A Birthday Card & A Product Review!

Hello! I got something new and I wanted to share my review of it with you, but I also wanted to have a card made for you too.  So, today you get both!  Let me show you the card first, and then I will give you the details.  Enjoy!

Last Friday, I went to an event at the small scrapbook store out by me.  She had a guy from Lifestyle Crafts there to demo for us and let us try out some of their new products.  I am a very visual person, and like so many of you that share this hobby, if you "wow" me with something you show me, I want it!!  Here is what he showed ...

The plates can be used with any die cut machine, like the Big Shot, Vagabond, Cuttlebug, ETC.  The blue plate you see above is magnetic, and the two rubber type plates are self-healing mats.  The thicker of the two, you use with dies, and the thinner of the two, you use with embossing folders.  One problem I saw in the demo, was that, because the self healing plates are on top, you have to lay your dies cutting side up, which is no problem, if, you are die cutting and then stamping, BUT, there are times when I want to stamp and die cut just that image, so I would need the die cut to be placed down instead of up ... I asked about this ... and, he said, that Lifestlyle Crafts is working on an additional plate that would allow this senario to work, but that it probably would not come out until CHA 2014. He said it would be sold separately as a add on piece. The retail price for the Genius Platform system (shown above) is $49.99, but you get the set of 10 dies (see it in the pic), with it, so that doesn't make it too bad!  I especially love the magnetic base when it comes to making "frames" like the one I did on my card today!  Here is a pic I took of all the dies for the above card.  You can see that I am holding the plate vertical and they don't move ...

Here is the plate with all my pieces of paper (face down) ready to be put thru my big shot ...

I also want to note that I am thinking that the rubber mat will not warp like my big shot plates do, but I am not throwing out my big shot plates, because as I was class prepping last night, I found that a few of my spellbinders dies are a little warped, and they had trouble cutting completely out.  I had to switch back to my big shot plates for them.  But, everything else worked like a charm!!  I am giving the Genius Platform System 5 STARS!   Here is the link to Lifestyle Crafts for more info on it. 

Here is the recipe for today's card:
Paper - My Minds Eye Collectable "Unforgettable" 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock White, Red Rose
Stamps - Birthday Sentiment by Verve Birthday Bash, Friend Sentiment by Inky Antics
Ink - Memento Black
Tools - Spellbinders Labels 16, Classic Squares, The Stamps of Life Scallop dies 1 or 4, Elizabeth Crafts butterfly die
Other - Ribbon by DeNami Design, Rhinestones

I know I won't have time to write a post in the morning, so I am doing it right now, so that I will have a card for you tomorrow!

Happy Stamping!
Tina