My name is Cathy Z. and I’m a white cardstock-oholic.
It started out innocently enough. A white photo mat here. A full page white background there. But it has spiraled out of control.
I buy it in bulk from my dealer supplier, scrapbook.com. Bazzill Basics Orange Peel White. I get no kickback from that link other than the sheer thrill of thinking that one more scrapbooker is about to indulge in the thrill that is Bazzill OP White.
It takes ink like a boss.
It goes with literally everything.
Got a patterned paper you can’t quite nail with a particular cardstock color? Hello? Your search is over.
Sometimes, when no one is looking, I press it to my cheek, whispering, “There, there… I’m working on another layout… it’s okay…”
Whenever I start a new layout, I never think to myself, “Hmmm… what color would work best with these photos?”
Rather, I think, “What photos would work best with THIS cardstock?”
And the answer is always the same: ALL OF THEM.
Yes. I have other colors.
But they literally have a fine layer of dust on the top sheet of each shelf.
It’s not just that I’m a shoddy housekeeper, people.
On that you can bet.
But here’s the best part: when I work with white cardstock I feel more creative and I get to make pages that make me happy.
One of the ways I take crap out of scrapbooking in my life is to work within my happiness wheelhouse. Life is tricky enough. I want my hobby to be less so.
Think about the parts of memory keeping that make you happiest; that make you most confident. What aspects are you happily addicted to?
By all means, do tell.
This post has been sponsored by BOPWA (Bazzill Orange Peel White Anonymous). We understand how much you love our paper. We are here to help. True, we have no links to click at this time. For now, just make a page with white cardstock. We’ll be in touch.
veronica says
I share your obsession……we will need to share need a glass of wine to commiserate.
Janet Kemper says
Just so you know…I have developed a love of this exact paper…thanks to you!! 🙂 It is the best!
Pat says
I, too, share your obsession but with cards. 90% of the cards I make use white card stock. The other 10%? I go wild with cream or kraft.
veronica says
Oh my…. NEVER try to say/write something before the first cup of coffee. I guess I “need” that glass of wine already and the day hasn’t even started.
Karen Lee says
Funny. I almost never use plain white. Lots of color and pattern for me, baby!
MaryM says
LOL. Your post almost always make me laugh and smile… THANKS! I have to admit to a certain level of paper-oholism (not sure if that’s the correct spelling), but in my case it’s pattern paper <3. I look at cards and layouts w/tons of white spaces and they freak me out 🙂 I think "how do they keep their project from getting dirty?". I can't even wear a white top w/o getting something on it, so I trend to buy a lot of dark colors.
The novice designer in me can see and admire the beauty and simply elegance of white projects and I have pinned/saved many favorites, you know, for future reference and possible card/scrap lifting. But like your color cardstock they sit on one of my many hard drives and gather visual dust.
susan says
I have a healthy obsession with white…where it gets unhealthy is kraft and black. I will purchase anything in the true Kraft color. I just wish it had some texture to it like the Orange Peel!!
Shari says
I love this one too! Have you found a digital cardstock that has the same texture look to it?
Paul B says
Though I love white (white is good, white is cool) and indeed have plenty of it myself, my true love is colour. I do stray sometimes and indulge my bright white tastes but eventually my colour card calls me back. I’m happy when I’m playing with happy colours. Pxx
Christine says
Writing my journaling. Text boxes and typing it out just make me nuts.
heidig says
White and kraft are pretty much my “go to’s”. They take the guess work out of layouts.
Christine says
My obsession is technology and streamlining. Knowing that I have everything in place, that I know where my stuff is, that technology works for me by backing up, organizing, my fonts sorted, software updated etc. all is as it should be, that gives me the calm and the feeling I can work relaxed without having to stop and look for where that one font is or where that brush with those cute words went.
I’m obsessive I know:-)
Right now I’m unzipping my INSD stuff and will catalog that first before I allow myself to use it and make a layout with it. It’s a matter of putting all unzipped files into their designer folders and move the zips to a back up disk. Not much work at all. After that is done I’m happy, get some espresso, take a deep sigh and enjoy my new goodies.
If you think I’m as organized and obsessive in other areas of my life, no, that’s not the case.:-)
Karen Kelly says
I have been thinking of where I need to cut out some stuff as my budget has now become an actual ‘thing’ with my teaching position being eliminated for next year (I know I’ll work and find something, but just not sure so it’s not entirely all that dramatic 🙂 BUT colored cardstock came to mind as something I should cut. I mainly use white…I always reach for white and my colored cardstock…hundreds and hundreds of sheets rarely get touched!
Nolwenn says
I love white too !
