I love, love, love playing with new crafting tools and am so excited that we now carry one of my absolute favorites – the Silhouette SD Digital Cutting Tool. It’s similar to a printer in shape & size and connects to your computer, but instead of printing images, it uses a tiny blade to cut them out of your choice of media – paper, vellum, vinyl, oh-so-many options!

Our text weight paper works the best, and our cover weight paper and entire line of note cards can be cut with a little tweaking of the settings. It definitely takes a few practice rounds to perfect the art of placing the media in the right spot on the mat and finding the perfect the blade settings, but if you love card making, scrapbooking or just general crafting, this tool is a must have!

The tool comes pre-loaded with 50 shapes, and can cut almost any font you already have loaded on your computer. Additional images are available for download (iTunes style) on the Silhouette website. The samples shown here were created using Silhouette shapes. A patterned background and layered message (all cut out of text weight paper) make for a fun thank you card.

Floral cutouts xyroned to a brightly wrapped package with coordinating card create a fun gift presentation any girl would love! For those of you who want to take it to the next level, Read the rest of this entry »

We are all in a scurry here…this spring brings new Paper Source stores and there’s a lot to do before opening day! Our first two new stores this year are in Corte Madera, California opening in June and Houston, Texas opening in July…and when they do, they will have lush, colorful paper flowers in the windows and throughout the store. We are enjoying having all the paper flowers here at headquarters before they get shipped off to the stores – they are certainly bringing spring a bit early to Chicago!

Look forward to more Paper Source stores opening in 2010. We’ll keep you posted as we determine each great new location!

– Cindy
PS colors: pool & red
Latest fave: Dutch Woodcut Floral Wrapping Paper

Three years ago I participated in the inaugural Earth Hour event. As a Chicagoan I planned to spend the hour on my rooftop in West Town, watching the lights of the big city dim, seeing how the bustling metropolis adapted to a brief moment of calm. I watched the lights fade one by one – the John Hancock, Prudential Tower, Sears Tower and everywhere in between. But after 10 minutes, I realized my plan could not sustain 50 more minutes. We filled the remainder of the evening with a neighborhood stroll, checking out local business and restaurants to see how they participated (or failed to participate) in the Earth Hour event.

This Saturday, March 27 marks the third annual Earth Hour event and awareness has increased considerably since its inception. So how do you plan for an hour without television, lights, radios and computers? Easy. Read the rest of this entry »

We want to provide you more playtime in our stores! Honestly, isn’t that what creating is all about? Getting so lost in the “play” of a project that you feel, when you resurface, both invigorated and proud. We love that our customers have asked us for more play time, it gave US a chance to create something too! Like our new Crafting Studio – the perfect balance of time to craft on your own combined with our instruction on quick techniques. At our one hour Wednesday night Crafting Studios, we’ll feature select products or specific projects, provide some keen tips, and then allow about 30 minutes to simply play. You’ll love…

Indeed, we think we’ve created the perfect blend of what you’ve been looking for – a creative escape! Our first Crafting Studio will be on Wednesday, March 31 from 6-7pm at all store locations. We’re excited to feature the wonders of Color Box Chalk Inkpads and teach you the rubber stamping technique of masking. With these tools you’ll create perfect quick stationery sets.

Space is limited to only 12 people per store, so register now! As an added bonus we’ll have a few raffles, along with a 10% off coupon* to use towards product purchases made that evening. *Discounts cannot be used towards custom orders.

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Royal Crowns Kit

Here is a really simple and sweet hostess gift idea that is a fun use for some of those beautiful little paper scraps that are too small for larger scale projects. Recently, I wanted to put together a little gift to bring to a friend who was hosting dinner, and noticed a Paddywax candle tin in our photography area, which sparked an idea (how fun – I know I’m lucky to work in such an inspiring environment!).

I used super tacky tape and cut a strip of one of my favorite Japanese papers, Yuzen Cherry Blossom Clusters on Pool, to go around the candle tin. Then I used my old compass to make a 1.5” circle for the top of the jar. If you don’t have a compass, you can trace the candle tin, then cut the circle a bit smaller. Here’s a tip: apply the super tacky tape to the traced shape before cutting, so you won’t have to trim the tape afterwards. Next, take a box of matches Read the rest of this entry »

I had friends over for dinner the other night and needed a quick and easy centerpiece. To update regular glass vases, I looked to my stash of wrapping paper. Inspired by Fabra’s idea of covering milk cartons with paper to make unique vases, I thought wrapping my vases in a colorful print could add interest to my table.

I took two of our India prints and wrapped the vases just like you would wrap a box using removable double-stick tape. For the larger vase, I added a band of satin ribbon to the top of the paper and left a portion of the glass vase exposed. It took less than 10 minutes to get everything together and instantly brightened up the table. The flowers have since been tossed, but the paper held up and the vases are waiting to be filled again with new blooms.

–Kristen
PS colors: lake & chocolate
Latest fave: Printable Labels

In his book “Interaction of Color,” Josef Albers talks about his method of learning about color. He uses experimentation and observation to show how colors interact with one another sometimes in a deceiving way. This play can help you discover colors that are influencers and colors that are easily influenced. It’s common for color theory to be taught with paint, but Albers felt that paper was the better medium…and we have to agree!

Color Study 1
The first color study shows how you can take one color and make it look like two different colors based on the background color you place it on. We see Curry on Blossom which causes Curry to look more muddy and a tiny bit green. When placed on Moss however, it looks more yellow. The key is to have the colors sit on much larger backgrounds so that the influence can take place. The effect is also much more pronounced in person – it can be difficult to convey on a computer screen.

Color Study 2
The second color study shows how you can make two different colors look more alike. We have Gravel on Night and Cement on Superfine White which portrays Cement and Gravel as almost the same color.

The same result occurs when you place Curry on Superfine Soft White and Chartreuse on Pool. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently helped my mom make bridal shower invitations for a bride-to-be who will be getting married in Costa Rica. My mom wanted a subtle tropical theme and a unique invitation design that she could do on her own. We browsed the wedding inspiration boards at the Evanston store for ideas, and loved a sample we found of a palm tree stamped onto a baby envelope. We decided we would print the invitation onto an A7 card, then attach the baby envelope with satin ribbon.

Originally the baby envelope was only to add visual interest, but in the end guests loved it because inside the envelope we included a small card with the bride and groom’s registry information. Instead of carrying around the whole invitation, guests could slip the small registry card into their wallet – so handy for when they’re out shopping.

Good job, Mom – they’re beautiful!

–Kristen
PS colors: lake & chocolate
Latest fave: Printable Labels

It was so interesting to see what all of the couples – the brides, along with their entourage – created at last week’s Wedding Suites workshop. At our River North store in Chicago we had some really fun folks join us for an evening built around learning DIY basics for creating their own invitation suites. We thought we’d share some photos with you starting with David and Sue, the raffle winners for the embossing heat tool. Based on David’s impressive techniques, I know who will be the one using the tool to stamp and emboss their wedding invitations!

Paper Source associates, Cheryl and Erin work their demo magic for inspiration!

Deidra and Larry made a fast friend, and by the end of the evening Cheryl was exclaiming “I heart Larry!” Read the rest of this entry »