Using the Wizard, Shaped Cards and Window Tutorial

Yippie - I've made it downstairs and I'm finally able to concentrate enough to start answering emails and do a little writing. My foot is up and so here goes. Thank you to all for your well wishes and patience with me. Katelyn and Kelcie are here helping in ways that were never part of "the package" - they are working hard to keep up with the orders and messages, as well as helping me with the girls. I'm not certain what I would do without them! Hopefully by the end of the week we will have caught up on all the emails - so if you have sent a message and haven't heard from us please do not hesitate to send another because the first one might have gotten "buried" in our inbox.

Thank goodness I had taken pictures of this project previously so that I could write this tutorial. Now I can just sit here and edit pictures, doing the write-up from my comfy place right here on the couch :D With a laptop I can even lie down - foot propped up on the end of the couch and just type away - LOL!

One of the beauties of the Nestabilities is the option of making shaped cards. You may all remember this card:

Tonight I will take you through how I position the Wizard when I use it, how I cut and emboss the shaped cards and how I create a window in my cards.

Positioning the Wizard

If you watch the Spellbinders video showing how to use the Wizard, you will see immediately the difference in how I place the Wizard as I work. Envision that I am standing at the bottom edge of the picture above. The handle is to my left with the little button located on the top pushed down. If you need to reverse the direction or run your project back and forth through the Wizard you just push the button from the opposite side and it reverses the direction. This button also makes this tool perfect for left-handed crafters! I recommend that if you currently own a Wizard and you have trouble operating it as shown in the video just keep flipping it around until you find that perfect position just for you. Thus making this die cutting machine Universal in more then one way.

Now if I wasn't holding the camera in my right hand you would see that I hold the white mats in my right hand at a slight angle downwards as I insert the plates between the rollers. Using my left hand I run my hand over the rollers moving from left to right - this locks the mats in place.

After the mats are locked in place I put slight pressure on the left end of the machine with a couple of fingers - it's kind of difficult to see my fingers on the far left, but they are there.

The Wizard is different from other die cut machines on the market. Its handle is utilized in a different way. It does not go round and round in a circle, rather it is a "ratchet" type of device that moves between 9:00 o'clock and the 3:00 o'clock position. In my case I move the handle from the left to the right, bringing the handle back up to the 12:00 o'clock position and repeat until the plates are moved through the machine.

Being that the Wizard is all metal it has strength like no other machine on the market. I am told that it literally can have a car driven onto it and it won't crush it.This ratchet type of system allows for great pressure to be exerted on the plates. This pressure can cause the plates to rocket out of the machine when you come to the end if you are not prepared. But you should know that if you have a really tight sandwich in any machine you can rocket your plates out of any machine. I managed to whistle a plate half way across the room with my Big Shot when testing different materials in it as well.

What I do to make certain that my plates do not become projectiles is as I roll the plates through the machine I hold the plates as they come to the end and therefore I don't send them across the room - LOL!

What I have enjoyed the most is that the impressions produced by the Wizard are incredibly clean and crisp, AND I no longer have to deal with broken and warped plates like I did when using the Cuttlebug and Big Shot. That is not to say that you can't get clean and crisp impressions with other machines - the difference is that you just need to know what sandwich is going to work the best for your particular machine or do a little experimenting.

This is the reason for the compatibility sandwiches we have put together. Spellbinders has already done the work figuring out the sandwiches for many machines on the market so that you will not need to figure it out yourself. I would like to remind you to look back at these whenever you have a question about your type of machine.

Making Shaped Cards

With the Wizard you will need the Master Mats, Spacer Plate, tan mat and die of your choice. For cutting your sandwich always utilizes the Master Mat, Spacer Plate, die (face up), notecard (or whatever else you would like to try cutting) and then topped with the other Master Mat. Please see the Compatibility list for your particular machine.

Place your folded notecard on the die as show above, with the scored back lining up along the inside edge of the scallops as shown - be certain to set it to the side of the cutting portion of the die. If you do not want to have any embossing on the edge set it completely clear of the scalloped shapes. Run it through your machine.

If you would like to add embossing to the card then leave the note card in place. Remove the spacer plate and place the tan mat on top following it with the Master Mat and run it through the machine again.

Cutting Windows

To add a window to my card front I determine where it is that I want the window to be. I then measure to determine where on the spacer plate I am going to adhere the die.

Using my ATG adhesive I place a small amount of adhesive on the back side of the die and position it in place on the white spacer plate. This holds the die firmly in place and keeps me from having to make guesses as to where it is.

I then use temporary adhesive to hold my notecard in the exact place I would like it to be. Please note how the scoreline of the note card aligns perfectly with the edge of the spacer plate. This ensures that I don't get an extra "line" in my note card after running it through the Wizard.

My sandwich with the Wizard is always the same for cutting - Master Mat, White Spacer Plate, Die (face up), paper (or felt, tin, fabric, etc.) and then the other Master Mat. The sandwich for embossing is also always the same - Master Mat, Die, paper, Tan Embossing Mat, Master Mat.

These dies allow you to place your window wherever you would like in your card front. There are no limitations as to where it can be placed. It is one of the biggest features that makes me gleeful - LOL!

Cutting Frames

Cut your shape out of a scrap of cardstock being certain to allow enough extra space for a larger die cut to follow.

Position the cut out over the top of your next die shape, centering it over the die so that you can not see it.

Cut - you could also add embossing at this time, but I chose to make this frame without embossing.

WOW - that took a long time - it is now the next night! I'm still in the exact same spot as I was yesterday though - LOL! Hopefully this makes enough sense to help those who would like to make shaped cards, windows and frames, as well as answer the question regarding how I use the Wizard.

Comments

[Rose Ann]

Thank you for the wonderful tutorial! I'm sure I will be referring back to it when I have my dies. ;)

[Shawn K.]

Ellen,

Sorry to hear about your accident...but glad to see that you are feeling better. Don't overdo it!

Shawn K.

[Juanita]

Thank you so much for the update of your situation. I'm happy to know that you were able to get downstairs. What is your pain level, ya know, on that 0 to 10 scale?? I'm also happy to hear that you have some help.

This tutorial is EXCELLENT!! It's like being there with you because you really explained everything soooooo well, TFS, TFS, TFS!!

[juliehrr]

You are genius, Ellen. I really can't wait to try this myself! Bouncin'!

[kathynruss]

Wow, you are a walking encyclopedia on how to use this nifty gadget! Love that it is made of metal and glad I never bought anything else. Next time I have a couple hundred laying around, I am so going to be getting this nifty toy with it's nifty nesting dies. Glad you can still work, even laying down!