How to take care of your Sizzix Dies

I am trying to get a head start on my Christmas cards as well as my samples for my upcoming Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack.  This card was so easy!  I used the Sizzlit die, Delicate Doilies (pg 191) for the wreath.  I adhered the wreath to a 2 1/2" Whisper White square of card stock and popped the square up on my card.  The DSP at the bottom is from the Festival of Prints stack.

The key to using these dies that have a lot of intricate work on them is to first wrap packing tape all over the the cutting side of the die.  That way, the little bits of paper don't get caught in the die.  It makes it so much easier!

Here is another card using a Sizzix die.  This one is the Large Paper Doily (pg 191).  The red circle is embossed with the dotted embossing folder and punched out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch.  The ornament is from an old favorite, Delightful Decorations (pg 10). 

Both of these cards are simple to make - just a few dies, paper and stamps!

I am still fighting my sinus "gunk".  I thought I would be able to sleep better by not taking the decongestant at bedtime.  Well, wrong!  I went to bed at 11:00 Sunday night and was still tossing and turning when Sonny came to bed at 1.Again, I was awake every hour.  I think I finally fell asleep for any length of time around 5 am.  Guess I just can not take any drugs with pseudoephedrine.  I have been reading about it today and notice that it can cause insomnia.  Well, in the trash this medicine goes!  I felt pretty crappy all day Monday but went ahead and played bridge since I had signed up to play.  Figured I couldn't sleep anyway so I may as well do something fun.