Product Shuffle : Cardstock

Good morning to you all!
Let's get this month of May off to a great start with another installment of Product Shuffle.  We get down to the basics and play with something that is guaranteed to be in your own craft stash.  Cardstock!  Some of us still use it on every layout, but more and more people seem of forget to use them, opting instead for pattern paper as it adds more depth to the page.  So dust off your cardstock and let me show you some new ways to add them to your page and add depth and dimension as well.
Along with the cardstock, I played with the Now and Then collection by My Mind's Eye.  The paper in this gorgeous collection is so playful on one side and more vintage on the other side.  It is very versatile and could be used for many different occasions. 

There are also many different accessories that coordinate with this collection, like the small Flair Pins that I added to the layout.  They are just so cute!

So let's get down to it.  How do I normally use cardstock?  I usually use it as the base of my layout.  I like my page to be sturdy so I usually glue everything down on cardstock.  I also like to mat my pictures and sometimes my pattern paper on cardstock.  For this layout I did the same, but with a twist.  I used my trusty dry embossing stylus and my trusty cutter as a guide to emboss lines across my base page and my picture mat.  Using the notch where the cutter usually glides and the measurements on the cutter, I get straight and even lines with my stylus.  

Now have you ever been at a crop and you forgot your twine or your hemp. Or you simply could not find the specific shade of twine you needed to thread you button?  I've got the solution for you!  Use your cardstock!  Cut the smallest sliver of paper you can and there you have it!  Both buttons on my layout have paper thread in them from the navy blue cardstock I used as the base and as the mats.

I also used paper to thread the banner.  Perfectly coordinated twine.

Here is my finished layout.

 

To complete the layout I used Close to my Heart cardstock, Bo Bunny, Prima and Maya Road flowers, Thickers by American Crafts, blooming ribbon by Tim Holtz and an acetate butterfly by  Studio Calico.  

I hope you like it and I hope you tune in next week for another product shuffle where I use the vintage side of this same collection.

Also, be sure to check out the blog and the Facebook page this Saturday for loads of surprises for National Scrapbooking Day.  You will not want to miss it!

Product Shuffle: Cardstock Only

Happy Spring! I don't know about you guys, but I am sure ready for some warmer spring weather!

Today I have a cardstock only layout to share with you. This was tough for me because I normally use only patterned papers in my scrapbooks. I use them for the backgrounds and for matting and other accents on my page. For this page, I was given several sheets of Core'dinations cardstock. If you're not familiar with this cardstock, let me tell you about it. It's really awesome. This cardstock does not have a white core. This cardstock is colored all the way through! It has a canvas texture on one side and is smooth on the other side.

The colors I used on my layout are: Exotic Orchid, Aqueduct, and Black Magic - Hex. Let me tell you about this black magic Core'dinations collection. The cardstock is black and the core is a pretty bright color (like pink).

What makes the colored core so great is that you can distress this cardstock to let the core show. Sand it, tear it, score it, and edge distress it.

Enough talking. Here's my layout.

I sanded the black cardstock so the pink core could show through. It looks really cool. I also used a distressing edger tool. There is a page of videos on the Core'dinations website with several techniques.

As far as a cardstock only layout, it turns out there are many ways to spice up your page. I used a Studio Calico mask and two colors of Heidi Swapp Color Shine (mustard and primrose) on the background. I used my punches to add some heart accents and border strips. I also stamped on some cardstock, fussy cut the shapes, and added them to my page.

I hope this has provided some inspiration for you! I'd love to see you upload your pages to the LCOM gallery.