New Product Video with Erin

Tool Time and the i-bond!

Hey everyone, it's Heather and I'd like to welcome you to the 2nd installment of our Tool Time series.  This is our time to showcase different Imaginisce tools while featuring tips, tricks, and project ideas to get the most out of your tools. Or if you are new to Imaginisce's amazing pink tools, perhaps you will be inspired to try them out!

Today we will be featuring the i-bond cordless glue gun. We've heard how much you love it but we've also heard you asking about ways to integrate it and the colored glue sticks into your projects.
 

Doesn't this tool and those gorgeous colored glue sticks look like so much fun?  Check out this video I created to show you a few of the things I have created with the tool as well as other ideas you might want to try.  This video is packed with multiple projects, tips, techniques and ideas. So without further ado, here's some things I'd like to share about the i-bond....

Here's some photos of the projects I made in the video.

Little Cutie Girl Card - flowers embellished with purple glitter glue using the i-bond

Snag 'em Stamps Sweet Baby Doll stamped in pink glue using the i-bond

Little Cutie Boy line - buttons embedded in brown glue using the i-bond

 

 
GIVEAWAY TIME
I'd love to hear any additional ideas you may have in the comments below for your chance to win your very own i-bond!!!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
xoxo Heather

Scrapbook.com Visits Imaginisce Booth at CHA

I thought you might enjoy seeing a quick video filmed at CHA this past weekend.



GIVEAWAY: 
Since the video featured our new tools we thougth we better give away a d-stress tool today to celebrate that it's Thursday. All you need to do is post a link to this video on your Facebook Wall or email it to a friend, then leave comment here. We'll post the winner on the blog tomorrow!

Imaginisce attends the Quilt Market Show (new tool announcement)

Last weekend our crew hosted a booth at the Quilt Market trade show in Houston, Texas. Here's some pictures of our booth. We'll be featuring some of these darling quilted projects on our blog soon...so be watching!

Imaginisce featured the popular i-rock tool collection.

And of course we showed all those great crafting and quilt retailers the i-top tool program and all the wonderful accessories now available.

In preparation of the Quilt Show we had our resident video gal Erin Bassett create us a fun video showing how easy it is to cover our i-top daddies with FABRIC.


International Quilt Market is now on Facebook and Twitter! Follow us for important show information, industry news and trends, and to connect with fellow Market exhibitors and attendees.


Now for the BIG NEWS...at the quilt show Imaginisce announced two new tools.


i-bond Cordless Glue Gun

The new i-bond is the perfect crafting tool for all sorts of projects. We especially like them with our new Roly Rosies and Pop-up Posies. 

- Cordless
- Uses 4 AA Batteries
- Lighted Nozzle for Easy Application
- Ergonomic Design
- Uses Standard Mini Glue Sticks
- Comes with 3 Glue Sticks

MSRP $15.99

Shipping December 2010

 

d-stress Creative Paper Edger

The new d-stress is a handheld sanding tool that is perfect for paper and wood projects alike. The tips are the right size for fitting in those small spaces on chipboard alphabets and so much more! You can also engrave with this new tool!

- Cordless

- Uses 2 AA Batteries

- Comes with 3 different crafting tips

- Portable

- Ergonomic Design

MSRP $15.99

Shipping January 2011

DOUBLE CHANCE TO WIN:
1. Tell us which tool you're the most excited about and why or what you'd use these for. Answer this question and you could win one of the FIRST to receive one of these new tools (when they arrive)!! 


2. We're curious how many of you are quilters, sew, stitch or do anything that would require you to shop at a fabric store. Tell us what you love to do and what your favorite fabric related tool you use is (needles, cutting mat, sewing machine, etc).  The winner of this will receive an i-top tool and a tons of Button Daddies !! 

