There’s been a lot of buzz among craft bloggers about the Fiskars Fuse Creativity System, a two-in-one letterpress and die-cut machine. From gift tags to scrapbooking embellishments, the Fuse is the object of many crafters’ affection. I was curious to see what the machine was all about, so I reached out to Fiskars to see if I could try it for myself. After some time spent creating a batch of paper projects, the Fuse makes it to the top of my 2013 crafty must-have list!
| The tool itself is very straightforward once you take it out of the box. Simply unlock the handle and release the machine’s two arms. The Fuse requires no electricity – just turn the hand crank. Moving the dies through the press is easy to do. |
| There are five crafting options with the presses and die-cut shapes available for the Fuse: die-cut only, letterpress only, ink only, die-cut and ink, or letterpress and ink. The plastic pieces are easy to clean and safe for smaller hands. |
| Fuse’s starter set includes one inkpad, one design set (I had the scalloped circle), a rubber plate and a base plate. |
The one drawback to the Fuse is the weight – small children would struggle taking this off the shelf to use. However, such weight is expected with a machine like this.
| At about $300, Fuse is definitely a more serious investment for crafty families. If you’re a devoted paper crafter, though – or the up-and-coming crafters in your family love working with paper – take a look at the Fuse the next time you’re at the store. |
Check back for next week’s Make It blog to see a few project ideas the Fuse makes possible.
