Just a question or two about Sizzix I would like your help with please!

[mumatuks]

Hi everyone,

I made a card the other day, for JARM, and did it all by myself! (ok, so now I sound about 5!) I've never been any good at Art and Crafts, but this has really inspired me. I noticed though that to keep buying card toppers and the rest of it was very expensive... so, when I saw a sizzix machine on Ebay (brand new) for £30 I bought it!
Now my question is, just how many of the littles dies are worth owning (as they are quite expensive) Is there some basic shape ones that will set me off on the right track? I did buy a little birthday cake one, as I thought that would be the one most needed!
Oh and before I go, I did find some lovely beads for card decorating in the ELC for a £1 a pack! They are flower shapes or have letters on little cubes or round little blobs. The amount of the same letters isn't guarenteed, but I bought three packs and seem to be doing alright so far.
Thanks for any answers I recieve! BTW this is all your fault JARM!!

just wanted to add, I'm not into the scrapbooking yet, but would like to one day!

All of us would like the entire die sets but have to think about what we make most of! Dingle has organised a database of who has what dies so if you are unsure of what to buy you can ask for a swop first.

I tried to choose ones which could be adaptable, so I have used the champagne glass a lot. I also focus on baby cards so have the bitty body and pj's. I have also got 2 alphabet sets and whilst they were expensive have been used a lot to do named cards. I also use a balloon set and flower charms a lot.

HTH

Thanks PootlePod! I was thinking of a bitty body one being useful.... hmm, birthday in April, might be on my list!
Cheers for your help!

I have a large die with four different sized squares on it and I guess that's the one I use the most. It's very good for making a layered base for a motif.

mumatuks - your card was FABBO - I loved it!

Ive got a sizzix - what have i got....

small cat
small ladybug
large scallop tag combo (3 on die)
large frog and lily pad
GAW alphabet

Thats it at the moment - planning plenty more though! (Have also found a site from a friend who sells die cuts really cheap so if theres something I fancy I can buy 40 of them for £1)

I use my large red doll die and the associated hair and outfit dies an awful lot, especially for children's cards. The scallop tag combo set is great too. I have 3 alphabet sets. Love those.

If you're an ebayer, you can sell some of your cut outs too, to cover the cost.

I don't have a sissix any more (mine bust and I blew the refund on crafty bits ) but I like the frog die (you can replace the lily pad with two ivy leafs, nuked in the microwave for a few seconds until dry, then overlapped); butterflies are good and generic; flowers obviously; the dies that cut ovals / frames etdc can be handy; the gingerbread man one is nice too. And don't forget a few Christmas ones as well- cheapest on ebay out of season.

I'll second the red body as being really useful.
I have that and girl & boy clothes sets.
I also have the small bitty body & find that good if you have other big dies to use it with (ie car front & train)

Alphabet sets are great i have Girls are Wierd & now want another !

ELC is great for craft stuff !!

I use the scallop tag combo the most. And the daisy die. I will use the holly & berries tons at christmas. Ones I wish I hadn't bought. The shopping bag, gingerbreadman, Santa Head. I went mad buying loads of dies and really won't use them much.

Oh and have I mentioned the coastal set, What a waste of a tenner. Used the seagull once in a scrapbook layout.

Suzywong might know

This is helpful, I was planning on buying a sizzix for a friend who has just started card-ing. If I just buy the machine does it come with any dies at all or should I order some of the suggested ones here at the same time?

Sorry for the slight hijack, didn't seem worthy of a thread by itself.

when you buy the machine, that is all you get.

I would reccomend the sizzix converter also so she can cut sizzlets too. (its about a tenner)

Second the scallop tag combo as being the one i use the most.

Woah! JARM. Sizzlets? Help out a non-carder here. What on earth are they?

Thanks for the tip about the "scallop tag combo" [baffled emoticon] & the dies. How awful would it have been if I'd got one and no dies and she couldn't do anything?! She's in Holland so can't get the stuff too easily.

I'm going to go back to my 3G network. Much less complicated!

I just came on my PC to check the thread and say thankyou to annorak too.
I was pleasently surprised to find all these answers! Thank you so much guys! I'm hoping my sizzix will arrive today, I can't wait to start cutting things out (DH was joking he'd find shapes cut out of everything!)
Hopefully I'll be one the A&C threads more as I get going.
These answers are really valuable, thanks for taking the time to reply to me!