What is your Favorite Background Paper?

When I started stamping several years ago, I mean REALLY stamping (as opposed to my 3 rubber stamps I had before that), I had no idea I was entering a world unknown to me. I'd been a crafter all my life. I'm sure I was making macaroni necklaces at an early age! At first I stamped on a white card with colored ink. Then I found 2 step stamps and stamped on a white card with 2 colors of ink! LOL! I moved on to layering things. However, I was still in stamping infancy.

Then. It. Happened. IT. I was at my friend Stephanie's house and another friend was there talking about card making. Maybe we had just finished a Stampin' Up party. I really don't know. I just remember them talking about "Scrapbook paper." I asked if they made a lot of scrapbook pages. They did, but they also mentioned card making. I must have had the deer in the headlights look because they looked at each other and one said, "She doesn't know about using scrapbook paper on cards!" I didn't. And honestly, it seemed like all too much to think about at the time.

Over time I started checking out the scrapbook paper. I discovered my best bang for my buck was something called, "The Slab." If you've been around paper arts for a while you know what I mean. By the time I got in on this I think they were on "The Slab V." Um, that's Roman Numeral talk for 5. In case you wondered. Oh, a WHOLE stack of pretty paper! Well, it seemed pretty. At the time anyway.

The next step was reading this name over and over on Splitcoast Stampers, "Basic Grey." First, I could not see ANY grey paper in these cards. NONE. I also could not figure out why so many people were suddenly into grey. Basic Grey no less. Seriously, how much CAN you do with a basic shade of grey? I don't know how I figured it out, maybe I had to ask, but I did learn that Basic Grey was a company. Oh, my. A whole new world was opened to me. Except for one thing: I only bought paper at Hobby Lobby or Michael's when it was on sale. In those days neither store carried Basic Grey. I did find some paper by a company called "Daisy D's" that was a good fix for a while. I also discovered that if I took some of my Slab paper and distressed it (okay, so it was called "rubbing ink on the edges to make it look dirty" in my mind at that time), it would kind of sort of look like BG paper.

Eventually I ordered some Basic Grey, and then Hobby Lobby began carrying it. I LOVE Basic Grey paper. I drool over Basic Grey.

I have to confess, though, I have another secret (or not so secret) love. It seems that my affection grows fonder with each new pad of paper. It's a good thing my checking account dictates where I spend my money, and we DO like to eat now and then, so I do not go hog wild on purchasing things like background paper. Usually. My other love is K & Company. I actually had some K & Co. small pads from Michael's before I had a clue what kinds of papers they made. Or maybe they didn't make these amazing papers back then. I recall there being a Scrapbook section, then this separate section with K & Co. products in a different part of Michael's.

Apparently this attraction to pretty paper is genetic. My 12 year old (she has her own blog HERE if you want to check out her latest cards) is also in love with K & Co. and Basic Grey and DCWV and other pretty papers. She's inherited my thought process as well that goes something like this, "I wish they had THIS fabric in paper!" or vice versa. Moda Fabrics has come out with a few Basic Grey lines of fabric (pssssst, they are going to making last year's Jovial paper into fabric! Isn't that the bomb?). It's probably a VERY good thing that my 14 year old isn't into those papers or into much fabric. She's an artist on her own & does much with recycled items (that's the nice way to say she can turn any leftover container---we might even say piece of junk--- into something else). I figure pretty papers & stamps are for those of us who DON'T draw or make art without a little help. Maybe she'll be designing papers and fabrics one day.

At the top of my page is probably my current favorite paper. It's called Jubilee by K & Co. Tomorrow my friend Kathy & I will travel to Houston for her to get an infusion in her continuing battle against cancer (though at this point we believe it is all PREVENTATIVE as the cancer shouldn't still be there). There is an Archiver's store in Katy, right on our way home. Natalie (12 year old dd) told me to NOT stop there without her. LOL! If K. & Lo. stop, I might spot some new K. & Co.! Or some other new company that Kathy has to introduce me to. Webster's Pages and Something 45 or somebody whos-y-what's-it. I can't even remember all the things I saw there the first time we went and Kathy was introducing me to sights unknown. Jubilee might have to move over.

On the other hand, we might just stop at Buc-ee's. Fudge is always a favorite.

So, what's YOUR favorite background paper? Or line of papers?