| Welcome to Kimberly Crick's instruction page for positioning rubber stamped images using Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies in Provo Craft's Cuttlebug die cutting machine. (Note to beginners: I tend to be wordy and thorough, but truly this is a simple process. Be sure to watch videos of people using their machines on YouTube to see just how fast it is!) I browse a lot of craft blogs checking out the cool new cards and stamping projects everyone's making. I kept seeing two foreign words pop up, one "Cuttlebug" and two "Nestabilities". For years I've been collecting Marvy and Carla Craft paper punches, but this gets expensive and takes up SO much space in my craft drawers. I had never thought about getting a die cutting machine as an alternative to paper punches, but now there is an affordable one that does it all! After you get the Cuttlebug machine you'll need to buy dies. A die is a thin metal piece in a certain shape (like paper punch shapes, scallops, leaves, flowers, tags etc.) Depending on the brand these are really thin or have a big chunk of foam and plastic base on them. No matter what it's like you can usually use it in the Cuttlebug. I've successfully tried out Sizzix (both the sizzlits and big dies,) Spellbinder's Nestabilities and Bosskut brand dies in my Cuttlebug machine in addition to the many designs Cuttlebug offers. They are all great, but if you're a serious paper crafter you just have to check out all the Nestabilities (shapes that fit over each other in about 1/4" to 1/2" increments - nesting dies.) It will bring your card making, rubber stamping and scrapbook layouts to a whole new professional looking level! No more careful measuring and cutting out frames or mat layers. Just roll your cardstock through the cuttlebug with your die ;) |
| Cuttlebug Sandwich recipe for CUTTING: A plate C plate Spellbinders Nestabilities Die (blade ridge side up) Paper B plate. -- Cuttlebug Sandwich recipe for EMBOSSING: A plate B plate Spellbinders Nestabilities Die (blade ridge side up) Paper Embossing mat ("official" ones are made by the Spellbinders company) or you can use craft foam and cardstock*** B plate. -- (In order of what you put down first, creating a stack bottom to top. A plates are always on bottom, B plates on top which get cut into.) -- *** In order to use inexpensive items I already had, I cut up a thin sheet of craft foam (2mm thick available at JoAnns, Michaels or Dollar Tree stores in the kids crafts section.) I cut one larger piece into four sheets of foam measuring about 4" x 6" each. I then took two 8.5" x 11" sheets of regular white cardstock and folded them in four longwise (so that each sheet is now the thickness of 4 sheets and fits onto the cuttlebug plates.) You end up with the thickness of 4 thin craft foam sheets and 8 sheets of cardstock as your embossing mat. You can adjust this to suit your machine by adding or removing extra layers of cardstock to adjust the embossing depth. This way should cost you less than a dollar. I recommend this if you're waiting for a real embossing mat in the mail or want to test out the embossing feature before investing more cash into the official supplies. If you want to do things the "right" way you may be able to find the official Spellbinders tan embossing mat online (somewhere in the $10 range including shipping.) It's a rubber like material that will provide a lot of flexibility for pressing your paper into the embossing grooves. *DAMAGE DISCLAIMER* Cuttlebug is a UNIVERSAL die cutting machine, meaning it accepts dies of any brand without judging! However, since Nestabilities dies are made by the Spellbinders company to work in their Wizard die cutting machine, I can NOT guarantee that using these in your Cuttlebug machine (made by the Provo Craft company) will not cause any damage. I personally have used the above sandwich recipes with success and no breakage. I have however heard of people breaking their B cutting plates over time (which may be unavoidable no matter which dies you use.) Michaels and larger JoAnns crafts stores usually stock replacement B cutting plates (two for $7.99, less with a coupon just in case!) It is normal to hear a light crackling and see the imprint of the die on your B plates no matter which brand of dies you use. B plates are cutting plates, and are meant to be disposable! Always arrange your stacks so that you are cutting into the "B Cutting Pad." Each cuttlebug machine's rollers may vary by a mm or more. Your machine may be tighter or looser than mine, so keep one good rule in mind: If it feels too tight to be rolled through, it probably