Lia Griffith Crepe Paper Review
DISCLAIMER: I received a box of Lia Griffith's new crepe paper line (extra fine crepe paper, double sided crepe paper, and floral tape) at no cost to facilitate this review (they were kind enough to reimburse me for the exorbitant UPS brokerage fee for international shipping). That said, To be very clear, all opinions are my own. At the present time, this post, Lia Griffith Crepe Paper Review, does not contain any affiliate links. As of November 4, 2016, this post was updated to include affiliate marketing links to Lia Griffith's online store, and as of November 8, 2016, affiliate marketing links to Amazon.com, in which I receive a commission if you make purchases via the links, however, these addition have not in any way, shape or form influenced my opinion or my review. You can read my full Disclosure statement here.
When Lia Griffith first contacted me to offer me samples of her very own line of crepe paper, I could hardly contain my excitement! New colours? Please and thank you! New possibilities? Cannot wait! I jumped at the chance. After it all sank in, I realized that she must have somehow come across my work and deemed it good enough to be associated with her new crepe paper line. Honestly, I can't really believe I'm even writing this post. I am so flattered that she even noticed my work. SO flattered!
I like to know where my materials come from and how they're made, and Lia was kind enough to explain it to me that her new line is made in Germany by Werola, a German based crepe paper company that is now owned and operated by the American paper manufacturer, Seaman Paper Company (which also owns Dennicrepe).
If you have been following me, you will know that I pretty much exclusively use fine crepe paper, and specifically, single sided/single-ply crepe paper, and once in a while, double-sided/double-ply crepe paper. Thus, I consider myself having quite a lot of experience working with fine crepe which is very different from Italian florist crepe, which tends to be heavier in weight and has deeper grains. I usually buy my fine crepe paper (I'm not sure what weight it is) and double sided crepe paper from Toronto's The Paper Place, which I gather from the information on their online store, carries fine crepe paper manufactured by Dennicrepe and double sided crepe paper from Werola as well.
Lia Griffith's crepe paper came neat and tidy in pretty packages. After a week with them in my possession, I can very honestly say that I am truly impressed by Lia Griffith's new line of crepe paper. Here is why:
Lia Griffith’s Extra Fine Crepe Paper
I really enjoyed working with this line of extra fine crepe paper. The quality is top-notch. There is a sturdiness and toughness about the paper that, while delicate looking, isn't delicate enough to tear too easily when stretched. As it can stretch up to 130%, the depth of the cup is fairly generous when the paper is cupped - more generous than the fine crepe paper from The Paper Place and more generous than the double sided crepe paper. When fluted, the flutes are deep and exaggerated. All in all, the paper holds its manipulated shape very well. It is not as prone to losing or changing its shape than the other fine crepe paper I have been using.As the paper is not water resistant, it does streak when dip dyed (and although I haven't been able to experiment with fading yet, I assume the colour will fade with time as well). I was surprised that the dark Aubergine streaked so well with water. I love the effect and hope that the other crepe papers will streak the same way.I also adore the colours that Lia personally designed. I'm happy to see non-primary colours, instead favouring colours that are muted and slightly "off" from the ordinary. I am loving the deep reds, namely, Aubergine, Sangria, and Cranberry. She also offers metallic coloured crepe paper in Copper, Gold and Silver, which will be perfect for the upcoming holiday craft season. The colours fit easily into my existing stash of fine crepe paper colours.
Currently, Lia Griffith's online store offers the extra fine crepe paper individually for $2.99 USD per fold or $7.29 USD per metallic fold. They can also be purchased as a pack: $21.99 USD for a pack of 10 folds in non-metallic colours, or $20.99 USD for 3 metallic coloured folds. Each fold is 19.6 in x 78.7 in (50 cm x 200 cm). *UPDATE as of November 8, 2016:For international customers, you can purchase a 10-pack of Lia Griffith Extra Fine Crepe Paper Folds Rolls, 10.7-Square Feet, Assorted Colors (LG11018) or Lia Griffith Metallic Crepe Paper Roll, 10.7-Square Feet, Assorted Colors (LG11004) exclusively through Amazon.com. Unfortunately, international shipping outside of the USA is not available at this time, although I have been advised by Lia Griffith's staff that they are in the process of arranging international shipping through Amazon.
