My New Toy

I'm using this page from my Bonjour Madame journal to show you my new Character Constructions toy.  If you take a closer look at the Parisienne doll you will see that she is wearing a crinoline skirt that I created with one of my  French Laundry stamps.  You can stamp directly to paper, patterned or plain, or as I did here, you can also cut out some of those boxes and put patterned paper behind it.  In this case I stamped on the dotted paper with the light background, but removed every other row and filled in with another dotted paper with a darker background.  I used a craft knife to do all that cutting (and I know so many of you have done this as well).  It's a really nice effect, I think, but tedious and time consuming!  So, this is where I tell you about my newest toy.

A few weeks back Lisa Guerin wrote to me to say that she thought a die would be such a handy tool to have for this stamp and I could not agree more. She had created this amazing little part-woman, part sea-creature, with claws visible under the crinoline (very cool).  I must have contacted a half dozen different die cut manufacturers before, frustrated, I tabled the idea.  They wanted huge sums of cash and it just wasn't practical.  But, I happened to mention this to another friend, Maria Nordin, aka The Queen of Die Cuts, and she did some independent research and discovered another potential manufacturer. And, viola, with a little help from my friends, the crinoline die cut is born. (and hopefully more to come)

I believe there are limitless possibilities for my new toy.  For instance, the die cut on the left side of the photo (above) is just a die cut from some pretty paper, no stamping (no stamp required).   You could make two, a front and back, and have the pretty legs show through, giving it a more three-dimensional quality.  You could layer some sheer fabric under or over the crinoline, and . . .

This is an acid etched die, not the Sizzix steel-ruled type, so they aren't sharp, but they do "cut" with pressure.  My dies will not cut through chipboard or fabric, but they do well with pretty scrapbook papers and cardstock.  And if you desire more thickness, The Queen of Die Cuts tells me that you can double them or triple the die cuts to get more dimension.

I recommend the Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine, and hope to have a little demo for you soon.

PLEASE NOTE, if you own the original wood-mounted crinoline stamp, the stamped image will not align with this die.  When I went to clear stamps I had to scale the crinoline down a bit to make it fit the 4x6-inxh format.  But, you can still use the die to create a stand-alone die cut and it works pretty nicely as you can see in the photo above.

Any questions?  Feel free to e-mail me at:  PostoDelSol@aol.com

Any suggestions?  I value your opinions, so tell me what you think.  Use the comments or e-mail me.  Have a favorite stamp you think is destined to be a Character De-Constructions die, tell me.  I can't  promise I'll make it into a die, but I will certainly give it thoughtful consideration.

I have more news to share . . . have you seen the Halloween issue of Somerset Studio yet?  Check out pages 14 - 16, Season of the Witch!

Mark your calendars, I will be Jenny Doh's ART SAVES Guest Curator beginning the week of September 20, 2010.

 

 

 

Comments

[Jennifer Pearson Vanier]

What a fabulous idea. I too have taken time to cut out all the little openings in the crinoline. A die to punch one out would be fabulous! A crown die would be great too. Any of the little accessories would make great candidates to turn into dies. I can hardy wait to see what's next!

[Barbara]

Brilliant!!! What a WONDERFUL idea and something we will all use!! I made a comment on the Yahoo site, but wanted to leave one here too. How about a solid die of the skirt? I know I can stamp on the reverse side and then just cut out, but a die makes a nice clean cut.
I look forward to seeing the new Somerset Studio magazine, and seeing you on Art Saves too!!

[sharon]

Wonderful news and brilliant!

[jackie]

I can't wait to use this new little toy! You have done it once again. Thanks Catherine! From one of your biggest fans.

[Shelley Overholt]

Looks like so much fun!!! Anxious to see what happens when Jackie and Barbara get their hands on these!!!

[lorraine lewis]

I LOVE your sweet stamps and I think this looks like great fun. I guess I need to do some shopping!

[Linda Warlyn]

So happy to learn all the good news you have to share! Your new toy and the resulting page are genius! I'm so looking forward to seeing the new Somerset and your appearance as guest curator on Jenny's site. Also was very happy to hear that your beloved Sanibel was untouched and that it will likely remain so. May you and your family return to those pristine shores and water for years and years to come. xox

[rochambeau]

Dear Catherine,
Just found you and your site through Baberella. So nice your work!!
Constance

[Nancy Gene Armstrong.]

I am having so much fun with my die cut skirt. I can't wait For the next one. Wonderful Catherine.