Thursday, March 1, 2012

Imaginisce Blog Hop!



Good morning! Welcome to today's CardMaker blog hop! Thanks CardMaker, for letting me join in! The design team and I got to play with the Imaginisce i-top tool and punches for making your own custom brads, buttons and so much more! I am so grateful to be able to add all these great tools and products to my crafting arsenal, thank you, Imaginisce, for these terrifically versatile new toys!
Here is a photo of the (pink!) i- top tool! (To be honest, when I first opened the box and saw all the different punches I got so excited seeing this cool bursting shape I didn't even realize I was getting the i-top ALSO, just racing thinking about all the possibilities with punches, like this flower I made below, lol! But we'll get to the punches in a minute...) Above you can see the punched designer paper, the shell top and bottom of the brad, and what the finished brad will look like.
The tool is easy to use and comes with directions and photos that show how to add your paper, felt or fabric to the button, brad etc. Here, after punching my paper, you put that and the shell top on on one side and squeeze it in the tool so the notched paper wraps around the your metal top.
Next , you turn one side of the tool to where it has the little hole for inserting the prongs on the brad base. Insert base.
And then you squeeze!
Push back the rubber head on the other side to release the beautiful (ginormous!) custom brad. Ta da! You can purchase the punches and bards and buttons and pins in 4 different sizes, 16, 22, 28, or 34 mm, suitable for many different types of projects. This same tool is used for every size, you just switch out the caps to for the size you are working with. This one is the 22 mm, really nice for A2 sized cards.

Next, I used some coordinating papers with different sized punches, punching them out and then squishing them in the tool together to give them shaped dimension, just like a blooming flower.
Poke a hole through the middle and add your brad, is that fun or what? I added a second brad to the opposite corner of the card.
I also punched into my patterned mat to make a window revealing the black cardstock underneath. I love to use the negative space from a punch, and there are so may ways to use these!
TIP: Hold your punch upside down when punching so you can see exactly what part of your pattern you want showing over the center, this allowed me to get the butterfly where I wanted it.

I wasn't done playing, so I had to make another sample today! This is "Hugo"-inspired, don't they make fun gears when you trim out every other notch from the punched pieces with a pair of scissors?
I added buttons and brads to the centers and popped them up on foam dots, arranging them so that the different gears would look like they are interact with and turn the others. Hopefully this sample also gives you a good idea of the scale of each punch, too.
Gears seem so trendy right now (and is a great masculine motif for those hard to design for guys!), either on collage or Steampunk style cards, or work perfectly with a birthday or time theme. This stamped greeting is from Gina K Designs"Timeless Treasures" and cardstock is Pure Luxury. These punches would be so fun on a scrapbook page!

To sum up, I will get a ton of use out of all these products! Thanks again, Imaginisce for sharing such innovative and easy to use tools. (Next I'm going to make some cute PINS for my boys!) The directions come with one warning, however: "this much fun may become habit forming." I have to agree, I'm hooked! :)

Can't wait to see what all the other designers do with them today, hoping to see some fun girly projects since I don't have daughters!

Tami Mayberry

Carolyn King

Trudy Sjolander

Colleen Schaan

Kimberly Crawford

Melanie Muenchinger you are here, thanks for visiting!

Lora Brinkman

30 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great tutorial. I have seen that tool in the stores, but never really saw it in action. Love the brads! Thanks for sharing your beautiful cards.

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  2. Wow, that looks so cool. Now I want a new toy. Love the way you did the gears. What a clever idea!!!

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  3. Great cards Melanie!
    I especially love your butterfly buttons! :)

    Hugs,
    True :D

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  4. I have been debating for some time about this tool and wasn't sure if this was one I needed to invest in. Now seeing your wonderful tutorial it looks like I'll be looking for one soon. Thanks~

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  5. The gears are super fun!!!!! Love both your projects.

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  6. Your card is awesome, Melanie! I would never have thought to use this sentiment in 'steampunk' fashion! Great idea!!! Thanks for the photos showing how this tool works, and for sharing your beautiful creation :)

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  7. Great projects. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial.

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  8. Oh my word! I love the gears! This would be a wonderful tool for my sweet children to give me for Mother's Day!!!

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  9. Omgosh, gorgeous work. What a cool tool, thanks for showing it up close!

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  10. love how you used the punches! beautiful cards.

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  11. I just love the projects you shared- I am also loving the punches and can feel the ideas cranking in my head...lol

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  12. What a kool toy!! Love what you created with it, love the design paper.

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  13. SO clever! I never even thought about using the punched papers on their own!! :)

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  14. This is the first I have ever heard of this tool, but sure looks like a neat way to create embellishments with papers. Of course, no stamp stores around here so that can be the reason I didn't know anything about it. Thanks for showing the tool and what you did with it.

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  15. Wow! I love it! Look out wallet... here comes trouble!

    Kris in Alaska
    funamom at yahoo dot com

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  16. Thank you for demo ing this tool..I have been curious about how it works...love your idea of turning the flowers into gears...very ingenious..(((HUGS)))

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  17. Two great cards. I love the gears card and how you made it.

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  18. Hi Melanie! Looks like a fun tool that you played with....I especially like the customized brad.

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  19. I have 3 sons so these gears are so clever. They would be great for all kinds of things. thank you sharing how to do this as well as the brads. A new tool for my wish list!

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  20. The butterfly cards are great and the gear idea from the punches is fabulous!

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  21. pure genius cutting out every other notch! Your cards are great and I'm totally wanting one of these tools now.

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  22. Thanks for the how-to. I love your samples. Very inspirational.

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  23. greats projects and nice tool !

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  24. Thanx Mel for your great tutorial.This is going on my "want it list" LOL Loved the card;really nice.
    Gayle

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  25. What fun cards! It's always fun to get to play with new toys, oops, tools. Beautiful work.

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  26. Love the punches and the i-top. They're so versatile!

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  27. Love your gear card. Great combo of papers - plain and fancy.

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  28. Wow! What an inspiration you are!

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