Celebrate the Easter season with our adorable Bunny and Chick Egg Friends. These fun characters are great as Easter cards, springtime decorations or cute paper companions for your little ones.

Materials Needed:

• Easter Bunny and Chick Egg Friends How-To PDF
• Egg Shapes Assortment Pack
• Googly Eyes
• Cover Paper in Poppy and Eco-White
• Bubblegum and Tangerine Sugar Coated 12 x 12 Paper
• Begonia, Powder and White Glitter Tape
• 1/4″ Hole Punch
• Scissors
• Zots Glue Dots
• Black Marker or Pen

Instructions:

1. Use templates provided to cut out shapes from indicated papers.
2. Adhere shapes onto corresponding egg shapes using glue dots, then glue googly eyes in place.
3. Embellish bottoms of eggs with strips of glitter tape as shown and trim off excess.
4. For bunny’s nose, punch out a circle from the pink glitter paper using 1/4″ hole punch and glue in place.
5. Draw in bunny’s mouth and whiskers using black marker or pen.
6. Great as place cards or for sending Easter wishes!

Happy Easter!

– Claudia
PS colors: curry & fuchsia
Latest fave: Mini Magnolia Paper Flower Kit

It seems like only yesterday we celebrated Lauren’s pregnancy with a Twice as Nice twins baby shower. And already her little darlings have turned one year old. While hundreds of miles and busy schedules keep us from seeing our former colleague, she remembered her Paper Source roots when creating this first birthday party for her girls. Here’s a look at the celebration…

A summer birthday party called for a playful theme that brought the outdoors in. Setting the tone with our Daisy invitation, Lauren used white paper daisies and adorable ladybugs to decorate her home.

Cheerful garlands draped across a mantel and in doorways and windows added festive flair with sweet messages like “The Ladies Are One!”

We love how Lauren mixed stripes and polka dot patterns on napkins, straws and balloons. And garden theme treats were tagged with printed labels – Dirt Pudding and Bug Juice…what fun!

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First Birthday Party
Paper Source inspiration
Daisies Printable Invitation
Daisy Flower Kit
Oval Scallop Cards
Red Hang Tags
Decorative Ribbon
Baker’s Twine
Paper Straws

As paper lovers, many of us have been inspired by the latest additions to our fine paper assortment. There are now 250+ styles, and each has their own unique style.

How do you choose one?

Laura, Fine Paper Buyer for Paper Source, asks herself this question on a daily basis. She swims in an office filled with beautiful colors and incredible patterns, searching for the perfect compliments to our solid paper and envelopes and inspiration that helps you Do Something Creative Every Day.

To help us decide, we asked Laura to tell us about her latest faves. Not only did she point out two amazing styles, but she also provided a great background on the art of handmade paper.

Block Prints on Lokta Paper – Handmade in Nepal

For the two-tone papers, two wooden blocks are used per paper. For each color, an artist dips a wooden block into each color and applies the color to the paper.

With each print on paper, the artist re-dips and ensures the pattern is aligned correctly. The process is repeated until the paper is filled with the print. The paper is left in the sun to dry.

This is the same process as batik paper making. Instead of dipping a block in color, the artist dips a block in liquid wax and then prints on the paper. Once the paper is dry, the artist paints the paper with color and irons the paper to remove the wax.

Laura recommends:
Batik mums fine papers (also featured in images) and the new, two-tone block print fine papers.

Metallic Brush Strokes on Lokta Paper – Handmade in Nepal

Applying the fine brush strokes to the paper is a delicate process. The artist cuts the bristles of a paint brush irregularly. The artist holds the brush in a free flowing way and applies the metallic color with a light touch. The process is repeated until the paper is filled with the stroke pattern.

Laura recommends:
The new neutrals, but admits the Brush Stroke Purple Fine Paper is a her current fave

–Laura, PS Buying Team
PS colors: curry & gravel
Latest fave: custom stamps

Make St. Patrick’s Day a cinch (not a pinch) by donning a bit o’green you’ve created yourself! Our four leaf clover die cut shapes make it easy to wear some flair. Simply layer shapes, print and stick the labels and finish off with a glittery accent. Simple enough to make for all your friends. Lucky you!

