Thursday, June 1, 2017

Something New: Gmund No Color & No Bleach Organic Card Stock and Paper

Today I'm trying a new-to-me card stock and paper line from a  favorite
card stock company!

And...
After creating just one card....
I can say....This line...is right up my alley!

Before I even tried this card stock...when it was still sealed up in it's packaging...
I knew that "it" and I were going to hit it off
and that this would be the beginning of a wonderful friendship!

Today I am sharing a card created with my first time trying this fabulous card stock.

My sampler package included a selection of
111lb Cover Weight Card Stock in both No Color and No Bleach
81 lb Text Weight (Paper)....also in No Color and No Bleach
and an assortment of coordinating envelopes.

I decided to create a card with the No Bleach 111b card stock
which "looks" like Kraft Card stock.
However..this is not ordinary "Kraft" card stock
It has a fantastic feel...along with some visible texture and fibers 
which make it nothing like ordinary Natural or Kraft types of card stock.
and...
At 111 lbs it has the hefty weight that I prefer for card bases...matting and die cutting.

As soon as I touched this card stock...I was excited!
Not only is it very hefty...but it actually "feels" natural...
(Exciting for me...who loves texture!)
and...
BONUS!!!.....It's Organic!

For this card...
I chose the stamps that I wanted to use 
from Stampendous' Spring Tweets stamp set.
I also use the coordinating dies for the chosen images.
I stamped the images on white Ultra Smooth Card Stock...
and colored each image with Polychromos Pencils.
I blended the pencil coloring on each image with a Spectrum Noir Alcohol Blender marker
then die cut each image.

I stamped the branch image directly onto the No Bleach card stock. 
I colored the branch ...then blended the coloring the same way that I did the other images.
Even with texture...this card stock worked well 
for pencil coloring that is blended with an Alcohol Based Blender marker.
The blender marker moves the pencil coloring around a bit
which "fills" in the paper's textured surface a bit.
What I wound up with was a smooth looking colored branch...
surrounded by natural textured card stock
I added some background color to the natural card stock around the branch
with Clarity Stencil Brushes and ink lifted from a few different ink pads.
(Orange and yellow)
I matted the Natural card stock with Azalea colored Stardream 105lb Metallic Card Stock.
The pink mat layer was perfect for the tiny pop of color that this card needed!

When it all came together...
this is what I had...
I popped the mama bird...the nest...and the little grouping of flowers up on foam dimensionals.
I embellished the card with a few Rosewater Nuvo Jewel Drops.
The sentiment banner was hand cut and matted with the Azalea Metallic card stock
and positioned with foam dimensionals as well.
You can see the inked area behind the bird and earned the birds nest.
I am very happy what my decision to use this Gmund No Bleach card stock for this card...
It gives a nice earthy...natural feel to this card...which is the look that I was going for!

This photo really shows the card stock texture nicely...
Fantastic, I think... if you like natural looking card stock...
To me...this is equivalent to Kraft card stock...kinda...sorta....
and...souped up...and on steroids!
And...
it's organic! 


Another first for me when creating this card was using Nuvo Jewel Drops!
One try....and...I think that I am hooked!
I Love Love Love that they dry clear...like little droplets of glass.
(Also...in this photo...another great look at the fantastic texture on this card stock.)



So...
The verdict is....(??)
My first try with this card stock leads me to say...FABULOUS!
I really like the feel...the fact that it's not smooth to the touch...
I love the fibers...they're visible...but they don't overpower the overall look 
of this card stock.
I also love the color of the No Bleach card stock...
and I LOVE that it's organic!
It's similar to Kraft card stock...which I have always enjoyed working with...
But...
this Gmund card stock kicked the Kraft-look up a few big notches!
I'm happy that this card stock is user friendly for pencil coloring 
when the coloring is blended with an alcohol marker
(as seen with the stamped...colored and blended tree branch on this card.)

I'm really glad that I was asked to give this card stock & paper collection a test drive!
Please know...I am NOT affiliated with LCI...
nor will I profit from any orders that you might place via the links that I provide here today.
I was simply asked to try out a product ...as a card maker.

So there you have it...my first card created with Gmund No Bleach 111lb card stock...
(and LCI's Stardream Metallic card stock...
which I use almost daily ...in a wide assortment of colors... on most of the cards that I create)

If you'd like to check out this Gmund collection at the LCI Paper web site
you can see it HERE

I'm looking forward to creating a few more cards with the No Color 
and...the No Bleach card stock and paper soon...
I'll be sure to share them here...
and will tell you all about the No Color version...just as i did with the No Bleach version.

Thanks for visiting  today my crafty and creative friends..
It's always fun to tell one another about new card making products...
Today I was happy to share some info with you about this fantastic card stock.
Have a great day!
Michelle. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to comment!