Last Week's Winners Announced

Pinky create a fun video last week showing how to make your own flower ring with the new Snap Daddies and Snap Rings. We were so excited about how the video turned out that we offered to giveaway a set of everything featured in the video. That includes the new snap daddies, pop-up posies, cupcake flowers, flower tool and i-top tool. And the winner is:

Rhonda V. said...She posted, "First of all, I loooooove your SFIO layout!!! I need to get my hands on some of that paper!  Your ring is uber-fabulous and I can not believe how totally generous and awesome Imaginisce is to do this kind of giveaway!!! WOW O WOWWW!!!"

And last week on Facebook we asked "What $50 item would you give-up to win this i-rock Gift Set?" The answers were hilarious and we ended up picking on gal at random that was willing to give us her husband for the prize. But we're going to let her keep him and we'll just send her the prize. The winner is: KATIE TINSLEY GREEN

Ladies, email us your shipping information and be sure to put in the subject line "what" contest/giveaway you won. Thanks for being our fan!!

i-rock Templates: Learn to Make Your Own

Everyone loves our i-rock templates, we know because we keep selling through them and having to bring in more. Stores are telling us these are among the best selling item in their stores. Everyone loves a something they can use over and over again and have cute designs. Imaginisce actually has three different designs currently. We are working on next designs for next year. Be sure to keep reading to see how you can create your own or win one!! 

Here's what the end result of the template design looks like when you remove it and  the gems are left behind...beautiful don't you think?

The following pillow and card designs used the Swirl Templates to create the beautiful flourish pattern on them. The great thing about our templates is they're made from a HEAT RESISTANT material so that you can touch it with your i-rock tool and not melt the material.

Another Tip: In stead of leaving the template in place and dropping each stone in and setting it inside the holes of the template, you can simply mark where the holes were with a pencil and go back and add the stones of your choice.

We've had tons of requests for more templates and we're working on some amazing designs hopefully to release for next year. But in the meantime, we've got a couple great ideas from our cute friend over at PinkCricut. She created two videos showing you how to create your own templates. 

The first video shows you how to use your Crop-A-Dile hole punch to create your template. Here's a template design we worked up for you so you could try this technique out yourself. Click on the image to make it larger and open in new window and right click on it to save it to your computer to print (you can resize it too). Enjoy!!

 You could also use one of my favorite tools to for this same technique. Some call it a Japanese Screw Punch and others call it an Anywhere Hole Punch. Simply print out your design and punch holes along the lines to create your gem pattern. 

The second video shows those of you that have a Gypsy and Cricut how to easily create your own template from designs you have stores on your Gypsy. I've tried this and loved how amazing the designs turned out when I was finished.

FREE STUFF: 

Let us know which of the PinkCricut videos you think you'll try and we'll giveaway one of our Template Kits and a new i-rock tool. Be sure to leave Sarah a comment so she knows you stopped by to check out her videos!! We'll announce all winners from previous weeks each Monday.

i-rock Video by Pink Cricut (and giveaways galore)!

We are so excited to be able to team up with great talent around the web and today we have the pleasure of featuring a video from Pink Cricut. Sara created a fun project using the Imaginisce i-rock tool. And we love it!! In fact, she has a ton of great videos to check out!!

SPARKLY FREE STUFF!!! Sarah is giving away some great i-rock product on her blog today, but you know us, we love to giveaway here too. So be sure to jump over to Sarah's blog and check out how to enter her giveaway. To enter the Imaginisce giveaway today, simply go to the Pink Cricut blog and follow her blog OR go to her Facebook page and "like" her then come back and tell us (1 enter per place you follow)!!

The Patient Workings of an Artist in Australia: Melinda Spinks

The very patient Melinda Spinks created this beautiful "Love" layout form the new Apple Cider Collection. I say patent because she cuts the little leaves and apples from the pattern papers, she stitches the little blue bird's trail, quills the cloud and then went hunting for twigs to create her darling boarder. For more close-up photos of this beautiful layout, visit Melinda's blog post. Isn't Melinda great!!

Cute Melinda sent me this sketch to share for those of you that might want to create a layout based on Melinda's original layout. I love collecting sketches!

