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Besides SU, where do you get cardstock that you use for bases for cards? I've got a ton of printed papers to use on top, but I'm wanting some less expensive cardstock for the card base. I've got the white from Walmart, but they used to have a pack of four neutral colors, and now they don't. :(
I do a lot of my shopping online (mostly becaue I'm overseas) I would check out scrapbook.com or Scrapbookpal.com they are super cheap and if you have $25 order you get free shipping.
I buy a lot of packs of cardstock at Michael's. It's not near the quality of SU!, but it's CHEAP! It comes in packs of 50 sheets (10 sheets of 5 different colors) in different color families. It's regular $3.99, seems to go on sale every few weeks for $1.99.
I buy a lot of cardstock at Michael's as well--they have two brands that they are on sale at least once a month for $1.99 as already said--
I actually like it better than SU for cards because it's lighter and easier for me to manipulate. Then I layer my SU cardstock on top--where I can use matching inks--
I also got a huge pack of white cardstock from Sam's for about $6. It is a good heavy quality--more so than the Michael's two brands of white.
Michaels has a decent selection of colours, but I find that it doens't hold up as well as I'd like... I put a lot of layers on my cards, and they won't stand up if I use less expensive cardstock.
Archivers or your local scrapbook store should have a good selection of inexpensive solid colour cardstock available in individual sheets... that way, you only buy what you need!
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I use SU cardstock because then I'm sure it will match my ink, embellishments, etc. I have found that it is really easy to match it to patterned paper, though.
I'm another one who prefers to use SU for my cardstock base (full disclosure - I am a new SU hobby demo). I like the weight - it means that recipients can display my cards open without them collapsing.
I love SU, but it's expensive so I only use it to make "special" cards for friends and relatives.
For most cards and swaps, I buy the smooth white 110lb cardstock from Georgia Pacific. Walmart sells a big package for less than $5.00 Since it weighs more than the cardstock from Michaels, you can add layers to the front and it won't fall over. It has a nice smooth finish and I get great results using Versafine black ink to stamp on it.
I also like Hollos Paper in Brunswick OH. They sell some very nice quality cardstock in bulk for $1.50 a pound.
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Michaels has pre cut and scored cards and envies packaged in white or colors or neutrals sale price 2.99 for so I think...I buy SU it just looks better and holds up well...
I too buy the white card stock from Walmart. They were out of it here for a while and I had a panic attack!! So my Mom was in California on a visit and brought back 3 reams of it for us. Of course that put her suitcase over the limit and she almost had to pay extra. And wouldn't you know, just when she got back ~ Walmart had it back in stock....
But as far as colored paper, it's SU that I use. I love the weight and colors..
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I don't buy cardstock from Stampin' Up because it is so expensive. I have only bought SU cardstock twice, glossy & barely banana to make my sister's wedding invitations. I buy my cardstock from Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels & Office Max/Depot. I love the colors that these stores sell. My friends say that I need to put a warning label on my envelopes because of the bright colors that I make my cards in.
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You probably don't want to hear that my favorite alternative to SU cardstock is Bazzill then. If you want to do layers, DCWV's cardstock comes in great colors and interesting textures, but it's a little lighter than SU or Bazzill. I buy the sheets individually at my JoAnn's or by the stack. The heavily textured side isn't as good for detail stamping, but it's great for matting.
I buy DCWV paper in packs. I also bought the adhesive backed 6X6 paper to match. I like the textured look to make the base of a card. I have stamped sentiments on it and layed papers and diecuts. I haven't stamped images on it other than versa mark which looked good. I wait till it's on sale or I have a coupon.
I bought tons of card stock at Michaels when I first started stamping last year and I felt that I wasted my $$$. It seems very flimsy and the colors don't match the SU inks. I Love the Su card stock the best but Joann's sells some Bazzill in packages. If you use a coupon or buy it on sale it is reasonably priced. I like it way better than Michaels.
I generally buy my paper at Paperzone. They are a westcoast chain with stores in WA, OR and CA. I like the variety of weights, colors and designs. I tend to use a beige or off-white speckled CS instead of straight white. It's just my preference...feels a bit warmer and less intense. I also like Paperzone because I can choose to buy only a few sheets of something or a whole ream/pkg. Often I'll try out a color or weight by only buying a couple sheets. If there is not a PZ in your area I think you can order online at www.paperzone.com. I love this place!
I have found that the single sheets of cardstock you get at Michaels or AC Moore are good but the multi packs are kinda flimsy. DCWV multi packs are ok but the textured ones are hard to score (they tend to rip). HAte to say but even though its expensive, I am planning to order SU from my demo...
I'm also an SU demo. I like to use the best quality of everything. It takes me a long time to make a card that I think is worthy of sending to someone, so I want to use the best. This doesn't mean that only SU sells the best. I'm just suggesting that if you are making cards one at a time and not into mass producing huge quantities, it helps to have high quality materials.
