A Little Die Cut Shop History...

It All Started With a Cigar Box...

Even though I consider myself to be a somewhat creative person, I had never found something that really stuck with me. I attended a local craft fair and was drawn to a cigar box that was covered and embellished with some interesting circus themed paper, and for whatever reason I thought that it was cool and interesting, and more importantly, within my skill set to recreate.

So, I purchased the circus box and brought it home. I don't know what I thought I was going to put in it, but figured it would be a nice addition to my somewhat eclectic collection of assorted curiosities. I was determined to create similar boxes on my own to give as gifts and possibly keep for myself.

There is a cigar shop in our town, so finding a supply of cigar boxes for my own creations wasn't going to be a challenge and locating decorative papers would be relative easy. However I wasn't sure where to get the feet for this little box, or even sure what to call them. Fortunately, my Aunt Debi is an avid scrap booker, and is very familiar with this world. She told me that the box feet looked very much like a Tim Holtz product. That was it. Once I checked out the world of Tim Holtz, I was hooked! The kinds things that you can make from die cuts, distress ink, embossing folders and rubber stamps are endless!

I had unwittingly entered a world that seemed very interesting, and worth exploring. The variety of creations that can be constructed out of paper intrigued me. I could imagine my own greeting cards, gift tags, invitations and stationary. The possibilities! So, my husband got me a Vagabond machine for Christmas and the rest, as they say, is history.

~Cindy