is... Don't force it! - You'll have to experiment with adding or removing sheets of cardstock to your sandwich stacks if it doesn't get the job done. Remember, noise (cracking/popping sounds) is normal, but having a really hard time cranking something through is not! *MONEY SAVING TIP* First, if you haven't already, sign up at JoAnn and Michaels craft stores website's for their weekly ads/newsletter/to receive discounts. Every couple weeks they email you a 40% to 50% off coupon you can print out and redeem in store. Last week when Michaels sent me a 50% off coupon I picked up the Cuttlebug die cutting machine. It's normally $80 there, but with the coupon I got it for $40! Choosing your die cutting machine: I purchased the cuttlebug instead of other die cutting machines mainly for the low cost and it's ability to accept nearly any brand of dies. It was also a perk that it was available at my local Michaels or JoAnn stores, so there was minimal risk involved for trying it out. However, If you are only interested in Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies and can spare about $80 - $100 (I saw the cheapest price at Overstock.com with free shipping) I would recommend the WIZARD die cutting machine (made by spellbinders.) It is made of metal, steel, and is much more sturdy than the plastic internal parts of a cuttlebug. Lowest Price I found for Nestabilities dies: I suggest signing up for the 40% VIP monthly coupon at Cut @ home and ordering the bundle packs of four die sets to save the most money. For instance if you just bought the "scallop rectangles large" set it would cost you around $25 at most online stores. However, if you buy a complete pack of four sets such as the rectangles pack which would include the scallops large, small and the regular rectangle shapes large and small it would be $84.99 retail/list, then only $51.00 after your 40% coupon is applied!!! Depending on if you just gotta have em all, thats an awesome deal... $25 for ONE set at most stores or $51 for FOUR sets at Cut @ Home! Note: Nestabilities are VERY popular right now and Cut @ Home constantly has them back ordered. It may take 4 to 6 weeks for them to ship to you. I am not affiliated with them in any way, but I looked hard for a good deal and theirs is the best. If you are in a hurry, there's usually some available instantly on places like Ebay averaging about $24 per set. *INFO* To learn about the cuttlebug machine try www.provocraft.com where you can see product videos and view their die catalog. I also suggest doing a google image search for "nestabilities" to see some really great cards and projects using these dies and to find vendors/measurements. There are also a variety of die cutting videos on you tube. Also try finding craft blogs like Gina's. I am not an expert and I do not sell die cutting products. I've made this tutorial with the intention of exploring cool new paper framing options for me and my fellow rubber stampers. I have discovered an abundance of card examples and information on blogs by doing www.google.com searches, which I highly recommend to you if you still have questions! Have fun :) --- Was this page helpful? Still need more info? Ask Kimberly to add more to this page or show me the awesome stuff you made using my instructions to my email: EnchantedGallery@gmail.com If you'd like to use my instructions or pictures on your website, please link back to this web page. Thank you :) Store Index: pg.1: Rubber Stamps, pg.2: Mold Making Compound, pg.3 Face & Button Molds, pg.4: Nature Spirit Molds, pg.5: Goddess & Mythology Molds, pg.6: Fairy, Angel & Mermaid Molds Gallery & Information Index: pg.1: Customer Art Gallery, Mold Info & Instructions, pg.2: Kimberly Crick's Art Gallery, pg.3: Artist Biography & F.A.Q., pg.4: Shipping & Store Policy Rubber Stamping Tutorials: pg.1: Rubber Stamped Domino Jewelry, Pg.2: Paper Art Dolls with a Template, Pg.3: Stamping on Wood and Stampbord (coming soon), Pg.4: Rubber stamp positioning with die cuts using Nestabilities and Cuttlebug. I am an "Angel Company." What's that? / rules. You may sell handmade artwork using my flexible push molds or rubber stamps. You may not use my products to make new molds from the cast / impression or create machine reproduced images. Comments or Product Questions? Check Q&A before you Email: EnchantedGallery@gmail.com - New info added to this page: 07/14/08 |
CUTTING STEPS:
1: I used my unmounted rubber stamps with Color Box pigment ink
and stamped on a sheet of white cardstock (but of course you can
use whatever ink, unmounted or mounted stamp, colored paper or
even shrink plastic that you want.)
