Ellison Retailers

Sizzix Honored as CHA Summer Press Kit Winner

The results are in! The Sizzix press kit distributed at the 2010 Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Summer Convention & Trade Show has won the prestigious Golden Press Kit Award.

Judged for its overall design, content and creativity, the inspired kit shines from the start with its beautiful cover created and decorated with the newest Sizzix Bigz XL Fanciful Album Die and accompanying designs. Inside, the kit opens up to reveal an interactive CD previewing upcoming Sizzix releases along with an eclips Accessory Tool Kit bound decoratively by an attractive ribbon.

Lead by Sizzix Creative Art Director, Cara Mariano, the Sizzix Design Team challenged themselves to present their creative vision in a bold new format.

"We are so appreciative to be awarded this honor," said Mariano. "The same creativity unleashed in our press kits also goes into every Sizzix product. We can't wait for consumers to see all the latest exciting releases we have in store!"

Leading off, the eclips Electronic Shape-Cutting Machine undergoes its first exciting update thanks to a FREE software download for existing users this fall at Sizzix.com. Some of the more notable enhancements include:

Scoring: Allows eclips designs to be cut with easy scoring lines for simple folds when using the Albums, Bags & Boxes and Cards & Envelopes cartridges.

Drawing with any pen: With the additional purchase of the eclips Pen Holder, crafters can use virtually any felt tip or ballpoint pen in their eclips Machine to draw a shape. The Pen Holder also accommodates glue pens for drawing shapes in glue, allowing crafters to sprinkle on glitter for a truly dazzling look.

Rotate Designs: Rotates shapes for optimal placement on the material to be cut. Changes in orientation can be made in increments of 1 degree all the way to 360 degrees. This feature dramatically saves paper.

Double Cut: In case the shape wasn’t cut all the way through, the eclips will pass the blade over the cut lines again and re-cut the area to ensure easy removal of the shape.

Adjust Height or Width: Customizes the height or width of a design. Especially useful for cutting phrases or images that demand proportionate precision.

Print2Cut: With the purchase of additional software, crafters can use their home computer and printer to design and print any eclips shape and then load it into the eclips Machine for easy laser locating, positioning and cutting.

In addition, ten more cartridges (sold separately) for the eclips Machine will start shipping to retailers this fall. With new cartridges designed by such prominent industry names as Scrappy Cat, Dena Designs and BasicGrey, crafters will be treated to a diverse offering of cutting-edge choices sure to fire up their creative arsenal.

A special section of the Sizzix booth at CHA will be devoted to our new partnership with Westminster Fibers, Inc., a prominent leader in the printed fabrics industry. The new alliance is already responsible for popular quilting/appliqué die designs for the Big Shot and Big Shot Pro machines.

Through this dynamic partnership, Sizzix has licensed Westminster to help design a special line of dies to help solve one of the biggest frustrations facing quilters: cutting straight, accurate shapes every time.

This exciting release of dies includes a versatile assortment of geometric shapes that start at just $20. Special-edition Big Shot and Big Shot Pro machines are also available, marking the exciting entry of a low-cost die-cutting machine for the quilting/appliqué market. Machines start at $99 and are compatible with most Sizzix Dies, which range from $4.99 to $70 with thousands to choose from.

Laying the groundwork for more unforgettable designs for the future, Sizzix is also making headlines at CHA Summer with its first-ever fall releases from BasicGrey.

The first launch of holiday-themed products in the Eskimo Kisses collection includes festive Sizzlits (small and medium), cool Embosslits (small) and ho-ho-ho-so Bigz Dies, as well as snow embossing like Textured Impressions Embossing Folders – all for Sizzix hand-operated die-cutting machines. Wrapping up the new releases is the pet-rific assortment of shapes/alphabet for the eclips Machine based on the whimsically popular Max & Whiskers collection.

Of course, the usual incredible array of new products and exciting additions to the Sizzix line make their artful appearances from now through the fall.

The latest brand offerings include more creepily realistic images from our Halloween Originals and Bigz dies, with three wickedly awesome 3-D Pop-Up Dies by Karen Burniston to scare up all sorts of spooky fun.

It's also a great time to be a Big Shot Pro Machine. A brand new product line – ScoreBoards Pro Dies – awaits a much-anticipated release for its exclusive use with the Big Shot Pro. Now crafters can quickly cut and score oversized designs in just one easy step. New Bigz Pro Dies also gear up for their debut, while Movers & Shapers Pro Dies return to the retail scene with a proven product selection.

'Tis the season for holiday-themed Originals, Bigz and Bigz XL Dies. Compatible with our bigger machines, these dazzling new dies deliver the season's joy with many embellishing opportunities.

Who wrote the book on creativity? Sizzix Mini Albums are all about decorating life with a singular focus on any subject or occasion. Just one look at these Bigz XL Dies and you’ll quickly discover the difference from any other ordinary mini album.

Compatible with the Texture Boutique Machine and bigger Sizzix roller machines, Textured Impressions Embossing Folders come not only in the form of Halloween & Christmas releases, but for Valentine's Day as well. For small, medium, border or large impressions, Textured Impressions offer our deepest and boldest embossing experience yet.

Directly from our own design team, 14 new Sizzix Artist Studio Bigz Dies deliver hip and trendy fun with a vintage feel for added inspiration.

Valentine's by Stephanie Ackerman w/Karen Burniston & Eileen Hull are all lovely, all the time with new Sizzlits 3-Die Sets, Bigz, Bigz XL and ScoreBoards XL dies to uniquely celebrate life and love.

"Once again, Sizzix offers something for everyone," said Denzil Quick, director of marketing for Sizzix. "The diversity of our releases ensures that you will remain happily engaged in one of the highest forms of self expression."