My Favorite Cardstock Brands - And Where To Find Them

 

My Favorite Cardstock, The Experts Favorite Card Stock Selections, Price Comparisons, And A Look At My Paper Storage

If you had told me 3 years ago that I'd eventually be buying more paper than vinyl, I'd have laughed and thought that was extremely unlikely.  And yet, here we are...  with paper projects on my desk every week, and vinyl only pulled out once every month or so!  [That may be partially because I put vinyl & htv on EVERYTHING the first two years I had a cricut....  LOL! ]  

When I first started with paper projects, I felt like a kindergartner.  [A glue stick is still my preferred glue for most layered projects... ] My projects were messy.  They sometimes still are, but they have definitely come a long way.  Mostly because I settled on better papers.  Not expensive papers - I'm too frugal for that, for the most part.  Just BETTER paper.  I almost always buy something with some texture, or pearlized, or frosted now.  

And I don't just stock up on all the colors - I buy the colors I truly love. Which are, most commonly, very deep jewel tones, which can be more difficult to find.  Cardstock manufacturers sure do like their brights and pastels. 

These are the papers I buy most often.   They have all cut well for me, on a regular basis - and they tend to be the best deals I have found.    I do buy most of my paper locally, rather than online - at least the first time I purchase it.  Too often I find that the color shown on my screen is not true to what it looks like in person.  Once I know I love a particular pack, I'll buy it online, but only if shipping is free or it's a fantastic sale.

After I list my favorites, I tell you about what Dreaming Tree, Jennifer Maker, & Lia Griffith,  recommend, as well.

And then if you scroll WAY down to the bottom of this post, I share how I organize and store my paper and paper scraps, too.

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This is my favorite white.  And my favorite textured black as well.

Textured, and it's about 14 cents a sheet.  $5.44 for a 40 sheet pack at Wal-Mart.

I watch for it on Amazon (because I rarely shop at Wal-Mart) but they frequently only have smooth in stock - I prefer the textured.  When I DO go to Wal-Mart, it is common for me to buy 4 or more packs of this.  I really love this paper.

But not ALL Of this paper.  Their textured colors are ok, but they never have a lot of colors I really like.  And I just don't like the colors texture as well as the plain black and white.  They almsot seem like different brands

 DO NOT BUY THE COLORBOK GLITTER CARDSTOCK!!!  

Not for a cutting machine, anyway. It's fibrous, layered, and absolutely miserable.  

The pack on the left is my most often purchased.  The Paper Studio brand is from Hobby Lobby, and it's my go to favorite, because it's on sale 40% off every other week. It cuts well, and it comes in the deep colors I tend to prefer.  Note the price differences on the different packs.  This is common - different colors are different prices.  Obviously, the one I love most is the most expensive...  It was completely sold out when I was in our local store last week.  

When it is on sale, the ONLY time I purchase it, it works out to about 20 cents a sheet.

The individual sheets, which I frequently buy because it's the only way to stock up on the colors I really want, is about 48 cents a sheet when it's 40% off.

Also, 8.5x11 packs are less expensive - when they can be found.  It's been harder and harder, locally,  to find a good selection in that size.

Park Lane Cardstock is carried by Jo Anns

And it's somewhat frequently 50% off.

https://amzn.to/446RxQv

I love this paper.  It cuts beautifully.  There are different textures - one of the packs I have feels almost like a linen, it's a gorgeous look and feel. But again, the colors...  there ARE darks.  But they are less common, and I've only been able to find them in packs that also include brights.  Their "jewel tone" pack, while gorgeous, is so much brighter than my personal preference.  Still, I do use a lot of this.

When it is on sale, it works out to about 18 cents a sheet.

I love this "glitter" cardstock from the Dollar Tree.

It's not really glitter - as in there is nothing loose on top of the paper, it's just really sparkly and glittery looking, while being completely smooth to the touch.
It cut beautifully - even that little balloon stem is perfectly cut and smooth.

4 sheets for $1.25 - or about 31 cents a sheet.

I used to buy only Recollections brand from Michaels - but our local store doesn't carry nearly as many colors anymore.  It's more difficult to find textures there, and their sales have just not been impressive. 

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RECOMMENDED 

BY OTHERS

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How many times have I said it?  What works for me may not work for you, and what works for you may not work for me. And that is OK!  The goal is to find what works best for you, and unfortunately, sometimes that takes a lot of trial and error.    For instance, I don't know why the AC cardstock, that so very many Dreaming Tree users, does not work for me.  I find it to be miserable to work with.  Maybe I got a bad batch.  Maybe it's just me.  I just know I was not impressed.  That doesn't mean you won't be.   Remember, I'm just a farm wife who crafts.  :-)

 Here's what a few of the most popular paper crafters use and recommend:

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If I were to buy more expensive paper, I, personally, would shop the Lia Griffith Brand.

Because I love her color selections in her projects, and her paper flower projects are just exceptional.

But it's pricey - at about $1 a sheet for the frosted 12x12.

I did buy a pack of her crepe paper for making flowers - but I haven't tried it yet.  

https://amzn.to/3CYT2Ei

(I tell you all all the time to NOT pay to subscribe to websites until you see what is available for free.  Try out the various FREE designs, see what you like, then support the designers who created the projects you really enjoyed.  Some day when I have more time, I'd like to subscribe to Lia Griffith for a year.  I don't have enough time to get my monies worth out of a subscription right now...  but some day.  I LOVE her projects.)

Dreaming Tree recommends American Craft Cardstock, and I heard from a lot of paper crafters that they use this brand.  I ordered one pack last year, and I was not at all impressed.  It's more expensive than what I typically buy, and it simply does not cut well for me.  I've tried a variety of settings, but every time I use this paper I know I need to check carefully before removing the mat - I frequently need to cut twice.  https://amzn.to/46uj1Rz
I do really love the illustrations on their paper packs though!  :-)

Jennifer Maker likes the Clear Path Cardstock found on Amazon.  It's $25 for a 50 pack of 12x12, for 65 lb weight,  making it about 50 cents a sheet.    I've never tried this one - and unless there's a MUCH better sale, I'm not likely to purchase it personally.
https://amzn.to/3NYkXL6

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PAPER STORAGE

This is taken from a much longer post on 

Where My Cricut Lives

My Laundry Room Craft Space

You can see that here:https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/01/where-my-cricut-lives-see-my-laundry.html

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Here's a better look at my paper storage.  The bulk of my 12x12 paper is in cardboard holders. They are holding up ok, and were inexpensive, but I'd like to replace them with something more solid - probably plastic - eventually.

 My 8.5x11 cardstock is in the bottom file drawer of the armoire. 

 To sort my cardstock, I use accordion style file folders - the type with enclosed sides.  I glued cardstock to the top of each to color coordinate.  Cardstock scraps go inside the folders, full pages behind the folder.  (I used to store my sticker and iron on paper here, but as I got more and more into paper crafting, those moved up to the 12x12 storage box, so that I have more room in this drawer)

I keep a tray on the pull out drawer under my maker, where I toss all of my scraps

Every few weeks, I pull out my paper trimmer and trim up all of my scraps - both paper and vinyl -  then I sort them and put them away.

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Find free svgs for 3d Paper Projects here:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-3d-paper-cutting-files-for-cricut.html

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/06/making-paper-flowers-with-cricut-index.html