Tooling Around with Teri: Tools for Embellishing

Teri Anderson

Welcome to Freebie Friday! Are you ready for some more tool talk?

Today, I am playing with two tools designed for the paper crafter who digs embellishments.

The i-top and i-rock, both from Imaginisce, are tools many of you wanted to learn more about…

So today is that day!

Let’s start by talking about the i-top. With it, you can make your brads, pins and even button badges from patterned paper, cardstock and fabric.

The way the tool works is:

1. Make a topper. You can make it with patterned paper, cardstock and even fabric. Here, I am making one from patterned paper. I’m using a special punch created by Imaginisce to use with the i-top. They also make templates, so you can hand cut your toppers. These are particularly helpful when you want to use fabric rather than paper.

2. Place metal brad top onto i-top’s large metal head.

3. Slide your topper over the metal head. This is how it looks when you are looking down on the tool.

4. Squeeze the tool’s handles together.  

5. Rotate the large pink rubber head toward you. Press down the topper’s paper flaps.

6. Insert brad base in the metal head.

7. Rotate pink rubber head so it is again over the metal head.

8. Squeeze the tool handles again. And there you have it: a custom brad.

The i-rock tool allows you to adhere gems and studs to paper, wood, transparencies and even fabric by heating them up. With this tool, you have to use special gems and studs that have heat activated adhesive on them.

Here is how you use the i-rock tool:

1. Place gems on the surface you want to adhere them to.

2. Turn i-rock tool on. Allow it to warm up for about 15 seconds.

3. Set i-rock tool directly on the gems. Hold the tool vertically so you don’t move your gems around. Remove the tool once the gems are set.

I used these tools to make three projects to share with you today.

Here, I used both the i-rock and i-top on this card:

I used the i-top to make the three patterned paper covered brads. Then, I randomly added some studs to the solid blue circles with the i-rock.

The i-rock especially came in handy for this Halloween card:

I added gems to the letter stickers and made the line of gems the spiders are hanging on. I also used the i-top to make the large brad from cardstock.

I used just the i-rock on this card:

I wanted to try it on a couple different surfaces, so I used it to apply studs to the chipboard peace word. I also used it to add the three studs to the label transparency. These studs are just as secure as the ones on my other cards.

Check out my blog today for a few more projects using these tools.

Since it’s Freebie Friday, tell me what paper crafting tools you want to learn more about. I’ll pick one random winner to receive the i-rock tool, as well as a package of Glam Rocks and an assortment of other fun Imaginisce products. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, Oct. 24.

Until we “Tool Around” again,

Teri Anderson,
Paper Crafts Go-to-Gal