Sizzix 655429 Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die, Curly by Dena Designs, Multicolor

I love love love the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, but if you're like me, you've noticed that there is kind of a gap in size between the largest tattered flower and the next-largest tattered flower, which could be filled in with the not-tattered daisy shape, but because of the terrible things I do to the flowers after I cut them, the daisy shape doesn't hold up too well to all the wetting and crumpling and spraying etc. Don't tell my husband, but to fill this gap, I scanned and digitized that smaller tattered flower and turned it into a cut file for my Silhouette so I could resize it and have the just-right size. Duh. Talk about killing a fly with a cannon. Don't even ask how long it took me to do this. I like to use a lot of layers, so I'm glad to have this die to kind of fill in that gap, size-wise, when I am too lazy to fire up the Silhouette, which is most of the time, to tell the truth. What can I say? I am a paper flower junkie, and despite owning the Silhouette and a Cricut (well, two Cricuts) (and alll the flower-generating cartridges), there is something about turning the handle on that old-school green die-cutting machine that just makes me ridiculously happy. This die in particular yields a very satisfying number of little flowers-per-crank, and even some little leaves, so I'm more happy than ashamed that I bought it -- always a good ratio when we buy something we really didn't need in the first place!

I was likely the last person to invest in a die cutting machine since I use my own art for my cards. This particular Tim Holtz design drew me in with its delicate swirls and botanical elements. I chose the Sizzix die cutting machine partly because of this design, and many creative and happy hours later, I have produced my own versions of this gorgeous Christmas pattern. The die itself is easy to use even though it's long and requires two passes to cut all the pieces.

When you create with this Christmas ring, you can find that there are many other options than just as a chain. You can cut it into other parts and use it as edging, or pieces for added decor on a card. It is wonderful.

This is one of the most versital cutting dies I have seen. You can use it for only some of the prints ( using smaller "scrap") paper. Great for many nature cards. Not just Christmas.I love cutting it up and stamping a grapevine wreath then putting these 3D pieces on the wreat with pop dots. Brings my cards to life.

Versatile and such fun to use in my card making. I love that I can use the different designs in whatever I am making. Easy to use and I keep thinking of ways to use it more. Just love it!!!

Yes it's compatible with the Big Shot BUT only when you buy the extended 13" plates. That additional purchase is only mentioned in regard for another machine. I don't have the plates and would not have bought the die if I had know this further expense was required.

Two things could make this die better. They could design it with the shapes packed more efficiently in order to waste less paper. Are they in league with the paper company? Or better yet, they could package their dies individually like Spellbinders, Memory Box, and a few others, so that individual shapes could be cut separately and arranged as desired on the paper. See how the illustration shows several shades of green plus reds and browns? It would be nice to be able to cut them separately.That said, I still give it 4 stars. The shapes are excellent.

Love this die, but I wasn't sure what to expect when ordering it. I am sharing a couple of pictures for future buyers of this so you know what you are buying. I also took a picture of it with the Bigz tattered floral die to give you a size comparison because it works really well with those flowers are well