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!

Card Tips: Discount equipment and supplies

Interested in experimenting with some aspect of card making but intimidated by the start up costs of buying all the equipment? Yeah, me too.

Lately, I’ve been interested in doing more experimentation with stamping. Walking down the stamping aisle at the craft store, however, gave me pause. Stamps, ink, embossing powders, heat setters – the equipment list goes on and on, and nothing is cheap.

Luckily, however, I’ve discovered the discount aisle at Michaels. For only $1.50 each ($1.00 in the States, despite having the Canadian dollar only a fraction away from parity with the US dollar…), you can pick up dozens of neat equipment and supplies. I’ve seen monogrammed note cards with envelopes, rhinestone embellishments, magnetic note pads, cute patterned ribbon, mini paper punches and so much more while meandering down that aisle. There are certainly lots of less than gorgeous things, but I have yet to go down it without seeing something appealing.

Yesterday, I struck gold. I found the cutest little Valentine’s themed bird stamps, which are generic enough to be used on many other types of cards with a love theme (wedding, love notes, anniversaries, etc.). I also picked up two small stamp pads in purple and sky blue, which is one of my favourite colour combinations. Rounding out my purchase was two 1 oz. bottles of glitter glue, which coordinate with the stamp pads. All for $9 ($6 for our neighbours to the South)!

It’s nice to know that even if I discover I hate stamping (or that I’m terrible at it), at least I didn’t have to pay a fortune to find out. So far, I am having fun with my new purchases, so here’s hoping!

Have you found any great deals lately? I’d love to pass them on!

See you on Friday, everyone!

Wrap it up!

Want a great way to impress your loved ones on Christmas morning? Dress up and personalize your gifts by making your own gift bags and matching mini cards. While this project requires patience, the wow factor of the resulting gift bag set is completely worth it!

Materials (makes one 10 1/8” h x 3 3/4” w x 1 7/8” d bag and one 3” x 3” mini card):

·      12" x 12" sheet of printed card stock

·      3" x 6" piece of matching card stock (either the same print or a coordinating one)

·      10" piece of coordinating ribbon (narrow width)

Equipment:

·      Cutting mat

·      Craft or utility knife

·      Metal-edged ruler

·      Pencil

·      Eraser

·      Glue runner or other suitable adhesive

·      Bone folder

·      Single hole punch

Directions:

1.     Using the template below as a guide, measure and mark guidelines on the reverse side of the 12" x 12" piece of card stock (make sure the design on the patterned side is turned the right way up before marking). If you don't want the pencil marks to show inside the bag, use two or more small notches for each line (as shown in image below template) or have a really good eraser ready to erase the lines after step two. 

Bag template

2.     Use the cutting mat, ruler and knife to score (use the flip side of the knife blade to score without cutting through the card stock or use the sharp edge of your bone folder) and cut the card stock as shown in the template.

Scoring using the dull edge of the blade

Cutting

3.     If desired, erase pencil marks.

4.     Fold at the scored lines. This will help make the edges crisp and will make it easier to shape the bag.

5.     Glue the upper overlap flap (put glue on the patterned side of the card stock) to the reverse side of the other edge, tucking the flap in to make a box shape with the bottom flaps still open.

6.     Holding the card stock so that the lower overlap flap is on the bottom, begin folding over and gluing the bottom flaps in place, starting with the left small flap and continuing to the bottom large flap (remember to tuck in and glue the lower overlap flap before moving on to the right small flap). Finish by gluing the top large flap in place at the bottom.

7.     If desired, make creases in the top half of either side of the bag by pinching together the corners and creasing the middle. This gives your bag more shape and allows for the top to be fastened together to hide the contents.

8.     Fold the small piece of card stock with the bone folder to make a 3" x 3" mini card.

9.     Punch a hole in the upper left corner of the card. Attach it to the handle of the bag with the ribbon. Trim ribbon, if necessary.

You can use the template to make your bags bigger or smaller as desired. Just keep the 2:1 ratio for the sections (the front and back sections are twice the width of the sides and the bottom flaps). Try playing around with different heights and designs. If you plan on using solid coloured card stock and decorating the bag with stamped images, stamp the images before assembling.

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday! See you back again on Friday for more paper crafting!

