I love die-cutting. (Want proof? I have more die-cutting machines than I have children.) So I’m always on the lookout for new, fun dies. Recently I was sent some original-design dies by SCACD and I was eager to try them out!
These are wafer-thin dies, but are very detailed. Take a look:
Here is some information about Dies by SCACD (Susan’s Custom Art and Card Design) :
Size is approximately 3 “ x 3“. Dies by Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD) have a timeless, classic feel. Delicate and beautiful, the diecuts from these high quality made in the USA wafer thin metal dies will be featured on your projects for years to come! Compatible with most major table top machines such as Big Shot, Vagabond, Wizard and Cuttlebug.This is not a toy – sharp edges.
Dies by Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD) are all copyrighted die images and all rights reserved. You are welcome to use Dies by SCACD in your personal creations and of course if you hand make an item using a Die by SCACD it may be sold. However resale of just the die cut pieces alone is not permitted.
Of course with dies, there are two questions at hand-
- Will they work with my machine?
- Will they cut the materials I want?
So I went ahead and did a series of cuts, using text weight paper, heavy cardstock, shrink plastic, polymer clay veneer, craft foam, and craft metal. I did this in the three machines I had on hand: a Cuttlebug, a Sizzix Vagabond, and the Fiskars Fuse. Here are my results:
Now, my Cuttlebug sees a lot of action and the rollers may be getting loose- but I did not get good results with the Cuttlebug. It worked fine with the craft metal and text-weight paper, but failed to cut through manilla paper, heavy weight cereal cardboard, or shrink plastic.
I did try shimming with extra cardstock, but with poor results. Here’s a close-up so you can see what I mean.
I’m not sure I’d blame the dies for this- Cuttlebugs are known to be inconsistent with the spacing of the rollers. Especially when you take into consideration the next two machines I used.
Here, I cut them using my Sizzix Vagabond. I used my regular “sandwich” of the base plate, 2 Sizzix plates, and my “B” Cuttlebug plate (which is what I use for my other wafer-thin dies) and the results were great!
It cut through all the materials cleanly and the waste pieces just fell out. I even tried one more test and ran a piece of cardstock through my Xyron machine, and then cut through THAT. Perfect.
Lastly, I opened up the Fiskars Fuse. The dies also performed flawlessly with that. (My sandwich was: Adapter base plate, Shim A, die, material, cutting mat.)
See that teeny-tiny white one? That’s a piece of shrink plastic post-shrinkage. Note that the die cut so well that it maintained it’s integrity and didn’t even tear during shrinking.
Now, I didn’t try them on fabric because these kind of dies just aren’t engineered for that (Especially heavier fabrics.) But the dies are really lovely and I’m super-smitten with these hinges.
I cut them from craft metal and now I’m just itching to make a book page or card with a special window! But in the meanwhile, I did make a mixed-media tag and card with the dress forms.
I really like how they turned out, and I’m going to use them to make a whole series for Mother’s Day for Operation Write Home.
So here’s the skinny- these dies are really reasonably priced and are available only at SCACD online. They are priced between $6.99 and $12.99 USD, so they won’t break the bank, either.
What do you think? How might YOU use these dies? We’d love to hear!
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debb says
Thanks for the review- these are beautiful dies and I would like to give them a try.
Charlotte Zweigoron says
Thanks for the review. One of the machines I wish might have been part of the trial is the Sizzix Big Kick. It is in my price range (with a coupon, of course) but I can’t say its been an easy relationship!
I bought one and was very careful not to force anything through the machine. I did use some Cheery Lynn dies that had a video about how to use their dies in the Big Kick and that was what I did. Still no forcing but having to run the die through numerous times to get it to cut in what they referred to as the “sweet spot” on the Big Kick. After doing this for about 10 cuts I was making to send my sister, I began to have problems with it skipping as I turned the crank and making a crunching noise (which the people at Cheery Lynn, in their video tutorial, had said was normal. Then the machine stopped working at all.
Fortunately, Sizzix sent me a replacement (free). I have avoided the Cheery Lynn dies (which I love and are a bit costly). I did order a number of the Spellbinders dies that came out at summer CHA. I had used lots of Spellbinder dies before but these new ones seem to be needing extra shimming and moving around for the sweet spot. I called Marco’s Paper where I had bought them and asked if these dies were good quality and not seconds (if there is such a thing). They said the dies were fine. It is perfectly normal to have to do this to get a good cut (although I had never had to do that with any Spellbinders die I’d purchased in the 3 preceeding years.
Now, with all this care and caution, I am finding this machine behaving in the same scary way. Each machine I’ve had has lasted about a year. Since I am in the middle of Christmas crafting I bought another one on sale last week just in case this one poops out on me in the middle of a project. I am not sure Sizzix is going to replace these machines forever and haven’t asked them about it yet.
Do you have any experience with this or have any advice? I use a number of other dies and don’t seem to have any problem. Even when I use embossing folders lately, I have to flip it around and run it through twice. Got any ideas? Thanks, in advance, for your help.
Jenny says
Charlotte- it sounds like your Sizzix is certainly a problem! I cannot counsel you about how to fix it, and you’ve had the experience of needing to shim it to get it to work. SO. Sounds like to me you need to put a Fiskars Fuse on your holiday wish-list! : )
Good luck, Jenny
Rebecca Bodine says
I’ve never used these before and I have never been a fan of the dress maker design. BUT you have shown here some different ways to use it. I will deffinately look into this.
Becca
calamityjane says
I’ve seen these dies and think I’d use them quite a bit. I have a Spellbinders Grand Calibur and wonder if it will cut with these dies! This has been a problem for me with my machine. I hate to buy different dies and then not be able to use them! Any thoughts here about the Grand Claibur and Susana’s dies!?? Thanks Jenny….love your blog btw!