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I'm looking for a basic set of circle dies. They don't have to be stitched. I want to buy a recognized brand (nothing from China). What would be a good starter set?
Gina Marie Designs carries her own brand of circle dies (that are no doubt manufactured in China) as well as Spellbinder Cirlce die sets. All are priced at a reasonable $10 per set and she offers free shipping for orders $50 and over.
She ships quick and has lots of other die sets that are priced at $10. Good values to be had and she has some unique items.
Here's a link to the circle dies that she has available right now:
There is a company called Crealies, which is based in, and manufactured in, Holland. They have thousands of very reasonably priced dies on their site, the one I'm linking you too is XXL set Number 7, which has 12 dies, ranging from2cm (0.79 "), to the largest which is 13cm (5.12"). She says she ships all over the world, and that her dies typically weigh less than 50grammes. So you could work out roughly what would cost you in total, then see how many dies in other brands you are getting for your money?
This is my opinion. There is nothing wrong with the dies from China. They cut well and are very reasonable. The "Name Brands" are (for the most part) ridiculously priced and sometimes won't even cut butter. We need to use all kinds of kizmos to get a good cut. Who remembers the doily die from SU. I NEVER got one to cut.Who knows where the dies we buy from the well known companies are made. If Sizzix dies are made in China, aren't the dies being sold by big companies but carrying the sizzix logo, also made in China. I'd bet most all of our crafting supplies are NOT being made in the USA. Just my opinion.
I thought that Paula clarified that manufactured in China was okay, just not stolen by China, which takes away from legit companies, sometimes very small companies. China is deliberately watching and cashing in on our craft industry.
And don't get me started on paper. : ) Massive numbers of paper mills have closed, many in small towns, and some because companies like Michaels have pulled business from U.S. companies to have paper made in China. Good old globalization. (I guess I did get started. Sorry about that.)
Spellbinders. You can get both sets of circles and will have 1/8 inch increments. I have Spellbinders for every basic shape. They are worth every cent I paid for them. I don't care where they were made.
If you are set on not buying things made in China, you are going to be limiting yourself greatly. In general.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
This is tough. We're in a global economy now, and China depends on us like we do on them. The Chinese invented and manufactured paper hundreds of years before we started manufacturing it so you could say we took it away from them in the first place.
This is tough. We're in a global economy now, and China depends on us like we do on them. The Chinese invented and manufactured paper hundreds of years before we started manufacturing it so you could say we took it away from them in the first place.
LOL That's a point! - LOL! I have a feeling that around 2,000 years ago China wasn't relying on the U.S. to buy paper from them so their workers could survive.
The heartbreak is in small towns where mills have closed and there's no other work, because big box stores want to make more profit. Keeping my fingers crossed that Neenah stays in the U.S. Since it's in Neenah, Wisconsin, they better. ; )
BTW, we purchase about $350 billion more from China than they from us so we're not talking balance. "Global economy" sometimes seems like a sanitized phrase. Like when layoffs became downsizing and finally right sizing.
"BTW, we purchase about $350 billion more from China than they from us so we're not talking balance. "Global economy" sometimes seems like a sanitized phrase. Like when layoffs became downsizing and finally right sizing."
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Yes, you're absolutely right. And this makes China dependent on us for their economic growth. I know Chinese manufacturing has been responsible for significant loss of jobs here, but American agriculture and a lot of American companies depend on Chinese markets for their survival. I read in Fortune that China is the largest market for
IPhones, even though China manufactures its own cellular phones. The American aircraft industry also needs China. But my point is the trade imbalance makes China as dependent on us as we are on them. If they lost a significant part of their American market, they'd go under. I'm curious about how much money is involved in the craft and paper trade from China.
I prefer made in USA. There is a company Cheery Lynn Design. They manufacture dies and make dies for other companies. I have quite a few of their dies. Beautifully made and I love seeing made in USA. https://cheerylynndesigns.com/about-us/
I prefer made in USA. There is a company Cheery Lynn Design. They manufacture dies and make dies for other companies. I have quite a few of their dies. Beautifully made and I love seeing made in USA. https://cheerylynndesigns.com/about-us/
Cheery Lynn Designs makes unique dies and it is my favorite place to go for leaf fronds and flourishes. Love, love, love the dies I've purchased from them and they remain favorites because they cut well and are sized right to be used on cards.
By the way, you enabled me with the link and I had to peek at new Flourish Designs....one jumped into my cart...don't know how that happened!! ;)
Did nobody read my clarification? I said I don't mind if things are manufactured in China, I just don't want to buy anything that rips off a known/legit design/er. I would love the Tim Holtz witch die. I could buy a "copy" of it from China for $3. Will I? NO. They have ripped off Tim's design and that is illegal.
Cheery Lynn Designs makes unique dies and it is my favorite place to go for leaf fronds and flourishes. Love, love, love the dies I've purchased from them and they remain favorites because they cut well and are sized right to be used on cards.
By the way, you enabled me with the link and I had to peek at new Flourish Designs....one jumped into my cart...don't know how that happened!! ;)
Did nobody read my clarification? I said I don't mind if things are manufactured in China, I just don't want to buy anything that rips off a known/legit design/er. I would love the Tim Holtz witch die. I could buy a "copy" of it from China for $3. Will I? NO. They have ripped off Tim's design and that is illegal.
Makes sense - but a circle is just a circle, there's no design to it. For basic shapes like that, I wouldn't even think twice about the inexpensive dies from China, except that I bought mine when that wasn't an option. I have the Spellbinders sets; the nice thing about those is that all the circles are designed to work together, so you know that the scallop circles will be the right size to layer with the regular circles. If I were shopping for them now, though, I would probably opt for the Hero Arts Infinity dies or the ones from WRMK, where you get more in the set.
You don't need both sets, but I happened to buy them during a sale when I got my Bigshot a few years ago (I think it was a Black Friday sale that had them at more than half off) and I'm very happy with them. They cut great and both sets means I can have those super thin layered look.
If I was buying a set now, though, I would also consider going with Hero Arts infinity dies as they give you a lot of bang for your buck.
Circle dies
