CZ Loves… Gina K. Designs Cardstock and Ink (and she’s just released new colors!)

I’ve decided to start a new blog series called CZ Loves. I realize it may seem cocky to refer to myself in the third person, but people, I’m 52. I believe I’ve reached the point in life where self-referential stuff is not only okay, but quite possibly even demanded of me.

First off you should know two things: 1) I will only share stuff that I truly love and not something that was simply sent to me for free, and 2) I will use affiliate compensation links where applicable because as you know, every little bit helps in the world of a small business entrepreneur. (If you business talk, read my Disclosure statement here.) I will only share crafty tools and products that I believe are a true value to the end user. While I am able to write off my crafty purchases as part of my business, I am as much on a budget as the next person and don’t believe in shilling crap. #crapfreecrafting (Yes, I just made that one up!)

As you may recall, I began making cards in 2017 and with that came an entirely new world of products and companies, many of whom I had never heard of before, because I was firmly in the scrapbook lane. One of those companies was Gina K. Designs.

Aside from being an absolutely delightful human being that I am fortunate enough to now call a friend, Gina’s crafty corner of the internet (and the physical world, as she runs a brick and mortar store, Village Paper and Ink, just outside of Milwaukee), is simply fantastic. She is a warm and gifted instructor (check out her YouTube channel), and a wonderful designer. And her products are equally wonderful.

I have mentioned Gina’s cardstock before, but since discovering it, I’ve used very little else for both my card making and scrapbooking. It’s such a heavy weight and a beautiful smooth texture and the colors are delicious and work for pretty much everything I set out to do. (Note: I made this little swatch ring using some Hero Arts tag dies and my Brother P-Touch labeler for all the Gina K. Designs colors I have. It’s a really great resources when I’m designing a new card project or layout!)

And the other totally cool thing is that she has matching inks (both in mini cube size and full pads) that match nearly every one of her cardstock colors. And they match, as in, spot on!

Not only that, they stamp beautifully.

Let me show you her new colors.

Here are the first four colors: Coral Reef (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock), Tangerine Twist (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock), Key Lime (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock, and officially my new favorite color on the planet!) and Lucky Clover (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock).

Here are the next four: Sea Glass (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock), Tranquil Teal (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock), Plum Punch (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock) and Slate (ink cube, full pad, and cardstock).

I feel like my photos are fairly accurate to what you see in real life. These colors are just beautiful and the best news is that you can purchase them in Collection Packs for both ink cubes and cardstock. Gina has just realeased her 2018 Add-On Ink Colors Collection Pack and the matching 2018 Add-On Cardstock Collection Pack. (And the envelope pack, too!) This cardstock pack comes with three sheets of each color in 8.5 x 11 and would be a great way to try out some of Gina’s papers if you’re new and aren’t sure what to think until you play.

In fact, Gina also offers other cardstock Assortment Packs, grouped by color, and matching mini ink cube packages, again by color, in Neutral, Winter, Spring, Summer  and Autumn palettes.

I went ahead and swatched all of my new colors to add to my swatch collection. (Want to download a free ink swatch template? Read this post, which also has more info by visiting Jennifer McGuire Ink!)

And finally, my mini ink cubes look not only adorable but they are well organized in my Organize More Mini Ink Cube trays.

I am the proud owner of a single Alex 6-drawer rolling unit from IKEA, and this is where I store many crafty items, including my mini ink cubes. I have three trays at present, and Gina gets one all to herself, with room to grow! You can stack two on top of each other in the narrower drawers of this unit. I love it! Every time I open it, happiness pretty much ensues. And it makes my dining room/craft room much more functional!

Whew! That was a lot of CZ Love. But I will tell you this: I think you will love Gina’s products. And I think you will love her YouTube channel. She’s the real deal and I love supporting another fellow woman entrepreneur! They say when you spread the love that all boats rise, so here’s to Gina’s boat and smooth sailing!

Side note: the first image on this post with the wreath of floral images? Made that using Gina’s Wreath Builder tool. Cannot say enough about that thing! (See my video featuring the Wreath Builder here.)

Happy ink and cardstock shopping!

SUPPLIES:

Affiliate links are used in this post and below at no additional cost to you. I receive a small percent of compensation when you click through and shop using the provided links. Thank you!