Favorite Cardstock

Iriseyes asked about my favorite cardstock, so I thought I'd post about it.

The first rule of paper craft supplies is to buy quality product. If you use cheap cardstock, your cards will look cheap. Cheap stamps don't work as well as high-quality stamps. Cheap inks don't stamp as well. Cheap rhinestones won't stick. And so on.

Most of my cards have white or cream bases, so I need a sturdy cardstock. My favorite white/cream/kraft cardstock comes from Papertrey Ink. It's very heavy and has a bit of tooth (not totally smooth like SU's whisper white) that helps inks dry quickly and takes ink beautifully. SU's Read Red classic ink NEVER dries on whisper white, but it's good to go in seconds on PTI's paper.

BTW, Real Red is my all-time favorite red. I've tried about 10 different red inks, and none comes close to the richness of SU's Real Red.

PTI's cardstock, because of its thickness, requires scoring to get good, smooth folds. My Scor-Pal comes in handy for this, but I used to use a ruler and butter knife with good results, too. The thickness also makes it perfect for one-panel notecards that look every bit as nice as Crane's stationery.

For colored cardstock, I use SU and PTI, both of which are equally high quality, IMHO. PTI's might be slightly heavier. I love the coordinated product lines of SU and PTI because they make life so much easier and both are high quality.

I'm certain there are other brands of cardstock every bit as good as PTI's and SU, so please don't take my word as the last word on cardstock. I try to limit my own purchasing to a few companies to keep life simple, but this means I'm slow to pick up on new trends and product that other companies might offer.

Also, the second rule of paper craft supplies is to use the right product for the right purpose. For instance, I've read rave reviews of Gina K's heavy cardstock for use with Copics, but as I don't HAVE Copics (except for the three Susie Berker sent me as blog candy), I haven't tried it. Different types of cardstock yield different results with different techniques. Experiment to find what works best for your needs.

I hope this answers your question, iriseyes, and I invite you all to share your favorite cardstocks in the comments.

Never the Right Sentiment

How can a person have HUNDREDS--literally HUNDREDS--of sentiment stamps and still not have the right one for such a simple card? I'd like to know because this happens to me ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME.

And no, I'm not going to use my computer. I'd rather whine and keep buying stamps.



This card (a variation on the holly card here) almost totally works for me, but I wish the Joy stamp had a cleaner font that was a just a tiny bit heavier. It's really too light here. Using PTI's Turning a New Leaf is so much fun though. Very simple, very easy. I foresee much easy beauty coming from that set. Nichole Heady is a complete genius. I want to be her when I grow up.

To all my readers in the US, I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Retirement

Need a break from Christmas? My mom retired last month, and I finally got around to making her a card. This card uses my new goodies from PTI: Mega Mixed Messages and Turning a New Leaf.



I rock-and-rolled the leaves with pastel lime and pastel olive chalk inks, then added the ivory primas. The picture makes the big prima look slightly darker than it really is. I put chocolate half-pearls on the primas. The result is a sweet and simple card!

Spread Sunshine

So, Ohio, for all its wonderfulness, starts being gray and dreary in November and stays gray and dreary until March. Last winter, I would look out at every gray and dreary day and say, out loud, "What a beautiful, sunshiny day!"

You'd be amazed how lying to yourself works. Give it a try. I really was happier last winter than in any previous winter since we moved here.

As I was perusing photo files trying to decide what to back up, I found this card that never got posted:

Can't you just taste the citrus? When I put on my critic's cap, I know this card isn't perfect (somehow, the black box and sentiment seem totally separate from the citrus slices, but I'll be darned if I can think of how to unify them right now other than drawing the box in yellow, and I'm not sure that would look good either).

When I put on my sunshiny day cap, however, I think this card is SWELL!

I'm wearing my sunshiny day cap today. My critic's cap is buried in a bin in the basement with my summer clothes. It's much easier to be critical when the sun is shining.

It's a beautiful, sunshiny day here in Ohio (at least in my head). I hope this card makes your day sunshiny, too!

Supplies
stamps: PTI Be Fruitful, Hero Arts sentiment
paper: PTI white
ink: darned if I remember
accessories: rhinestones, black Micron pen, ruler

The Personality of Paper

It's honestly amazing to me how different styles, colors, patterns, textures of paper can completely change a project. I was initially lured into papercrafting via book binding, which sent me in search of lots of unique and beautiful papers to make lots of unique and amateurish books. Cardmaking and scrapbooking, in turn, lured me away from book binding, which I now do only at Christmas.


One of my Christmas projects this year was to make Blessing Books with my Bind-It-All. The idea is that the recipients can write their blessings down in the book over the next year. The covers are made with different papers glued to matte board; the book block is made with high-quality stationery paper.

The first book I'm showing has a very natural, highly textured paper with bits of flower petals and stems embedded in it. The result is perfect for a friend who gardens, don't you think?

The second book is covered in a smooth Florentine paper with a very ornate pattern highlighted with gold metallic ink. The result here is elegant, formal, and pretty.


Structurally, these two books are identical, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Because of the paper.

For those of you with BIAs, the covers are 5 3/4" x 4 3/8", and the book block is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". The BIA settings are B for the cover, and C for the book block. The books are bound with 3/4" wires and are just over 5/8" thick.

If you are interested in making books beyond the BIA, or in learning to cover boards with paper and PVA glue, I recommend any book by Alisa Golden. There are also lots of tutorials available online. Book binding gives a papercrafter another way to explore the personality of paper.

FYI: Posting on all my blogs will be sporadic over the next week or two. We will have out-of-town guests and lots going on with the kiddos. Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Indecision May or May Not Be My Problem

Which do you like best: the lined-up snowflakes on the card or the random snowflakes on the bag?

I can't make up my mind. See, the lined-up snowflakes satisfy my AR/OCD. It is also the first time I successfully used not just one but two giant rhinestones without feeling trashy.

But this bag.... Random RED flakes and sentiment stamped directly on the bag. My first time doing that. I was a virgin bag stamper. Scared the heck out of me. After all, what if I ruined it! Then I thought, if I ruin it, I can just COVER IT UP! Yes, I am a genius. And very brave.


But still indecisive.

Christmas Gift-Giving Gift Set

Today's set is designed to make gift-giving easier. Combined with a roll of white wrapping paper, the tags and gift cards and ribbon (not shown) will easily coordinate, and the little Christmas List book fits easily in a purse for handy reference while shopping!

How cool is this!?!?



The genesis of this set began with the tiny little envelopes that have been lurking in my stash for about five years. They are from Hero Arts and only hold a 1" square card.



In the same drawer as the envelopes were some pre-made tags. I used Faux Ribbon, a silver metallic marker (in two nib widths), and various snowflake stamps to make the design, and accented each snowflake with a bit of silver Stickles. A bit of sheer white ribbon tops each tag.



The next element was a bit more involved. Using my Bind-It-All, I made a small book with simple white matte-board covers stamped the same way as the tags. This little book is a great way for my friend who will receive this to keep track of her Christmas shopping.



A final element of the set (that I didn't photograph) was a package of two rolls of blue and silver ribbon for adding to the gift-wrapped packages.

The next step will be to make a coordinating card to accompany the set.



Hope you like it!