So...Is it a Cinch?

I've only played for a few minutes but here's my preliminary review. (yes more may follow LOL!) I've attached a video I found so you can get an idea of what this thing does. It retails for $99. Most stores that ordered at CHA seem to be expecting them in stock this week. It sounds like this is the first round and shipments of another batch will follow this summer (not positive about that but I've heard ot from two different sources). I watched with the same enthusiasm as most during CHA and wondered if the Cinch by WeR Memory Keepers would live up to the power and bite that the previous Crop-a-dile and Big Bite have.

First I need to say I have held out on getting a Bind-it-all by Zutter for a few reasons. I don't like the rectangular holes and I'm not a fan of being "bound" (haha!) to using the wires. I wanted to be able to use book rings and ribbon and not have those ugly rectangular holes in every project. There were lots of other concerns with the Bind-it-all that I read about. I won't get into them here but you can do a google search and find some reviews. ;) I just want you all to know this is NOT a comparison of the two (beyond the obvious aesthetics of the holes/spacing) but an *independent* comparison of the WeR products only.

The two things that drew me to the Cinch immediately were the round holes and the ability to turn the holes "off" so to speak. If I want to skip holes I can. If I only want 3 holes along the spine and choose to bind with 3 book rings, that's an option too. Those were HUGE pluses for me. I didn't want to have every album I did bound with only wire coils and rectangular.

What I have found now that I bought it was a little surprising at first. That is, until I realized I just needed to change the way I approached binding. In the past when I made a junk journal or mini book I would complete the pages, stack the book (well usually half of it cause my books are pretty chunky LOL,) and then punch it with the Big Bite. When I opened the Cinch I noticed that the thickness of the material it will accommodate seems to have been reduced compared to the Big Bite. I got out some stacks of cardstock and sure enough it WAS less!

Here's how they compared:



The original Crop-a-dile will accommodate a thickness of 18 sheets of cardstock (this was not Bazzill but just some cheaper stuff I had, but it will still show a good comparison between models)




Next I tried the Big Bite and found it could accommodate a thickness of 33 sheets of cardstock. Now I would never suggest you pack either of these to capacity and use them. I have heard of CAD's and BB's being broken, so don't try this at home LOL. This is merely to gauge the height of a stack of items you can fit in each machine. Many times my mini books are bulky but there isn't a whole lot to them on the edge where the spine is punched.



Lastly, I tried the Cinch and was a bit surprised by the results. It accommodates less space than the original pink CAD. A total of 17 sheets of cardstock. OK so only one sheet less but when I saw the Cinch I was fully expecting it to accept MORE than the Big Bite.

So now you are probably wondering (like *I* was), "what's the point of paying all this money for something that cuts through LESS cardstock?". And that is exactly what I was wondering too!

I realized that while it won't cut through my entire mini album at once, that's OK. They made the Cinch "smart" so we don't have to stack and punch it all at one time now! As you saw in the video you are able to pull out the measuring guide and cut the fronts of the book, the back of the book, and the middles pages (or even single pages) and have them all line up when bound. You don't have to worry anymore about stacking and clamping a whole mini book while you use the Big Bite. There's no more wondering if the pages inside the stack have shifted! And, if you are using fewer holes with the use of book rings you can make sure that even half pages (or tags!) still have two holes in them (and not dangling by one LOL). You can just punch the holes in the pages as you complete them.


The last tip I have though is regarding the sliding ruler. I wish they'd made this a little stiffer it slides in/out a bit too easily along the channel. While it does have "teeth" to set the distance I would probably still use a piece of tape to hold it in place while working on an album. It is easy to bump the guide a hair off and put all your future punches slightly askew. That could be really bad if you are completing pages and then punching them!


There are several other cool features with this tool that I won't even go into because they are wonderfully highlighted in the video. It does take 2:1 O-wires like the BIA and are the same wires you can pick up at most office supply stores. I'm happy I purchased the Cinch and realise this may not be something every scrapbooker can afford right now. If you still are not sure check with your LSS. They may be getting one for their classroom, so you can try before buying it. ;)

Adding: Get the matching wire cutters too!! They are nice, hefty and well made. My DH might like to steal them, thankfully they are PINK though so I know they are MINE!

{captured} Butterfly & Roses

This just reminds me of spring. Growing up and capturing butterflies in an old Mason jar, or finding grasshoppers in the field. It's sure to bring a little happiness while it's still raining and blustering outside.

Get out your supplies and capture something in a jar that makes you happy! Check out this Flickr Gallery Search for ideas or try your hand at making these beautiful Roses by Nancy Burke. Eitherway you will have a unique specimen to enjoy all year.

Supplies:
Shabby Green Door On the Wings of a Dream: Patterned papers, stamps.
Farmers Market: Jam Jar with Lid, Chocolate Twist Bakers Twine.
Daisy Bucket Designs
Rub-ons
Jacquard Pearl Ex Powders

Someday

Someday I *WILL* go to Disney World but until then I get to live the magic through my friend Susan. I don't even have kids and I wanna go after seeing her pages!



And how cute are those pennants! Adorable! Her Lo's always inspire me. So to say thank you to her for always sharing the magic, I've got a little of my own! Here's some great ephemera I found recently. Can't wait to see what she does with it! I will be stashing mine away for the day *I* finally get to visit the most magical place on earth.

