work on fabric or not, but I'll give it a try once I've glittered everything else!
Happy crafting!

New Year, new adventures!

Happy New Year!
It seems to be the "thing" to do, to review the last year, but it's not me. Someone, ( I don't know who) once said " Don't look back, that isn't the way you're going", and it's true. So onward we go!
For 2012 I am hoping to ring the changes and do some things which I haven't done for many years, but still carry on with my everyday things.
My hand knitting adventures will continue. I have more patterns and ideas to add to my patisserie range...

.....I still have a good supply of colours....

....the picture shows just a few colours of the yarns I have. But I may need some others, depending on the projects I do.
I've been working on some stemmed flowers.....

...these are some of my daffodils and narcissi. I'm currently working on tulips, roses, daisies and carnations.
I have a Singer Merlin knitting machine, which I haven't used for about 15 years. I'm hoping to set aside some time to get cracking on a couple of projects with that, when I have chose the yarn.
Once I've sorted through all my fabrics, (this may take a while) I am hoping to make some dolls....

.....this is something which I did when our children were school age. I think now is the time for me to begin again. I have quite a few books on dolls and doll making, from traditional to Tilda to art dolls. At this moment in time I have no idea what type I shall make. It really all depends on the fabrics I chose. I also used to make knitted dolls to my own pattern and design, so knitted or sewn,it will be difficult to choose.
I have thousands of buttons from my grandmothers, mothers and my collection....

.....and I have jars and jars of beads too...

.....I'm not short of an embellishment or two. I haven't mentioned ribbons and lace, I'll leave that for a later post!
I am also thinking about a wire sculpture project, but to be honest I haven't really thought that one through properly yet! But I have seen something which has inspired me. So maybe more on that at a later date.
I have a good stash on card for cardmaking and scrapbooking, so shouldn't need to buy any at all this year ( or even next) and I am looking to recycle these.....

....I want to use all of the cards and not just the fronts, as is usually used. I have paints, inks glitters etc, so I'll be experimenting to see what I can come up with. This may be a way of stopping me cutting into a pice of A4 card, just for a small amount!
If there's one phrase which I find annoying, it's "on trend". it drives me crazy. I have never been one to follow trends and have always tried to be individual. I wouldn't ever buy something because it's "trendy" or because everyone else has one. Just before Christmas we were in the Cotswolds and looking in some of the gift shops was quite an eyeopener. Many of the shops seem to sell "handmade" style items, but obviously mass produced, and the prices were extremely high. Even the shops selling Christmas decorations were the same. I would love everyone to try making something just once, just to see if they enjoy it. I'm sure that they would. There is as much enjoyment in the making as in the giving.
Tomorrow I'm going to start reorganising my little craft room. I did have it sorted and it worked quite well, at the time, but now ( since I made a mess before Christmas) it's time to do it again.
As you can see, it really is a small room...

....it needs redecorating, and I shall have vinyl floor covering instead of carpet, ( I'm thinking of paint spills)....

........it is a good size desk, when it isn't covered in stuff....

......even the boxes will be sorted as the stack is getting quite high...

.....if you're wondering where all the yarn and fabric lives, well that's in the spare bedroom in a wardobe and shelves.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is wet and windy, so tomorrow, the big sort out begins!