Sizzix Sizzles

The new Sizzix die cutters available now at Ben Franklin Crafts are sizzling HOT! The Big Shot machine will accommodate even the large purse booklet die cutter. I’m having so much fun making mini purse albums to document my shopping sprees. The purse booklet and pages could easily be the focal point of a paper party, office crafting session, or even a teen’s birthday celebration. Provide bowls of embellishments (maybe instead of refreshments) and you’ll have an instant success. I also love the Flower Beauty Blossom die cutter, which makes four petal parts of a blossom. I found that cutting four layers of (Japanese) mulberry paper at once makes a gorgeous peony-like flower. (See photo. Click to enlarge.) To make the blossom more realistic don’t use the smallest petals and add yellow pips along with leaves from our floral department. Fold in half and wrap green floral wire stems around the pips and then pass the two wire ends through the petals. Wrap green florist tape around the stem and add in the leaves as you wrap. The resulting flower would make a great gift topper instead of a bow or be an easy, elegant, inexpensive wedding decoration.

Lynn