Keeping it punchy

Care and maintenance for your paper punches

With the plethora of cards that I’ve been making lately, I’ve begun to notice that my paper punches are starting to, well, lose their punch. This, of course, caused some concern – punches aren’t cheap, after all. So, I got my research on, chose a punch to be my tester/sacrificial victim if things went wrong, and discovered a few ways to keep paper punches in perfect working order.

1.     Store punches in a dry place. Protect them from dust and moisture, which can cause rusting and other issues.

2.     If paper gets jammed in the punch, use tweezers to remove it. If the paper is too jammed to remove with the tweezers, put the punch in the freezer for 20 seconds. This will cause the metal to contract, making paper removal easier. Do not freeze the punches, however, or leave them in for too long. Freezing temperatures can cause the plastic casing to become brittle and crack.

3.     When the punch becomes dull, sharpen it by punching through some heavy-duty aluminum foil.

4.     Punch several times through wax paper to lubricate the punch when it starts to stick.

I hope these tips help your punches live a long and productive life! Come back on Wednesday, when we’ll return to the crafting for a cute and coordinated way to package up gifts. See you then!

Shimmer Set

Batch cards that sparkle and shine

Today’s post is part two in this week’s series on batch cards. These shimmery and glittery cards were made using materials that I had on hand: silver text weight paper left over from my wedding invitations, the extra red card stock from last year’s Christmas cards, silver wrapping paper that I had in my gift wrapping storage container and silver sheer ribbon left over from the pillows I made for my ring bearers.

I have a few more batch card making tips to pass on, based on my experience making these cards:

·      Glue runners (like this one) are perfect for attaching ribbon to card stock quickly and easily. As an added bonus, the glue doesn’t show through or change the ribbon’s colour at all, a problem I’ve had before with ribbons and adhesive.

·      To keep the ribbon looking neat, wrap it around the back of the front flap of the card stock so that the ends won’t show on the front of your card. If you want the ends hidden all together, line the card.

·      Add depth and texture by adding layers of paper, card stock, paper punch cut outs, glitter and other embellishments.

·      Line all of the cards together at the end. If you line the cards before you’re finished, you won’t be able to create peek-a-boo shapes or hide ribbon ends.

·      Sign up for Michael’s coupons. Since doing so, I don’t think there has been a single week where I haven’t got a coupon of some sort, usually one for 40 per cent off a regular priced item. This is a great way to stock up on the more expensive equipment and supplies, like card stock pads, paper punches, cutting mats, paper trimmers, etc. If you’re in the States, you can sign up on the Michael’s website. If you’re in Canada, sign up for coupon alerts on Flyerland.ca, since the Michael’s website will only send out coupons good for use in the States.

That’s all for today, folks. Next week will showcase some non-card projects that are perfect for use during the holidays.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday.

Finding the right fit

Good morning, everyone! Today’s post is about the often overlooked, but so very, very important envelope. Your card’s envelope is a multi-tasker. Not only does it protect your card from damage, but it can also coordinate with the card to carry on the overall look and feel of your design.

All of the cards on this blog so far have been 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”. This size is the perfect fit for the A2 envelope, which measures 4 3/8” x 5 3/4”. See the chart below for other common envelope sizes used in card making. Remember to pick an envelope that's slightly larger than your card. Usually 1/8" to 1/4" added to the length and width will do it, depending on the thickness of the card.

Common card making envelope sizes:

Name	Size
Bar 4	3 5/8” x 4 5/8” (great for wedding replies or other small cards)
A2	4 1/4” x 5 1/2”
A6	4 3/4” x 6 1/2”
A7	5 1/4” x 7 1/4”
A8	5 1/2” x 8 1/8”
No. 10	4 1/8” x 9 1/2” (most common size used in business post, but also great for tall, skinny cards)
Square	Many different sizes available, including: 6” x 6”, 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” and 7” x 7”.

Most paper, craft and office supply stores usually carry most, if not all, of these sizes in stock. The former two are your best bet for selection – they usually carry them in multiple colours. Office supply stores will usually have a few sizes in white (and sometimes kraft), though occasionally they will stock other colours as well. Online paper stores are a good bet as well. If you live in the States, you’re golden for ordering paper and envelopes online at a low cost. If you’re a Canadian resident, however, make sure you check shipping and duty costs before ordering – sometimes these costs can be quite prohibitive.

