Hi: I saw this posting and decided to post as I have been so happy with my die cutting machine from Accucut. It cuts eight to 10 layers of fabric at a time. You can add fusible web if you are doing appliqué quilts. I bought a GrandMARK die cutting machine in August 2007. I am a beginning quilter...started about two and a half years ago. I was becoming frustrated with my inaccurate cutting resulting in wasting fabric and pieces that didn't fit together well. I was ready to give up quilting as I just wasn't happy as to how my projects were turning out. I began looking for a die cutting machine as I had seen some die cut fabric on some websites. I found accucut's website and found the customer representative to be very pleasant and helpful. I bought the grandmark machine along with the 8" quilt block starter set. You can also buy a 10" or 12" quilt block set. With any of the three quilt block starter kits you can make 36 different blocks with the dies you get with the machine. This is a link to a two page pdf on accucut's website which shows the dies included in the set and the blocks that can be made with the dies. http://www.accucut.com/images/documents/2006/MMQD.pdf I am very pleased as it is a real joy to use. I find that I waste very little fabric. The pieces fit together so beautifully. Some of the current quilting magazines have coupons which I believe can be used for up to 20% off on your order. I agree it may seem a little pricey but for me it is an investment which has made my quilting hobby far more enjoyable. I have some pictures on my personal site: http://www.seedandsower.com/quilting.asp The accucut diecut machine and dies are also used for scrapbooking, stationery and paper crafts. Their site is very well done and lots of information and projects. this link may be useful: http://www.accucut.com/ I hope this is helpful, Kind regards

Franksmom, the answer is "yes they do, and there are many of them." Just go to the Michaels or Joannes website and go to the scrapbooking section. Mine is a Cricket "baby bug" but there are three sizes. There's also a Silouhette (which I've probably spelled wrong!) You can cut cardstock, scrapbook paper, chipboard, vinyl,fabric, felt, etc. There are cartridges with fonts and designs so you cut the style of letters you want. I'm loving the vinyl because I can reposition my letters easily again and again. You can also use the vinyl cutout for stenciling or glass etching cream. I'm not a salesman, just a happy customer. ;o) Glad you liked how my TS tray came out. Punk, glad you liked it's transformation too. I've never liked painting letters--could somehow always make them look messy, and don't really like the look of stenciling either--at least not when I do it! This is allot faster for me--and since they are vinyl, I can remove them anytime I want. (I don't paint as quickly as you do, so it might not be faster for you.);o) Obviously, this tray is for decorative purposes only and won't need to be washed, but I've read that there is vinyl out there that can be applied to glass and has stood up to many trips through the dishwasher. Obviously it has a stronger adhesive than what I'm using. I've been combining painting, scrapbook papers, and vinyl on several projects now and it's fun. Painting will always be my first love however. ;o) Luvs

Yes, I did take a quick look at the link. The machines they listed are more like the high end models. They're more for someone that do papercraft as a business rather than just a hobby like me. I've been doing more online searching and finally found some real good advises and tutorials on YouTube. I was able to narrow it down to 2 machines, the Sizzix Big Shot (hand cranking) and the Sizzix Vagabond (electric). While looking at these models, I spotted the latest one: the Sizzix Big Shot Plus. It is basically the same as the Sizzix Big Shot but much wider and steadier. One nice thing about YouTube, I was able to see that it didn't take much effort to manually turning the hand crank. Looked like something I can manage with. Bic Warehouse (through Amazon, Walmart & eBay) had a fairly good deal on this model so, I went ahead and purchased it. Now, I just need to start looking for the different embossing and die cutting designs. Oh, and to answer your last question. I don't know about cutting paper strips with these machine. I do have a shredder that can be used to cut paper strips for quilling. However, the pre-cut paper strips aren't very expensive when purchasing them overseas. The paper strips are more at a proper weight for curling, and are acid free. Nevertheless, your thought/idea to use the cut die machine is very appealing. I need to research on this a bit more. Thanks for the idea!

TLBean, the only kind of begonias I've rooted are angel wings, so I can't speak to the particular begonias you're attempting to root. But I've rooted cuttings of many different kinds of plants, and in general, the cutting needs a way to uptake water. Some plants can uptake water through a cut stem, but many cannot do it efficiently enough or long enough to root. So they need to be able to absorb moisture through their leaves; hence the need for a humid environment. When I root plants that don't root easily in water, I put them in an aquarium. I like clear plastic drinking cups with holes poked in the bottom because I can see when rooting happens without disturbing the cutting. The soil needs to be damp but not dripping wet. I have a lid with a light over the top and gravel in the bottom of the aquarium. I put water in the bottom of the aquarium no deeper than the gravel. I also use a reptile cage heating pad (they get warm but not too hot - around 75-80 deg. which is perfect for cuttings) and place it under the aquarium for bottom heat. Obviously, the cups with the cuttings sit on top of the gravel. Since the water is just below the gravel level, the cuttings aren't sitting in water, but the water evaporates and provides the moist environment they need. I have the aquarium light on a timer for 14 hours a day and the heating pad is on all the time. I've had great success with this set-up. It provides constant moisture and heat, which cuttings generally need for rooting, as well as light. The more light your cutting gets, the more energy it will have and the better it will root. The aquarium is a controlled environment, whereas if you enclosed your cuttings in plastic and placed them out in the sun on a warm day, they'd probably cook. BTW, I always clean the aquarium with soap and bleach, as well as soaking the gravel in soap and bleach (rinse it of course before using) before setting up the cuttings. Cuttings are very susceptible to pathogens so everything needs to be very sanitary. And cuttings can take a month or two to root, so just when you think nothing is happening - voila! You start seeing some roots! Good luck! Deanna