The NEw Sizzix Big Shot Machine can be used for all of your Creative Endevors

You can use Sizzix Original or Bigz dies with your Big Shot machine

Watch Jill as she shows a customer how to use the Big Shot machine during Scrapfest this was a super fun event full of FUN

Check out our new stuff!

I hope you were able to visit your local A.C. Moore store yesterday and particpate in their free Kids' Make & Take event featuring the Sizzix BIGkick machine and Doll Body die along with the ever-so-fun Wiki Stix. Check out this young fellow who did an awesome job making this great card. Make sure that you check out the AC Moore calendar at acmoore.com and the Events section at Sizzix.com for future Make & Takes and classes that feature the Sizzix brand products. Remember, the Sizzix BIGkick machine is FUN for all ages and levels of creativity!

I had so much fun last night being interviewed by Tiffany Windsor, host of the Inspired at Home Blog Talk Radio show.

We laughed and talked for about 12 minutes, then after the show we laughed and talked some more. I love the purpose of the show. Tiffany is really trying to spread the word about how important crafts are in people's lives. She interviews some of the most talented people in our industry. In fact, Eileen Hull was one of her guests last night. Eileen does some pretty cool stuff with matboard and is working on launching her first collection of products with Sizzix.

Anyway, back to the laughing, you can log on to blogtalkradio.com/inspiredathome and actually participate in a LIVE chat while the show is going on. Marie Merius, Violette and I were all having too much fun talking about creative times and birthday parties in Las Vegas! I think I committed to renting out a room and having a party for Marie's 50th! LOL! Well, as you can see, getting together with new and old friends can be a lot of fun, especially when there's creativity involved. Stay inspired!

I'm just about to head out on vacation, but before I do, I thought I'd blog about a simple little flip flop card I did this week. We do so many really cool techniques here with our dies that you'll see over time as you keep visiting us. But this card shows just how a great color scheme and plain cardstock straight out of the Big Shot can look awesome. I inked the edges of the flip flop to add a little pop, and that's it. A cute button and patterned paper, and you've got yourself a card in no time flat! Hope your summer is going great! See ya when I get back from vacation!

Hi there! I am just returning from the Atlanta Gift Show located in downtown Atlanta. WOW! There are three buildings with multiple floors and tons of beautiful things to see. I was there introducing one of our NEW products to the gift industry. Can't give specifics, but it's cute, small and easy to use. You won't be able to live without it once you've seen it. We also have several other NEW items coming out, so make sure you keep a close eye on my blog and the Sizzix.com website.

I know you're going to LOVE all of our new products. Stay tuned for more info.

Graduation is officially over! What a great time we had with family and friends. It's amazing how 18 years can go by so quickly. Some of you may remember Josh when he was a baby and I had him on the Aleene's Creative Living TV show. We were trying to do a segment on molding your baby's hands or feet. It took several times to get the shots just right, and when we finally did, Josh was fast asleep in Tiffany's arms. It was so precious. Crafts play such a huge part in many of our lives. It's so cool how we can preserve our memories and have fun while doing it.

Remember to hold your babies tight, enjoy every moment and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Did you know that you can make jewelry with your Sizzix machine? Well, you can! This is one of my most favorite things to do with my machine and Originals or Bigz dies. These dies will cut through anything that you can cut with a pair of scissors, including leather, suede, shrink film, polymer clay and metals.

Take a look at these pieces that I made using polymer clay. First, I rolled out a thin layer of clay and baked it for a few minutes. I immediately placed the clay on top of my heart die and rolled it through my Sizzix machine. I also added crystals to each heart using Diamond Glaze and then linked them all together with jump rings and chain.

There are a lot of jewelry ideas located on the Sizzix.com at ideas/fashion.
 

Part of my job with Sizzix is to schedule special events at the store level. Recently, I helped a few hundred stores celebrate National Scrapbook Day. There were many make & take ideas, demos of the Big Shot Express, free products with purchases and lots of door prizes!

I also travel the country and abroad teaching consumers and retailers how to use Sizzix products. Recently I went to Toronto and taught 30 retailers, including my good friend Elizabeth Nardella. She owns A Scrapbookers Dream Outlet in Bolton, ON.

Make sure that you check out Sizzix.com events for future dates and times of a local store event near you featuring your favorite Sizzix products.
 

I recently appeared on QVC and had a blast demonstrating our NEW Hello Kitty Sidekick machine and dies. Hello Kitty is such an icon and loved by so many throughout the world. It’s easy to see why so many people watching purchased the machine and dies.

While I was at QVC, some of the industry's best were there, including the one and only Lisa Bearson from Creating Keepsakes. We had fun getting ready for our 2:00 a.m. show. I helped Lisa and her group set up a few of their tables, which was fun, especially getting to see all of the amazing pages up close and personal. Lisa and I took this photo together. Let's just say that I am almost half the height of Lisa, and she was cool enough to bend down and snuggle in. Very cute!

Make sure you check out the Sizzix website and the Sizzix blog for future appearances.
 

Here's a sweet surprise from the new Bigz XL 3-D Pop Up dies. The cupcake was made with the 3-D Ball die. I started by cutting and assembling the Ball out of brown cardstock, then die-cut the pieces again out of pink, trimmed the edges with decorative scissors and adhered them to the top of the Ball. Here are a few tips to avoid disappointment:

I love this photo of my adorable niece, Amelia, and thought it would be perfect for a canvas project I was working on! Here’s how: First, I enlarged the photo so it would bleed over the edges of the 6” x 6” canvas. I converted the photo to black and white, and I also brought down the opacity so it wouldn’t print too dark. I printed on white linen cardstock, which gave it a cool texture. I used Xyron to adhere the photo to the canvas and trimmed the edges. I also sanded the edges a little bit, which gave it a not-so-perfect edge.

I’ve had some fun with shrink art today … it’s not just for kids anymore. This project was really fun and easy to do. I like the funky/elegant way it turned out. I bought this plain necklace at Target (on clearance for added bonus) and let the chain dictate the color scheme. The main piece is a Bigz Fleur de Lis die, cut out of shrink plastic. Tip: Sand your plastic first. Once cut, I used a "scripty" rubber stamp and permanent brown ink to stamp on the front of the design. Next I punched a hole in the top of the Fleur de Lis – this is so I could add a jump ring later to create the charm. Now shrink. Take it slow and don’t let it get too hot or it will stick together! To add color to the charm, I used a variety of alcohol inks and permanent ink pads on the back of the charm. Once I was happy with the color, I added the jump ring and attached it to the necklace. Last, I added some matching beads for weight and extra sparkle.

Guess what it WAS? This was an awesome recycling project! The base of this little container is an empty Nesquik box. I just removed the label and covered the box with pretty patterned paper. To attach the ribbon handle, I punched a hole in the box and in the ribbon. I added a die-cut flower and attached the whole thing with a pretty brad. Hello Kitty® finished this off as a perfectly girly project. This could be used for gift giving, party favors or even as a purse for little girls to put "stuff" in! This can easily be altered into something a boy could use for sticks, stones and other whatnots!