Remember to check Canada Post and/or United States Postal Service postal guidelines if you’re planning on mailing your cards. Some envelope sizes (including all of the square sizes) are categorized as non-standard or oversized and will cost more to send.

See you on Friday!

The 12 cards of Christmas

One set of materials, 12 (or more!) different cards

Once again, it’s time to start gathering the addresses of your nearest and dearest (including, of course, your wonderful mail carrier, Hank… or was it Howard?) to send out holiday greetings near and far.

Creating cards in batches is a great way to make lots of one of a kind cards in an easy, efficient and cost-effective way. Using one set of materials, you can create several different designs with an underlying theme. You can also come up with one design that you love and use it for every card – it’s completely up to you.

Tips for making batch cards:

·      Clear a large work surface. By doing so, you’ll have enough room to put out all your equipment and keep it all within easy reach. You’ll also have room to spread out your cards so that you can work on several cards at once and see the overall effect of your designs.

·      Pick coordinating supplies that look great together. For this project, I used seven sheets of red cardstock (six sheets cut in half to make 12 cards, plus one left over for punching shapes), two sheets of printed 12” x 12” card stock (I ended up having about 1/3 of each sheet left over, which I’m saving for my next batch) and red glitter glue.

·      Save your scraps. You never know when that little piece of left over paper from one card will be perfect for another. Even if you don’t use them in this batch of cards, you can always use them in future projects.

·      Decide which tools and equipment you will need (paper trimmer, punches, bone folder, glitter glue, etc.). Have your other equipment nearby (but out of the way), just in case you have a stroke of inspiration and need another tool to create the look you’re going for.

·      Group equipment by use and set up little stations for each set (i.e. cutting station, adhesive station, etc.). This will let you keep track of your equipment so that you always know where it is when you need it.

·      Cut and fold your cards all at once to help save time. Group other tasks, too, like painting glitter (technique here - steps six and seven) and gluing layers.

·      Test your designs before you attach them. That way you’ll be able to see whether you like the look of your card before committing yourself to the design.

·      Stick to a couple design variations on a theme or make all your cards with the same or slightly different design to help aid in planning, and to make the process easier and faster.

·      Trust your judgment. When a card looks finished to you, it is. If you think it needs something more, test it with different embellishments until you find the one that you like best.

Above all, have fun. Put on some music, relax and enjoy the process. If you start to get frustrated, walk away and do something else for a while. Your designs will look better if you’re happy with what you’re doing. Besides, this is meant to be a fun project, not a chore!

See you on Wednesday, everyone!

P.S. The lovely creator of Heinous Hats is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Caela!

Baby, it's cold outside

Over the past week, winter didn’t so much as creep up on us here, but swooped in with a vengeance. Everything is now blanketed with snow, without any days in the near future that haven't had at least a few centimetres of snow forecasted.

Although I’m not a fan of the cold weather (I’m barely warm enough in the summer sometimes, let alone the rest of the year), I love the look of the snow from inside my house – the drifts glistening in the sun, the snow-covered branches and the pretty little snowflakes drifting to the ground.

And so, here is a pretty little card dedicated to those beautiful little flakes of frozen precipitation. With a peek-a-boo liner and glittery snowflake cutouts, this card is elegant and easy to make.

Materials (makes two cards):

·      8 1/2” x 11” sheet of blue cardstock, plus an extra scrap piece big enough to punch out at least two snowflake cutouts

·      8 1/2” x 11” sheet of silver text weight paper

Supplies:

·      Paper trimmer

·      Bone folder

·      Snowflake punch (I used Martha Stewart's Alpine Snowflake Punch)

·      Blue glitter glue

·      Paintbrush

·      Piece of wax paper, approximately 8” x 8”

·      Double-sided tape or glue runner

·      Glue stick

·      Ruler

·      Pencil

Directions:

1.     Using the paper trimmer, cut the card stock in half so that you have two pieces, measuring 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”. Cut the silver paper so that you have two pieces, measuring 5” x 8”.

