Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Stopped by a Joanns yesterday, something I rarely do anymore and notice I wasn't seeing any Sizzix dies or Big Shot/Kick machines as I perused the papercrafting aisles. Thought okay they much have everything in the quilting area, nope still didn't find anything. Pulled up the website at home later and noticed that everything Sizzix is available online only. ??HUH??
I find it strange that of all the brands Sizzix would be the one they would not carry in store. Especially since they are a sewing/quilting store and Sizzix carries a whole quilting line of dies and even a machine specifically for quilting.
Not a big deal for me like I said I rarely go into one anymore anyway but I found it very perplexing. What's up, anyone know?
Paper craft related supplies seem to be diminishing in the brick and mortar (big box) stores. Maybe they sell better online and it’s not worth shelf space?
My local Joann has really reduced the paper crafting items sold. Although they've never completely done a 'floor reset' to condense the space ... the noticeable empty spaces have not been refilled in a very long time. We would all enjoy having the 'empty spaces' in our craft areas ... well, I know that I would! ;)
As far as their online items, I ordered some items last week that are not available in the store. Their website had a headache when I tried to submit payment for my items. It took a few tries to get it all straight again .... and when I got my receipt ... everything was doubled. Not so cool at all ... ... Customer Support returned my immediate email message the next day .. and advised that I can return the extras to the store for reimbursement. I double-checked with them, and they said that I can return the items to the store ... even though those are not sold "in" the brick & mortar store. Glad for that at least.
Do you think thick rule dies are still popular in the paper crafting communities? I follow Sizzix's IG and I noticed thick rule dies seem more popular with textile artists and jewelry creators. I see more of the thin rule die creations with paper crafters. I have been wondering about the demise of thick rule dies in the stores too, lately.
Good question, I've always thought of them both as having their place in paper crafting.
I love using the thicker dies. They are so much easier to use and I'm guaranteed a good cut first time with no muss & no fuss. You can't get the detail with them that you can the thin ones though and the thin ones in addition to cutting things to be put on the card can be placed anywhere to create a cut into a card. The thicker ones are more expensive to make too and I think they try to minimize that cost by putting several images on the die. I appreciate that but it does eliminate the ability to make a cut into your card unless you wanted all the images. If I were a big applique sewing/quilting person I doubt I'd use dies as they would be limiting, no sizing options. I would probably invest in an electronic machine instead, my quilting friends did exactly that.
I think your picture works IF one has a google account and signs into their account, I'm just not awake enough to do that...yet.
I love using thicker dies too. I do work in a lot of different materials. I was wondering if the demise has been because of our electronic machines. I am going that way of thinking too that the dies are too limiting and the machines are making it easier for us who work with fabric. I got a ScannCut and fell in love with it. I am going to be upgrading to the Cricut Maker. Silhouette is coming out with the new Craft Blade that will cut fabric without interfacing. Definitely I have been wondering are the machines our new metal dies? Is this where the market is going?
The one nice thing for the thicker rule dies and quilting. Cutting ten layers at a time. I cut circles the other day with tulle.
Sizzix has put out some really cute new thick rule designs in the past few months. I noticed they are selling them in England first. The U.S.A is the last market. I have been wondering what the heck is going on with that? Sizzix Instagram is just full of "Hmmm's" I really want the Macaw, Swan & new Unicorn die.
I was wondering if I was going to have user error with my pictures, lol. Some of you know from my other forum I have been under crazy amounts of weird stress and doing the craziest goofiest things, lol. What is everyone using for photo sharing now?
Stacy- I think I got the photo thing figured out. I tried again on the other thread. I am just all sorts of confusion. I am working it really good too, lol.
I never thought about using thin rule dies to cut into a card. That is a really great idea. I think about things like "OH MERMAID TAILS!" "GLITTER DIAMONDS!" "VELLUM PERFUME BOTTLES."
The newer thick rule dies that we are supposed to paper piece are just not put together well at all. You are right they are stuffing way too many features into one die. Lori Whitlock's Fox is one that is an exercise in patience but super cute when you put it together. Half the time I am wasting paper. The same fox is over at the Silhouette Design store, lol.
I have the cutest fabric "corsage" made from several varied layers of vintage-look fabrics. The layers were cut with large Sizzix dies in 2 or 3 sizes. Although I love it and keep it as a treasure ... few of us other than DT members can justify that expense of die cost, IMO. Each of the sizes requires a separate thick die ... so the $$ add quickly. We get several more 'war' dies for one price ... but of course we're limited in what we can cut and how many cuts in one pass through the cutting machine.
Would be so sweet to have a local "library" of sorts where we could go to use from the big die collection then just take our multi-cuts or fabric cuts back home for crafting! LOL Several years back a local "teacher" supply store actually did this when dies were becoming popular for alphabets for bulletin board letters. ;)
My library use to have dies but nobody uses them any more. I think they got rid of them years ago. I love those big dies too. They are so expensive and take a lot to store. Even if you had the room it is a lot to store. I do miss going to the library and cutting things.
I have about a dozen thick rule dies. It takes two photo boxes to store them. I have about thirty thin rule dies and they are stored in a makeup bag. I saw a lady have a bookshelf full of dies. If I had the money and storage space I would be tempted.
I have three electronic cutters- Cameo, Explore and ScannCut. Those take a lot of space to store too, lol.
No Sizzix in Joann stores?
Sizzix Instagram is just full of "Hmmm's" 