Materials Needed:

• Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Badge How-To PDF
• Clover Shapes Pack
• Eco-White 2.5″ Round Labels
• Grass Glitter Ribbon (coming soon!)
• Scissors
• Double Stick Tape
• Large Zots Dots
• Safety Pin

Instructions:

1. Using this PDF label template, print “KISS ME I’M IRISH!” onto labels.
2. Stick label onto clover shape of your choice.
3. Use double stick tape to layer the clover with the label onto another clover, slightly staggering the shapes.
4. Tie a piece of glitter ribbon into a square knot and trim ends into a “V” shape.
5. Adhere ribbon in place using a Zot Dot.
6. For the most secure hold, we recommend using a pin to wear your badge.

Erin go Bragh!

– Claudia
PS colors: curry & fuchsia
Latest fave: Mini Magnolia Paper Flower Kit

Kids, they grow up so fast. It seems like only a few days go by before the celebration shifts from baby shower to baby’s first birthday to a full on birthday party. Each moment reminds you of how big they are getting… AND tests your creative capacity. If you are lacking inspiration, then we have just what you need. We caught up with an old friend who knows how to throw a party that both kids and adults can enjoy.

Kelly, who once helped drive creativity in Paper Source stores, gave us loads of party ideas for kids when she shared two of her latest creations. Words hardly do these celebrations justice, so we asked Kelly to tell her story the best way she knows how… through photographs!

Enjoy!

Photos courtesy of Kelly Allison Photography

Garden Party
Paper Source elements:
Party Flags
Paper Crowns
Chalkboard Garden Signs
Straw Pennants
Origami Food Containers
Bottle Wraps
Butterfly Cupcake Decoration
Pin the Bee on the Flower Game

Photos courtesy of Kelly Allison Photography
Read the rest of this entry »

Bun in the oven? You’re in luck! We have wonderful things cooking too. Not only are our baby announcement designs an adorable way to welcome your new arrival, but our growing Paper Source family has provided plenty of reason to showcase real baby shower ideas.

Check out these DIY shower ideas…

Many of you celebrated our newest bundle of joy when you followed along with creating Something Sweet for Ann. Learn everything from concepting an original baby shower game to incorporating personal details from Ann’s coworkers.

Heather’s team celebrated the arrival of her first child with this Cute As a Button baby shower theme. Check out the clever ways a little button can go a long way. Read the rest of this entry »

No one loves a wedding more than those of us here at Paper Source. Ask our associates how they first learned about Paper Source and many will answer with tales of wedding planning, same goes for our customers. Some recall spinning through a room filled by our Colorscope or sifting through racks of inspiring fine paper. Most remember falling in love with perfectly packaged wedding invitations and everyone fondly reflects on the DIY finishes of their big day.

Whether you are dreaming of a DIY wedding or simply looking for ways to incorporate a few handmade touches, our new Do-It-Yourself Wedding Resource offers a single place to browse products and inspiration. Designed to mirror the store experience — for those who cannot sneak away or seek inspiration after hours — this page walks you through the various components that many couples consider including.

Shop favor boxes, table tents and guest books. Or, customize your wedding invitation, return address stamp or embosser. We have even given you access to a number of planning resources and loads of inspiration.

Newly engaged couples and those who are inspired by weddings are sure to find inspiration for their big event with this new easy-to-navigate resource. We hope you enjoy it!
http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/wedding/index.html

For DIY wedding inspiration from real Paper Source brides, check out:
Laura’s paper flower centerpieces
Susan’s satin ribbon pomanders
Lauren’s ribbon-wrapped enclosures
Cindy’s Lake Michigan wedding inspiration

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, which means this weekend might be the perfect time to create something sweet for your Valentine. In addition to the fun and easy craft kits offered at Paper Source, we surfed the web for other inspiring Valentine’s Day cards and crafts.

Photo courtesy of Paper. Scissors. Superheroes.

Paper. Scissors. Superheroes. shows us how to turn magazine pages into adorable Valentine’s Day heart ornaments. Try your hand with your latest Paper Source catalog, thread or Baker’s Twine and a few handy adornments.

Photo courtesy of One Sheepish Girl

Recycled never looked sweeter than this upcycled version of our Letterpress Calendar. Our Bridgeport store fell in love with the crochet edge of these cards.

Photo courtesy of One Sheepish Girl

One Sheepish Girl walks (or should we say stitches) through the steps of creating this boarder on a flat card or around a heart card. Read the rest of this entry »