When it comes to Christmas present for card making addicts the top of everyone’s list for the fourth year running, if they haven’t got one already, is a die cutting machine.

Over the past few weeks Big Shots, Big Shot Starter Kits, Cuttlebugs and Grand Caliburs have all been selling equally well with maybe one machine doing better one week and another the following week but as Christmas finally approaches we have out best seller for 2012 – and it’s the Big Shot. We have now sold out of Big Shots but will re-stock in time for when we re-open after the Christmas break. For those of you who have asked for money from your nearest and dearest towards your craft items this Christmas you won’t be disappointed.

We also have a very special offer on the Big Shot Starter Kit that will run from now until the end of January 2013. The Starter Kit is now just £74.99 – a saving of £25 on the RRP.

The big advantage of the Big Shot Starter Kit is that it comes with the extended platform enabling you to use multiple dies at the same time in one pass plus the longer dies, such as the Spellbinders Shapeabilities borders from the Moroccan, Asian, and Persian Accent sets, sit more comfortably on the longer platform. So you can use the thinner dies such as the Spellbinder and Marianne dies with the Starter Kit we also include free the Solo Thin Die Adapter worth £6.49. The Solo Thin die adapter is the same length as the Solo Extended Platform that together give you more room and flexibility when die cutting.  Of course, you also get the dies, embosssing folder, paper pack and instructional DVD with the Starter Kit which means you can start die cutting and embossing straight away without the need to buy anything else.

Those people who already have die cutting machines are opting for dies and embossing folders and these half been going like hot cakes.  One of the most popular dies is a one that has been around for a while – the Marianne Frame LR0116.  It has been a best seller since Marianne first created it and sales haven’t yet slowed down.

With this die comes 2 extra dies – 2 flourishes that card makers use time and time again. The other dies that have done particularly well are the Shapeabilities Motifs sets and corresponding Accents sets. There are 3 of them: Persian, Asian, and Moroccan and everyone seems to have their favourite.

Embossing folders make great stocking fillers for your card making friends – just check they don’t have them already. We are also having to restock on many of the embossing folders and again, for those that are currently sold out, these will be available immediately after the Christmas break.

Still with die cutting we have also sold out of the Embossing Folder and Stencil Storage Case – so handy for keeping all your dies and embossing folders in one place and at an excellent price – just £13.99. More stock of these are on their way to us.

What about those who haven’t yet taken the plunge for a die cutting machine this Christmas? Well, border punches, stamps, and particularly inks are doing very well. With the Versa Cube Ink Pads at only £1.49 a half a dozen selected colours of these makes a great stocking filler for anyone who enjoys card making. And we know that some lucky people are going to wake up on Christmas morning to find the full set of Tim Holtz Distress Markers under the Christmas tree.

Every now and again I think that everyone who does card making as a hobby must have a die cutting and/or an embossing machine but it obviously isn’t so. Our best sellers over the last 3 months have been die cutting machines and the dies and embossing folders to go with them.

Top of the list – but only just – is the Grand Calibur and the Grand Nestabilities to go with it.  The best selling Grand Nestability is Labels Four because it is the one where all the dies in the set can be used in the Big Shot provided the Big Shot is used in conjunction with the extended platform, solo thin die adapter and the extended cutting pads.

Close behind the Grand Calibur are the Big Shot and the Big Shot Starter Kit with both selling equally well as is the Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders Special Bundle.

As well as the Grand Nestabilities the regular Nestabilities are proving very popular especially the Lace Rectangle, Labels Ten, Labels Twenty and Fleur De Lis Rectangle. Not to be left out are the new designs from Marianne and Nellie’s Border and Corner dies.

Of the embossing folders Sun Rays, Flutterby, General Greetings and Christmas Greetings are at the top of the list.

We’ve discovered that our customers really love cottages with both the Kanban Cottages card making toppers and the Kanban Scenes card making toppers doing equally well and the best selling decoupage is Hunydory’s Cottages Decoupage.

Best selling embellishments over the last few months are the Rhinestone Brads, Lavender, and Natural Pearls - all from Woodware.

As always, Stardream is our best selling card and paper and both Crystal and Azalea are popular colours and the Madeline Paper Pack has sold extremely well.

We are now stocking the extended platform, thin die adaptor, and extended cutting plates for the Big Shot.

