My friends Missy and Dave Azen over at SwatchBuddies.com are introducing a new product this fall and they sent me an “early” version to play with. I am one of their out-of-the-box users (I do not do fabric swatches), so I was excited to see that the new Swatch It All! swatch cards are made from paperboard instead of plastic.
Don’t get me wrong, those plastic swatch cards are perfect for attaching fabric. But they caused a couple of extra steps when I wanted to create paint color swatches.
When I made my original paint swatch cards (which I use all the time!), I painted the colors out on heavy paper, let them dry, cut them into small swatches, taped them to the swatch cards and used the SwatchBuddy labels to note the paint color. It certainly works, but there are some extra steps in there. (You can read about my first swatches here.)
The new Swatch It All! paperboard swatches are a much better option for things like paint. Here is a quick rundown of my time in the studio with these wonderful little cards.
I placed my swatch cards on a Grip-n-Grip mat to keep them secure while I was painted. (It was no sweat to clean the paint of the mat with a bit of CitraSolv when I was done.)
I applied a good layer of paint from edge to edge.
Then I smoothed the paint with my finger and wiped the edges with a paper towel to remove any excess paint.
After I finished, I set the swatches aside to dry overnight. The next day, I flipped them over and wrote the paint color on the back of the card. Because the swatch cards are paper, there is no need to have a label — you can simply write on the card!
Once your swatches are complete, it’s easy to use them to audition paint colors for your next project. It’s not quite as accurate as painting the colors directly on the fabric, but it will give you a good idea of whether a color is a candidate for your project.
I get distracted by the white, so I like to cover up that part of the swatch card.
Can you see why I like these new swatches better for paint? I think it is much easier to see how the fabric and paint colors work together without the white edges of the plastic cards showing.
Enter to Win our Paint + Swatch It All! Giveaway
When Dave asked me to try out the new swatch cards, I asked him to provide an extra set for a giveaway. So, perhaps today is your lucky day! One lucky winner is going to receive a set of the new Swatch It All! cards AND 4 sets of Mini Paintstik Colors. That is 12 paint colors and a package of swatch cards that you can use in any way your heart desires.
In case you are wondering, that is $72.70 worth of products absolutely FREE. Plus, you get your hands on the new Swatch It All! product before it even hits the market. How cool is that?
To enter our drawing, simply click the button below, enter your information on the form and click on the button to submit your entry. Yes, it is just that easy!
How Do You Audition Your Paint Colors?
I will announce the winner of our Paint + Swatch It All! Giveaway in next week’s newsletter, so stay tuned.
Until then, I would love to hear how you “audition” paint colors for your projects. Share your strategy in the comments below or click over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there.
I never really thought about doing swatch cards! Guess I need to win so I can start! LOL! Seriously, really good idea!
Like Beth, I never considered using swatch cards. Love the idea! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Laura. Swatch cards are also great for keeping track of which paints you have — or need to purchase. And not just for Paintstiks. If you have a set of materials you use regularly, you can use the swatches as a shopping list. When you run low on a color, you move that swatch to the “shopping list” ring. That way you don’t find yourself in the store wondering which color of paint you meant to purchase. 🙂
What a neat idea. They would be useful for any colour that can be applied to them. Would make looking for fabric in a shop easier!
That’s true, Lexa. If you are looking for fabric that will go with your paint/ink/dye collection, taking the color swatches with you to the store is a great idea!
these swatch cards are a wonderful idea! hope I win, but if not congrats to the lucky winner!!
You did the right thing, Nancy. As they say about any contest, you can’t win if you don’t enter… 🙂
I always do test samples to figure out what works for me and what doesn’t.
That’s great, Kim. Testing colors on the fabric you will actually use is the only way to really know what will and won’t work. Whether you are testing paints, threads, or any other addition to your project, there really is no substitute for an actual test. I’ll bet that the bit of extra time you spend making test samples has saved you a ton of “oops” moments in the middle your projects.
For me, it depends on what I’m doing. If it’s a quick little project, using swatches can get me “close enough.” For major projects, a bit of time for “on the fabric” testing is the right thing to do. 🙂
These swatch buddies sound like a fantastic idea. I would love to win some to try.
What a great product. I would definitely use these with my crafting.
They are great, Vivie. They are perfect for use with all kinds of paints, inks, and just about any type of craft material. The original plastic swatches are great for fabric, but I prefer these paperboard swatches for paints because it eliminates a step — and is less expensive to boot. The new swatches should be available at SwatchBuddies.com shortly.
What a great idea! I can take them to the fabric store and also use going through my stash. Crossing my fingers in hopes I win.