2: Select a nestabilities die that fits your stamped image. This
examples uses the Petite Ovals Large set.
1: I used my unmounted rubber stamps with Color Box pigment ink
and stamped on a sheet of white cardstock (but of course you can
use whatever ink, unmounted or mounted stamp, colored paper or
even shrink plastic that you want.)
2: Select a nestabilities die that fits your stamped image. This
examples uses the Petite Ovals Large set.
3: Attach your nestabilities (cutting ridge side towards the paper)
with a couple small pieces of removable tape.
4: Set up your sandwich recipe for cutting (see below.) Flip your
paper over so the cutting ridge is facing up, place your B cutting
plate on top and roll it through your cuttlebug machine.
with a couple small pieces of removable tape.
4: Set up your sandwich recipe for cutting (see below.) Flip your
paper over so the cutting ridge is facing up, place your B cutting
plate on top and roll it through your cuttlebug machine.
5: Remove the extra paper that the die just cut away. Leave the
stamped image part inside of the die's metal ridges if you'd like to
continue to embossing.
EMBOSSING STEPS:
6: Add foam and cardstock OR a rubber embossing mat and card
stock (see more info towards the bottom of this page under
"sandwich recipes".)
stamped image part inside of the die's metal ridges if you'd like to
continue to embossing.
EMBOSSING STEPS:
6: Add foam and cardstock OR a rubber embossing mat and card
stock (see more info towards the bottom of this page under
"sandwich recipes".)
7: Set up your sandwich recipe for embossing, roll through
the machine and pop out your cardstock from the
nestabilities die.
8: Select a larger nestabilities die to cut out your background
layer of cardstock and repeat the cutting/embossing
process for that piece of paper.
Note: Depending on the sizes you select you may not need
to repeat this process. Both sheets can be done at the
same time if the dies are small enough to fit 2 or more at
once (side by side) in your machine.
the machine and pop out your cardstock from the
nestabilities die.
8: Select a larger nestabilities die to cut out your background
layer of cardstock and repeat the cutting/embossing
process for that piece of paper.
Note: Depending on the sizes you select you may not need
to repeat this process. Both sheets can be done at the
same time if the dies are small enough to fit 2 or more at
once (side by side) in your machine.
If you end up collecting a variety of the nestabilities shapes, experiment by laying the dies over your stamped images to see which
cuts will compliment the artwork the best. As my personal storage solution, I made little key ring binders out of some 4x6
chipboard i had. Using strips of magnet to hold the dies to the pages. (I don't recommend the thin magnet "tape" at Michaels, but
the thicker strips work well. I found the cheapest in 25' rolls at JoAnns.)
The Fun Part!
Now you get to decide on the placement of your pieces onto your project, layer your cardstocks / scrapbooking paper /
embellishments etc.!
For the heart card above I used: Rubber stamps (from Love-070 and Roma-119,) Spellbinder's Nestabilities Heart Dies,
Colorbox pigment ink pads, Scrapbook paper from K&Company, Stickles glitter glue, 1" Marvy circle paper punch and scissors for
cutting out the word "Love" , retro flower punches from EK Success, Zig Memory System 2-way glue pen marker.
cuts will compliment the artwork the best. As my personal storage solution, I made little key ring binders out of some 4x6
chipboard i had. Using strips of magnet to hold the dies to the pages. (I don't recommend the thin magnet "tape" at Michaels, but
the thicker strips work well. I found the cheapest in 25' rolls at JoAnns.)
The Fun Part!
Now you get to decide on the placement of your pieces onto your project, layer your cardstocks / scrapbooking paper /
embellishments etc.!
For the heart card above I used: Rubber stamps (from Love-070 and Roma-119,) Spellbinder's Nestabilities Heart Dies,
Colorbox pigment ink pads, Scrapbook paper from K&Company, Stickles glitter glue, 1" Marvy circle paper punch and scissors for
cutting out the word "Love" , retro flower punches from EK Success, Zig Memory System 2-way glue pen marker.
| New to die cutting? Stacey Caron has some great You Tube videos which show the dies being used in the Cuttlebug or Spellbinder's Wizard machine: |
