Back Again! A fab new Sizzix Basket #2 Die!!

Hi

I am back after a long break!  I started a job and it seemed to take up all of my time and left me with no time to craft!  It's only a temporary contract and due to end soon so hopefully I will be able to start crafting again!!

I've bought some nice crafting bits recently - this beauty arrived today!

I've been looking at it for weeks and tried to order it from the US through BIC on Amazon but they had advertised it incorrectly and then changed the photo to something else so the die that arrived was the wrong one.  Very disappointing!  Anyway I ordered it from Countryview Crafts for £18.99 - the die is a lovely little basket and just perfect to put chocolates in for Easter.  It is the Sizzix Basket #2 659897 and it is a 'L' sized die so works without the need for extended cutting pads.

This little basket measures approx just under 11.5cm long at it's longest part and 6cm wide and 6cm depth so a very usable size.  The die is a Bigz die and it creases the folds and punches out the holes for the brads to go in to hold it together so very little work left to do!  You just cut 2 of the main part and stick one on top of the other so that you have the triangle parts on both sides.  You then bring up the 2 triangle side pieces and line them up with the middle triangle piece and the holes on your handle and insert a brad.  Once you have done this on both sides you have your basket!

I had a play with this die and made a larger basket by cutting out 4 of the main basket part and sticking 2 together for each side of the basket.  I overlapped them so that I had a base double the size of the smaller basket.  See pic below

I pulled up the 2 triangle pieces on each side and put a brad in through the holes.  This left a large gap in the middle between the 2 ends so I cut 2 strips of card from the spare handle die cuts and punched a hole in either end and put through the brad that I had put through the side pieces.  I then took 2 o the handle diecuts and glued them together to give me a longer length.  I punched a hole in either end of the basket and handles and fixed them on with a brad.

The finished result is a different type of basket that is much larger - 18cm in length and quite sturdy.

**Note this is a rough prototype made with cheap card and I used brass fasteners just to test it out to save wasting nice brads!  I will make it using nice card when I have more time!

Hope you like thiis cuter die as much as I do!!!