2.     Fold each piece of card stock with the bone folder to make two cards, measuring 4 1/4” x 5”. Fold each piece of paper into two liners, measuring 4” x 5” (technique here).

3.     On the inside top flap of each card, measure and mark the middle of the card vertically, about 3/4” from the edge.

4.     Using the paper punch, cut out a snowflake on each card, using your marked measurement as a guide.

5.     Punch out two additional snowflakes (or more, depending on how many you’d like on your finished card) from the scrap piece of blue card stock.

 

6.     Lay the wax paper on your work surface. Place the four snowflake cutouts on top (make sure you flip over the two that came from the cards so that the pencil guide marks don’t show). Using the paintbrush, paint the glitter glue on to the four snowflake cut outs.

7.     Nudge the glitter painted snowflakes to a clean spot on the wax paper with the end of your paintbrush. This will help prevent them from sticking. The wax paper will also help prevent sticking - I tried just using scrap paper before and found that, more often than not, the snowflakes would adhere to the paper, despite moving them to a clear area. Allow the snowflakes to dry completely before using them.

8.     Line each card with the silver paper (technique here). Be careful not to put adhesive on the liner in the place where the snowflake cut out will land, otherwise it will show through and be sticky.

9.     Measure and mark where you would like to glue the snowflake cutouts.

10. Using the glue stick, attach the cutouts to the cards.

Tip: Before gluing on the snowflakes, try playing around with different layouts until you find the one you like best.

See you on Monday, everyone!

He was made of snow...

Today’s card was inspired by a post on Heinous Hats, my friend Caela Rue’s blog, which is, to steal her description, “dedicated to hats with character, as well as the people who wear them.” If you haven’t yet checked out her brilliantly written blog, be sure to do so, for it is absolutely chock-full of extraordinary hats of all shapes and sizes, from the fantastically gorgeous, to the adorably sweet and all the way to the wonderfully weird. If I only had unlimited funds, I would be buying these hats left, right and centre.

Anyway, last Wednesday’s post, Now Begins The Age Of The Snowmen, featured, you guessed it, snowman hats. Suddenly I was overcome with the desire to make glittery, texture rich cards for my nephews. So, I ran out to the craft store, got giddy with what I discovered there and came up with this:

Materials (makes two cards):

·      8 1/2” x 11” sheet of white card stock

·      Sheet of white glitter foam (with sticky back)

·      Approximately 8” of red ribbon (at least 1/2” wide)

·      Four googly eyes (approximately 5/8” in diameter)

Equipment:

·      Paper trimmer

·      Bone folder

·      Pencil

·      Scissors

·      Two different sized drinking glasses for tracing (the ones I used were 2 1/4” and 3 1/4” in diameter)

·      Black permanent marker

·      Orange glitter glue

·      Hot glue gun

·      Pinking shears (optional)

Directions:

1.     Using the paper trimmer, cut the card stock in half so that you have two pieces, measuring 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”.

 

2.     With the bone folder, fold the two pieces of card stock into two cards, measuring 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”.

3.     Trace four circles on to the back of the sheet of foam (two small, two large) with the glasses. Cut out the circles.

4.     Peel off the backing paper on the circles to reveal the sticky back. Stick the circles on the front of each card to make the snowman’s body. 

5.     Cut the ribbon in half. Using the pinking shears, cut the ends of the ribbon to make it look like scarf fringe. If you’re not using pinking shears, use your scissors to cut a fringe. Fold over the ribbon to resemble a scarf tied around the snowman’s neck (see image below) and use the glue gun to attach it to the snowman’s body. Use the glue gun to glue the googly eyes on to the snowman’s head.

6.     Use the black marker to draw on the snowman’s mouth and buttons.

7.     Use the orange glitter glue to draw on a carrot nose. If you want more of a 3-D effect, cut some of the scrap foam in the shape of a carrot nose, attach it to the snowman’s face, then use the orange glitter glue to make it orange.

Tip: Glitter foam is easy to work with and can be used to make many
different cards for kids. Buy it in multi-colour packs at the craft store
and have a supply on hand for when you have a birthday or other
occasion to make a child’s greeting card (or for when your
children want to make cards of their own!).

See you on Wednesday for an easy and professional-looking way to finish cards (it also makes writing on them much easier!).