Today I want to talk about cards. I have just created a couple of new lines to add to my collection. I absolutely love coming up with new designs, naming them all and then printing them up on my amazing Canon image PROGRAF PRO 300. There is such a sense of satisfaction knowing that I have been in total control from start to finish with my designs. But what is in a card?

I have learnt many things since starting to print for myself. There is good quality card stock and then there is ‘card stock’ not so much!! But thankfully, also something in between. Oddly, and to my surprize, I have discovered there really aren’t that many choices of good quality, heavy duty, art print card stock papers in Australia to select from. I have been looking for a sturdy, robust card, and I have bought many bundles from various places, often only to find that the quality of the print is compromised (even using a fancy, top of the range printer) due to the card stock not being actual art print paper. But the good quality, heavy 300gsm art print papers are quite expensive, making the cards not such a viable option. These days it is so important to keep costs to a minimum, I want to reach as many people as possible with my designs and spread a little colour and joy.

Having a bunch of different quality card stocks here has caused me to be a little inventive and push my design skills. What hasn’t been suitable for my art prints has enabled me to come up with a range of quote cards. I am into positivity, if you believe it, you can make it happen! So this set of four cards is all about believing in yourself. I hope you like them. These are a sturdy 300gsm card, but not an actual ‘art print’ card. For my art prints I have settled on a 230gsm Red River Polar Matte card. They are a little bendy, but using this card stock means I can keep all the cards at the same reasonable price for all of my designs. It was important to find an art print card for my newest range of photo prints. These are a really fun line, fabulously bright vege pics from my own garden and beautiful images I have snapped on my walks around the Murrundi Reserve wetland in Wellington. And you can see from my new turtle card ‘A Helping Hand’, you just never know who you are going to meet here!