Lia Griffith’s Double-Sided (Doublette) Crepe Paper
Paper Flower English Rose using Lia Griffith’s extra fine crepe paper in Honeysuckle, Coral, Blush, Cypress, Green Tea, and double-sided/doublette crepe paper in Green Tea & Cypress, Flamingo and Tulip Pink
Double Sided Crepe Paper is made of 2 pieces of fine crepe paper (in the same or different colours), glued together to create a fold. The result is a 2-tone crepe paper that is thicker and sturdier than the extra fine crepe paper. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that it stretches and cups any better than the extra fine crepe paper. In fact, I found that even though Lia's double sided crepe paper also has a 130% stretch, it did not cup as well as her extra fine crepe paper because it was much stiffer.I like the fact that Lia chose to 2-tone colours are not too far from each other on the colour wheel, such as subtle colour combinations of Blush & Chiffon and the Peach & Petal. I also like that some of the colours available in the double sided crepe paper are the same as the colours offered in the extra fine crepe paper. This means I can easily change up the texture of a flower by using both types of papers when making petals or parts of a flower. It also dip dyes well and the 2 colours mix together when wet.Presently, the double sided crepe paper comes in 10 different 2-tone combinations, with each fold measuring 9.8 in x 49.2 (25 cm x 125cm). When you purchase the double-sided crepe paper from Lia Griffith's online store , it comes in 2 folds, with 2 different colour combinations. At some point it would be nice to be able to purchase the folds individually instead of having to purchase 2 folds at a time. Each 2 fold package is $6.99 USD. *UPDATE as of November 8, 2016: Unfortunately for those of us who do not reside in the USA, it does not appear that Amazon.com carries Lia's double-sided crepe paper at this time. **As of December 2017:Amazon.com does carry the double-sided, but doesn't ship to Canada.
Lia Griffith’s Floral Tape
In addition to designing her own crepe paper, Lia Griffith took the extra step of also designing her own floral tape. Her new line comes in a Moss Green, Cream, and Gold. For an affordable price of $7.99 USD, they can be purchased in a pack of 3 in moss green or in the 3 different colours (*UPDATE as of November 8, 2016: Forinternational customers, here's a link to Lia Griffith Wax-Coated Craft Stem Tape, 3-Pack, Assorted Colors (LG11024) via Amazon.com. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not appear to carry Lia's 3-pack moss green floral tape). Each roll consists of 30 ft of floral tape.I can only comment on the moss green floral tape as it is the only colour I have used so far. Like Lia's extra fine crepe paper, the floral tape is quite fine and you can literally see through it. However, I found that there isn't sufficient stretch for it to be used to secure petals. Even though it is super sticky, it is also waxy so when I tried to secure a petal with floral tape, it would slip lower and lower each round I went. Then, when I tried to stretch the floral tape to tighten around the petal base to prevent slippage, it would rip. After ripping the floral tape several times, I gave up and used the Darice floral tape that I prefer. In short, Lia's floral tape is adequate at finishing a flower stem and covering imperfections, but not to actually adhere petals. I suppose it suits Lia's purpose as her paper flower tutorials generally require hot glue to secure petals and floral tape is only used for finishing the flower, leaves or stems.
GENERAL VERDICT
MUST BUY & TRY! I definitely recommend that you buy and try her new line of extra fine crepe paper and double sided crepe paper. The quality is impressive, the colours are unique, and the price is very reasonable*.
UPDATE (as of November 4, 2016): You can now purchase the paper yourself by going to Lia Griffith's online store, or by clicking on the BANNER below.[Please note that as of October 29, 2016, anytime you make a purchase from Lia Griffith's crepe paper line via either link, I will receive a small commission from the sale - YES! I truly believe in this product!]*Let's hope that the new line will, in the near future, be available to those of us who live outside of the USA, and hope that the shipping/brokerage fee will be reasonable. Otherwise, if you reside in Canada, you may pay an arm and a leg for shipping/brokerage fee which would reduce the overall attractiveness of purchasing Lia Griffith's crepe paper online.
UPDATE (as of September 22, 2016): I've been in touch with Lia Griffith's office assistant, who has advised me that her products, including the new crepe paper line, can be purchased via Amazon.com or wholesale through Pacon (orders@pacon.com). This is fantastic news for those of use who reside outside of the U.S.A. because Amazon will provide an estimate of the customs duties, taxes and fees ("Import Fee") during checkout and custom clearance on your behalf. According to their AmazonGlobal policy, you won't be charged additional fees if the actual import fee is greater than the estimated Import Fee Deposit, and if the additional fees are actually less, you will get a refund. You can read more about the AmazonGlobal policy here.
UPDATE AS OF JUNE 3/22 -
This blog post was written in 2016 and since then, I’ve had more thoughts on Lia Griffith’s branded crepe paper for my paper flower making. You can learn more about different types of crepe paper and how to make paper flowers in my book, Paper Flower Art (GMC, 2019) (BUY IN HARDCOVER or IN PAPERBACK) or or head to my education website, Crafted to Bloom, to find more online learning.