The extended platform, called the Solo Platform, above, comes with its own shim for when that little bit of extra height is needed with certain dies to obtain a really clean cut. Its about twice the length of the multiplatform and allows you to cut multiple dies at the same time. Very useful if you make lots of cards or if you are making wedding stationery. You can also pass 2 embossing folders through at the same time using the Solo Platform.

The Solo Thin Die Adapterworks in conjunction with the Solo Platform to enable you to use thin dies in your Big Shot such as the Marianne Creatables, Nellie’s Dies, and the Spellbinder Nestabilities.

The final part of the set is the pair of extended cutting pads which you need to make full use of the Solo Platform and Solo Thin Die Adapter.

Although a little expensive to set up, the Solo Platform and Shim and the Solo Thin Die Adapter will last your for years and the cutting pads are only a little more than a pair of standard cutting pads.

We would suggest that when the multi platform that comes with the Big Shot starts to get worn then this is the ideal time to upgrade to the Solo Platform, Thin Die Adapter and Extended Cutting Pads.

The Vagabondcomes with the Solo Platform and Shim included. If you buy your Vagabond from Craftsite then you will also get the Solo Thin Adapter included. However, it only comes with a standard pair of cutting pads and once these become worn it would be advisable to replace these with the extended cutting pads to get full benefit of the Solo Platform.

Please note that the Big Shot and Vagabond machines are wider than the Cuttlebug and, therefore, none of these plates or cutting pads will fit the Cuttlebug.

Once you start card making it’s not long before your stash of card, paper and embellishments starts to grow – and a good crafter never throws anything away.

Initially, these will be thrown in a box or drawer, or stacked on a shelf – or a combination of all 3.  This is fine – until you need to look for something that you need for a current project.  You know you have the exact thing somewhere but finding it is a different matter.  Time to get organised. Here is what you need.

A4 Storage Box

The A4 storage box is ideal for holding paper and card so that the edges don’t become damaged or the card bent.  We all buy nice card when we see it for use in a future project so we suggest you have one box for new card and one for card that has been partly used in previous projects.  If your stash is really large then you’ll need more boxes and it’s worth taking the time to sort them into categories for easy retrieval.

The A4 boxes are also useful for storing card making topper sheets and decoupage sheets where only one or two have been used.

Peel Off Boxes

Peel Off sticker sheets tend to grow very quickly as you get loads to a sheet but will probably only use 1 peel off for a project. This is especially true of the sentiment ones where there can be 18 or more of the same words to a sheet.  Peel offs tend to fall into 3 categories – sentiments sheets, pictorial, and borders – so 3 boxes to start with would be sensible.

Peel off boxes are also great for storing die cuts. If you have a Cuttlebug, Big Shot or Vagabond and cut a few shapes at a time then the peel off boxes are great for storing the larger shapes.

One customer always makes up all the decoupage designs from a sheet at a time, uses one for her current project then stores the others ready made up in a peel off storage box.

Embellishment Storage Boxes

The embellishment boxes are great for holding small embellishments once the packet has been opened.

If you have a die cutting machine, embellishment boxes are also great for storing small die cuts such as the Marianne Creatables flowers and leaves until you are ready to use them.

Storage Pots

With 12 little storage pots for just £3.99 you can keep all your brads, beads and tiny embellishments in one place.  They even come with a storage box for the storage pots so you’ll always have them to hand.  Ideal for embellishments such as padded items, small hearts, butterflies, etc.

Embossing Folder and Stencil Storage Folder

If you have a die cutting machine such as the Cuttlebug, Big Shot or Vagabond or an embossing machine such as the Texture Boutique then this embossing folder and stencil storage case with it’s 40 pockets will keep all your embossing folders neat, tidy and ready to be used.  The pockets are A6 size which fits the standard embossing folders.

You can also use the pockets in the folder for storing your dies such as the Marianne Creatables, Nellie’s Multiframes, and Nestabilities and stencils such as Nellie’s Lines and Dots and brass stencils.  To keep them safe and flat the dies are best stored using the A6 magnets.

A6 Magnets

The A6 magnets come in packs of 10 and are designed to be used in conjunction with the embossing folder and stencil storage folder although they can be used on their own.  Ideal for storing together your thin dies such as Nellie’s, Marianne Creatables, and Nestabilities.

Other Storage

If your local takeaway delivers the food in plastic boxes, wash them and use for storing larger embellishments, die cuts and smaller pieces of card.

If you buy the Woodware brads and eyeletsin the stackable boxes then once you’ve used the brads and eyelets save the boxes as these are also ideal for small embellishment such as the padded butterflies.