As some of you know, I'm in the process of getting in shape, working out, and losing weight. It's a slow process, but I'm really ready for it this time. Anyway, rewards are a fun incentive, and food is NOT a good reward for losing weight, so I thought about a good alternative. The conclusion?? Craft supplies! :) How fun is that? My first reward was the Bind It All. The reward this time (for getting under a particular weight) was the Deep Cut Blade Assembly and extra deep-cut blades for my Cricut. It is suppose to cut cardboard up to 1/8". I bought it some time ago, but vowed not to use it until I reached my short-term goal. That day came 3 days ago, but I didn't get a chance to use it until last night.
I've heard mixed reviews about the product, but I needed to make the judgment myself. The cardboard that was used was about the depth of the back of a spiral notebook or a little thicker than a cereal box. A simple shape would do for the first cut.
Wow. That sucker cut through that cardboard like a hot knife through butter. NICE. This was *without* multi-cut turned on. It cut with only one pass. Now, this is not the thickest material in the world, but it works really well for book covers, little chipboard accents, and such.
The cut shapes are very crisp and clean cut. Anyone would be pleased with these.
My review - In general, for light chipboard and thick papers, this blade is excellent. It cuts well and very cleanly. I do NOT recommend it for thicker materials. A thicker material was used, but the blade got caught on the side of the material and couldn't get in to it to cut it. It skipped, stuttered, and groaned. Just be careful which materials you use with this accessory. If it sputters, cancel the cut immediately.
While testing the blade and blade assembly, I put together a new cruise book for Jaydin. I may make a few more before the trip, but this one was a good start.
It was awesome having the deep cut blade assembly to cut the cover just the way I wanted it. I also took the time to play a little and make the front a clear shaker to add some interest and fun.
The confetti used inside was from a card that Concierge gave us on our last cruise. :) It's a good memory and a great way to preserve it.
To complete the book, I added white pages (45 of them) and bound the entire thing with my Bind It All. I used a great set of red coils that a great SCS friend passed along to me last month. :) The red works perfectly with the theme.
Recently, I read a post on
Laurie Wilson's blog about fixing a small problem with the ATG. I used her suggestion to add the little round 'barrier' to the ATG to help guide the tape correctly. Instead of using the measurements she gave, though, I used one of the waxy paper things that are put between the ATG refills as a guide. They are a little bigger than the refills themselves, and fit perfectly inside. I traced the guide circle and cut it out. Then, because I just couldn't leave a bare piece of cardboard in there, I had to decorate it. :) Here's the result.
So far, it's working, and I think it looks cute, too. :)
Jaydin was suppose to go to a party last Sunday for a little girl that goes to church with us. Unfortunately, Jaydin was way too sick to go. I took a little time yesterday to create something extra for the child. I think it turned out really well!
The etching turned out better on the mirror than it does on the ornaments. I really like the look of this, and I hope that Kylie will, too.
Here it is up close.
A lot in this post today. Sorry. Thanks for hanging with me this long! :) As always, I'd love to know your thoughts on all of it! :)
Have a wonderful Sunday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!
I started with the scalloped circles and Flower for All Seasons. The card is for a summer birthday, so I chose the sunflowers. It was stamped in Memento so that Copics could be used. The image was colored with Copics. The ladybug from Bugs and Kisses was stamped on the blue with Versamark, and the sentiment from Remembering You was stamped in black. The ribbon was put behind the circles and held in place with adhesive. Matching tags were put on the side to add just a little touch of ... something. I really like the way it turned out.
A close up of the circles and tags. I love the depth the dimensionals add.
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