about

I have always enjoyed been creative and I really enjoy making cards and gifts for family and friends. The problem is there are only so many birthdays and holidays in a year, I soon found I was running out of people. 

It was at this point I dipped my toe in the water and started making cards and gifts for sale. I have a craft room, or rather a spare bedroom, where I have set-up my equipment. 

I enjoy watching the blue tits, sparrows, robin and squirrel visit my garden while I am crafting.

I use a Sizzix  Big Shot Plus which is great. I have a number of stencils from different makers and they work well. 

The downsides are the need to replace the cutting pads. I tend to use A5 pads as most dies I use aren't that big and the A5 pads aren't too expensive. 

For a decent cut especially with intricate dies, I only cut one piece at a time which when cutting flowers can be a little time consuming.

As a Christmas gift I was given a Cricutmaker 3 which has opened up a whole new world. I am still learning but there are some great pop up card projects. 

I have created some of my own projects. which have proved really useful.  I use the cricut app on an iPad which works fine as I can use a wireless mouse but using the app on a PC or laptop is slightly easier.

The one downside similar to the Sizzix is the cutting mat which can lose its stickiness after time. It is possible to wipe it and restore the pad, or you can use cricuts own materials which may mean you don't need to use a mat.

I was concerned that when I had my Cricut I would no longer have a need for my Sizzix and the many dies that I had bought. 

What I have found is that I can use them both. A good example are the box cards that I make. I use the Cricut to cut out the box template which I used to do by hand. I get more accurate and consistent results. I also use it to cut the grass pieces as I don't have a die for this.

I then use the Sizzix to cut out the small intricate flowers for which I have the dies. I could probably use the Cricut but as I use different colour papers I find it easier and quicker using the Sizzix. I tend to keep small pieces of card and these are easier to use in the Sizzix.

I then bring the pieces together into one lovely card.

While the Cricut will cut basswood, it can take a long time and it may not always cut all the way through the wood. This is especially the case with intricate cuts. I decided to take the plunge into laser engravers. Laser machines are not for the faint hearted. There are many models on the market ranging from approximately £70 up to £1000's.

There are many things to consider if you wish to purchase a laser machine, from size of cutting area, type of laser diode or C02, type of material you would like to cut or engrave and budget. I am not an expert and there are many sites on the internet that can you help.

As well as which machine to purchase you need to consider the software you will use, there is open source which is free LaserGRBL or you can pay LightBurn, there are other options.

I had the opportunity of having one for Christmas 2025 and I went for the Woxcker L2 10w, which

• is class 1 fully enclosed for safe indoor use.

• has flame detection + auto-stop when lid opens or tilted.

• has emergency stop & safety lock for total control.