Hiya, it’s Emma From Pumpkinsputnik here. I got to test the ‘Invitation Greeting Card Delux Heavy Weight Lightly Textured 290g’ (quite a mouthful!) and the ‘Creative Stickers Matt A4’ from Photo Paper Direct for the GCM.

As a designer who makes notebooks and greetings cards, I was very interested to see what the card would be like.  I’ve always found it hard to find decent card to use which was heavy enough to give a professional finish but would fit through my printers – I plumped for watercolour card in the end as it gives me the result I’m looking for and I use it for the covers of my notebooks as well as for note cards.

Firstly I was really pleased with the weight of this card from Photo Paper Direct – at 290g it’s not much thinner than the watercolour card I use.  It has a lovely texture too, subtle but enough to notice.  I’m lucky enough to use a large HP Photosmart Pro printer which I use for most of my products, so I used it first to test the card – it can take any size card up to A3 and 2.5mm thick, so it easily managed this one.

The results are lovely, the colours are really clear and bright and the detail is superb.  The card only seems to come in A5 size, which I can use in my HP without any problem and print edge to edge, it does limit the size of your finished card to A6 or smaller though.  I also have a small Canon all-in-one that I use mostly for office printing, but I thought I’d give it a go too, just to compare the difference.  Unfortunately the Canon won’t do borderless printing on A5 so it didn’t really work with my designs – however the quality of print was still pretty good and the colours bright.

So, overall I was very impressed with the card, the quality and finish are great, very professional and reasonably priced too.  I would consider using it for greetings cards in the future, but not for the notebook covers.

I also got a couple of sheets of A4 sticker paper to test.  I’ve never used this kind of sticker paper before so didn’t really know what to expect.  The paper is a lovely quality again, very bright white and smooth.  I shrunk some of my designs down to small sticker-size and printed them on my HP for a good quality print and I didn’t really lose much detail at all.  I don’t have a fancy shape cutter, so I used my guillotine and corner-cutter to make them my signature square with rounded corners.  I think they look pretty good and would easily stand up to my Moo stickers.

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GIVEAWAY

We have a pack of 12 blank heavy weight greetings cards as reviewed, plus some of Emma’s lovely cards and stickers to give away. To enter, just visit the Craft Paper section of the PPD website and leave a comment here saying what paper you’d most like to try. Giveaway closes at 12pm on Sunday 12th September when we’ll pick a winner at random. Good luck!

Big thanks to everyone who came along to our Zine Workshop last weekend at Welcome Home. It was a fun afternoon of talking, reading and making zines. You can read a report back from the workshop and see some of the zines people made over at my own blog.

If you couldn’t make it along then don’t worry, as you can join in the Zine Challenge. Sign up and pledge to make a zine by the end of the year! There’s also a Flickr group where you can share photos, ask questions, discuss zinemaking and promote your finished zines, and I’m currently making a Zine Challenge pack with an expanded version of the mini zine about zinemaking I gave away at the workshop.

Remember, zines are whatever you want them to be so don’t be scared and come join us!

(workshop photo by Jen Collins, Japan zines made by Emma at the workshop)

Make your own tote bag at The Life Craft

Fancy sewing yourself something new, useful and 100% totally you? Glasgow Craft Mafia member, Blotted Copybook, is hosting a workshop at her brand new bricks and mortar craft salon extraordinaire, The Life Craft. For £25 you’ll get everything you need, including expert tuition and scrummy materials. There’s lots on hand to browse while you’re there, including cake! If you can’t make it in person, more workshops are lined up in future, and you can shop via the website here:www.thelifecraft.co.uk

Click here for full details on how to book your place, or phone the shop on 0141 334 2722 – you’ll find them on Great Western Road in the heart of Glasgow’s West End.

Edinburgh Festival

Maybe you’re keeping it Eastside this weekend? There’s lots going on in Edinburgh, with the Fringe and Festival in full swing. You can find Glasgow’s own Dazed Dorothy, Breagha, Suzy Loves and Gillian Kyle at the West End Fair at St John’s Churchyard, just next to Princes Street Gardens, every day until 29 August from 11-6.

Ravelry Meetups

Ravelry members in both Edinburgh and Glasgow can get social with meetups in both cities – weather permitting – on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. On Saturday the venue is the Meadows, right next to Middle Meadow Walk, with the meet starting at 2pm. On Sunday, the meet takes place in or near Kibble Palace, in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens. If you belong to Ravelry, bring your yarn, needles and perhaps some treats to share with your fellow members. Get more info by logging on at www.ravelry.com – we heard all about it from Scottish fibre artist blogger The Sun Room.

