Not All Card Stock Is Created Equal

First time at the Virtual Party? Please have a look at the posts from Nov. 20 up to yesterday to get the low-down!

I'm going to take a bit of a different track today. I would like to talk about Stampin' Up's card stock.

That might seem like a strange thing to do, but it's very well worth it.

I have a lot of card stock that I've purchased in recent years for scrapbooking (which I only ever did one big project for and kind of stopped), for occasional card embellishments and just for crafty stuff. After I bought Stampin' Up stamps earlier this year, I just used my old card stock and even bought more things from a popular craft store (I think I'll keep it nameless).

I now somewhat regret the many card-making-related purchases from that craft store, as well as other stores, over the years.

Why? First of all, the quality of most of the card stock available there. Having used the Stampin' Up card stock more recently and being able to compare as I try to make some family birthday cards with my old materials, I am somewhat put out by the cheapness of the materials obtained from that and other stores--and I'm not talking the price. Some of the fancier paper and card stock is really good, I admit. But a lot of it, the stuff you see most... It just can't compare. The feel, the thickness, the way the ink sets on it... I wish all of my base card stock were Stampin' Up card stock.

Another thing that really hit me when I went to this craft store recently and went down the scrapbooking aisles to compare a bit, was that their base card stock collections are not nearly as varied as Stampin' Up's. If you have a look at pages 2 and 3 in the Idea Book and Catalogue, you will see all the lovely colours you can get through Stampin' Up. The collections are organized so that you can get a pack of a single colour or you can buy packs with all of the colours available from that collection, 10 colours per collection (5 colours for each of the In Color series). Now that's variety! In 50 different colours! The card stock colours are the same ones used in other Stampin' Up products, such as the ink pads, the Patterns Designer Series papers, Stampin' Write markers, watercolour crayons and all kinds of embellishments, like buttons, ribbons and more (see pages 176-180; the link will take you to 176-177). This kind of colour coordination at your fingertips is just wonderful. There are also Specialty and Designer Series Paper packs which match with the Stampin' Up colours. You can find those on pages 183-186.

When I first looked at the Stampin' Up designer stacks, I thought, "Oh, they're too expensive." Looking at the prices recently, I realize that I must not have paid too much attention to the price in the store: it's pretty pricey no matter where you go! I'm not sure why I've had in my mind that Stampin' Up was more expensive, but it's not always. It really is designed for just the average person who wants to make cards, scrapbook or do related crafts. Sure, their basic card stock is slightly more expensive than the basic brand at the craft store, but the basic brand, I have discovered, is really crummy in comparison! I don't want to buy that card stock anymore.

I feel like I'm on a soapbox here, but really, it's just my testimonial. I am a cheapskate, I admit it. I don't usually easily spend money on myself. My husband might not think twice about dropping down $60 for a new PS3 game he wants, even though he might have bought another one a few weeks earlier, and I agonize over whether or not I can justify a $60 stamp purchase--even though it's been months since I last purchased something. (Don't even ask me about my agonizing over which new cell phone and plan to get...)

Enough of that. Just think about it, go have a look at your popular craft store and see what I'm talking about. Of course, you can't feel the paper there and compare it to the Stampin' Up while you're there, nor can you see the difference once stamped. Or can you? Let me see if I can get photos on here that show the difference between using, for example, Whisper White and the white card stock from the local craft store:

 I want you to take a look at the quality of the stamped image.

Now take a look at this one:

Do you see the difference??

The second image is done on the Whisper White from Stampin' Up. While I had noticed a bit of a difference when making cards recently, I did not notice just how much of a difference the paper makes until I did this up for you all. I did nothing different for each one: I inked the stamp as usual, put the same amount of pressure, I actually tried repeatedly with the first paper (on the other side and even another piece) to try to get the image to stamp as nicely, putting more pressure, trying to dab on the ink pad longer before stamping. It would not do any better than what you see.

If you visit the particular store I keep talking about (I know at least some of you will know which one I'm talking about), you can see what's available for colours there in their basic card stock packs. Then I would encourage you to go back to the Stampin' Up catalogue and have a look at all the lovely colours available. And truly, they are lovely! I now have some card stock from "the" store that I didn't want in the first place because I don't find it a nice colour, but it came in a multi-pack with other colours I did want. I think all of the Stampin' Up colours are definitely usable.

All right, enough of that for today. See you tomorrow!

As always with this Virtual Party, keep looking through the catalogues, writing down what you are interested in--item code and name--and get closer and closer to making your final order decision! You are welcome to send in your order anytime and I will confirm it with you a day or two before I actually send it in.

The Big Shot

Yes, today, the third day of the Virtual Party (please check out previous days if you don't know what I'm talking about :D), the focal topic will be the Big Shot. Before we get started, I just want to remind everybody of the Online Extravaganza: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/daisys/promotions . I finally got a chance yesterday to really look through everything and see the savings on some items that I really like and, well, gosh darn it, it's having me replan my own order for next week! There are some items that just seem too good to pass up, like the On Your Birthday stamp set (both in English and French) for 50% off, the Many Merry Messages, also for 50% off, and the Joyful Season Letterpress--after the 50% off, it's only $3.48. WOW!

Of course, you mustn't forget to keep looking at the Holiday Mini and Idea Book and Catalogue. :)


For today's "workshop presentation" part, I am going to talk about a product I love: the Big Shot.

I love the Big Shot. (Yes, I realize I'm repeating myself, but doesn't that say something?) I first used it earlier this year when I went to a friend's workshop. There is just something so cool about it. lol.  And yes, I took part of a promotion in October where you got one free if you signed up as a demonstrator. (Alas, that promotion is no longer available.) How could I pass that up? Or, in my 14-year old daughter's words: "What's there to think about?" As you can see in the link above, there is so much you can do with the Big Shot. You can:

• cut shapes in a variety of materials: paper, Stampin' Up wood sheets, cork sheets, magnets and even fabric!
• cut out shapes while embossing them at the same time (see the Embosslits Dies on p. 216 of the Idea Book and Catalogue)
• have ink *debossed* effects (see p. 217 for the Letterpress Plates)
• there are all kinds of embossing folders available (see p. 218-219 for those)
• the Texturz Plates are fantastic--they give a very subtle embossing
• just cut a variety of shapes with the Originals Dies (p. 220) or with the Bigz Dies (p. 222) or the Sizzlits Dies
• use dies and folders from other companies! Yes! You can use your Cuttlebug accessories with the Big Shot!
• do even more, like dies that help you make little gift boxes (no, not joking!) but I will stop linking the pages now. ;). Check out pages 216-225 (yes, that is 10 pages of Big Shot accessories!) for all the details.

The Big Shot is really easy to use and, really, just a lot of fun for some reason. My 14-year old daughter loves the Big Shot, too, and my 11-year old son likes to be the one to "build the sandwich" and turn the handle. I just showed it to my 6-year old niece this week and she is not only able to use it on her own for texture plates, but wants to keep going and going and going! It's just a fantastic product and so easy to use. Here are some videos for you to check out to see it in action, but do check out others:

• The Big Shot with Letterpress Plates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJpeQ7fL5mw  (Don't pay attention to her mention of what's in the catalogue--the video is a year old!)
• The Big Shot with Texturz Plates http://youtu.be/JNFQq6opMpg
• Make a box template with the Big Shot http://youtu.be/2mpGfN0aqZM
• Setting up the Big Shot (for the dog! lol; so cute) and using it with dies http://youtu.be/llWG4nhS52E

If you decide to get the Big Shot and some dies, folders or plates, do make sure to see the description of the dies, folders or plates in the catalogue to find out what else you need to get. While the Big Shot comes with two plates, some of the dies, folders and plates require special platforms or pads to work properly. I will check your order and ask you if you have the required items, but it's always best for you to know ahead of time just what you need to buy to be able to use a product!


So, how about a project to share for today? Since Christmas is so close, how about another Christmas card?

(Not sure why my phone is leaving a smudge on the right-hand side. 

It did that to another photo. Hm... 

In any case, I believe this card was designed by Tamara Bertram. 

I made it at her house, anyhow.)

Another nice, simple Christmas card. The standard Whisper White for the card itself (you just take an 8.5" x 11" sheet, cut it in half horizontally, then fold each half; voilà! two cards!). For the purply colour, it's all done with Elegant Eggplant from the Regals Collection, both the card stock and the ink. The decorations image is a stamp from Merry & Type and the sentiment comes from the Word Play set. Use a 2-Way Glue Pen and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter and that's it! Very easy to do, yet just lovely.

As previously mentioned for Edmonton and area residents participating in next week's group order, when putting together your order list, write down the item, the item code and how many you want! I can take your order anytime, but I won't be sending it in until Nov. 30.

Virtual Party - Day 2

Welcome to the second day of our Virtual Party! (If you are dropping in just now, please see the pre-party information http://stampinupadventure.blogspot.com/2011/11/virtual-party.html, as well as yesterday's post.)

In a typical, in-home workshop, I would be spending time showing you various things and giving you the chance to make your own projects for which I would provide the supplies. I can't do the latter, but I can at least show you throughout the week different projects and let you know what was used.

I can also highlight specific things I would be highlighting or explaining during a workshop. I thought today I would spend a little time discussing the Classic Stampin' Pads (the regular ink pads).

