Select Artwork for Larger View and Item List
"Ctrl P" to Print

Scrappin' with a Sizzix in Spain!

Ramie Ahlstrom - Scrapping Deck Cruise Director

This month, the fantastic cruise ship on which we've all embarked, is ported in Spain! Lucky for me, I'm in Spain also! I've recently relocated, thanks to my husband's career, and we currently live on the southern coast of Spain! Bienvenidos!!

As I unpacked my office, I was thrilled to find my Sizzix machine and my stash of dies, not to mention all the other fun scrapping supplies I've not seen in months!

Using a Sizzix to snazzy your scrapbook pages is just one of the many uses this wonderful tool has! The Sizzix die-cutting machine is a personal size machine designed by Provo Craft and Ellison, just for scrapbookers like you! It's small, portable and very easy to use!

Sizzix has two different types of dies for their die-cutting machine. The original dies come in several designs, from acorns to wood signs! They also have several alphabet sets and individual letters available! They also offer geometric shape dies and dies perfect for quilters. There are three sizes of original dies available, and they are color coded for easy reference. The Sizzix original dies are capable of cutting through several different types of materials. Paper, cardstock, vellum, transparency paper, shrink plastic, rubber, faux fur, leather, Mylar, thin metal, cork, fabric, felt, polyfoam, and aluminum foil are just a few.

Their new line of Sizzlits dies are smaller and more compact then the Originals, and require the use of their Converter to work properly. The Sizzlits line consists of several alphabet sets, and numerous multi-piece coordinated die sets. The Sizzlits alphabet sets each contain both upper and lowercase letters, numbers 0-9 and some punctuation, as well as their shadows. The Sizzlits dies won't cut through as many things as the original dies, but thin metal, vellum, cardstock and thin fabric will work well.

Using the Sizzix machine is super easy! Simply lay your piece of paper down on the cutting pad that comes with the machine, lay the die (black rubber down) and slide it under the handle. Pull down the handle to "press" the die into the paper, and viola, you've made a die-cut!

While the Spanish people haven't yet discovered the fun of scrapbooking (at least not down South here), or the Sizzix machine, I've made great use of it with photos we've taken in the short time we've lived here! The first layout I've created uses the Fun Serif Lowercase Alphabet dies, and showcases the wonderful public markets we have here. Fresh fruit, produce, fish, meats and olives are readily available and for very good prices!

Southern Spain is famous for the gorgeous sunflowers that fill the fields in the spring and early summer. We arrived here just in time to see them in full bloom, before the dry summer heat wilted them away. The photos in this layout are some of my all-time favorites, and using the Sizzix dies was the perfect compliment to my layout! This layout shows how to use one die to make a multi-colored die-cut. Simply cut more than one die cut, and piece the different colors together.

Since we've lived here once before, it was easy for me to complete the list of our favorite things to add to this layout. The photos were on a small pocket calendar that we obtained at "la oficina de Turismo" (or the Tourist Office). While these photos probably aren't acid free, I've kept them away from anything precious and irreplaceable, and will put them inside a page protector in my album, for safe keeping!

While I usually stick to pictures of people and places, I decided while walking on the boardwalk, that having pictures of the THINGS in Spain would be a nice way to remember the little things you forget over time. Painted tiles, as a form of "framed" art are very common in the touristy parts of town. The tiles are laid out in a grid, then painted, moved to their final location, and reassembled like a puzzle as they are laid in cement. From a distance, you can hardly see that they are tiles, and they look just like a painting. I used two different sized squares from the Square Set die to recreate the painted tiles on this layout.

After a long sit on the beach, watching the sun set is the finishing touch to the perfect day. Sizzix has several beach themed dies, but the palm tree one, and this pre-made embellishment from a good friend, made for the perfect addition to my Sunset layout.

I've put my Sizzix Personal Die Cut Machine to good use in the year and a half I've had it. I use it on about one in three layouts, and plan to use it more! The alphabet dies, including the Sizzlits sets, are very versatile, and would have to be my favorite, if I had to choose. The other dies can be just as versatile; if you can imagine it, it's possible! Here's a list of other things to try with the Sizzix Personal Die Cut Machine:

Use die cut felt shapes to tell a story with a felt board.
Make dress up paper dolls with the Doll Body, Hair and Clothing dies.
Use the alphabets to make posters for sale signs or yard sale signs.
Die cut shrink plastic to make charms, jewelry or small embellishments for cards and scrapbook pages.
Use the Frame dies to cut magnet sheets, and hang them on the refrigerator with your favorites pictures in them, or give them as gifts.
Iron fusible webbing onto the backside of your fabric, then cut with the Sizzix dies, and iron onto clothing, canvas bags or backpacks to personalize them.
Cut rubber and mount to wood or acrylic blocks to make your own rubber stamps.
Make name tags for your next gathering (showers, mixers, reunions).
Cut shapes to decorate your personal journals or gratitude journals, or your children's school notebooks.
Cut compressed sponge to make tub toys for the kids. They can learn their ABC's and shapes and colors while washing the dirt away. (These can also be used as stamps with some paint!!)
Use the negative shapes (the leftover after cutting) for photo frames.
Teachers can use Sizzix dies to create cute nametapes for student's desks, or to decorate their bulletin boards.
Die cut a shape (heart, birthday hat or baby bottle, for example) and write a greeting on it, and stick it to a friend's car window, for a little surprise greeting.
Cut several small circles from black cardstock and stick them to your dog to dress him up as a Dalmatian for Halloween (assuming he's not already a Dalmatian!)!!
Using the Wood Sign die, make signs for the plants in your garden. Laminate them to make them more durable.
Create paper bag luminaries. Place a small brown paper sack around the replacement cutting pad and cut shapes out of the top of the bag. Fill with a little sand and a small candle, and let the light shine through.
Make paper buttons for your scrapbook page with a small circle die.
Adhere a sheet of cork and a sheet of foam to one another, cut with your favorite die, and viola, it's a coaster for your favorite drink.
Cut Sizzix shapes from wallpaper and adhere to walls to create a unique border.
Die cut a shape from sticky paper and adhere your favorite fine embellishment to it (glitter, embossing powder, Pearl Ex, micro beads, etc).

This list was compiled from a longer list I found online. If you'd like the whole list, please email me at ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com and let me know. I'll send it to you!

I hope you've enjoyed reading a little about Spain, and a lot about the Sizzix Personal Die Cut Machine and Dies. Be sure to check out Cindi's article about how to use the Sizzix to spruce up your stamping projects. Her article can be seen at Cindi's Poolside Playroom

Also be sure to check out the Designer's Challenge, as Sizzix was our sponsor this month, and the crew here at SS Reflections has come up with some fantastic pieces of work using Sizzix dies. You can check it out by clicking this link Kathy Miller.

Adios!

Happy Scrappin',

Ramie Ahlstrom
ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Deck Cruise Director
S.S. Reflections, Inc.

This entire web site © Copyright S.S. Reflections, Inc. Legal Statement