Saturday, 26 July 2014

Lucy Recommends - Post 3

OK - so I got back from vacation to find that someone (Hi Hannah!) had left a comment on one of my recent posts asking about some glitter cardstock. So, I thought it made sense (and would be fun) to do a quick review. 
First, let me state here that I love glitter. I don't care if I get glitter all over the house… I regularly find it in my girls' hair, in the bath, in the car… and that's how I roll. :)
However, I know that lots of fellow cardmakers do not like it. So for all of you - I hope this helps.

I chose three glitter card stocks that I own to compare - Doodlebug Sugar Coated Card, my nearest craft store's own brand, and DCWV Glitter Cardstock Stacks. These opinions are all my own - and they are honest.
First up, the Doodlebug card. I love this card - it's super heavyweight, comes in lots of yummy colours that coordinate with all the Doodlebug embellies, and it works brilliantly in the Silhouette and Cuttlebug. But it does shed. Quite a bit.
I did a little test for you - I ran my finger quite firmly over the card and this was the result:
(Please ignore my wonky cut fingernail!!!!! I am no Kristina Werner when it comes to nail care...)
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Not much - but definitely enough if you don't love glitter...
When I use this card I do find that there are bits of glitter everywhere… and there's lots of residue in the box in which I store it. For me, this is not a problem. But if you don't like glitter so much then this is not the product for you.

My next experiment was with the own brand card. I got mine from a British craft store called Hobbycraft. It's the biggest craft store chain in the UK. I bought their own brand metallic coloured glitter card. And I'm sad to say that it's not very good… the plus side - it was very inexpensive, but there is a reason for this. It is SUPER flaky. Glitter everywhere… and it is not very smooth either. The online description does warn that some glitter may be loose (nice to see an honest product description!) - and my finger test proves it:
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I am sad to say I will not be buying this one again, and certainly not using it in my machinery…

Finally, DCWV. Now in my opinion this is the bees knees of glitter cardstock. Just look:
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Literally no flakes. And I tried the test three times.
The DCWV card comes in lots of different shades - I have the gorgeous neutrals (the silver in this is simply delicious), the beautiful Jewels, and the fun Brights.
    
The Brights collection is currently my favourite so I thought I'd share a closer peek…
You get 6 colours of card in the pad, and 3 pieces of each colour. Here they are in a bit more detail from different angles:
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Really, truly delicious. Without the mess. :)
So, I got busy and made a little card set to show you how gorgeous the Brights pad really is.
I used Paper Smooches Rainbow Wise die and stamps from Simon Says Stamp's From Us stamp set.
Here are some instructions:
First, die cut the rainbow from all 6 colours of glitter card in the pad. 
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Tip: die cut the rainbows from the top part of the card where the hole is. This will save your precious card from getting used up too quickly. :)
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Separate out the rainbows into their pieces.
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Die cut the rainbow again from three pieces of white card and discard the white rainbow shapes. Stamp the sentiments. TIP: I found it useful to draw faint pencil lines under my rainbows to help stamp my sentiments straight.
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Adhere the die cut white card to a notecard.
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Make sure there is plenty of adhesive behind the die cut rainbow.DSC_0498
Finally, slot the rainbow pieces into place. 
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And voila - 3 cards for the price of 1. And you could actually make 6 and avoid any waste!
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OK - so there you have it. Some reviews and recommendations for you, AND a card set!
Phew. That's a lot for a very hot Saturday. We're melting in England at the moment!  (This country is not built for heatwaves…) :)
OK - have a fab weekend!
Bye for now.
Supplies

10 comments:

  1. Thanks, Lucy....I have been thinking about getting some DCWV glitter card for a while and you have made up my mind :) Love the rainbow cards - so cool!

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  2. Great comparison... I don't mind the glitter flaking off, but the recipient may not be as accommodating! I've always loved DCWW cardstock, and now ,ust get glitter as well!

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  3. Great review, Lucy, thanks, Jo x

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  4. I die cut a word from some DoCrafts glitter cardstock that I got from Wilkinsons (severely lacking in craft stores round here!) just yesterday. It didn't cut very well so by the time I had manhandled the die cut out of the card, there was hardly any glitter left on some of the letters and I was finding glitter all over myself for the rest of the day! Maybe I should invest in DCWV...

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  5. This was a lovely product share and tutorial. And the result is wonderful. Thanks for sharing. BTW, I'm in California...it's 103 degrees farenheit today. I'm not built for this, either.

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  6. Great comparison, Lucy! Although I tend to only use glitter cardstock for Christmas cards, I do love the "wow" impact it has. I really do like your rainbow cards, so I might have to start using some glitter year round.

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  7. I discovered the DCWV glitter paper last fall and I love it! I never use anything else anymore. Love your rainbow cards!

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  8. I totally agree!! I have a 6x6 pad of DCWV glitter cardstock in 'The Glitzy Pastels'. None of the glitter comes off and the colours are divine. I don't want this pad to ever run out!!

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  9. Thanks for the recommendation, Lucy! I always enjoy learning about fellow crafters' favorite products!!!

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  10. Hi Lucy! Wow. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this post. A very interesting read (and card tutorial). A real help when I next pick up some glitter CS. :) I usually buy Core'dinations glitter CS as I tend to make a lot of 8x8 cards and their sheets come in 12x12 (it's high quality as you would expect from them and next to no glitter rub off) but it can be expensive. The DCWV brights set looks absolutley gorgeous and that, besides the price, would be another downfall to the Core'dinations- their brights can sometimes be lacking. Anyway, I'm rambling! I just love glitter cardstock! Thank you once again, Lucy. :)

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Thanks for your lovely comments. I really appreciate each and every one.