We were also very excited when we learned the Kristina at 2Peas featured the Apple Cider Collection in her weekly product picks. In fact, she even mentioned Melinda's layout above.  If you want to see the product in action...well sort of in real life, then you'll love this video. 

Introduction of the new i-rock: Questions & Answers

We're hearing all the buzz on the web about the new i-rock. But many of you are still wondering about this new tool from Imaginisce. We're excited to show you this new video by Erin Bassett that shows you what is included in the i-rock collection as well as HOW the tool works. Take a few minutes to check it out and then come back and read below to learn more about this MUST HAVE new i-rock tool! You could also win a free tool and accessories for participating this week!



We do have more videos available on the i-rock tool and more on the Imaginisce website.

Some of the questions & answers about the i-rock tool that were part of our Live Chat over at Oh My Crafts on Thursday were the following:

1. How is the i-rock better then pre-adhesive embellishments?
   My biggest issue with pre-adhesive bling is that you can see the adhesive connecting all the pieces together and I have messed up many a beautiful piece of bling because it was hard to manuver as I placed it down on my project. I've also noticed that the bling on my cards pops off before I ever have a chance to give the card out. The i-rock tool allows you to heat set gems where ever you want/need and they are a lot more secure. If you apply the gems correctly there's not adhesive and you can place them over most types of services, fabric and paper without any issue. Oh and the cost comparison between a bottle of 300 Glam Rocks verses a string of pre-adhesive gems is way more value on the i-rock products!
   
   
2. Is the new crystals for the I-Rock made of glass?
   Yes, the rhinestones found in the Stencil kits and the Compacts are glass. Which is good so they don't melt with the i-rock's tip when it heats up.
   
   
3. Can any rhinestones work with it?
   No, they should be heat set gems. But any brand of heat set gems will work with the i-rock tool. Test them out before placing on your project since some stones may take more or less time then you're use to with our gems.
   
   
4. How does the I-rock work?
   You push the safety switch forward and press down on the pink button to heat up the tip of your tool. Holding the tool perpendicular to the embellishment, touch the top of the embellishment lightly, letting heat penetrate to melt adhesive on the back. When the point of  the tool is on the gem, you can "feel" the adhesive melt/give a little and that "feel" tells you that it's time to remove the tip (do not press down). Overheating your gem will cause the glue to squish out from underneath the gem. Practice before fixing gems to actual project. We've created a quick video that shows you this process in about a minute.
   
   
5. How many times can you use a stencil?
   So many times we can't count them. The stencils are made from a heat resistant material a lot like the heat mats from Bazzill or Ranger and they will not melt. You can reuse these over and over, as well as heat the gems while leaving the mat in place...no need to mark the design and remove it!
   
   
6. How long does it take to heat set the gems? Depends on which gems and the size. The glam rocks (metal studs) literally only take about 3 seconds...and don't press down or the glue will ooze out from under the studs. On the rhinestones the smallest size only takes a few seconds and the largest size takes about 20 seconds. Practice before doing on your project to best determine the time to stick to whatever surface you're applying them to.
   
7. Can you heat the gems while they're still in the stencil?
   Yes (see question above).
   
8. Will it work on fabric?
   Yes the tool works fabulously on fabric. Gems set wonderfully on denim, felt, cotton, jersey, etc. In fact, here's a darling little girl t-shirt that one of our designers created with the i-rock.
   
   
9. What types of fabrics hold them best?
   Almost every type of fabric I've tried has worked...with the exception of tulle and sheer fabrics (can't recall their names). The gems tent to get too hot and melt these delicate fabrics.
   
   
10. Can I use other adhesive backed gems?No, you cannot use adhesive backed gems since they are not made to be "heat set". And removing the temporary adhesive backing does not make them so either.
    
    
11. Can you order all of one color?
    We do have Glam Rocks all in white (my person favorite), one in all silver studs (use this all the time) and the most popular "clear crystal" compact set. The other items all have assorted colors. We hope to offer specific colors in the future to coordinate with our product collections.
    
