My Brand New Big Shot!!! Yippeeee!!!

Hi, Friends.....

Okay, really......  Please, tell me truly.......

When the value of the lovely dies you have won from the blogs of wonderful crafters and generous manufacturers exceeds the price of a die-cut machine..................

 Isn't it time to buy yourself one????????

I THOUGHT SO!!!!

I have been the extremely fortunate recipient of several dies from entering craft blog drawings.  

Dies I have won.  This doesn't include ones from Serendipity that I won, but haven't received yet.

Now I realize this is just a small clutch of dies, but it has been sitting idle.......since I didn't have a die-cut machine! 

So, after having received money from my dear son and dear husband for buying one at Christmas (it takes me a looooooooooooong time to make a decision sometimes!!!), I finally made the plunge and ordered one from Amazon.  Hooray!!  

It came today and I've been having fun playing with it.  Here's a big shot of my Big Shot and some of the cuts I made with it to learn my way around. 

My first attempts at die-cutting.  How fun!!!!  I can't wait to start making cards with these!

Sure do wish my in-process crafting actually looked this tidy.  Before I snapped the photo, I first had to clean up all the little bits and pieces from those lovely heart doily cuts! Ha.

Note to my local craft group ladies:  

Guess what this means.......

We have a die-cut machine to play with now!  Hooray!  Corrie, you won't have to wait till you find one cheap at a yard sale now.  :)

Had to share my fun news with you all. 

Have a lovely weekend!

<3

Janis

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CAT STATUS UPDATE:
I decided to store my Big Shot in a pretty pink and yellow zippered nylon bag to keep cat hair and dust off of it.  Within 5 minutes of putting it away, this is what I found:

Whiskers making herself at home on top of my brand-new Big Shot (in the pink/yellow bag)!

You can depend on a cat to find anything new in the house and to nest on it.  This is not a very soft place, though.  The machine is a bit "bony" with the hard plastic pieces that jut out here and there.  Whiskers must have agreed because she only stayed there about 10 minutes......still it was long enough for Andromeda to come and investigate.  Now that Whisk-Whisk is nested comfortably on my bed in her usual spot, Andromeda has taken her place on the Big Shot:

Andromeda giving the Big Shot a try.

Well, Andromeda didn't stay there long, either, because my son put an empty can of fish down for the kitties to lick.  Before I had a chance to add Andromeda's picture to this Cat Update, here's who got on the Big Shot next:

Aliyah's turn.  (Forgot to zoom in...sorry for mess.)

This all happened in succession during a stretch of about 20 minutes.  I am not making this up!  Aliyah must have decided it wasn't comfy enough for her old bones and joints, either, so off she went to check out the fish can.  So far, Othello and Chaienne haven't discovered it.  Cats......

RE: Whiskers.  She is still not 100%.  She has some weakness (or pain) in her hindquarters and is not as spry about hopping up on chairs and things as usual.  I don't think she has been up in the loft once since this happened!  She is better, though, so I am glad.

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