I had so much fun today experimenting with my recently acquired zip-e-mate manual die cutter. I knew that it was a universal die cutting machine, so I did some research to find which of the compatible dies would be the best buy. I chose the Spellbinders Cutting and Embossing dies because they could both cut and emboss allowing me to make these adorable elements with depth, texture and personality. And to my delight, the dies arrived on Saturday! So I got to play with them for most of Sunday morning.
I found it most difficult to build the sandwich so that it would cut and emboss correctly. I followed the instructions from the manual but did not effectively get the embossing to work. I found myself experimenting a bit with the various plates and this is the combination that worked for me:
For Cutting:
1. Place the ZEM Cutting and Embossing block at the bottom
2. Place the die on the block
3. Place the paper face down on the die
4. Place the cutting mat on top
5. Place the sandwich into the ZEM and cut the shapes
Then Embossing:
6. Carefully remove the sandwich so your pieces do not shift.
7. Remove the cutting mat from the top of the sandwich
8. Place the embossing foam on top of the sandwich
9. Place the embossing mat underneath the sandwich
10. Now put the sandwich back into the ZEM and emboss the shapes you just cut.
What I got were little shapes full of dimension and personality. I just loved them! The letters had raised sections near the middle of each letter, and the hardware and flourishes were just georgeous. It made normal cardstock look like thick chipboard, and I can't wait to start adding these to my pages. Here is a picture of what it looks like:
