Going to the chapel...

Wedding invitations have been on my mind a lot lately. My sister got engaged back in February and I offered to do her invitations for her as my gift to the happy couple. I also have another friend who approached me and asked if she could hire me to do her invitations. I’m so honoured and pleased that they like my work and that they trust me to create the stationery for their special days. That means so much to me and I couldn’t be happier.

I actually got into paper crafting when I myself got engaged. In my professional life, I had been doing graphic design for quite some time, so the interest in paper, printing techniques and eye-catching designs was already quite firmly in place. This seemed like a natural extension for me and I really wanted to create an invitation that was ours and ours alone.

After picking our colours (we each ended up picking one, which was nice), I started searching for paper merchants and stumbled across Paper and More. I ordered samples and ended up being quite impressed with both the cost and the quality of the paper available, not to mention how quickly everything was delivered (six business days for the cheapest option). The one downside to Paper and More is that they only deliver within the States. At the time, we were living in Virginia, so that wasn’t a problem. Now that I’m back in Canada, I had to go through their customer service (which is excellent – the customer service rep who helped me was super nice and everything went so smoothly) to have the paper for my sister’s invitations delivered to our friends in Indiana. Since I’m seeing one of them this weekend, it all (very happily!) works out.

Anyway, being so preoccupied with all things wedding invitation-related, it only seemed natural that I should showcase my own wedding invitations in today’s post. I ended up doing all of the stationery for our wedding – invitations, favour tags, programs and thank you cards. We both wanted simple and elegant stationery, so I created this design for the invitations, using crocuses as the design element (please excuse the whiting out of personal details - there's just no pretty way to do that!):

The reply card also featured a crocus and was nestled inside a pretty silver A2 envelope:

Finally, we had a double-sided directions/map card, but I couldn't figure out a way to do that without having them one big mess of whited out bits.

 I don’t have any pictures of the rest of the stationery, but they all featured butterflies, since I saw this great idea and ended up making all of the bouquets out of feather butterflies (purple, silver and white). Our theme for the decorations became butterflies and flowers (we held our wedding at my parent’s farm and my Mom slaved over her flowers all year just for the occasion – they were beautiful!) with feather butterflies scattered over the tables and decorating the cake, and my Mom’s flowers growing everywhere. We also gave away silver flower pots with little purple heartsease seeds inside as our favours. Here are some wedding day pictures:

Even my hair had butterflies in it (photo by Steve)

Heading down the aisle with my Dad, framed by Mom's flowers (photo by Steve)

Posing with my Mom (photo by Steve)

Moose and his sister (photo by Steve)

'Cause every farm wedding requires hay bale pictures! (photo by Rufus)

And combine pictures, of course! (photo by Rufus)

(photo by Rufus)

I love the idea of using wedding invitations and stationery as a way to introduce a theme for a wedding. I am so happy with how everything tied together. Everything was beautiful and our special day couldn’t have been better!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. We’re off to the States for the next few days and I’m very excited! See you next week!

Weighty matters

Understanding paper weights

When you first start working with paper, the different types, finishes and, especially, weights, can be quite confusing. More often than not, you can pick up two different brands of 60 lb. text weight paper and have them be completely different thicknesses - not to mention how much difference there is between a sheet of 60 lb. text paper and a sheet of 60 lb. cover stock!

There is a simple explanation as to why these variances occur, but first, let me give you an overview of the systems used to calculate paper weight.

Paper weights are measured in one or both of two different systems: Imperial and Metric. The Imperial system uses pounds (lbs. or sometimes just the # symbol) as the unit of measure, while the Metric system measures in grams per square metre (g/m² or gsm).

Imperial System

A paper’s weight in the Imperial system is calculated based on the weight of a ream (500 sheets for the most part, but can sometimes be 1,000 sheets) of paper in its original, uncut (base) size. Generally, for text weight, this uncut size is 25” x 38” and for bond weight (commonly used as printer paper), it is 17” x 22”. For cover (aka card) stock, the uncut size is usually 20” x 26”. The difference in uncut sizes is why a sheet of 80 lb. text weight paper will differ in thickness from a sheet of 80 lb. cover stock paper.

Because of the lack of standardization in base sizes, it can sometimes be confusing to work with the Imperial system. It is, however, the most prevalent system used in North America, so it’s a good idea to become familiar with it. If you’re ordering paper and are unsure of whether you’re going to be happy with the weight or quality, order samples. Many companies will offer sample books and swatches either for free or for a minimal charge. I always order swatches/samples myself (especially when I’m working on special projects, like wedding invitations!). It’s the only way to make sure I’m happy with the weight, look, colour, quality and feel of the paper I work with.

Metric System

The Metric system, on the other hand, is standardized. Since it deals with the weight of one square metre of the paper, it doesn’t matter what type of paper (i.e. text, cover, tissue, etc.) is being measured. Plus there’s no need to worry about what the base size of the particular paper is and how that affects the weight. As a result, it gives a more accurate indication of how thick a paper is – as long as you are familiar with the system and how heavy certain types of paper are, of course. I know many professional printers who prefer to use the Metric system for this reason.

Paper Weight Chart

This chart shows the basic conversion between the Imperial system and the Metric system. Remember that this is just a guide to give a basis for comparison - due to the variances in thickness that can happen with the Imperial system, it is impossible to have a completely standardized conversion chart.

Paper Type	Imperial Weight (lbs.)	Metric Weight (g/m2)
20 lb. Bond/Copy (most common printer paper weight)	20	75
60 lb. Text	60	89
24 lb. Bond/Copy (often sold as “premium” or “high quality” printer paper)	24	90
70 lb. Text	70	104
28 lb. Bond	28	105
32 lb. Bond	32	120
80 lb. Text	80	120
65 lb. Cover	65	175
80 lb. Cover	80	215
105 lb. Cover	105	285

I hope this post has helped answer the questions you may have had about paper weight. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you again next week!

Tricks and Techniques: Dry Embossing

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today on Card Tricks, we are going to be looking at dry embossing, a simple technique using stencils and a stylus to create stunning raised images.

Like heat embossing, this technique adds texture and elegance to your designs. Unlike heat embossing, dry embossing uses the paper itself to create the designs, not any added embossing powders or inks. While it can be a more subtle design element, the effect is just as beautiful.

Supplies:

·      Piece of card stock (light colours are best to start with, since the light shines through them as you are working, making it easier to see what you are tracing)

Equipment:

·      Embossing stencil

·      Double-ended embossing stylus

·      Tape

·      Piece of wax paper

·      Window (with good light) or light box

Directions:

1.     Tape the stencil to the window (or light box, if you have one).

2.     Tape the piece of card stock face down over the stencil image of your choice. Rub the wax paper lightly over the card stock (this helps with the gliding of the stylus during the tracing).

3.     Slowly and carefully trace over the image with the stylus with a light, steady and even pressure. Use the small end of the stylus for the intricate details and the large end for the larger details. Do not press too hard or you will tear the card stock.

4.     Remove the card stock and stencil from the window and carefully take off the tape. Turn the card stock over to see your finished embossed design.

I hope you all have a great week. I’m trying to get over a bout of something nasty, so I plan on taking it easy for a few days, myself. As a result, I have not decided what to do for next week’s post, so it will be a surprise for all of us. See you then!