Fixing those wood dies

If you haven't heard yet JoAnn's is having a crazy clearance sale on original and Bigz dies. I got 10 on Sunday and they were marked down to $1.99 & $2.99! Of course this was perfect timing to figure out if I can alter these. The results were mixed. It seems all the frame dies the centers came out fairly easily. On the other hand these flower dies were a bit trickier. Still worth the work though (being able to cut piles of book text and sewing pattern tissue is worth it to me! not to mention the chipboard.)

So here's what I discovered. The center holes are impossible to remove LOL! they are small though and easy to cover. :) it was those center flower shapes that needed to go anyway! pulling them out proved futile. I tried for probably 1/2hr before giving up.

I decided I needed to remove the black foam to see what the next option was. I ended up going for a pair of really big wire cutters DH had in the garage. I made cuts every 1/8" around the entire shape. When that was done I used some blunt tipped needlenose pliers and twisted off each little piece until the shape was gone. (you can see in the close up the tiny pieces I removed.) It looks pretty rough but once the foam is back on you won't notice it and it cuts fine. The foam even went back on with no problems. Make sure you don't lose the tiny circles of foam that go in the center holes. These push the paper out of the holes after cutting.

***As always, proceed with caution. The dies are sharp and you can damage your die if you aren't careful. I suggest picking up one of the clearance dies at Joann's and giving it a try before you move on to more expensive dies.




EDITED: to fix the bright, reg, green, yellow, blue dies read HERE

eeeeek!! I can FIX my dies!!

Ok so you probably all have a sizzix die you wished the inner cutting shape would just disappear! you know the flowers with the holes in the centers and here is a good example. a perfectly good heart messed up by turning it into a frame :P booooo!

I have always wished I could change this and it's only taken me what 6 years?? LOL

So here is how it works

Take a die you hate, but want to *LOVE*. like this one!



Flip it over and make sure it has the holes in it on the back (I don't have my newer style original dies with the full back covering so I'm not sure if this will work on those, but once I get mine back I will be updating! UPDATE: Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the link to the newer dies) using a pair of needlenose pliers push the steel rule die out the opposite side. BE CAREFUL OF THE BLADES ON THE FRONT SIDE!!! they are sharp and you will cut yourself if you don't take precautions. Try a dishcloth or a hot pad to protect your hand.



Once it is out it will look like this


Use the pliers again and push the middle part of the die out.


Put the outer die shape back into carrier. you can do this best by pushing on the plastic rim portion of the dies frame. try not to touch the blade or chip it with the pliers. I've pulled back the foam so you can see where the plastic rim is I am talking about.



The funny part about this is that the die actually cuts BETTER now than it did before. I'd be careful about chipboard getting stuck. I haven't tried that yet. if it does you can just pop the die apart like you did when you were disassembling it in a worse case scenario. the paper I tried didn't get stuck and I was actually able to cut 8 sheets and I probably could have done more.


Now I have to go look for more dies I can "fix"! Please share if you get any cool results while reassembling them. :)

ADDED: 3/20 there is a discussion about this going on here at Two Peas in a Bucket check out what others have said about taking apart their dies. Edited: You can also learn about altering the wood dies on THIS post.

I see there are others joining in on the fun from other message boards. :) if you discover any great tips *please* share, or post a link in the comments section. THANKS!

Cricut Bag

So I have a Cricut new-users class coming up next saturday and realized I needed a way take this thing with me. It's pretty heavy and awkward! I don't know if they make a bag for them but I'm sure it was more expensive than my $5 vintage sheets LOL

I threw this together last night. It only took me a few hours and some problem solving! I've never made a bag or anything that required a liner so that was a bit of a mental challenge to figure the inside-out workings of it.

The worst part was putting the handles on. There HAS to be an easier way then I went about it. Pinning them on and sorta eyeballing it unfortunatley AFTER I had put the side pleats all in. That made it hrad to tell what was on there straight or measure anything.

Making it myself I was able to get some nice pockets in there for the power cord and the tool kit. I probably should have tried making a bag with a proven pattern the first time.

Oh and this was the first large-ish sewing project I have had a chance to do with the Kenmore Mini Ultra I got for Christmas. :) Man I love that thing!

some sneaks peeks...

of the projects I designed for Paperie Arte!
:)
I hope all of you attending enjoy making them as much as I did. :)

And *NOW* I have to buy more Alcohol Inks!

This is what happens when we all put our minds together. ;) I have fabulous creative buddies!!! Imagine what we could do if we all lived in the same state?! Watch out Prima! hehe!



See Cool huh?? So go check out Nancy's blog Scraps & Ink cause she's the only one of us that took the time to document our brilliance ;)

Always Kiss Me Goodnight

So here is the sign I have been trying to get made for almost a year! LOL




Rob got me this DCWV wall quote for our anniversary last year. The shape is loosely based on the DB stamp shape which is still one of my favorites!



again my favorite silver leaf Krylon pen I used to outline it ;) oh and I got to use my Black & Decker mouse sander that Dh got me for xmas. OMG I LOVE that thing! it is really light weight and easy to hold. my hands are kind of small and I have a hard time with most drills and stuff but this is *perfect*. now I just wish I had the guts to distress the letters on here :P

After seeing the silvery aqua I used (the border) I am debating painting our bed this color. our walls are like kraft paper color in our bedroom and the nightstands are white with the blue on the drawers and nickel cupped drawer pulls. I have shabby chic trays that sit on top of the nightstands. they are white and I painted the flat inset surface this aqua too. undecided still. I guess we still have some time to decide since we aren't painting it until we have a box spring delivered.