It's a Revolution

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My new die cut machine arrived Friday. I knew it shipped but I really didn't expect it until this week. I was very happy to have a moment over the weekend to try it out. It's wonderful! It uses my old QuicKutz dies and I bought some new ones.

The Revolution by QuicKutz.

I bought a set of 5 ovals. These are the individual ovals stacked up. I made new signs for my pins at The Enchanted Rose Garden using the two largest ones, in blues.

I also bought a set of 6 flowers. I'm not sure if these can be used for spirelli (that string art technique you've seen me do) because the "petals" are so far apart but I know I'll find a use for them in my mandalas for sure. I find the spirelli looks better the closer the threads are together.

One can also use just two dies and cut rings.

Love, love, love the butterfly! This is two dies. This was just my trial run. I see my next one - the orange part will be black and the bottom layer, the black part here, will be shades of purple and teal. I'll slap some Swarovski crystals on it too I think. Can't wait to play with this one!

I love the way this turned out. The flower is the new die - two pieces to this one. The petals are joined so I trimmed them a little and curled them a bit to give them a little umph. (The scanner flattened them a little.)

I punched a black circle to put under the brown center. I was trying this out to be a pin, layering it on a green spirelli base. Then it needed a little something and the bee buttons I've used previously on my sunflower pins are way too big. I know I can buy tiny brass bugs but I have 8000 punches, surely I must have something appropriate. I love the butterfly.

(Yes, I exaggerate about 8000. I've never counted them but I bet I'd be surprised at the number. Someday I'll count them.)

The funny thing about the butterfly is when I've used it before, I've punched one out of a color, then I punched the body out of black. I cut out the body and glued it on top of the wings. It's really hard to do that and make it look decent. This time, without even thinking about it, I punched two butterflies in contrasting colors and glued the wings of one onto the other one, leaving that body color showing. Duh! Much easier and gives it more weight besides.


Since I have found my specialty to be paper embroidery, I really want all of my pieces to have thread on them in some fashion. But you know, those other ladybug and sunflower pins and Sticky Notes are still good sellers so I guess I'm stuck making them for a while. I really don't mind, it just kind of surprises me, though it shouldn't I guess. Just because I love the paper embroidery best doesn't mean that everyone does.



I went to bed at 8:30 last night, I was so tired. I was really struggling at work yesterday, to stay awake - I hate that. I got up and moved around, I drank water, I chewed gum. Nothing helped. I slept so soundly, I didn't hear Steve or the animals come in to bed. I never woke up once until my alarm went off. I definitely feel better today.

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