Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me!

Since selling my Cricut freed up some valuable desk space & earned me a nice chunk of crafty change, I was able to buy myself a machine that I knew I would use: the Sizzix Big Shot Pro. I have wanted one of these babies ever since Spellbinders came out with the Grand Nestabilities. I know that Spellbinders makes a machine that cuts these dies, but if I was going to buy another machine, I didn't want to buy one that wouldn't cut all the dies I already had. That's when I first became interested in the Big Shot Pro.




The Sizzix Big Shot Pro will cut almost any die on the market. It cuts every die made by Sizzix, Spellbinders, Quickutz, Provo Craft, etc. It also embosses, creases and all that good stuff. It will also cut almost all the AccuCut dies as well. Basically, it will cut anything that the Mark IV can cut, so the only dies you can't cut are the dies that fit in just the AccuCut Grande Mark.

When I sold my Cricut, I was really excited to see that the Big Shot Pro was on sale for 40% off at Joann.com. Since I had a coupon for free shipping, I was set! Unfortunately, by the time I went to order, they were sold out. I was pretty bummed for a while, but then I googled around and found the Westminster Fabrics version of the BigShot Pro at Overstock for $232.99 shipped! A little research taught me that the only differences between the two machines are color {one is periwinkle and the other is purple} and the fact that the Westminster Fabric version comes with the extended adaptor pad and cutting plates, while the normal Big Shot Pro comes with the standard adaptor pads and cutting plates. A few clicks later & I was checked out! Yay!




I am really excited! Now I just need to get some dies and figure out what to do with my original BigShot. I suppose I could put it away for use at crops. I can't wait to be off and running! I already have some really cool dies picked out for the Pink Paislee "Hometown Summer" nostalgic childhood album I have coming up as a UStream series this summer. They are beyond adorable & I know you guys will love them! I promise to make some cuts available for sale on my blog so you can follow along if you like!




So, what have you been obsessing over or splurging on lately? Anything you can't wait to get your hands on?

~Kathryn :D
Crafty Cutter

P.S. Speaking of UStream, join me tomorrow from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a live "scrap chat" UStream show and again from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. I'll be finishing the Flora & Fauna album tomorrow come hell or high water!

My UStream Channel: Live on the {Scrap}Beach!

All time Eastern USA. To convert from Eastern USA {Miami/New York} to your time zone, click here: Time Zone Converter.

P.P.S. It's not actually my birthday today. My birthday is July 8th. I just wrote "Happy Birthday to Me!" because I had bought myself a large present! Sorry for any confusion. :D

22 comments:

  1. Oh YAY for you Kathryn!! The Pro has some fantastic dies! I know you'll do some great things and have wonderful fun with your new toy! :o)

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  2. WOOOO HOOOOO that's awesome!!!!! Can't wait to see all your awesome creations. I'll be the first to purchase a kit from you!! Can't wait to receive that paper - I think it's coming in the mail today - SUPER EXCITED!!! Hugs, T

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  3. *gasp* I forgot to wish you a Happy Birthday, Kathryn! lol I hope you have a fantastic day and a year full of JOY! :o)

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  4. happy birthday! I ordered a big shot from overstock, too (and a binderie). It gets here tomorrow - I am so excited. I'm also pretty much over my cricut, it's a pain to set the whole thing up and half the time it chews my paper. I'm hoping that the big shot makes me happy.

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  5. Happy Birthday Kathryn! And you lucky girl, isn't fun to get new things? Enjoy!

    Elaine Allen

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  6. Congratulations an HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Have fun playing with your new toy. :)

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  7. I must have been really out of it when I wrote this post - LOL! I forgot to mention that my birthday isn't until July 8th. I just title the post "Happy Birthday to Me" because I was buying myself a present. Also, UStream is tomorrow, not today. I must have been out to lunch!

    Nancy, you are so right! The BS Pro has some really cute dies! It is a great machine for people who are really into mini albums! I also like that I'll be able to line up several cuts at once on the larger cutting pads, since I am normally cutting lots of layers at a time.

    Terri, you will love that paper! It is so cute in person! Just happy, fun, bright & adorable patterns! I can't wait to start playing with mine! Of you buy an album from me, I will be sure to hand deliver it so USPS doesn't hurt it! ;D

    Heather, that is how I felt about the Cricut! It would ruin a cut more often than it produced a clean one. It took forever to choose an image, get the mat, do the paper, etc., etc. I have always loved and used the heck out of my regular Big Shot, and I am even more excited about the Pro. You will love the Big Shot! You just grab a die, run it through & you get a perfect cut every time!

    Love getting new things, Elaine! Especially since this machine opens the doors to a world of other new things - tons of new dies! Bring on the shopping!

    Thanks, Diane! Can't wait to get the machine and start playing. I am super excited about it!!!

    ~Kathryn :D

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  8. Kathryn,
    Thanks for letting me us know that the BS Pro cuts the Grand Nestibilities. I was all ready to get a regular Big Shot and then the Grand Caliber came out and I thought I had to buy that to use the larger dies. You are always such a wealth of information!

