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Being a somewhat new crafter, I have limited paper. I have 3 basic color packs of recollections cardstock and maybe 3 of the designer paper stacks from Joanns.
When making cards I have found that even for the basics I don't prefer the recollections. I have been using the single sheets from JoAnns. Coredinations. I love that paper. The texture (even the smooth one) and quality just seem overall better.
Where do your purchase your papers? I've seen some pretty designer papers, but I forgot where:confused:. Do you usually just have paper on hand or do you buy as you need it?
oh what a question! a good question but it will open a can of worms I am a paper hoarder, true and simple, I love the smell, feel, look of paper....I have mountains of the stuff, plain, patterned, textured..3x3,4x4, 6x4, 6x6 12 x12 and any size in between and I love them all. I have purchased mine from online stores, Michaels, hobby craft (UK store) Colemans (UK Store) anywhere that sells pretty paper.
I would recommend until you know your true crafting style buy as you go, as I have some awful patterns in my collection that I know will never get used but when I started I just had to have everything.
Go slow! Find a company whose paper quality is one you like (the weight of card stock and the feel in the hand). There are many many choices. Then add designer packs (patterns) or theme you like. Again, I say go slow or you could end up with things you wonder why you bought and will find their way to your next tag sale or donated to a children's craft class. HTH
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The good thing about bad paper is it makes fun envelopes!
I do use Recollections but I am now more choosy about which pads I buy.
I like the 110 lb weight for bases which only comes in a few colors.
Recollections plain cardstock that is 65lb I use for layering.
Copic (or any other alcohol marker) coloring I use Neenah classic crest solar white smooth.
Now paper pads are a whole 'nuther story! You gotta go with what speaks to you IMHO. There is no point in me saying how cute something is when you don't want cute.
Generally I like bright simple colorful patterns in papers but I have my fair share of grunge and vintage papers in my collection. I guess I will use it one day.
Like RiverIsis, I use the 110 lb weight Recollections for bases and their colors for layering. As far as patterned paper, if I see something I like, I buy it. Which is a problem, because I'm not as good about USING as I am about BUYING.
Since you don't have a ton stashed already, it might be easier to choose a company that has patterned paper that coordinates with their cardstock? Gina K Designs has some 6x6 pads that I really like; they're meant to work with her solid cardstock - and I can tell you that her cardstock is some of the best out there. She also offers free shipping on orders over $50, and has fabulous customer service. The only downside is, it's an online store where you can't see and feel the paper beforehand.
You might also want to see if you have a Stampin Up demo nearby. They also have patterned paper packs that coordinate with their cardstock, and a demo would have samples of at least the solid color cardstock that you could see and touch. (I'm not affiliated with Stampin Up, but I do love their cardstock )
One more thing to add - are you even sure that you want to build a stash of patterned paper? Like I said, I have a ton of it, but I have a hard time using it - I find it much easier to grab a background stamp or an embossing folder than to coordinate patterned paper.
Oh, and Kristen - another good thing about bad paper: bad paper can also make some fun bows for gifts. A few years ago, I was trying out some instructions to make one and I picked the fugliest sheet of patterned paper from one of those ProvoCraft slabs (because it was just a test that I was going to throw away when I was done) and the resulting bow was actually pretty! No idea how that was even possible . . .
(if you google "patterned paper bow", I think you'll find directions and see what I'm talking about.)
Thanks! Another question. I do a lot of coloring with gamsol and colored pencils. For plain white cardstock I usually prefer Georgia Pacific. I do notice a little pilling. Is there a paper for that? I don't like watercolor paper.
Like RiverIsis, I use the 110 lb weight Recollections for bases and their colors for layering. As far as patterned paper, if I see something I like, I buy it. Which is a problem, because I'm not as good about USING as I am about BUYING.
