I adore two sided cardstock, especially when one side is clean, crisp and white. This makes it SO simple to write a greeting to the recipient.
Cindy is the queen of altering the interiors! Please take a peek at one that she has shared with us previously right here on the CLASSroom if you aren't certain what I am talking about. I absolutely love the way she uses extra pieces of patterned paper, or a simple stamped image along with a sentiment on the interior of her crisp white cards! Simply beautiful!!!
Today's post will hopefully share some of the reasons why I love the Memory Box papers. As you have probably figured out, I often pick something with very precise reasons behind why I am selecting it to carry in our store - LOL! It was more then six years ago when I first discovered the Memory Box papers in a local store. As I became more familiar with this wonderful craft I would always have a stash of it in my file drawer - I just couldn't let go of this paper I loved.
The ink that Dave uses to print this paper is an environmentally friendly soy-based ink - I find this appealing. We do need to learn to protect our environment and it always makes me feel good to know that a manufacturer is thinking about these things in creating their product.
With the current 50 mouthwatering colors in the Memory Box line of notecards, envelopes and cardstock it is usually pretty easy for me to find a color that will coordinate with the other 6x6 patterned papers we carry. I also find that the hues of these papers work beautifully together with the Copic Markers - intense and beautiful! It's a win, win color combination in my opinion.
With today's creation I wanted to share three different "backgrounds" for the card I created, to show the variance in the way that the project can feel just from modifying the white core cardstock.
First is a very clean, contemporary feel. I left the Vanilla Bean notecard in it's pure form for this card. The surface is smooth as silk (well perhaps not quite as smooth as silk, but VERY smooth.) This is probably best suited to the final composition of this piece being I like the clean simple lines of this Bare Tree (another one of the new Memory Box stamps we are bringing in) together with the beautiful yet crisp heart Twinkle Stickers.
Sometimes Valentine's can be a little more "wintery" outside than perhaps we might like and so in this example I used my Lucky Squirrel sanding block and simply sanded the cardstock in a crosshatch pattern. This technique lends a much more distressed look to the cardstock. You can leave it white or apply a second color using an ink blending tool and rubbing the color over this surface to alter it more.
This last version was one in which I used a Cuttlebug folder to define a pattern on the cardstock. I really should have taken a picture of the notecard before I placed my focal image on it being it truly is stunning. Unfortunately my focal image covers most of the design. By using embossing folders, texture plates, brass stencils, or even embossed Nesties (as I did yesterday,) it raises and stresses the paper just enough to make the white "pop" through the printed ink. I chose to once again sand this surface with my sanding block to emphasize and bring out more white. You could once again come back over this surface with a second ink color using your ink blending tool, bringing in yet another contrasting or coordinating color.
Just by altering the background of this card and adding different textures to the white core paper you can achieve a multitude of looks. As with other cardstock you can also stamp the surface with a Backgrounder, Scrapblock, image or sentiment, but it is the white core that defines this paper and makes it something I have now loved for years! We have finally figured out how to package the cardstock in groupings and from what I am seeing it appears to be something you are enjoying. Once we get ourselves caught back up here in the new year we will also start packaging our notecards and envelopes in coordinating collections Ü Does that sound like a good plan to you? I'm super excited about it and would love to hear your feedback. Dave is also putting out a call for new colors - if there is a color that you are thinking you can't live without; a color that you have been searching for and can't find please leave a note in the comments section and I'll put a bug in his ear (OK - not literally, but I just had to say it being I'm tired tonight - LOL.)
It has been a thrill to see everyone enjoying our 12 days of Christmas!!! Thank you so much for joining in the fun here in our CLASSroom - it is so nice to have you here! Please know that your comments do mean so much to us - we appreciate knowing that you are enjoying yourselves AND that you are learning something through our endeavours. Have a wonderful weekend and be certain to come back and join us for Cindy's stunning creation tomorrow!