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  9. Hi, Kelly! Yes, the regular Big Shot cannot cut all the Spellbinders dies & the Grand Caliber cannot cut all the Sizzix dies. I thought about getting the Grand Caliber and just having two machines, but in the end decided to get the Big Shot Pro instead so I could pretty much cut whatever I want! Yay!

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  10. I have said that the Big Shot Pro is the next machine I would buy. Not the Vagabond, not the Spellbinders or any other. I like the idea of cutting full page dies. Look at it this way, you don't have to piece things together like you did last week with the 6 x 12 chipboard. Congrats on your purchase.

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  11. Happy EARLY birthday to you Kathryn! ;)
    I look forward to seeing what you create with your new toy. It's interesting that you have chosen this manual gadget over hi-tech. I have been thinking about the Cricut or the Silhouette (with SCAL)for awhile. The accessories and supplies seem to make them expensive. I suspect you may sway me toward your purchase. I wonder if you have not wanted to create your own designs (dies)for use with this cutter.
    Thanks again for your wonderful videos and great blog/site.

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  12. Melinda, that is one of the first things I thought of after I checked out! I could just take a piece of 6"x12" chipboard, cover it with paper on both sides & run it through one time. No cutting, no sanding, no taping ~ awesome! I totally agree with you in regards to the Big Shot Pro vs. the Vagabond or Grand Caliber. I just think it has so many more possibilities & it's not really that much more money ~ especially when you consider that if you get the Vagabond, you still have to get the Grand Caliber anyway if you want to cut the Grand Nestabilities!

    Thank you for the early birthday wishes, Dianne! :D I do know that I am kind of going against the flow here in buying another manual cutter vs. an electronic cutter. In theory there is more you can do with an electronic cutter, but it just wasn't working for me. I like the simplicity of the rollers & the clean cuts they make. Plus I do lots of custom albums & so the ability to cut thick chipboard is important. And, yes, it has crossed my mind to create some custom dies down the road. Is that something you lovely ladies would be interested in?

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  13. ....congratulations....if you're anything like me ...staying up all night and cutting everything that moves {watch out Mr. Lifeguard }lol...you have really made me start saving up for one of these, seems to be so many positives...and huge time saver, cutting chipboard and paper together, perfect edges...wow...you totally deserve this treat...your work is amazing, thank you for teaching us so much!!!.."happy just because I felt like it dammit birthday, Kathryn!!!!"

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  14. WHOA WOMAN.. CONGRATULATIONS..AND YAY!!! AOOO SOO SUPER EXCITING.. YOU DESERVE THIS AND MORE MORE MORE!!! :) HUGS AND HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!!! :) Can't wait to see what you do with this new tooL of happiness!! oooh look out!!

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  15. Thanks for the "just because" birthday wishes ~ LOL! :D I am super excited about the machine coming and all the possibilities it will open up for me in terms of what I can cut! Mr. Lifeguard should watch out {or at least his wallet should, hee hee!}. I am especially excited about the possibility of cutting the edges on wider pieces of chipboard for minis & also for being able to place a die anywhere on a 12"x12" piece of paper to cut as well!

    Thanks, Steph! Thanks for the early birthday wishes ~ I'm so excited about the early present I got for myself! Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I have fun things planned for this one! Whee!

    ~Kathryn :D

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  16. I have been wanting one of these since they came out with the Grand Nestabilities. I am OBSESSED with Spellbinders...it's a horrible obsession...LOL I don't have a regular Big Shot and thought that this would serve 2 purposes. I have the cuttlebug but I feel that the Big SHot might be a better option. I looked it up on Overstock and I am soooooooooooooo close to buying it but I really can't right now. I am a little sad but I guess I will have to wait until I can save up some money for it.

    Hope you are enjoying your new toy :)

    Hug,
    Mercy

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  17. Hiya, Mercy!

    It was totally my Spellbinders obsession that led me to the Big Shot Pro machine ~ LOL! I love those dies so much! You totally could have this machine to cut all your Sizzix dies + all the Spellbinders. It's a big machine at 15"x24", but you have a good sized room. The Overstock deal is even better than I originally though. Not trying to peer pressure or enable you & they certainly aren't paying me for this, but I learned that the extended cutting tray is $99, the extended cutting plates are $59 and the extended adapter pad is $29. Those all come included with the Westminster Pro machine that Overstock is selling!

    It's a super amazing deal from them, so I hope you'll be able to take advantage of it soon! In the meantime, you can always come over and borrow mine!

    ~Kathryn :D

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  18. SOoooo, I totally showed the hubs the post with all your added info. I figured he would say OK, get it if it's that good of a price but, he just said "Hmm". I guess that means that I have not swayed him to my side yet. I will have to see how I finagle getting him to agree to this... Valentine's Day, Birthday, and Mother's Day have all passed...this might be a little more difficult than usual. But I will try anyway.

    Thanks for the added info...it just makes me want it more (sure you're not trying to tempt me....sure)

    ;) Mercy

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  19. Aw, bummer, dude! I was hoping the added value would help sway the hubs. :( Maybe you'll think of something. If not, I hope the deal is still around when you've saved up enough for the machine.

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  20. Guess what I just ordered yesterday night? I guess all that pouted really paid off...LOL :)

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  21. Way to go, Mercy!!! Woo-hoo!!! I bow down to your superior pouting skills. :D

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