So, if I want an ultrasmooth finish for blending pencils or markers, I'll go with SU or with Beckett's Expression #80, which can be found at www.marcospaper.com If I want patterned paper, I look all over! If I want solid color cardstock, I stick to SU because it is high quality and matches my inks. If I want watercolor paper, I use 140lb cold press. SU sells it in rectangles, but I prefer to buy it in larger sizes. If I want vellum, I almost always buy SU's vellum cardstock because I love that it is a bit thicker and sturdier.
Whew. didn't mean to type so much!
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a question for those of you who use the 110lb card stock from Wallies - is there a discernable difference in the weight compared to the 80lb# SU cardstock.
I find the 80lb still more flimsy than I would like, so I have started to use Bazzill as the base for many of my cards as it seems heavier than the SU white or vanilla.
I love the white cardstock from walmart, since it's cheap I feel better about making mistakes on it and tossing them if they can't be reused somehow. I did find cream cardstock at an office supply store nearby, and it's about the same weight and cost as the cardstock from walmart. Also, I found that they sell cardstock by the sheet back in the copy area, and they had some confetti cream looking cardstock. It was .09 per sheet, and I bought a few sheets to play with. It's almost as heavy as SU confetti, but not quite, so while I wouldn't probably use it for the main base of a card, it would work just great for the smaller stamped images or layers on the front of a card.
When I lived in Spicer, MN about five years ago, I used to buy my cardstock at West Central Printers in Willmar, MN. Talk about a GREAT selection of cardstock! It was all out on shelves in boxes as full size sheets. They would cut it in half for you if you just asked. When I was living in the area, they also would have a monthly card contest with the winner getting a bunch of paper. (I won a few times and have been hoarding that paper ever since because it was so nice -- like my shiny silver paper that I just can't find anywhere else.) I have yet to find any place that sells such a large variety at such a good price. ;)
Kimberly
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
I don't know how much their base cs is but I LOVE Marco Paper for specialty papers. I bought some white that is pearly, with designs in it and it's lovely. They are online & go to shows across the country.
If you are on the road, you can't beat Hollos in Brunswick, OH for cardstock - open shelving, just grab as much as you want, good quality, labled acid free (or not, if it isn't, so be careful), $1/pound. What a fun place to shop! I do a lot of charity cards, so I am usually making 16 or 20 cards at a time, so SU packs just don't cut it for me.
If you are on the road, you can't beat Hollos in Brunswick, OH for cardstock - open shelving, just grab as much as you want, good quality, labled acid free (or not, if it isn't, so be careful), $1/pound. What a fun place to shop! I do a lot of charity cards, so I am usually making 16 or 20 cards at a time, so SU packs just don't cut it for me.
Wow!!! I need to plan a road trip there! 'course I'd have to make some room in my stampin' space first. ;)
I using buy my cardstock at Archivers or local stamping stores. It depends on what I'm working on. I also buy premade base cards at Micheals when the go on sale too. I have a hard time using cardstock as a whole card.
I agree with the gals that love Hollos Paper in Brunswick Ohio.
I was there on Saturday and bought a stack of various different colors and kinds of cardstock. The stack was about 1 1/2" high and cost me $2.60
I also bought 100 nice quality white envelopes for $4.00
Deloris
I know this question doesn't really belong here, but I can't think of where else to post it, so I apologize in advance. I am trying to find both white and clear envelopes for gift cards ( something like 3X3 1/4 type size...does anyone know where to find them?
I've spent a lot of money on "cheaper" cardstock. I have the 4 color pack from Walmart and tons of Michael's cardstock, but I got so frustrated that I can't match the darn stuff with ANYTHING! And, years ago, when I went into my LSS for a package of red cardstock, I was told they didn't sell it by the package, and WHAT THE HECK DID I WANT A WHOLE PACKAGE FOR ANYHOW??! All I could think was, Are you kidding me?! Red cardstock is so basic to me. Christmas, Valentine's Day, 4th of July!
It took a lot of trial and error for me to realize that SU cardstock is the only way to go (for me). It matches the inks, it coordinates with the ribbon, the chalks, the watercolor crayons, everything! It bugged me so much that my "cheap" orangy red cardstock didn't match my Real Red ink and the cheap ribbon I bought didn't match either. Matching greens and pinks and blues were a nightmare. Plus, the cardstock isn't any cheaper if it sits there unused.
Once I figured this out, I signed up to be a demo, and now I get it all even cheaper! I still buy the occasion Bazzill if I'm trying to coordinate with some paper in the scrapbook store and I don't have my trusty SU cardstock sampler ring with me.
And the crummy cardstock I bought before gets used by my kids when they want to "help" me stamp!
