Tool Sightings at Creativeworld: Sizzix FoldAway & Vaessen Stamp Easy
One of the most exciting things about going to an international show is that you see products that aren't yet available or well known in your home market. Today we're going to look at two great tools that I found during my tour of the Creativeworld show floor, the Sizzix FoldAway and the Vaessen Stamp Easy. Both are part of the hottest tools categories in the paper crafting industry, but are virtually unknown in the U.S.
[Disclosure: Messe Frankfurt and the Creativeworld show are a sponsor of this site.]
Vaessen Stamp Easy
The Vaessen Creative Stamp Easy will look familiar to anyone who has used a Tim Holtz Stamp Platform or a MISTI. But this entrant into the stamp press category has some interesting details. And these details set it apart from the two products currently available in the American market.
First, the corners of the Vaessen Stamp Easy have springy feet in them. Two are in the bottom edge of the lid, and two are in the top edge of the base. The feet are intended to support the lid when it is closed so that the lid may then be pressed straight down to stamp.
Vaessen Stamp Easy
Another unique feature of the Vaessen Stamp Easy are the neodymium magnets used to hold items in place on the base. On other stamp presses, handling these powerful round discs can be a bit scary - and even dangerous if you aren't careful. Vaessen has wrapped theirs in a pink wrap with a tab that serves as a handle. This reduces the risk of getting fingers caught between the magnets, and is a safer (and less scary) alternative to handling bare magnets.
Vaessen Stamp Easy
The Vaessen Creative Stamp Easy retails for around €22. (At press time, that converts to around $24 U.S.)
The second surprise tool that I found at Creativeworld is a new version of a well-loved tool I have in my own craft room. The Sizzix FoldAway is a version of the Sizzix Big Shot. The machine has been available in Europe since September 2017. However, no release date has been announced for the United States.
Sizzix Foldaway
The Sizzix FoldAway is a Big Shot machine that folds up for easier storage and portability! The platforms fold up into the machine's center, and the handle twists in to the center of the machine. Closed up, the FoldAway can easily tuck into a corner of your desk or into your bag.
Sizzix Foldaway
Folded open, the Sizzix FoldAway works just like any other Big Shot machine. It cuts Bigz and thin metal dies or embosses, up to 6 inches wide.
Sizzix Foldaway
Another thing your regular Big Shot machine can't do is offer in-machine storage! Lifting up each of the FoldAway's platforms reveals a small compartment for storing small tools or your favorite thin metal dies.
The Sizzix Big Shot FoldAway is currently retailing in a bundle for £149.99 on Sizzix's UK website. (This price converts to around $182 U.S. at press time).
Which of these tools are you hoping will come to where you shop?
