Buyers Remorse
The new Nesties hit the stores this week!
Oh! The anticipation and excitement! I wish I could have them all! But . . . I’d be in the poor house for sure.
So, difficult as it was, I selected 4 only. I pulled them out this morning so I could show you which ones I got and what you can expect if you purchase the same sets.
For the first time ever, in my Nestie buying history, I have serious buyers remorse. I’ll show/tell you why.
Spiral Blossom One
This is probably the only one out of the 4 that I’ll use with any frequency, and even then I don’t think it’ll be often. It’s pretty and perhaps I just need more practice but I wasn’t over the moon thrilled with the results. I found it very awkward to shape and as you can see, gave up. I did ink up the embossing, but once it was rolled, it really wasn’t visible and I felt like I wasted my time doing it at all. I’m not ready to throw in the towel on this one yet.
Nested Butterflies Two
I should have looked at this one closer before I bought it.
The largest of the 3 is 4 1/4” at its widest point. Once it was cut and embossed I realized how large the center was and how flat and plain the die as a whole really is. It’s not a set where you can use just one of. I’m having difficulty getting excited about the possibilities of this. I wish it had more texture to it.
In the end, I scored the two larger butterflies 1/8” to either side of center and glued them together. it looks pretty enough, but it still needs something. Maybe some bling but I have a feeling that would just make it too visually busy.
Bird Sanctuary
The real seller for this set for me was the bird cage. So, into the CB it went for a whirl. This is what happened . . .
Faulty dies *sigh* I was almost excited!
I am stubborn and did manage to get it cut the rest of the way . . . by hand just so I could see the outcome if I inked it up and try to imagine the possibilities. It’s pretty, and if it worked I’d probably use it a fair bit.
Let’s take a peek at the birds. I wasn’t too optimistic about them when I bought them but I didn’t really care too much because it was the cage that I really wanted. The birds didn’t disappoint. They’re, in my opinion, completely boring and unexciting. I can’t begin to imagine how I’d use them. They’re flat and lack stackable parts such as wings and trees.
Lace Doily Motifs
Down to the last set. I’m really REALLY excited about this one! I love doilies! I was even willing to spend several minutes poking out all the stupid little things that are going to be left in the die after it’s cut.
Want to see how well it performed?
Oopsie!!! Is it possible? Another faulty die?!
I could not have shimmed this die any more without breaking my machine.
I’m about to cry now. Really. I spent just over $100 and they all either failed to live up to MY expectations or just failed to perform well at all.
Sometimes, I think, Heather, that it’s my plates that are bent. What I do is turn my dies around 45 degrees and run them through again, then another 45 degrees and run them through again. Also–do you use wax paper on top of the dies? It helps with those dies that have lots of fussy cuts.
thank you so much for your valuable sharing. I am sometimes so lost with the dies that come in lots of variation that I have no idea how well they perform in actual cutting.
Looking forward to more of your sharing.
hugs,
Heaney
I am glad you told us about the butterfly one, that was one of the ones I was going to buy, you’ve changed my mind. I didn’t realize it was going to be that big.
The roll your own flowers dies that I bought have you start rolling with the outside, not the center. Have you tried yours that way? It does take a little practice to get them to look nice, too. Plus, I thought your flower looked good. I would think your store would take them back, especially if you can’t get them to cut out properly.
did you contact Spellbinders? I did when I bought Fanciful Flight. They were quite helpful to me.
Isn’t it sad when we don’t get what we expected out of the dies? For the very detailed dies I have seen it recommended that you do turn them as Janet said. Depending on just how detailed they are you could have to run them through as many as 6 times. Have you ever thought of buying the “No More Shims Plate” for the Bug? I don’t have it yet so can’t recommend it or not.
Glenda
I read this tip on Becca Feekan’s site http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/31-days-to-an-organized-stamper/
When cutting very detailed Spellbinder dies, put a piece of wax paper between the die and the cardstock for easier removal after cutting.
I don’t have a blog either.
This might help. I have never tried it with a smaller die.