Something SIZZIX this way comes!!!

It's true! It came!! I'm SOOO excited!!

A few observations and a quick tutorial on the baskets. First of all, it was ingeniously and securely packed without a bunch of extra junk. My hat is off. Next, when I pulled out the basket die, I saw that on the exclusive dies, there's Shelli's ADORABLE signature on the case - how fun!!

Then, there are the instructions, which, as you know, I abhor. I like the Macintosh approach to life - where you can look at something and know what to do with it. "Oh - this side has three pokey things? Well that's just ducky because this other thing has three holes!" That's the kind of thing I like.

Anyway, a little put off at first by something telling me to grab a washer and a hex wrench, I immediately recovered - once you have put the handle on (just as easy as the cuttlebug) - you're ready to unpack your dies and get going. In a crazy stroke of brilliance, the instructions are actually PART of the plates you run through your machine, eliminating a midnight trip to Splitcoast when you forget the order of the "sandwich", like you do with some other products that will remain nameless.

For the big fat dies, you ditch the plate with instructions on it and just place the die between two cutting plates. It could not be easier. You now have a PhD in Sizzix. I grabbed the basket die, ran it through and started playing!! Actually assembling the cut pieces was tougher than setting up an using this gorgeous and fun machine, so I will walk you through.




1. Cut the pieces.
2. Admire that the die cuts a perforation into the areas you need to score. *sigh*
3. Put adhesive or sticky strip on ONE TAB ONLY of the basket and adhere the other non tabbed side of the other side of the basket to the tab of the first side.
4. Put a line of adhesive all around the bottom of the basket on the INSIDE.
5. Score the basket bottom tabs so they are ready to fit into the INSIDE of the basket where your adhesive is. It was easy if I held my fingernail on the score line and used the bone folder to push the flaps up against my fingernail. Very cool.
6. Start wrapping the basket around the basket bottom and behold - the basket takes shape!
7. After the basket is together, secure the bottom to the sides by poking your bone folder down into the basket while it's lying on your desk.

Decorate when you have time, which I do not this evening.. *sigh*.

Oh, wait a second - did I mention ... THESE???

Come get yours on Saturday!!!