clear matchbox

OK, I have a lot to say about the new matchbox sizzix die available April 1 through Stampin Up!

First and foremost, I LOVE it! It's the easiest thing to put together once you have your pieces, it comes with extra label pieces, you can stack them and make little chests of drawers (wish I had this when I was into Barbie's), and I'm sure that once everyone has a chance to work with them more, the possibilities will keep on coming in. It works just as well with DSP or cardstock, with mine I did need a different shim, and remembering that it's longer than 12", it did require 2 pieces of 5 1/2"x6 1/2" to put under my "sandwich", but once I figured that out, I made several, and I'll have a few different ideas for a couple of days, so please check back!

Now, with that said, I thought it would be fun to make one with the clear (medium) acetate also available April 1 through Stampin Up!, and use a clear bead from the Pretties kit as a drawer pull. In fact, I thought about making a stack of 3, but I put myself through so much torture, I stopped at one.

FIRST problem was locating clear acetate. I looked everywhere, was sure I knew where I'd put it, but didn't see it, checked several other locations, went back to location I was positive I'd left it, and all I saw was cardboard (any of you with me yet?). I did a little swearing under my breath, wandered around a little more, went back again, this time picking up cardboard, thinking acetate might be under it. Finally looking at cardboard, I realized that what I had in my hand was indeed the acetate I had purchased, but with it being clear, with tissue between it, I thought it was just left over cardboard. OK, problem solved, I cut acetate into 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" pieces, I have four, and have kept tissue between sheets so I don't lose them.

SECOND problem, knowing that acetate can scratch, and hearing people talk about how the multiple cuts into their cutting plates can sometimes leave ridges on their cardstock, I open up a brand new set of crystal clear extended cutting plates (any smiles out there?). I put one plate down, set the die down, go searching for acetate and can't find it.

THIRD problem, clear acetate with white tissue on a white table is nearly impossible to see. So I finally find it and set it onto the die, which is remarkably easy since it's see through and quite clingy, so it slides right into place. Then I go to put the top plate on, which is also very staticy (is that a word?), so the acetate moves and I lift the top plate off and can't find acetate (now very nicely clinging to clear cutting plate). I finally get it back together and get it cut.

OK, from here it's just my observations. The acetate is pretty thick and I just used the medium weight one. I used the cardboard the acetate came with, because with the way my Big Shot is calibrated, regular cardstock wasn't giving me any score lines. The cardboard worked great and I was able to see and score everything. On mine, the score lines needed to be reinforced by using the bone folder. Otherwise, the box wouldn't stay together. Once I scored and creased with the bone folder, it stayed pretty well. The addition of something in the box made it a lot easier to keep together (in this one I have 6 Easter Rolos-pretty colors). Sticky strip on the side of the cover worked really well, and is nearly impossible to see. I used crystal effects to adhere the bead, and once it had a chance to set up, it stayed just fine. In my picture it's still a little wet, so it's a little cloudy.

Having experienced what I did and knowing what to expect, I may make more, they look really cute, and I can't wait to figure out what to do with the labels that I got with each cut. I did waste a couple, since it took me awhile to get the right thickness in shims, but using something else as a test wouldn't give me the same thickness, so I don't know how else to test it. I can say that even with the cardboard thickness, none of my score lines came close to cutting through, so I can use the wasted cuts on other projects. I hope my experience will help you in your attempts. The good thing is, I'm still smiling!