A few people have asked questions about the chipboard, so I thought I'd share the answers here in case anyone else is wondering the same things. I also received some of the new Priority Mail padded envelopes and they will hold 15 more pieces of the 8.5" x 11" pieces than the regular Priority Mail envelope (also made of chipboard).
The package of 40 pieces is probably the best value. The cost per sheet is shown at the bottom of this post, but I haven't calculated the cost per square inch, so I'm just guessing here...
The chipboard can be cut with any pair of paper scissors. It is much firmer than paper, but doesn't require any special tools for cutting.
You can also use some scrapbooking punches to cut it. I've used a corner punch on it with no problems, but with my circle punch it is too hard for me to squeeze the handles together. The corner punch is one you press down and I can get better leverage. A regular hole punch also works fine. I punch a hole in my pieces so they can be hung up on a pinboard.
Chipboard is the same stuff cereal, cracker boxes, Priority Mail envelopes. etc. It is everywhere, so there are some good opportunities to get some for sort of free. I say "sort of free" because you will need to invest time finding and preparing them.
If you aren't sure you will use the chipboard, try recycling a box first. A used Priority Mail envelope is also ok to recycle, but it is illegal to use the new ones for anything other than sending Priority Mail packages.
I started out using cereal boxes, but pretty quickly found rummaging around finding a box and cutting it up was not very efficient for me. Basically, when the thought crosses your mind that your time might be better used doing something else, it is time to order some chipboard...The benefits of the chipboard pieces are the pieces are slightly heavier than boxes, they are machine cut so the edges are fairly straight, and you really can't get much chipboard out of cutting up boxes. By the time you trim away all the fold creases of a cereal box, you are left with two 8.5" x 11" size pieces.
I cut a piece of a cereal box the same size as the chipboard and weighed them--the difference was 2 grams. It's not much, but enough to feel when you are holding it.
Having pieces with machine cut edges makes it a lot easier to tape them together to make larger pieces. Here is what the edges of the chipboard pieces look like:
You can just line them up and apply tape to both sides and now you have a much larger piece.
Until you trim up the edges of the boxes neatly, they will probably look something like this:
Besides using them for pattern pieces, chipboard can be painted with acrylic paint, fabric can be decoupaged to it using Mod Podge, and you can make scrapbooking embellishments and albums.
So I have chipboard available in these sizes/quantities (the cost per sheet is approximate and includes the shipping):
(25) 8.5" x 11" pieces [$0.44 per sheet]
(40) 8.5" x 11" pieces [$0.36 per sheet]
(25) 8.5" x 14" pieces [$0.49 per sheet, but larger sheets]
I can ship them internationally, but only by Priority Mail (shipping starts around $18). Contact me through etsy if you'd like a quote for international shipping.
