Card Making 101 - All About Cardstock, Papers, Cutting Card Bases and Layers - Video
Hello and welcome to my blog; today I am going to share the first video in my new series that will take us back to the basics of card making. During this series we will discuss the tools you need to start creating beautiful handmade cards. Today we are going to talk all things paper and cardstock.
Must Haves:
So I am sure that you are wondering what's the must haves for card making? Well, if you are just starting out I would suggest a couple things. First you want to start out with good cardstock. I would suggest Basic White Thick Cardstock and Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock for your cards bases, and Basic White Cardstock and Very Vanilla Cardstock for general stamping. When I signed up as demonstrator I got a pack of the Basic White Cardstock (which back then we had Whisper White Cardstock) a few ink pads and a couple stamp sets was what I picked out for my Starter Kit. You can do a lot with just stamps, ink, and paper starting out.
What to Add Next:
The other papers on this list are not must haves but they are great to have to play with and create with. So, you may want to add a little color cardstock to your life after a little while, but you're not sure where to start. I would suggest going with one of the Cardstock Assortments. That way you can pick from one of the Stampin' Up! Color Families and you can test out each of the colors in that one family at a lower price point than buying the individual packs of cardstocks until you figure out which colors you like the best.
In the two In Color Cardstock Assortments you get 20 sheets of cardstock 4 each of each of the five colors in the collections. In the Brights, Neutrals, Subtles, and Regals Cardstock Assortment Packs you get 2 sheets of each of the 10 colors in those color families. So, it would allow you to try out the colors and see what you really, really like before getting full packs and may be not really liking the color you picked out.
Just remember that not all cardstock is created equal – when you tear the paper you are going to see white because it’s not dyed all the way through in cheaper cardstock. Stampin’ Up!'s cardstock is dyed all the way through, so you don’t see any white in the center of the Colored Cardstock like some companies.
Designer Series Papers:
They add some color, beautiful color, and designs, you can use it for layering and accents on your projects. How do you choose? It’s a matter of preference. It’s about what you have cardstock wise and enjoy. They either come 12” x 12” or 6” x 6” normally.
When you purchase your designer series paper on the back of the pack it has the name, and the colors that coordinate with each designer series paper pack. This allows you to pick the coordinating cardstock so that you can easily create with the designer series paper. The designer series paper is normally about 65 lbs. One of the best things about Stampin' Up!'s products is everything coordinates, from the cardstock, ink, designer series paper, and embellishments.
Speciality Designer Series Papers:
Specialty Designer Series Paper; all that means is that it has foil, glitter, or something special on the paper. They are meant for accents on the cards, it’s a little bit heavier than the regular designer series paper in most cases. It really just means there is a little bit of a special touch to it.
Like the TEXTURE CHIC SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER has gold foil on one side of the DSP and distressed aged texture on the other.
Shimmery White Cardstock:
Shimmery White 8-1/2" x 11" Cardstock is great for handmade cards and other paper crafts. This classic, heavyweight cardstock is high quality, acid free, and lignin free, making it a favorite scrapbook paper too. And Shimmery White Cardstock is excellent for watercoloring. The ultrasmooth surface makes it an ideal paper for stamping, giving you clean, crisp images.
Foil Sheets:
Foil sheets are highly reflective with a metallic look to them. They have a coating on the back of the sheet so If you are die cutting you may have to run through a couple times. They come in different colors depending on the season; for example last Christmas we had Red and Green Foil Sheets. We just had a set of Blue foils sheets for the summer, so it all depends on the time of the year. But currently we have these four different foils sheets in the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog. We have Brushed Metallic, Copper Foil, Gold Foil, and the Silver Speciality Foils. What we have is must of the times based on what Stampin’ Up! decides to put out. The Foil sheets are 100 lbs. weight so they are nice and heavy and great for accents on cards.
Vellum Cardstock:
Vellum Cardstock is almost always a 43 lbs. paper. Its’ a translucent cardstock – meaning you can see what is underneath this cardstock. Sometimes we get vellum that is colored, has patterns printed on it, and has some shimmer or foil on it.
Glitter Cardstock:
Our new glitter/glimmer paper is coated with glitter on one side and it does not rub off! Currently depending on when you are watching this video we have glitter cardstock in our new 2022-2024 In Colors.
Window Sheets:
Window Sheets are made from plastic and its clear acetate. You use it in different techniques and shaker cards. Make windows in boxes or cards, use with Shaker Frames, or cut clear accents or boxes with select dies. You can stamp on them with StazOn Ink. Sometimes it comes in specialty patterns and designs on it.
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper:
The Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper is formulated to absorb a lot of water, and it’s a great paper for watercoloring. Especially since it was made for watercolors. It’s a Natural White Color with a subtle texture. Watercolor paper is most of the time made from either cellulose compounds or cotton fibers. The Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper is a cotton-based paper which means it will absorb the water and pigment wonderfully and dries beautifully. Since it is a cotton based paper the fibers open up with the water and when it dries it looks the pigment into the fibers making for a better watercolor experience.
Video Tutorial:
Thanks for dropping by today I hope you find this series helpful. There will be a different video coming out for the next 7 weeks all about Cardmaking 101 and going back to the Basics. Have a wonderful weekend.
Happy Stampin'
Rick Adkins