Since you don't have a ton stashed already, it might be easier to choose a company that has patterned paper that coordinates with their cardstock? Gina K Designs has some 6x6 pads that I really like; they're meant to work with her solid cardstock - and I can tell you that her cardstock is some of the best out there. She also offers free shipping on orders over $50, and has fabulous customer service. The only downside is, it's an online store where you can't see and feel the paper beforehand.
You might also want to see if you have a Stampin Up demo nearby. They also have patterned paper packs that coordinate with their cardstock, and a demo would have samples of at least the solid color cardstock that you could see and touch. (I'm not affiliated with Stampin Up, but I do love their cardstock )
One more thing to add - are you even sure that you want to build a stash of patterned paper? Like I said, I have a ton of it, but I have a hard time using it - I find it much easier to grab a background stamp or an embossing folder than to coordinate patterned paper.
Oh, and Kristen - another good thing about bad paper: bad paper can also make some fun bows for gifts. A few years ago, I was trying out some instructions to make one and I picked the fugliest sheet of patterned paper from one of those ProvoCraft slabs (because it was just a test that I was going to throw away when I was done) and the resulting bow was actually pretty! No idea how that was even possible . . .
(if you google "patterned paper bow", I think you'll find directions and see what I'm talking about.)
Thanks for all the advice. I'm not sure I want a stash. I will look at the Gina Kay Designs. When I started I bought a ton of stickers I thought would be useful and I haven't used any of them.
I like to look at the embelishments in the store and go home and recreate them. lol
Thanks! Another question. I do a lot of coloring with gamsol and colored pencils. For plain white cardstock I usually prefer Georgia Pacific. I do notice a little pilling. Is there a paper for that? I don't like watercolor paper.
I do this technique on GP with baby oil and pencils and have never had an issue with pilling. Perhaps you are using too much gamsol?
I started out with a pack of Stampin Up assorted cardstock. They have them in color families so everything works well together and you get a few sheets of each color. Once I had an idea of which colors are my favorites I started adding more of those colors. As far as designer papers, I like the 6 x 6 pads which are affordable and give you a nice assortment. Just have fun and you will be amazed at how quickly your collection will grow.
Thanks! Another question. I do a lot of coloring with gamsol and colored pencils. For plain white cardstock I usually prefer Georgia Pacific. I do notice a little pilling. Is there a paper for that? I don't like watercolor paper.
I've had pilling with GP in the past. It seems more difficult to lay down the color to start as well.
I decided to experiment for you. I'm halfway through.
I've stamped and colored the same image 8 times on 4 brands/weights of white cardstock I have - Georgia Pacific, Neenah, Recollections 65lb and 110lb.
I'm going to blend one image with gamsol and the other with baby oil. I have to wait until morning to use the gamsol and photograph it.
ATM I like the Recollections 110lb the best (which is absolutely what I did not buy it for). It colored smoothly to begin with and seems to have accepted the babyoil well.
Be back in the morning with pictures and final opinion. HTH.
I've had pilling with GP in the past. It seems more difficult to lay down the color to start as well.
I decided to experiment for you. I'm halfway through.
I've stamped and colored the same image 8 times on 4 brands/weights of white cardstock I have - Georgia Pacific, Neenah, Recollections 65lb and 110lb.
I'm going to blend one image with gamsol and the other with baby oil. I have to wait until morning to use the gamsol and photograph it.
ATM I like the Recollections 110lb the best (which is absolutely what I did not buy it for). It colored smoothly to begin with and seems to have accepted the babyoil well.
Be back in the morning with pictures and final opinion. HTH.
I agree with others who have said that you may not want a stash. I've got quite a collection of patterned papers and rarely use any of it! I usually prefer embossed cardstock or backgrounds made with stamps that coordinate with my main image. If/when I do use patterned papers, it seems that none of the designs/colors in my stash are quite what I had in mind...
A decent selection of cardstock - color and weight - is, in my mind, a smarter investment. You can emboss, distress, stamp, sponge or whatever else you can think up, and have a nice background for your project.
