Die Cut machines

Are they worth the expense?

Nov 10, 2006

There are many craft products on the market . Some are very costly. How do I know when it really is a good idea to buy? Ask Suite101 Crafts.

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to a big sale on die cut machines and accessories. I, like many, have resisted putting money into these die cut machines. I am old school. I will draw it and cut it out myself. Why spend that kind of money?

In talking with many of the people at this sale I found the same issue coming up repeatedly. How will I know it is worth it to invest in the machine and accessories?

I purchased a Sizzix machine and font set. When I looked at the machine in the advertisement, it did not seem substantial enough to be durable. I was wrong. The machine is very well made. I still wasn't convinced. Like you I work hard for my money and will not invest a couple hundred dollars if I don't feel I will get my money's worth out of it.

Well, I took the machine home and tried it. I was in the middle of a wedding scrapbook and thought this might give me more options.

I read the very brief directions and thought this can't be all there is to it. I cut card stock in the size to fit the fonts' dies. Ran it through the machine as directed and had the perfect script letters for my scrapbook in seconds.

I did not think that the letters would be so detailed (funky brush font) or perfectly cut. I continued until I had spelled out what I wanted for two pages and found the ease in using the machine was great. It really is user friendly.

My husband, who is in no way a crafter came up to see how it worked. Instead I told him what to do and he cut out hearts with the machine to add to the scrapbook. He was surprised at how easy it was to make something so nice.

I hate to say it but I will never go back to drawing out and cutting my own. This is so easy and I can change color simply by using a different cardstock.

Each time I cut out a letter, it cut the uppercase and the lowercase. I was able to take the extra letters and with no more effort spell out the bride and groom's names on a different page. I plan to keep a box with the set to store extra letters for use later.

I understand that the machine can also be used for embossing. I will have to try that next.

You don't know. And with so much out there, that can really be a drain financially. Write me and I will check out the product myself.

The copyright of the article Die Cut machines in Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts is owned by Mary Welling-Bonney. Permission to republish Die Cut machines in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.