Stupid question: where did you find the storage for your paper ? thanks
Kyla says
Cardstock gets stuck in my printer and it jams and I get angry. So I stick with the white from your Classic Neutrals set and upload to Persnickety. No more anger. Would love to go hybrid. Hard to afford that new printer when you have a digital LT addiction. One day BOPW and I will be friends, as I am already addicted to white space. Lots of addictions here…
Sabrina says
FYI, Bazzill discontinued OP white. I tried to order 4 25-packs last month from Bazzill and it was all gone. The Paper Cut is another company I buy from but I haven’t gotten anything other than 100 pound smooth.
Christine W. says
I love your sense of humor, writing style, and the fact that you don’t give a @#$% that you love (and use) white paper cardstock so much. There’s nothing wrong with that! Keep it up, CZ. And thanks for keeping us (your blog audience) entertained with your wonderful crap-free scrapbooking and writing skills.
Diana Forsyth says
Okay, white is perfect but for those of us 100% digi (my paper cutter and I do not get along) which digi paper best matches the real stuff? Tried making my own and buying others.
bdaiss says
My problem is your communication of your obsession often means the precious is out of stock. 😀
Ann T says
Until I started Copic coloring I only used OP cardstock. I’ve slowly gone through my horde stash of OP White and now just use flat from Staples. My small scrap space sadly doesn’t have room for 2 cropper hoppers full of just white cardstock. I still miss the feel of OP sometimes.
cathy says
Ha! No worries. I just read ‘wine’ and it was all good.
cathy says
Kraft is my second go to. For sure.
cathy says
Yeah, that would be cool. But probably wouldn’t look like the kraft we know and love.
cathy says
I’m just the opposite. I make typos when I hand write. Drives me crazy!
Sue I says
Bazzill OP White seems alive on both the Bazzill site and scrapbook.com. I couldn’t see any reference to it being discontinued. (I am sure that we all hear Cathy’s sigh of relief)
Dena says
Do you print photos on OP White? Or do you print photos on photo paper, then cut and glue onto your OP White pages with text and designs? I’ve been wondering how OP White handles photos. I print my full designs with photos on specialty inkjet fine art or linen paper. I love the texture it adds, but it’s expensive! If OP White works for photos, I’d love to give it a try!
Linda Vanorio says
Cathy,
I use the Bazzil Smooth Marshmello White Cardstock it is about 100# weight. Do you know what weight this BOP Textured Cardstock is??
Thanks
Malin/malwa says
I’m right there with you – although I take mine as “canvas”. 🙂
Britiney @ Consider the Lilies says
Patterned paper. I can’t stop buying it. But it has the opposite effect. I have creative block because they’re all so pretty and I can’t choose one! I’m drowning in the stuff! It’s a sickness.
cathy says
I could totally see having this obsession!
cathy says
Mostly my colored card stock goes for kids craft projects or school projects. Or, even Dan is using card stock on some of his grad school projects.
cathy says
I had it built in 2006 by this awesome dude who had done the shelving work for Archivers. I think I paid about $650 for two cabinets. Best money ever. He no longer makes them, but I totally lucked out.
cathy says
GASP IS RIGHT! I just saw it online. Are you saying I need to stock up???
cathy says
Just in case, I just ordered five more packs.
cathy says
Thanks, Christine. : )
Tammy B says
I love the white op cardstock although my regular printer does not. It doesn’t want to go through the machine and just gets stuck. I do love to use op for cards and scrapbooking – it just adds that little bit of something that you don’t get from smooth white!
cathy says
I have used Katie Pertiet’s papers a ton. Plus, in a few of my paper sets (I have very few!) I have a series called “Toothy” and the ones that have whites… I sort of tried to base that white off of bazzill op white.
This white is one I like for digital: http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/16723
cathy says
I only print photos on photo paper (Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl, another paper that is being discontinued!)
I do not use OP white for photos, but… I have tried it and it’s a cool effect. I think it’s a matter of taste. It’d be worth a try for sure. Whenever I make printable art for my home, I always print it on OP white because of the texture.
cathy says
Man, I want to say it’s like 85#. It’s not as heavy as that paper you’re using, I don’t think. But I’m not 100% sure!
cathy says
Some printers are testy. I love my HP Photosmart. It only has issues with kraft paper, believe it or not. It reads the paper funny sometimes and won’t print on it.
Ruth says
Is there help for patterned paper users? Although I love, love, love your layouts.
Tracy says
Travel scrapbooking is my fave – if you looks at those albums compared to my ‘regular’ ones, you can probably see the difference. I take more time, think harder about design and interesting elements – it is my weakness.
cindy b says
Cathy, interestingly enough this post comes at a weird time for me. I have been battingly an internal problem lately and it’s called: TO MUCH SHIT. Yes, shit… a.k.a. supplies. I am on a life quest to SIMPLY, SIMPLY, SIMPLY and quite frankly I think your post has tipped me to the dark side. And when I say dark side, I mean: sell ALL of my cardstock with the exception of my first love (KRAFT)and possibly NAVY and gulp, I gottabuymore…WHITE. It just makes SO MUCH SENSE?! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?! Oh wait, that’s why I check out your blog.. to give me the slap in the forehead I need to say.. DUH!! Why didn’t I think of that?! Thanks woman!