I think that I will set myself the challenge of coming up with ways to use my patterned papers (maybe including envelopes, but I'd like to get more creative than that), so I can justify having them in my space (AND to clear some of them OUT)!
Okay here are the results of my completely non scientific study. I stamped every image with memento. And attempted to color every image the "same". By same I mean the amount of pressure put on the pencil/cardstock to lay down color. This is an important distinction as I found the Georgia Pacific didn't accept color as easily as the others. I didn't color correct or lighten the photo.
I also wanted to use a variety of colors to see if they reacted differently in similar circumstances. I used Prismacolor pencils.
I blended the same color with the same blending medium on all cardstock consecutively. So I started with yellow and did all the yellows with Baby Oil and so on.
Top left - Georgia Pacific
Top right - Recollections 65lbs
Bottom left - Neenah Classic Crest
Bottom right - Recollections 110lbs
On each card:
Left - Gamsol (low odor artist thinners)
Right - Baby Oil
Preconceptions
I completely expected to say all the cardstock pretty much acted the same. Well it didn't. And I am definitely not a cardstock snob. If it is cost effective and works, use it.
Opinion
I would be okay with using any of my cardstock for this technique. I did find that if I wanted more intense color that I would want to use Neenah or Recollections 110lbs. Overall I preferred the Recollections 110lbs to work with. The color went on smoothly and easily and blended how I wanted. I was surprised there seemed to be a difference between it and the Recollections 65lbs.
Choice and reason
1st choice - Recollections 110lbs. I bought this strictly as a card base, so I was surprised at how well it worked and very cost effective especially with a coupon.
2nd choice - Recollections 65lbs. This was a close call with Neenah. The Recollections 65lbs was smooth and easy enough to color. It blended particularly well with the Gamsol. Fantastic for the price.
3rd choice - Neenah. Oh Neenah, Neenah, Neenah... you were my 2nd choice until the red bled into the green with Gamsol. Now there are a few user errors on these but this was not one of them. Not worth the risk for the cost of the cardstock for me.
4th choice - Georgia Pacific. 1st if this is what you can afford it isn't awful, it just isn't my first choice (now). From the start it just didn't want to accept pencil color evenly. Then it seemed to pull with the blending solutions I didn't quite make it pill but I could have. It is usable but it could lead to a lot of frustration when experimenting with this technique.
My advice, if you have the cardstock already experiment. If you have to purchase for this the Recollections line is a solid investment especially with a sale or coupon. Hope you found this helpful.
ETA I'm uploading from a mobile device so hope the picture size is ok and doesn't cause any issues.
With a cute stamp like that who will notice the paper!!LOL Good Job!
I personally have never found a cardstock that I didn't like. I might not use it for stamping for some reason, but I can always use it for layering.
One mistake that I made when I first started was that I bought a lot of the texture cardstock. But now that I have a collection of embossing folders I don't use it at all.
I've always used the gp and have not had any problems. I will give the recollections a try though
I have almost always used GP for prismacolor too. I would be here saying just try again if I hadn't sat last night and today with them side by side. I think it is very useful at a very affordable price point. I definitely won't be throwing it out!
I just won't be using it on an image I want an intense, blended look.
Great experiment, Kristen! All the cute little monkeys look great. You are very good at coloring! Now you have 8 sets of darling monkeys all ready to make into cards.
I have been meaning to get some of the Recollections 110 lb. for a while and just haven't been to Michaels lately. Seeing your results has sealed the deal for me. Off to Michaels I shall go today.
I love the packs of the Recollections solid colors for layering, and always try to keep quite a bit of it on hand. I use lots of black and kraft especially. All my cards are made with white bases, and I attach the card fronts to the base, so the Recollections 65 lb. works very well for me.
The $3.99 single packs of 50 sheets are on sale this week, 5 for $10, so I need to stock up.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Building up a paper collection