The Classic Stampin' Pads are nice and big and most Stampin' Up stamps (even large ones) fit just fine on the pad when inking the stamp. The pads are kind of like a puzzle to open, but once you know how, it's a piece of cake. (Ok, the odd pad, when new, can be a little stiff. Just open and close it repeatedly and it gets easier. I have one pad out of all of my pads that's been ornery and opening and closing it a lot has put it in its place!)

They are designed so that when you store them right-side-up, the ink pad inside is facing down. Why? So that the ink stays at the surface instead of settling down into the bottom where your stamp can't reach. To open, you hold it upright, find the 3 dots on the top with your other fingers below, your other hand holding the sides, you press against that edge (where the 3 dots are) horizontally, the top will slide back, then you flip it around. To show you better, since I can't demonstrate for you in person, here is a video I found: http://youtu.be/l0gCmLI-KXs . Now, she doesn't focus on the 3 dots like I said, but you can see the 3 at times. And I don't put my whole hand over--I find it harder to do how she shows it. There is a little "edge" underneath that helps to press against while you push with your thumb on the 3 dots. (This is so much harder to explain without the accompanying visual! I might have to take up doing videos! lol)

These ink pads come in all of the card stock colours (well, except Whisper White and Very Vanilla, understandably)--that means that there are 48 different colours to choose from. Yes, that's a lot of colours! If you find it hard to choose, a common recommendation is to get one of the sets of Stampin' Spots. The Stampin' Spots are like mini Classic Stampin' Pads--or about the same size as many "full-sized" ink pads I've seen in stores. Same ink, just in a smaller package and you get 10 or 11 colours at a time. You can get the Getting Started Collection of Stampin' Spots on page 174 or look on the following pages where you will see that each of the sets of the Collection colours (not the In Color series) have their own set of Stampin' Spots you can order. **You can get the Classic Stampin' Spots Getting Started Collection for 40% off right now: only $16.17 instead of $26.95!**

On to some projects...

Christmas is on its way and this is the perfect time to share with you the Serene Snowflakes stamp set from p. 36 of the Idea Book and Catalogue. I love this stamp set. I bought it back in May or June, deciding to get some things ahead of time for Christmas card-making. Since it was for Christmas, it got hidden away with other Christmas stamps. As I prepared a fall stamp order, as soon as I hit the page with the Serene Snowflakes stamp set in the catalogue, I wrote it down as a must-have. I had completely forgotten that I had already bought it! What a joy to discover it among my stamp sets! lol. Good thing I checked what I had before placing an order. ;)

Here is one card I've created with this stamp set:

I took Whisper White card stock and stamped the front with the smallest of the stamps, just kind of here and there, making sure to hang over the edge in some places, then I put it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I then used a separate stamp from the set (unfortunately, it doesn't show up well in the photo at all) and stamped the Night of Navy card stock with Night of Navy ink, kind of like a watermark feature. The VersaMark can give the same effect. The snowflake on the topmost level is the largest stamp. There is no punch; I had to trim it by hand. I then put a Basic Rhinestone (not sure which size) in the middle of that snowflake. I'd like to try this card with glitter or embossing sometime on the snowflakes that are stamped onto the blue card stock or the focal snowflake. I think it would really make it pop. You could also turn the card 90 degrees and present it horizontally, move the long blue band to another spot...

Here is one of the Christmas cards I made at my demonstrator's home for her Stamp-a-Stack:

She used the Snowflake Punch (p. 210 of the Idea Book and Catalogue) for the 3 snowflakes (I tried to make my own without the punch, just using the accompanying Simple Snowflake stamp and cutting around the image--it didn't work very well and took a lot of time to cut; the Snowflake Punch is on my list of things to order next). She used Wisteria Wonder card stock from the 2011-2013 In Color series, Concord Crush from the 2010-2012 In Color series (see p. 176 for both) and the silver Glimmer Paper available in the Mini. The stamp is one of the stamps from the Delightful Dozen stamp set and is stamped with the Concord Crush ink. It doesn't show up very well in the picture, but there is a beautiful light embossing on the topmost White Whisper card stock made with one of the plates from the Backgrounds 1 set of Texturz Plates. Specifically, if you look at the catalogue at the Texturz Plates section, it is the plate on the far left, but the flip side (the triangle image to the right). Does that make sense? lol. There are also Mini Brads to hold the snowflakes in place rather than glue or tape.

Since I feel like still sharing today ;), here is a card I'm working on. Or rather, part of a card I'm working on.

(Eek! Sorry for picture quality! I'm using my phone! lol)

I've used a stamp from the Every Little Bit stamp set. This is another of my favourite stamp sets. Every time I flip by it in the catalogue, I am pulled toward it. It's just a wonderful set and with so many stamps (28 in the set!), you can do so much with it. I just used the Basic Black ink and then watercolour pencils to colour the presents. Stampin' Up does sell a set of watercolour pencils, as well as watercolour paper (watercolour paper can sometimes be a necessity when doing watercolour effects--the water can cause regular card stock to bubble or deform!). The Stampin' Up pencil pack is a better price than what my current set is, but has just as many colours. My set is probably about 5 years old and barely touched, so I do admit to using that! I will get the Stampin' Up ones sometime to compare.

