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Spinoff on whole cards - do you use US White/Vanilla?
Some of you were saying that you've found it more economical to use the colored cardstock for the card front and attach that to a white card. When you do that, do you use SU's UltraSmooth White and US Vanilla CS? I absolutely love the US stuff, but it could get expensive. Do you use any regular, generic white cardstock? I have a ream that I bought at at Office Depot that I use to protect my workspace and to test things out on, but I usually use the good stuff for the real card. I'm fairly new at it, though, so I'm interested in how everyone does their cards. I'm just an enthusiastic customer so far, not a demo!
I'm not a demonstrator, so I don't feel limited to what SU! sells. I buy the value packs of pre-scored cards with envelopes at Michaels. They come in white and vanilla. (They sometimes have them available in colors, but I've found the quality of the colored cards isn't as good.) The bonus is the cardboard that comes with them; I use that to make accordian books, dividers for my card display, and to make UTEE embellishments for cards. That way you don't have to buy matboard! I always use a card front on them, though. I like the look of layered cards better.
__________________ "Life is much too important to be taken seriously." Oscar Wilde Proud to be a member of Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge DT! My BlogMy Gallery
I'm not a demo, either, so I use different white cardstocks. For everyday cards and layers I use packages of white from Wal-Mart. I just ordered a package of extra heavyweight white from my local printers. Truthfully, I can't tell any difference between them and SU cardstock.
I'm a demo & have to admit that I use non-SU white for cards, but when I know they are going to someone involved w/SU (b/c they WILL know the diff) I use US white. And ALWAYS use it for workshops.
Susan,
I am not a demo either.... I do use white cardstock from walmart (very inexpensive) for many things. I decide what paper to use based on the project. If white is a good color for what I am doing then I use the cheaper cardstock for the actual card and then put the front on it but the white has to tie in. I recently made some "thinking of you" cards and the front is 3 colors and white so I put that on the white cardstock. My Christmas cards I made with the SU burgandy. Just depends on my project. I send my cards to seasoned stampers and some that dont even know they are "handmade" and no one has mentioned that they look "cheap" when I use the "walmart paper". Actually one of my Demos is the one who clued me in. AND the walmart paper is actually heavier cardstock then SU.
Hope this helps!
Shelley
IMO, I can tell the difference between SU and WalMart. SU's feels thicker and better quality. Even though I am a demo.... I'll be honest. I do use Staples or Office Depot cardstock on the layering part of the card. But, if it is going to be the main part, I did find a place that sells 80 lb paper and is excellent quality! I ALWAYS use 80 lb paper at my workshops. I also have the "generic" stuff out, too when people want to play and test colors. Even my customers are starting to feel the difference. (I don't tell them where I got the paper, of course).
I am a demo and I always use SU products. The quality is so much better and the way I look at it is if I buy cardstock elsewhere that money is not going toward my sales with SU. I'd rather spend the extra money and have it count toward something. Have a great day!
Jodi
I am a demo and I LOVE the US Vanilla and White. I use them all the time-workshop or no. I feel like I am cheating if I don't..plus I just love the way the look. (Does this sound like a sales pitch to anyone but me?? )
__________________ Keva
We shouldn't have expectations of others that we, ourselves, could not fulfill.
I am a demo and I love the US CS. But I have to admit that I bought a large qty of white CS at Sam's Club to use for making cards for craft fairs...I can't afford to use SU for that many cards. When I'm doing a workshop or something directly related to SU I use their CS. You can definitely tell the difference!
Also, I usually use white or vanilla for the card and then put a colored card front. I have a hard time giving up a 1/2 sheet of colored CS for one card...weird huh?
I buy a ream of heavy white cardstock from Officemax - I can't remember the name - but it is 250 sheets for about $9...can't beat that price...and it has a very nice feel to them - it isn't quite as thick as SU but I like it that way because it is a little better to fold...
I usually use a white card and then use SU colored cardstock on the front...
However SU has ruined me for all other colored cardstock....I just can't buy anything but SU now....although I have discovered some of the CM patterned paper works very very well with the SU ink colors...