12. How can you tell the adhesive has melted and adhered to your project?
    Great question! You can "feel" the adhesive melt and that "feel" tells you that it is time to remove the tip of the tool away. Sometimes I space it when I'm doing this and my gems wanders a little ways off because I've pushed it without noticing. The studs set super fast so I've learned that they only take about 3 seconds before they set and I just stick with that. Larger rhinestones take the longest, so pay attention to the "feel".
    
13. How does the price of i-rock jewels compare to adhesive backed ones?
    I only have one pack of pre-adhesive gems sitting here and there are 64 gems and cost me $2.99 (works out to be about $.05 per gem). Our glam rock tubes have 300 gems and retailer for $3.99 ($.016 per gem...so just over a penny). If you get the compacts that have 800 gems which retail for $12.99 they work out to be just over a penny per gem...great deal if you ask me!!
    
14. How hot does the tool get?
    The tool gets hot enough to burn your skin, or paper and I've even had it melted my grosgrain ribbon because they I left the tool too long next to the ribbon. Just be careful with the tip it will burn. But my 13 year old daughter loves blinging out her clothes and notebooks, so I am confident it's safe for all you long-time crafters to use.
    
    
15. How long does the tool take to cool down?
    Less then a couple of minutes.
    
16. Will or are the gems available in local stores or only online?
    Yes the i-rock tool and gems will be available at local craft/scrapbook stores and some larger chain craft stores will start carrying them towards the end of the summer.
17. What type of batteries does it take?
    3 AA Batteries
    
18. How many colors do the gems come in?
    Currently we offer an assortment of 20 different colors, some in multiple sizes too. Check out this very cool scan we took of the gems and which product they are available in. For a larger view and more i-rock information, visit our "i-rock information page" on the blog.
    
19. What's the difference between the hot rocks and the glam rocks?
    Mainly just packaging, however the "hot rocks" are typically glass rhinestones and come in our compacts and the "glam rocks" are our metal studs can come this darling lip gloss looking bottles.
    
20. How long does it last before the batteries need to be changed?
    This is a tough one that I've asked our product development team to research. It definitely depends on the quality of batteries you are using and how much you use the tool. I've had the same set of batteries in for over a month and have done probably more then your typical amount of projects and still have not had to change them. But I always have an extra set packed away when I got to a crop just in case.
    
21. Are they designed to stand up on fabric in the washer and/or dryer?We've washed many projects without issue, but we have found that putting the clothing in the dryer will case a few gems to come off. So we recommend to hang dry your clothing that you blinged out...or if you're cool with a few casualties, then just throw it in the dryer and add some new bling as needed.
22. Any thoughts on a carrying case to protect it?We are currently not producing a bag to carry all the product, but I purchased a very inexpensive make up case at the store and added a cute silk flower to the front and all my product tucks nicely inside for easy portability and storage. I will try and post a picture in the next few days to show you.
23. Does the tool come with any gems to start off with?
    No the tool does not include any gems in order to keep the cost of the tool down we decided it was best to offer the gems separately so you could also pick the color or type for yourself.
24. Can you stick the gems to acrylic albums?
    Yes the gems stick to acrylic albums very well. I've found that I like to stick them to rub-ons or vinyl too!
    
25. Can you stick the gems on CD's too?
    Yes!

If you have more questions, please leave us a comment and we'll add it to our FAQ page about the tool.

FREE STUFF: Don't forget we're also giving away a couple of tools by the end of the week. All you need to do is subscribe to our newsletter (if you've already done that, then that counts, just leave a comment). We will email you only once a month with great ideas, contests and giveaways. You won't want to miss out, so subscribe today and then leave us a comment and we'll announce the winner next Monday.

i-Spy: So Many Great Ideas Around the Web

Today when I was looking for something to feature in my i-spy project post,  I was excited to find more then one item worth sharing. Thanks to all the great talent out there that is using and featuring Imaginisce products.


