Although not cheap pieces of equipment to buy initially, dies can save you a lot of money in the long run, especially  if you make lots of cards  with the same theme.

It is cheaper to buy one die that you can use over and over again, then to buy packs of die cuts from somebody else.

If flowers are your thing then you can cut hundreds of flowers from the many different flower shapes that you might like.

And it's much cheaper than buying a pack of flowers that may only have a dozen in it

There are lots of different machines on the market too, and the prices vary from model to model.

One that I have had for a long time is the "Big Shot" by Sizzix and it was a Christmas present from my husband. (Lovely man)

It is versatile because it will also take the dies from other companies too ... but it only has the small A5 cutting platform.

I have nights when I cut out lots of  shapes and then they are ready to adorn my cards. I now have a tin full of shapes all raring to go. (And it's a biiiiig tin)

The dies for the machine are all different shapes. One of my favourites makes the swirls that I like to use on my cards.

This is such a useful addition to cards for any age group.

Card Making Magic Dies are an excellent way to produce toppers for your creations.

Add them as the complete focal point to your card for a stunning look.

Layout your card to see which is the most pleasing place for your chosen shape

Just dry place it on the card to see what you prefer and when happy with the effect then glue it in place. 

Most of this card has been created using only shapes.

Again truly magical!

And take a look at some of the Novelty Cards that can be made with some simple cut shapes.

There you will find some really fun projects for you to do and the kids will love them too..