August Pals Blog Hop – My Favorite Tool

Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for August. This month we are showing off our favorite crafting tools – those Stampin’ Up! tools that we just can’t live without. We hope you enjoy our projects!

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Susan Lankford at Stamp and Create with Susan, #3 on the Pals Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup at the end of this post will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations.

What’s My Favorite Craft Tool?

Yesterday I shared a project with you that uses a variety of Stampin’ Up! tools and asked if you to guess my favorite tool (hint – it was used to make the project).  While I confess that my favorite things change day-by-day (how can I pick just one), you all danced circles around the guesses.  Here’s the project I shared yesterday:

Give up? Some of the tools I used are obvious:  Angled Tag Topper Punch, Oval Punch, Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Mustache Framelit, Big Shot, Paper Snips, Blendabilities.  I suppose any of those could have made the list…but it’s the Big Shot Magnetic Platform that creates the most peace and harmony in The Fungeon.  To tell you WHY I love the Big Shot Magnetic Platform, I want to share a quick story (a history, if you will) of the Magnetic Platform.

Framelits are used to crop a shape around an image.  Before the Magnetic Platform was introduced, we used the Multi-Purpose Platform (comes standard with a Big Shot).  Since the surface of that platform was not magnetic, we had to secure the Framelits to the paper with sticky notes to keep the Framelits where we wanted them.  How inconvenient!

Back in the day, here’s what the Framelits looked like before they were passed through the Big Shot.

It worked, but it wasn’t fun.  Functional, but not efficient.  It was often times frustrating.  I mean, look how upsetting it was:

Fast forward to 2013 when Stampin’ Up! introduced a highly-magnetized platform.  The Framelits stick right to the cutting plate (the new “sandwich” became Magnetic Platform, Cutting Plate, Paper, Framelit, Cutting Plate), so the sticky notes were retired.  There was joy throughout the land.  It was certainly a “happy day” when the platform was introduced:

The Magnetic Platform changed the entire mood in The Fungeon:

Can you see the difference?  Zoom in…

That guy apparently won an award for finishing the lyrics to popular songs on board the Royal Caribbean cruise.  What a difference a Magnetic Platform can make!  Seems to me that anything is possible when you own a Magnetic Platform.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I am always so happy to share with you.

Brian

The next stop is Rae Harper-Burnet at WildWestPaperArts.com, #5 on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and  I hope to see you next month.

1. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping
2. Beth Beard at My Little Craft Blog
3. Susan Lankford at Stamp and Create With Susan
4. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
5. Rae Harper-Burnet at WildWestPaperArts.com
6. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
7. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
8. Jackie Diediker at Stampin’ Jackie
9. Kelly DeTommaso at Kelly’s Creative Corner
10. Amanda Merrill at Inkflair
11. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works by Shannon
12. Amy Williams at Stamp and Spice
13. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
14. Michelle Gleeson at Stampin’ Mojo
15. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven’s Retreat
16. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
17. September Gray at SeptemberGray.com
18. Shannon Jaramillo at EZPeasy Cards
19. Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events
20. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
21. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
22. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery’s Owlery
23. Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space
24. Sherrie Gross at Stampin’ Sunshine
25. Becky Gifford at The Social Stamper
26. Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles
27. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creatons
28. Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
29. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You!
30. Kim Jolley at Stampin’ Artfully
31. Donna Kopenski at craftycardmaker.wordpress.com
32. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
33. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
34. Jane Knudsen at www.seejanestamp.com
35. Candy Ford at Candy’s Blog
36. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
37. Katie Ferguson at Cottage Paper
38. Liz Gautreaux at Kind Deeds Stampin
39. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty