A Quick Tip for Paper Shopping

Happy Friday!  I have been away for a few days and will be driving home today - just in time to get ready for our next major snowstorm.  Is anyone else hoping that Spring will arrive soon?

I have another super quick tip for you today.  If you love to buy paper (and I think most of you share my paper addiction...)  be sure to check both sides.  More and more papers are manufactured as double sided papers.  In most cases one side is the "front" with the bolder or more thematic design for the paper line.  The other side (the "B" side) is often a solid, a more subtle pattern or coordinating small print.

I love to go to my local store to see and buy the latest papers - who can resist something fresh and new?  However, I often find last season papers at stores like Tuesday Morning, Marshall's or T.J. Maxx.  Sometimes they are sold in stacks but you are also likely to find packs of 25 or so sheets of the same paper.  The price can be very low ($3.99 or even $1.99 for 25 sheets of paper or cardstock that originally sold for about $1 a sheet).

Of course, unless you are teaching classes or making kits, you might not want 25 sheets of the same paper.  You can get together with a friend or two or three and split up the paper packs to get a nice variety of options.  If you like to make mini albums or sets of cards you might want to keep the entire pack of paper for your own use.

 

This is the "front" of the paper that I used for the anniversary card I shared a few days ago.  It is a pretty shimmer paper but the front side is clearly meant to be used for a wedding layout.  I don't think I would use this side of the paper more than once or twice...

However,  I really like papers that shimmer so I was thrilled to see the back side of this paper.  It has a pretty overall design that I can use over and over.

This is the "front" of another paper.  The pink flourish limits the usefulness of the black and white dot design.  I probably wouldn't use the full sheet of paper very often but I might trim it down to use small sections of the dotted design.

On the opposite side of the paper is this lovely pink damask style design.  This side would be more useful for me so I bought the pack of 25.

It is also a good idea to take a careful look at the seasonal papers that are often marked down significantly after the holiday has passed.  I just bought this K & Company 12 x 12 paper pad for 70% off.  When I flipped through the pages I found that there were many pieces with one side that could be used for more than Valentine's Day projects.

This is the front of one paper - I like it but wouldn't use it often...however...

...the bright red background filled with colorful dots on the other side would be very useful.

Here is another page - front (above) and back (below).

This is another more "generic" option and I like the option of having more than one colorway of a design.

The red and blue dotted papers could be fun to use together.

Here is a final example - the bold circus style "XOXOX" design on the front limits your options..

and the tiny pattern on the back side is much more versatile.

The pattern looks like tiny dots but it is actually tiny hearts. 

The biggest problem I have with double sided papers is that sometimes I like both sides equally - and then it is hard to decide which side to use (so I end up hoarding some of those papers).  Do you like two sided papers or single side prints better?

I hope that you are snug and warm and that this next snowstorm is not too challenging.  Our son and his girlfriend are due to fly home during the storm so we are keeping our fingers crossed that they won't have serious delays...and considering the possibility of living in a more moderate climate!


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