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I think SU has the best cardstock around. The weight and how it's coated makes it perfect to receive ink. However, I use so much white, vanilla and confetti...I found a local paper wholesaler that sells US white, confetti and other neutral colors for around 10-12 dollars per 250 sheets. Four friends and I buy this on a regular basis and then we split the cost. I have stamped SU's and this side by side to compare and I can't tell the difference. The weight is the same also. They have colored paper as well, but it's not as nice as SU's. I bought a yellow that is identical to Yo-Yo Yellow, but the others are awful. I also discovered, by mistake, that the Slab I (huge paper pack that provo craft sells), has some paper that is almost identical to one of SU's designer series packs. Now, in finding these deals it certainly hasn't taken away from what I spend on SU. I always used my "saved" money to buy more SU stuff!! HTH Carmela
I forgot to mention, if you find a local paper warehouse, ask the salesperson about the paper. Make sure to get an 80lb pack and one that is Ultra Smooth. They have samples you can feel. Take your SU paper with you. I'm apparently not the first to stumble upon this place, because he asked me what I needed it for and then he recommended a certain pack/brand. He said that's what the other crafty women buy! HTH
If the focal image is going onto white or vanilla, I ALWAYS use SU!'s U/S White or Vanilla. It has a smoothness I have been unable to find in any other brand of white or vanilla c/s.
If I'm layering colored card stock to a white card, then I use GP's white card stock, purchased at Wal Mart. I also use that stuff for experimentation, for template making, trying out the mechanics of an interactive card, etc.
I do go thru volumes of SU! U/S c/s because it's my absolute favorite paper surface to stamp on and images seem to stamp "crisper" on it?
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I had been using a much nicer heavier weight white CS from an upscale rubber stamp store because it felt so good & thick (more expensive than SU white), however one day by accident I was quickly stamping something for my daughter and I grabbed two pieces of white CS -- one SU and the other expensive one -- and then I noticed a DRASTIC difference in the ink absorption. The vibrant colors of the ink were so much more beautiful on the SU cardstock -- I guess because it is Ultrasmooth. So from that day forward I started using the SU cardstock. It kind of bothered me at first because I was used to this expensive heavier weight CS, but I think the SU CS is more for layering and thus not as thick as their colored CS.
I only use SU cardstock for cards: US white or vanilla for layers. If I want the card to be white, I use SU Naturals White or Confetti White because it is heavier than the ultra-smooth. I like my cards to be sturdy and stand up nicely to display. I've found that if I use the US white or vanilla as the actual card, with several layers mounted on it, the card itself isn't as sturdy as I would like. But for stamping the image, you can't beat Ultra Smooth. The cards that I've seen some of my customers make using inferior cardstock are beautiful designs which took lots of time to make, and are just not as nice as they should be because they used el-cheapo cardstock. To me, if I'm going to take the time to make a hand-made card, I'm not going to use flimsy cardstock.
I've used regular white cardstock from the office supply stores, and I absolutely hated it. It wasn't ultra smooth or bright white, and tended to soak up the ink and make images look like they were printed on a cheap inkjet. You know, those fuzzy edges you get on crappy HP printers. I only use SU! ultrasmooth cardstock now. If I run across some bright white coated cardstock that's comparable at Office Max or wherever for a better price, I'll consider it. Till then, it's SU! all the way!
I also have the Slab I (bought it for my scrapbook) and found that
the some of the colors match almost exactly to SU. I just made some thank you cards using a plaid paper from there - darn if it doesn't match Orchid Opulence from Bold Brights
some of the printed ones with the flowers look exactly like some of the SU flower shapes.
and there are ones that have the white swirly pattern that is almost identical to one of the pattern papers that SU sells (only in different colors - mine matches Brilliant Blue from Bold Brights)
being so it makes me wonder if Provocraft makes SU paper??? because the resemblance is uncanny...
to bad they don't sell the Slab I around here anymore or else I would pick myself up another slab - none of the other versions come close...
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__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I believe that when you are devoted to your art.. you buy the best materials to get the best results. I see a huge difference using the US white or vanilla.. the stamped images are crisper and the paper takes watercoloring so beautifully. I know that Stampin' Up! has put much research into what quality of papers they carry - they want us to have fabulous results! For me, I would rather spend the extra money for the quality I want.
I can't find the slab I anymore either?? Did they discontinue it to make room for the other slabs? The blue/white swirly is almost identical. Hmmm... It was my favorite one. -C
Spinoff on whole cards - do you use US White/Vanilla?