Cara S says
Started reading this post with a smile – plunged into deep depression when I read the possibility that white op might be discontinued, and then the ultimate tragedy of Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl also being discontinued! They’re my two staple products. Where to now?
andrea says
After you mentioned this paper sometimes in the past I bought it and now it’s my go to product. I really love it! thanks for sharing.
Laurie says
This describes me perfectly!
Laurie says
I love travel scrapbooking too. I tend to use pocket style photo albums (five pockets). It makes designing easy.
Jules says
I haven’t been able to buy the OP in Australia, maybe just as well 😉 but do love white and find with my Silhouette if I want pattern I just use a background file from the SIL and print it on white. This was the reason I justified the purchase of the SIL, I can make my own stuff without having to hoard supplies (other than white cardstock). In my case that also means saving a fortune on postage and on things I hoard because they are `too cute to use’ and then forget about them and buy more ….
Verity says
Glad to see everyone is so enwhitened!
dawn says
Thanks for the laugh this morning! I love white too, found that out after years of frustrated times scrapbooking. Now I know to just reach for the white and all is good.
I haven’t scrapped much since doing PL but this weekend I joined in with the others to help reach that 10,000 layout goal. My goal was 10 layouts on Saturday while at a crop, I did it!! Then came home and did a few more and woke up Sunday to see we hadn’t reached the goal yet. UMMMM we still haven’t reached it and guess who is still scrapping like crazy hoping we get to that goal soon. ME!!
I remember how much fun it is to scrap and do a layout with just photos and words and a little color on a page. So happy that NSD brought this back into my life. Hoping it will stick around even after we meet our goal.
Enjoy your whites!
cathy says
Dawn, yep! That’s kind of me too. Tons of PL (and I love my PL) but when i actually make layouts, I remember how much I love them AND how much i love hybrid/traditional scrapbooking. With, of course, whites.
cathy says
LOL.
cathy says
Yep. It’s always great to have a smooth white to print and cut whatever you want!
cathy says
Yeah, I know. I know the Ilford Gallerie story is true, but I hadn’t heard of this for Bazzill. I’m trying to think who I know at Bazzill that I could ask, but I think they were just bought by someone else. American Crafts, maybe?
cathy says
Purging the shit is always a good plan for crafters!
Holly Corbett says
I use this paper for every layout! I buy it in bulk too!
Tiffany says
My comfort zone is organized scrapbooking. I love clean lines. Though I do embrace embellishments, they must always make sense with the layout (at least in my head!). Mind you I love to look at (and have even dabbled in) the “shabby chic” style of scrapbooking. I enjoy playing around with splatters, layering and the like but I always seem to return to an organized grid. That’s my happy place. As you said Cathy, life is hard enough, no reason to make your hobby more challenging than it has to be.
Gigi says
Ha! your hilarious …….. I only use White, Kraft sometimes Black, but it was in one of your blog posts I found out that you can actually print on OP Bazzill White. Well all my Christmas’s had come at once. I too have stocked up and just love the picture of all that White Cardstock. Clean & Simple……. ooooh I wonder where I heard that from? 🙂
Sally Kemp says
Looking at the photo in this post makes me realize how much I would love to sit in your kitchen and look through all of your family scrapbooks. I’m sure that you have some great designs that you haven’t shared or that I may have missed 🙂
And for the record I also LOVE this paper and buy it in bulk, in both 8.5 x 11 and 12 x 12. Hope they don’t discontinue it. What will be your “go-to” for photos, without the Ilford Pearl??
cindy b says
I need to proof read… SIMPLIFY not SIMPLY.. wth??!!
Els Kooi says
Dare I say it? Ikea big brown paper bags. I’ve made my last three summer journals out of them. Completed with scraps from patterned paper (I bought my last scrapbook sheets 2 yrs ago, I think), flyers from our vacation destinations, postcards, pictures, entry tickets etc. Back to the basics – and Ikea paper bag hacking 🙂
Laura says
I love patterned paper a lot. Seriously, a lot. But when I’m picking my favorite background card stock, it’s always white. Occasionally cream, since I buy too many patterned papers that are cream-based, but I’m trying to cut that out. lol I am loving grid-style layouts (my comfort zone) and lately I’ve been turning older stories (originally posted online) into journaling — so fun to have the story all ready to go with just minor editing.
Melissa says
OMG this made me laugh out loud! I am more of an all-color cardstock person, but definitely cardstock all the way! Love this.