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After seeing all the wonderful cards made with Big Shot Dies, I'm considering making the plunge on purchasing a Big Shot Plus w/starter kit. What die set can't you live without? What is your "go to" die that you gravitate towards when card making? I want "more bang for my buck." And will need to justify this purchase by using it :rolleyes:.
You might check out Jennifer Maguire's blog. She did a My favorite crafty things showing the dies she liked the most. It was a mix of words and shapes.
It depends a lot on your own style. Personally I buy very few dies which match stamps because I quite enjoy fussy cutting. I think decorative border dies are always useful (Spellbinders have some great sets of curved ones with both cutting and embossing details). My first buys were ovals and circles for matting and layering, and I still use those a lot. From there I added scalloped and decorative-edged basic shapes, and only after that some of the shapes that are more stand-alone ~ birds, branches, etc. Memory Box Prim Poppies is a classic, I think. Tag and label shapes are great for sentiments.
I love the new stitched frames dies. They can be used for nearly everything. The dies that I use most often, though, seem to be the ones that specifically match my favorite sets. Oh, and then there's the Love Notes dies with that awesome mini-envelope. I've kinda almost worn that one out
I would not worry about not using your Big Shot. You will find plenty of dies - from shapes to words to borders to frames, from many different companies - to keep your BS busy. The investment in a die cut machine is the cheapest part of the die-cut adventure. You'll spend far more on the dies, and you won't have any trouble doing it.
I started with basic shape dies from Spellbinder. Squares and Rectangles in both large and small so I had every size. I've gone far beyond that at this point, but I still use my Spellbinder basic shapes constantly.
Go look at the Spellbinder website, the Cheery Lynn website, and the Memory Box website just for starters. I can't believe you won't come away with a wish list a yard long!
Welcome to die-cutting! Your new addiction/obsession!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Okay - here are my first Spellbinder purchases, all of which I use constantly:
Squares, Rectangles and Circles, Ovals, large and small. Lacy and/or scalloped of the aforementioned, which will give you the option of some nice layering.
I later on bought matting basics A&B. I use these all the time, the largest of the two sets cut beautiful card fronts.
After that it's all your taste. I'm a big fan of Memory Box, as I mentioned above.
And, you know, we have not even touched on embossing folders. Something else your Big Shot will allow you to play with. Another whole world. ;)!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Hi My name is Linda and I am a dieaholic. I suggest you check out Sue Wilson's dies or Tattered Lace dies. They are both in the UK so a bit costly but soooooooo pretty. You have the basics. Another hint is to check out **********, they are a die company in China, the cost is low but it takes 2 to 3 weeks to get them. I get on Amazon and type in whatever type of card I want to make like "Birthday" , "Halloween" or "Bicycle" and browse.
Nesting Circle dies, You get about 20 in a package. My pack was American Crafts, but I think it's now WRMK. Michaels with % off coupon. I use them a lot.
I bought Lots of Spellbinders to start with. Circles, squares, rectangle, ovals, circle scallops, circle 'pinking', oval scallops, and LOTs of their Labels dies. I have found that my style has 'evolved' and I don't use the labels much, and the ovals appear Formal to me now.
I recently bought the Card Creator A & B sets and use them often. The embossed edge on all Spellbinders looks a little formal to me.
I bought My Favorite Things Fishtail flags sets in both sizes and use them a lot for sentiment banners.
I have LOTS of dies and use them on almost every card.
It just depends on the style of cards you like to make as to what you will use a lot.
MFT Blueprints sets have been useful, as well as stitched dies...circles, squares, rectangles. Many companies make fun dies: Lil Inker, Lawn Fawn, Concord & 9th. I also use word dies A LOT.
Have fun!
I have a boat load of dies and I can't say that I have a favorite because it depends on what I'm making. My suggestion is buy things that you can't easily cut with a trimmer or scissors. I can easily cut rectangles and squares with my trimmer but I can't easily punch perfect holes for stitched look and I love the stitched dies. KWIM
If you have any punches, don't replace them with dies right away. Punches are faster.
Consider nesting sets of circles, ovals, etc. to make great layers.
I rarely buy dies that match stamp sets because I may tire of the stamps. Also, I'm not fond of the white space around the images so I have to fussy cut them anyway.
DO NOT buy a Precision Plate. Per Sizzix it's not to be used with the Plus. I use a metal plate for my intricate dies and it works great.
Something you might want to know - I use my smaller plates from my old BS 99.99% of the time because they are smaller. It's very rare that I need to use the big heavy plates. The Plus plates are heavy and take a lot of space because they are so long. When you can do it, consider buying a regular sized magnetic base and plates as I think you'll get a lot of use from them.
You're going to love the Plus - have fun!!!!!!!!!!
Am considering a BS as my original wizard and I seem to be having a difference of opinions!! I just found this new thread as I had checked Splitcoast for "sandwich" information. Found what I needed but they were 2008 posts. Point of the matter- Can we use % off coupons at Michaels, AC Moore etc? I never tried because I thought that "machines" were one of the exceptions. 2017 information on that appreciated!
Oh My! Where do I begin?!
I use my older model Big Shot" more than my Silhouette...I just really like it.
The first dies that I ever purchased were from Spellbinder.
As tomusefullness, I suppose that I use my Spellbinders Card Creator (A and B sets) rectangles, various "Stitched" shapes and a variety of "labels" and embossing folders the most...once you use your Big Shot you will see that this is a difficult question to answer!
I am sure that someone either already has - or will- tell you not to worry the first time you use your new Big Shot.....it makes an awful noise. I was surebthat I broken it....and atbthat time I did not know anyone else who had one to tell me that it was normal...
Big Shot: First Time Buyer
