UPDATE: The cheat sheet sandwich chart is now available. Apologies for the delay. You can click to download the zip file which contains a small sized version to fit inside the storage drawer and a larger version for easier viewing. (Photos at the bottom)

I’ve been on the fence for a while now about upgrading from my manual Sizzix die cutting machine to a powered/electric die cut machine. Two reasons behind that line of thinking is that 1) I’ve been doing more die cutting and feeling limited by the size of my platform and 2) With that much die cutting + my age, my hands and wrists are feeling the strain.

I was looking seriously at two machines… the Sizzix Switch Plus and the Gemini. Then some set of circumstances landed me on the HSN shopping website and there was the brand new Gemini II machine. While my hesitation all this time had been the price of these machines, I decided now was the time. If I was going to make the switch, I was going to do it with the latest model with the most up to date features.

So the new machine landed on my doorstep. As an aside, I bought the machine at a high price and when HSN put it on sale days later, THEY emailed me to say they refunded the difference in price. I’ve never shopped HSN before, but that type of customer service definitely makes me re-consider my anti-TV shopping point of view. A little.

I knew I was going to put this machine to the test, so why not film it and share it. As you can see in the picture above, I really threw everything at this machine. That was a lot of filming, and even more editing to make the video manageable. I could have been two hours long, but then no one would watch. LOL.

If you don’t want to watch the video, the end story is I like this machine and am happy I bought it. There are a few niggly things that are less than ideal, but nothing in life is perfect. For this machine, the instructions had a couple of unclear points. No big deal. However, the larger thing is that the problem with electric machines warping cutting plates is real! I’m working on learning to adjust my workflow to pay more attention to cutting plate care. Even so, I have been making die cutting projects aplenty! Here is a quick look at the one I shared at the end of the video.

Here is what the two different versions of my sandwich guide looks like. I hope you find this useful. If you notice any errors or have suggestions, please reach out to me.

This is a single 8.5×11 printable. It is sized to cut as indicated and it will fit inside the storage tray of the Gemini II machine. (Both files are included in the download.)

This is a two page 8.5×11 pdf document for printing the chart full size in the landscape orientation. (Both files are included in the download.)

And that brings us to the close of another post. I hope you found this review helpful. Until next time, have and artful day.

PRODUCTS USED^^

• Scrapbook.com, Sprigs Die (cuts various foliage): https://shrsl.com/40sdg
• Scrapbook.com, Berry Sweet die set (used for basket) :https://shrsl.com/40sd8
• Concord & 9th, Grateful Blooms (used to cut felt): https://shrsl.com/40scs
• Concord & 9th, Eclectic Garden (tall flower bunch): https://shrsl.com/40scz
• Simple Stories, Heart & Home Stencil: https://shrsl.com/40sdq

^^ Disclaimer: I offer affiliate shopping linked products when possible. You can use these links to buy these products, or any products from the site once you get there. This shopping won’t cost you anything extra, but I get a small kick back from the companies for sending business their way. It is an easy way to tell me “Thank You” for the content I provide. I appreciate you using my links.

In my last post I talked a bit about joining this new monthly kit club. Today I would like to fill in some of the details.

I chose the Scraptastic kit club on it’s price point, flexibility and a review of their previous kit contents. I was looking for something affordable, something to give me just a taste of new goodies and something that had a social aspect to it. Here is how this club works…

1. You can choose from 2 different membership options. The first is a Project Llife style kit and the second is a standard scrapbooking kit.
2. The standard scrapbooking kit has 2 kits to choose from every month. At this point, you get a preview of items via email then email back your specific kit choice.
3. The PL kit is $28/month and the standard kit is $25/month.
4. Shipping is $7 and can include extras that you order for the month.
5. This is a no commitment club and you can cancel at any time. If you want to skip a month, you can cancel and rejoin the following month. However, each time you order back-to-back kits you get a goodie in the 2nd month’s kit. For example if you order October’s kit, then order November’s kit, you will get a freebie in the November kit.
6. There are extras available each month including add-ons for each main kit as well as extra embellishments that can be purchased to include in your shipment.
7. There is a blog with challenges, design team inspiration and a social forum all as part of this club.