You know, I read this discussion on here a lot, and when I first started my mom gave me all her cheap card stock so I could practice, but once I started using stampin' up, I was hooked. Look at it this way, a package of paper is $4.95 for 24 sheets. Let's say you are making standard 1/4 sheet cards, that makes the base of each card just over 10 cents a card (it is about 21 cents for a full sheet of card stock). You figure if you use one half sheet, plus some layers from another card (wouldn't even equal up to a full sheet I am sure) then you are spending right around 21 cents per card for card stock. That seems pretty cheap to me when you figure the standard no frill hallmark card is at least 99 cents, but most are more along the lines of 2.50 or higher. Plus you have great quality, and your stuff matches. I am not a demo, I just did the math and figured out that it was not worth it for me to skimp on something that mattered. I do buy the white from Walmart, and unless I compare them side by side I don't notice much difference in the color (walmarts is a bit more gray in color). The quality of SU is a bit higher, but for white I am usually using it for a card base.
As a stamper I tend to notice if people skimp on the card stock..it just feels flimsy and the card will not stay up alone without falling over. Now everyone is going to do as they choose when it comes to paper, but just check the prices of what you are getting at the other places, sometimes what seems like a good deal is not such a good deal when you price out each piece and check the weight of it.
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I think what we are looking for here is a good quality alternative to SU white and vanilla which for some reason seems to becoming a lesser quality and difficult to use product. The SU colored cardstock doesn't seem to have the issues that these do, and it also seems to be more substantial as a card base, - I know the white and vanilla are quoted as 80lb but they are surely more flimsy than the colored CS. It is still better than the craft quality paper from Mikes, but still not the weight that i personally would like to use when creating a card with a white or vanilla/cream base.
Thanks all for the input. I'd never really figured cost per sheet of SU cardstock, so I didn't realize it was that cheap. I have looked around at stores near me, and the best I found was some cream cardstock at Office Max. I think this'll work for my card bases, because white just looks so stark, even with all the distressing in the world.
I'm stocked on scraps of colored cardstock, so I'm gonna get to playing around with making some cream cards. ;)
I've used paper from Office Max for my card bases for years. I get the Wausau Papers Exact Index Extra Heavyweight either 90# or 110#. It comes in white, ivory and a few other colors. They come in packs of 250 and the cost breakdown is between 4-5 cents a page. I recently ran out and tried a pack from Wal-Mart and was really dismayed at the difference in quality. Then bought some of the pre-packaged cards and envies at Michael's. I'd never had a problem with my cards standing up, but the Michael's ones just fall over like they're on copy paper. I'm a graphic designer and this Exact Index is the only cardstock I will print with because it's so smooth and heavy.
Thank you to everybody for their input on paper options. Though we all want to cut costs in anything we do, there is a point where quality is an issue. We all started out thinking we were going to save money making our own cards only to find out that we had "artistic ability" that needed expressing! We wouldn't hesitate to buy a $12 stamp, so to pay 21 cents for a sheet of paper that makes 2 cards with scraps really isn't an issue unless we are mass producing them. I personally use SU paper a lot and other brands for different things. SU's color choices are great but there are companies (don't know name; I am at work) that make beautiful colors and good sturdy weights. If it is going to a kid, I use Joann's base card stock, if for an adult, I use SU mostly.
I've used paper from Office Max for my card bases for years. I get the Wausau Papers Exact Index Extra Heavyweight either 90# or 110#. It comes in white, ivory and a few other colors. They come in packs of 250 and the cost breakdown is between 4-5 cents a page. I recently ran out and tried a pack from Wal-Mart and was really dismayed at the difference in quality. Then bought some of the pre-packaged cards and envies at Michael's. I'd never had a problem with my cards standing up, but the Michael's ones just fall over like they're on copy paper. I'm a graphic designer and this Exact Index is the only cardstock I will print with because it's so smooth and heavy.
Your Michael's and my Hobby Lobby must sell the same stuff, cause the "inexpensive" so-called cardstock was like copy paper. I'm gonna give it to a friend for her kids to stamp on, cause I can't stand it.
I like using colored cs as the base, but for christmas cards I'd been trying to do cream and keep it simple. Stamps I can swap and borrow with friends, but not cardstock.
Your Michael's and my Hobby Lobby must sell the same stuff, cause the "inexpensive" so-called cardstock was like copy paper. I'm gonna give it to a friend for her kids to stamp on, cause I can't stand it.
I like using colored cs as the base, but for christmas cards I'd been trying to do cream and keep it simple. Stamps I can swap and borrow with friends, but not cardstock.
You can purchase Nice Cardstock at Hobby Lobby. I just bought some single Sheets of Bazzil Cardstock.
It's heavy weight and holds up very well.
If you are on the road, you can't beat Hollos in Brunswick, OH for cardstock - open shelving, just grab as much as you want, good quality, labled acid free (or not, if it isn't, so be careful), $1/pound. What a fun place to shop! I do a lot of charity cards, so I am usually making 16 or 20 cards at a time, so SU packs just don't cut it for me.
where do you buy cardstock?