Here’s hoping the weather holds!

The Glasgow Craft Mafia has a zine workshop happening this Sunday.

Since the invention of the printing press individuals have published their own opinions in leaflet and pamphlet form but making zines (short for magazines and fanzines) became a mass movement in the 1970s inspired by the DIY ethos of the punk movement and the arrival of cheap photocopying. Zinemaking has now become an affordable way for artists and writers to self-publish their work

With sites like Etsy and Folksy bringing the DIY word to a new generation of creatives, there’s never been a better time to try zinemaking for yourself. Zinemakers and illustrators Marceline Smith (Asking For Trouble) and Jen Collins (hellojenuine) will host a relaxed and informal zine workshop at Welcome Home this Sunday for anyone who wants to find out more. They’ll give you the lowdown on zinemaking, answer your questions and help you make your own mini zine. You can also browse a selection of zines from the last 20 years or buy some contemporary zines and self-published books from Welcome Home’s special display.

Sunday, 8 August, 2010
Welcome Home, 19 Keith Street, Glasgow G11 6QQ
2pm-4pm
Free Entry

Hope to see you there!

Long time friend of the Mafia and one time member Hannah Zakari is expanding her successful online boutique into a real life shop. Situated in Candlemaker Row, the new shop will stock all your favourite indie designers from the UK and beyond. Pop in on opening day for tea and biscuits, and the chance to collaborate with Dazed Dorothy and Eclectic Shock on some unique jewellery and accessories.

Hannah Zakari, 43 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QB

Over on Bread Street, The Spider and The Fly is a pop-up gallery space, filled with original art work and prints and a quirky boutique stuffed to the brim with handmade treasures from the best indie designers around. Join them from 12pm for live music by Julia’s Daughters, wine, cake and the chance to make a fox face mask with Kirsty Anderson of Wooden Tree.

The Spider and The Fly, 65 Bread Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9HA

Made in the Shade returns to Edinburgh this weekend with GCM members Much Too Fun and Asking For Trouble amongst the 42 designer makers, vintage sellers and creative businesses including fellow Glaswegians Laura Donald, Angharad Jefferson, Magic Alice, Neil OSM, Clare Nicolson Morag Macpherson Textiles and Gillian Kyle. Plus there’s cakes galore from Auntie M’s Cake Lounge, hurray.

Saturday 24th July from 10:30 – 5pm at the Roxy Art House, Edinburgh

Up North you’ll find our friends in the newly formed North East Craft Mafia at Tea Cosy Carousel, a weekend-long art, craft and design fair.

24/25 July from 10am – 4pm at The Academy, Aberdeen.

Glasgow has a good showing at the latest Bust Craftacular in London this Saturday. Elaine Eckford will be flying the GCM flag plus amongst the 60+ stalls you’ll find Miso Funky’s emo-broidery and a range of GCM folks work at All Things Original. Not to mention DJ action from Made in the Shade.

Saturday July 10th from 12pm – 7pm at York Hall, London E2 9PJ

Granny Would Be Proud in Hillhead Library from 10am to 4pm on Saturday the 3rd of July

Say No To Plastic in Oran Mor from 12pm to 5pm on Sunday the 4th of July

If you follow any of our members on Twitter, you’ll know that on Monday nights at 9pm, a fair few of us are glued to the telly. We’ve been watching retail expert Mary Portas give advice to struggling outlets on how to improve the shopping experience for customers, and how to sell, sell, sell without selling out.

Although we only currently have one bricks and mortar retailer amongst our number, Rachael Albert, who you’ll find in Glasgow’s DeCourcey’s Arcade, the tips Mary gives can often be applied to online shopkeeps like us – as well as giving great advice to keep shoppers savvy, too.

There are a couple of extra special reasons to watch tonight’s episode, however, as the shop in question specialises in the gifts/handmade market AND features the work of two Glasgow Craft Mafia members. Keep your eyes peeled for the graphic design expertise of Much Too Fun’s Mhairi Mackenzie, and the sometimes graphic designs of Miso Funky – our resident cross-stitcher extraordinaire!

Why not settle down in front of BBC2 and pop over to Twitter this evening, follow @queenofshops for her thoughts and insights on filming as the episode unfolds, and join in the conversation!

We’re having a trunk show as part of the Hidden Lane Festival on Saturday 26th June from 12pm til 5pm.

Come along, meet our members, have a look at their work and get crafting!