So I have used their kits for one whole month now–the month of September–and here are my first impressions…

1. The kit is really reasonably priced.
2. I like being able to add on a couple of extra little items, such as wood veneer (a favorite of mine!) when I like what I see in the email preview.
3. My first kit (September 2013) came with a tiny Basic Grey alphabet. While there were plenty of letters to work with I found it a challenge to make titles with such a small font. This challenge was both a positive and negative experience in that I liked having to think outside the box and also in that I didn’t like having to come up with a new way to do eye-catching titles for each layout. Also I didn’t like the quality of the BG letters. Many of them peeled off their sticky backing as I was working with them. This was especially true when I recolored the stickers to fit my layout, though letting them dry longer may have helped solve this a bit.
4. I have lots of little tags leftover to make cards or to tuck in my stash for later. I like having these little bits as extras. The meant I felt like I had enough pieces to work with.
5. I made 8 layouts with this kit! That is more than I thought I would get. Some of them are very very light in embellishments but that isn’t bothering me. Like I said I had plenty of pieces to work with so it was a color and design choice to make these layouts sparse.
6. I got tired of seeing the same colors over and over again in the embellishment supply (mainly tags)… red, blue and pink. I found it hard to mix up layouts enough to feel like they had their own color scheme.

I’m already noticing differences in the October kit as I start to work with it. So I can compare and contrast the two kits as I draw to a close with the October kit.

I took two Copic marker (pronounced coe-pick, not cop-pick) classes at a Creating Keepsakes Convention in my area. I’ve had Copics on my wishlist since seeing them on Scrap Time. Since then I’ve seen and heard much about them. I thought I would share with you what I know and some resources to learn more.

Copics are alcohol based markers and…

• Come in 4 body styles: Copic (original), Wide, Sketch and Cio. Differences between these include marker size, ink volume and marker convenience. Sketch and Cio are most popular with stampers and scrappers due to the brush tips. Ciao are slightly less expensive because they are smaller, hold less ink and do not have the nice marker design features. Sketch are nicer in that they are a rectangular body to prevent them from rolling around on the table. They also have caps that have the color printed directly on the cap. This is a HUGE time saver when looking for markers.
• They are refillable and have very durable nibs. And if your nib is damaged somehow, then the nibs are replaceable. This makes these markers a life-time purchase! Never throw away another marker!
• They are guaranteed not to dry out for 3 years. And if they do dry out they can be refreshed. Did I mention, never throw away another marker?
• They can color on paper, cardstock, chipboard and other paper products
• But unlike other markers they can also color on plastics, metal and other non-porous surfaces including buttons, brads, ribbon, glass, transparencies and much more. Since Copics are alcohol based they color on paper better in many ways than water based markers. The colors can be blended seamlessly and without leaving heavy streak lines like water based markers.
• Due to the alcohol based nature they blend more smoothly than water-based markers (depending on your surface!)

You can see some info on Copic techniques from Scrap time. I love Christine over there and think you should check out her Copic and other videos.

• How to start inexpensively with Copics by using a palette blending method. Episode 98.
• How to use Copic to blend colors for shading & dimension. Episode 371.
• Another blending and shading technique using a palette. Episode 612.

I took my class from Clear and Simple Stamps. You can find their basic photo color blending tutorial on their site. They do have a video tutorial but I found the sound quality poor and couldn’t finish watching it. Also, search YouTube. There are dozens of videos.

My initial thoughts after taking the class

• Like them way better than water based markers and bought a full range of colors.
• Love the fact that they will last forever. I won’t ever throw away another marker!
• I think they are more versatile since they can color on many more surfaces.
• It will take some experimenting to find just the right paper and stamp ink to use for color stamped images. The marker ink can cause some stamping inks to bleed. Never use them with StazOn which is also alcohol based.
• Different cardstocks will absorb the ink in different ways causing the ink to feather outside of your intended images. This is especially frustrating if you are coloring in stamped images. My Stampin’ Up cardstock is “not recommended” by some resources, yet I had the best luck with it not feathering/bleeding. Go figure. (I heard that it absorbs more ink so it will run your markers dry faster. Who cares if it actually works!)
• Don’t trust the plastic cap colors. The actual marker color can be quite different. It is best to buy them in person or in coordinated color sets (like Clear and Simple Stamp Trios) until you know what colors you actually want.

I am planning a bunch of sample swatches to test different stamp inks and papers. I plan on showing it in a video since it would take way to many photos to go over all the details. When I finish it I will share it with you.