A Cardstock Comparison

I'm sure I've posted about this before, but I can't for the life of me recall where it ended up.  Anyway, it bears repeating.

The other day, when I was making my Christmas cards, I was hunting for my stash of Whisper White cardstock (yes, it usually lives in the one place, but I was getting low and thought I might have some squirreled away elsewhere).  I found a handful of white cardstock and naturally assumed it was what I was looking for.

I couldn't have been more wrong, as I discovered when I started to stamp.

Can you see the difference in the picture?

The El Cheapo cardstock is on the left.  The cardstock itself looks very similar to Stampin' Up! Whisper White, but the ink just doesn't soak into the card the same way it does with the SU sample shown on the right.  You can see how patchy the tree looks, especially around the large swirl.

The Whisper White (and Very Vanilla) cardstock from Stampin' Up! have a smooth, smooth, smooth finish which takes ink beautifully.  You might be able to get away with a cheaper card if you are using outline stamps (although, why compromise?), but for bold stamps with large inked areas, you honestly can't go past this stuff.  If you are at all fussy about the finished look of your cards and scrapbooking pages, I can't recommend this highly enough.

You will be pleased to know that I found my hidden cache of Whisper White (and ordered another packet just in case) and my Christmas cards are ink-perfect :-)

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Season of Joy
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Cardstock: Whisper White, and some cheap stuff I had lying around

Countdown to Christmas

With only a few days to go, I thought I had better share my Christmas cards for 2011 ... those of you who saw my previous post will recognise this instantly LOL.  Yes, I CASEd myself again this year - it was hard enough coming up with one design I could mass produce, why would I want to try to think of another?

Actually, I did have another idea, but that never really took off - I decided I was trying too hard, and the finished results didn't look ... well, finished.  I might revisit the idea through the year, however - we'll see how keen I get.

As with the cards I made for my employers, I trimmed each edge with the Scallop Border Punch, and embossed them using the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  This time I used my time-saving tip of putting two through the folder at a time from the start ... you may be able to tell from this closeup that the embossed design doesn't look quite as crisp as you would normally expect - this card uses the bottom of the two embossed sheets.

To dress up the cards a little, I spritzed the front flap with a little of my home made shimmer spray (ie. a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint in a little spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol) - it looks pretty and smells nice too!

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Season of Joy
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Champagne Frost Shimmer Paint

Christmas Cards Galore!

Ho, ho, ho.

That's about as merry as it gets around here at this time of year.  I find myself not feeling terribly Christmassy until the very last minute (although for a wonder I have actually finished all the gift buying early - I know, I couldn't believe it either!).

Each year, I have been asked by my employers to make handmade cards to send out to our customers.  It's only a small company, but that's still in excess of 100 cards - *phew*.  I almost didn't do it this year, as I was a little burnt out after making 100 of these (which I really liked, but not after the first forty or so).  But at the last minute I remembered that our customers have enjoyed these cards in the past, they have come to kind of expect it, and I get paid for my efforts :-)

So without further ado, here is this year's effort.  This isn't all the cards - but you get the idea.  As you can see, I've revisited an old favourite, Season of Joy - still available in this year's catalogue (but sure to retire next year).  It really is a great set, with enough stamps to create quite a variety of looks.  I added a rhinestone to the star of each, just for a little extra "wow".

 I made some in Old Olive, some in Pacific Point, and some in Cherry Cobbler (however I teamed the Cherry ones with Very Vanilla rather than Whisper White - love the "vintage" look those to have when they're together.

The cards were a snap to make ... I quickly worked out that I could get three bases out of a sheet of A4 by cutting two 19 x 10.5cm strips from one end, then flipping it 90 degrees and trimming the remaining piece down to 19 x 10.5cm.  Each strip was then scored at 14.8cm, leaving a 4.2cm flap for the front.  Then I just stuck A6 pieces of Whisper White or Very Vanilla behind the (decorated) flaps.

And here is a closeup of one of the cards.  As you can see, I used my Scallop Edge punch down the edge of the flap, and dressed it up by embossing that section with the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  After a time I realised I could put two pieces through the Big Shot at a time - the second piece wasn't embossed quite as deeply, but looked perfect anyway.  Unfortunately, I didn't work this out until I was on the last 18 or so LOL.


Anyway, they all went out in the mail on Friday, and I have already had a couple of comments from the customers - feedback is a wonderful thing!

And in case you're wondering, here are links to Christmas 2009's cards for work, and 2008's as well.  Next year I'm going to start early.  No, honest.

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Season of Joy
Ink: Old Olive, Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler
Cardstock: Old Olive, Pacific Point, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Other: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones

An update

Yes, I know it's over 2 weeks since I posted ... it's been hard to get a look-in on my own computer lately, since 18yo DS got Skyrim and this is the one computer in the house that has enough RAM to run it.  Tonight I have asked him nicely to let me have a turn :-)


I wanted to give you a quick update on the December Frenzy sale ... due to limited supply, the set Every Moment has been returned to its normal price (ie. $31.95).

New Summer Mini Catalogue 2011-12

One more quick post and then it's time for bed...

From December 1 2011 through to March 31 2012, you can purchase items from the new Summer Mini Catalogue.  There's lots of new stamps, papers, ribbons and even a couple of punches (look out for projects starring the new 1" square punch and the coordinating postage stamp punch!).

Email me if you would like a copy of the Mini for yourself (or you can check it out online if you prefer), or if you would like to place an order for one or more of the new toys inside :-)

December Frenzy!

Hello?  I know you're out there ... sorry it's been a few weeks since my last update, November turned out to be quite a bit busier than I had expected for everything except stamping.  But I have to take a few moments to share the December promotion with you, because it's a beauty :-)

During December  2011, you can get up to 50% off a selection of amazing products.  There are a couple here which I am definitely going to be buying myself for Christmas (hey, it's the only way of being sure I will like what I get LOL).

Item	Page	Description	Discount	Retail  Price	Sale Price
120597	22	Welcome Christmas Clear-Mount Set	50%	$39.95	$19.98
121584	22	Welcome Christmas Wood-Mount Set	50%	$49.95	$24.98
117715	28	I {Heart} Hearts Wood-Mount Set	40%	$42.95	$25.77
121528	35	Got Treats Wood-Mount Set	40%	$40.95	$24.57
117699	42	Something Sweet Wood-Mount Set	40%	$44.95	$26.97
116686	46	For Everything Wood-Mount Set	40%	$47.95	$28.77
119163	67	Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Set	50%	$32.95	$16.48
121508	72	Every Moment Wood-Mount Set	40%	$31.95	$19.17
121480	74	Awash with Flowers Wood-Mount Set	40%	$71.95	$43.17
121522	75	Friends Never Fade Wood-Mount Set	50%	$31.95	$15.98
120618	75	Friends Never Fade Clear-Mount Set	40%	$25.95	$15.57
121600	75	Ornate Blossom Wood-Mount Set	40%	$19.95	$11.97
123551	88	Clearly For You Wood-Mount Set	40%	$47.95	$28.77
123848	96	Chloe Stampin Around Builder Wheel	40%	$9.95	$5.97
116911	126	Padded Envelopes (3)	40%	$6.50	$3.90
119263	138	Poppy Parade 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119267	138	Blushing Bride 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119731	143	Regals Flower Brads	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119730	143	Neutrals Flower Brads	30%	$16.95	$11.87
118762	146	Distressing Essentials	30%	$37.95	$26.57
103179	149	Craft & Rubber Scissors	30%	$37.95	$26.57
112531	149	Circle Scissor Plus Glass Mat	30%	$37.95	$26.57

So contact me today to place your order and take advantage of these bargains!