Fabulous Card Tutorial
Kristina Werner created this darling card with the To Love & Cherish Collection on 2Peas Finally Friday posts. We've put the video below this so you can see how she put together this "fabulous" card.

 2Peas Finally Friday Video (below) by Kristina Werner

 

Get Organized

Mixology is rockin' the Live Loud Collection with a creative way to get organized. Check out their blog post from last week to see more of this fun idea by Sarah. 

Summer Product Releases

The very talented Wendy Smedley posted her favorite summer release products over at Ella Publishing's blog and we were very excited to see that our Splash Dance Collection made the list. Check out Wendy's Summer Release list to see more great products she recommended.

Beach Wonders with Lucy Bird
We haven't seen the popular Lucy Bird collection for a while here on the blog, But we popped in our friends at Bazzill Basics and saw it posted on their blog and had to share.

Live Loud Step Card
We loved this rockin' cool idea by Crafty Tassy and thought we'd share it with our readers. She use the Live Loud collection. Best part is she has a great video tutorial showing hot to create this card. Be sure to check out her blog when you can, she has some great video tutorials (and great voice too).

Help us SPY Imaginisce around the web!! If you see a great idea that we should share, please post it on Facebook or drop us a quick email at contactimaginiscegmail.com.

Splash Dance featured in 2Peas Video Warehouse Walk

Our friends over at Two Peas in a Bucket featured the new Splash Dance Collection in their warehouse walk through today and we thought we'd share that video with you! It's always so different to see someone holding and moving the product then a flat image. 

We'd love to hear which Splash Dance product you can't live without from this line after you watch the video. Leave us a comment and we'll select a winner Monday!

Video: Travel Game Tin

This morning the lovely Deanna Lambson was on our local news show called Good Things Utah. She featured the fun Scooter's Vacation Travel Game Tin. You can download everything you need from their site, or our online gallery. Here's the video clip:

Video: i-top Tool Tips & Tricks - Segment 2

Want to learn some of our favorite tips & tricks when creating i-top brads? We'll teach you how to make your i-tops look shiny, how to make the smoother and more! If you own the i-top Tool then you can't miss the video!!



To get updates on new videos we upload then be sure to subscribe to the Imaginisce YouTube channel!

VIDEO: Tool Maintenance Tips

Many of you have asked about Tips & Tool Maintenance using your i-top Tool. We have just the thing for you....our newest video segment features tips on keeping your i-top tool in "tip TOP shape". Take a moment to learn what everyone should know about using this popular crafting tool.



If you'd like to be notified when new videos are available, we'd encourage you to visit our YouTube page and subscribe...or follow us on Facebook.

Tim Holtz i-top Video

We were so excited when Tim Holtz sent us his newly created i-top video. We couldn't wait to share it with all of you. We hope you enjoy Tim's video, and learn how to create vintage looking canvas covered brads using the i-top tool from Imaginisce and sticky back canvas from Ranger. Your brads will never be the same again. Leave a comment and we'll give away a package of the Ranger Sticky Canvas! Thanks Tim!!

Sticky Back Canvas from Ranger

Available in both 8.5 by 11 inch sheets and 12 by 12 inch sheets. It’s a self-adhesive canvas sheet that you can decorate with paints, inks and run through your inkjet printer, then cut out and stick onto the i-top brad daddies.

itop: How to Create a Butterfly

Our very own Sarah de Guzman created this quick video tutorial on how to create a darling butterfly out of silk flowers and the itop Tool. She was inspired by Shemaine Smith's Magnet Butterflies that we posted about a few days ago.

The Paper Life: iTop Video Posted

What's a Paperlife? Well, this a place for papercrafters of all kinds and mediums (not just paper) to come and be inspired by fellow crafter's/artist's that share the same love for scrapbooking and crafting. They spotlight an artist or industry person each week, the big and the not so big, and give you a look into how they live their paperlife and celebrate this hobby. Amy Coon does a great job of explaining how easy and wonderful the iTop Tool is to work with. We're also a big fan of her streaming craft TV that plays videos 24/7. Check out The Paper Life site!