Technique Thursday: Product Review: Go Kreate!

Go Kreate! Dies

Today we have reviews of Go Kreate! Dies from two of our Design Team members. First up we have Jane Larsson.



I was lucky enough to receive this die set in my first Frantic Stamper DT-package.



The die-set is made by the British supplier “Go Kreate” and it is frames shaped like windows - six different sizes.

Fran wanted me to try a die from this company; she was keen on making her first order with them but needed a review or two first.

The dies seem robust and high-quality, and cut through perfectly with the Big Shot. I really love them! I can hardly wait until Fran puts her first order with “Go Kreate” – I really need more shapes from their collection – NOW! ;)

When I laid my eyes on it, I instantly knew I had to use the die together with one of my favorite images right now: The Eiffel Tower!

I used the stamp Large Eiffel Tower from Fran´s own collection. It is sold cling-mounted, and you can find it here.

I heat embossed it with Tim Holtz Distress powder (Vintage Photo) which gave the tower that perfect look!



Patterned papers and deco’s are from K&Company (by Susan Winget) – gorgeous stuff that you can find here.

I hope to get more of these wonderful dies soon!

- Jane

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Next up we have a review by Kathy Berger



I, too, was lucky enough to receive some Go Kreate! Dies in my design team package from Fran. I got the new Boo on His Bum die and the nesting frame die Frilly Squares #10.



The Boo die is a thin die that comes with a sheet of self-adhesive release foam. Simply put the foam on the ridge side of the die and run through the die-cut machine and the die is ready to use.

This is a very detailed die... all of Boo's little toes are cut individually. Because of the detail, I ran into a bit of trouble getting Boo to cut with my older Cuttlebug which has gotten a little loose with age. I also have trouble cutting detailed dies from Memory Box or Some Assembly Required. In order to cut Boo I needed to add a shim, and never quite got the clean, crisp cut I wanted, though I was able to make do.

But I do have an older Spellbinders Wizard as well as my Cuttlebug, and I was able to cut Boo quite easily with that machine. I also borrowed a Big Shot from a friend for a few hours and had great results with it. I truly believe the problem was with my Cuttlebug and not with the dies.

UPDATE: I spoke with Fran about my Cuttlebug issue and she suggested I try the new metal adapter plate made by Memory Box as the perfect shim and cutting solution for a looser Cuttlebug. I got my shim recently and wanted to let you know how it worked.

Not only did the shim allow me to cut my little Boo Bear die perfectly on the first pass, but it also allowed me to cut a couple of really detailed Memory Box dies I had never been able to get to cut.With this shim plate they cut perfectly, in one pass, in my older, loose Cuttlebug. I HIGHLY recommend the metal adapter plate!



In any event, I cut a pink Boo for a baby card, and then cut some more Boos out of different shades of brown so I could play with mixing and matching his parts.

I wanted to make the pink Boo with foam dots between layers to give him dimension. To do that I assembled his feet on separate card-stock and then hand-cut around the feet. Otherwise, Boo was assembled just as he was cut with the die. Here is my pink Boo.



and here is one of his brown friends who was assembled without added dimension...



I also wanted to try the nesting frame dies I received. This package has four dies in it, ranging in size from about 2" square to about 3 1/2" square. They appear to be made of steel and are quite sturdy. These dies do not come with release foam, and don't need it. (This is the smallest set of dies in the same "Frilly Squares #10 shape... there are also a Half XXL and an XXL set available, for a total of 14 different dies.)

I had wonderful results with these dies even in my loose Cuttlebug. They cut perfectly every time I tried them.

For my baby card I wanted a little frame for my pink Boo so I used the second from the largest die and the smallest die. I cut with both dies in a single pass using a small piece of repositionable tape to keep them in place. Here is a close-up of a part of the frame on my finished baby card:



And here is the finished card. The background is a heat-embossed image from Frantic Stamper's own line of stamps, Lace background. (Isn't that stamp just beautiful?)



The bottom line for me is that I LOVE these dies. I think Boo is about the cutest thing ever and can't wait to get him standing, too, and to get all sorts of accessories for him! I will also be getting more of the frame dies; they are very versatile and cut wonderfully, and come in some really unusual shapes.

- Kathy

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