That's it for today. See you tomorrow!

Have you been looking through the catalogues at all? Working on your list of things you'd like to have ordered and delivered before Christmas? If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to contact me through Facebook or email: emicolas@yahoo.ca.

P.S. Don't forget about the Holiday Extravaganza!

Let's get the party started!

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming! If you have a desire to make some Christmas cards or buy some stamps for someone for Christmas (even for yourself, hehe--you can say that Santa brought them for you), now is the time to select and buy! It can take 10-12 days for the orders to come in once they are placed. 

For our first full day of this Virtual Party, let's have a closer look at the Holiday Mini Catalogue, shall we? There are some great products available in the current Mini. You can download the .pdf from the right sidebar or you can flip through it, like a catalogue, with the flash version.

First of all, there is the Simply Scored being introduced. You can find it on pages 6 and 7. This is a fantastic product to use if you score paper at all--no more moving the paper bit-by-bit to do the scoring! Simply place your paper, decide the distance you need between score marks, and away you go! I tried scoring with just my paper trimmer and a scoring blade the other day. I suck at it. If I'm going to be serious about making things that require scoring, this will be the product for me.

There is a whole bunch of Halloween stuff, which you can still get and use next year. Like I said in my previous post, this Mini ends January 3, 2012, and there is no guarantee that these products will be available again. (Well, the Simply Scored, yes; stamps and papers and all that, no.)

You ought to go on and look through the catalogue, page by page, and take note of the things you like. Some of my favourite things are the Hand-Penned Holidays set on p. 15, the Specialty Designer Series Paper on p. 20, The Sounding Joy stamp set on p. 23, the Forest Festivities stamp set on p. 27 (it's just so cute, isn't it?), the Stitched Stockings stamp set, with the accompanying Builder Punch on p. 34 (I could see how versatile this set could be!) and, drum roll please ;), the Glimmer Paper and Dazzling Details on p. 41. (The red Glimmer Paper is also available in the Idea Book and Catalogue.) I went to Michaels recently and saw that they had glitter paper. It seemed of similar quality to the Stampin' Up Glimmer Paper, but it was $3.49 at my local store for one sheet. You get two for $5.95 in the Holiday Mini Catalogue--that's a savings of $1.03. It might not seem like much, but it's still a savings! (And don't get me started on the price of stamps at Michaels! A single stamp at Michaels for the price of some of the Stampin' Up stamp sets!!)

I have made some Christmas cards with some of these products.

(Sorry, my photo-taking skills require some work. This was my third and best attempt.
This card was designed by my up-line, Tamara Bertram.)

This card used the Merry Christmas stamp from the Hand-Penned Holidays set (p. 15), some Night of Navy card stock and ink, Whisper White card stock, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (p. 201 of the Idea Book and Catalogue) stuck on the trees with 2-Way Glue Pen (p. 206 of the Idea Book and Catalogue--a shame the glitter isn't showing up properly in the photo; it really makes the card) and with the Lovely as a Tree stamp set (p. 114 of the Idea Book and Catalogue). It is by far my favourite Christmas card made so far this year.

Another card made with a stamp set from the Holiday Mini:

This used 2 stamps from The Sounding Joy stamp set (p. 23) and I'm not sure of the colours. The card was designed by my demonstrator and I made it at her house. I believe it is Cherry Cobbler ink, ribbon and card stock for the red parts; looks like Sahara Sand for the other coloured card stock and the background stamp. The white is Whisper White card stock and the background texture is the Framed Tulips embossing folder on p. 218 of the Idea Book and Catalogue. Of course, you have to use the Big Shot for that. ;) (I love my Big Shot! I'm not ashamed to admit I joined Stampin' Up as a demonstrator because of a special promotion at the time to get the Big Shot for free! I might just talk about it more during the Virtual Party this week!)


Keep looking through the Holiday Mini and writing down what you would like. As you write items down, especially those you think you might order from me, make sure to write down the item code and the name--it will make things a whole lot easier! I'll be moving onto the Idea Book and Catalogue tomorrow.

Just a note: While the party ends on Nov. 27 and closes on the 29th, ideally, orders will be in by Nov. 28 to give me a chance to contact people on the 29th, if needed, to clarify or make sure they have everything they need. For example, someone might buy glitter, but don't have a glue pen to have the glitter to stick to. It's my job to make sure you have everything you need so you can sit down and have fun making cards once your order gets to you!