Papers
Pick a Paper, any paper!
Just a few words about paper for papercrafting. Do not be afraid to experiment with different types of paper for your projects. That bright aqua may turn out to be the sky color you are looking for once you have stamped, stenciled, painted or drawn your design. Do try to keep in mind how your selected paper will react to the other media you are using. Watercolors tend to bead on glossy paper and warp very thin paper. Remember: there are two sides to every sheet of paper and most of your projects will only use one. So experiment with one side and make your final on the other side. Be sure that for any scrapbooking or art rubber stamping projects you want to last for years are constructed of archival quality materials.
Smoother papers yield better rubber stamp impressions, but sometimes you will want to use a textured paper for an irregular impression. Matte paper is very easy to work with and can be used with any kind of ink, marker, paints, or colored pencils.
Glossy papers are an excellent stamping surface, but they show any imperfections in a stamp. Dye inks take a bit longer to dry on glossy paper and pigment inks will need to be heat set, embossed, or sprayed with a fixative (be sure to use fixative appropriate to your project: workable if you still have more to add, glossy on glossy paper and matte on matte paper).
- Cardstock
- For our purposes, cardstock will be defined as 80 lb. or greater paper. Cardstock is excellent for scrapbook pages, greeting cards, and decorative boxes. You may not always want to use cardstock to actually make cards or boxes, especially if you are using many layers of paper that will bolster the strength of your project.
- Scrapbook
- Paper sold as scrapbook or memory book paper is usually about 60 lbs. This is thin/light enough not to fill a book too fast, but heavy enough to support stamping, embossing, painting, layers of accessories and withstand frequent handling (page turning).
- Vellum
- Vellum is frequently made of cotton. It is translucent, has a smooth finish and is quite brittle. Vellum should be cut, scored, embossed and painted with care. Vellum comes in many weights and colors and patterns. Heavier weights tolerate heat embossing and painting better than lighter weights. Lighter weight vellums are easier to cut, score and dry emboss. When dry embossing vellum, wipe a damp sponge over the surface before using dry emboss tools. A simple way to get a foreground/background effect is to decorate vellum with a foreground image and place over paper decorated with a background image. For instance, emboss or stamp a buterfly on vellum and place over cardstock decorated with a floral background. Painting on the opposite side of the vellum creates a stained-glass effect. In a scrapbook, put a piece of scored and cut vellum framing a picture with a tab to lift the vellum cover to see the picture clearly. Decorate the vellum with stamps--white adds a particularly delicate touch.
- Decorative Papers
- Decorative papers are normal to heavy weight papers with designs and decorations for use as whole sheets or to cut from. Due to the popularity of scrapbooking, there is now a tremendous selection of decorative papers, including lines from non-traditional craft sources such as FiberMark. Or create your own decorative papers with dyes and water. Cover the entire front of a white card with a decorative paper and layer other papers on top of that. The inside of the card will still be white for an easy to use writing surface.
- Paper-Making Kits
- You may also purchase paper-making kits to create your own special papers. Kits can be found online or at your local craft supply stores. Don't limit yourself to just the contents of kits, though. Keep an eye out for new add-ins for your paper. Shells, leaves, string--try it all!
