Image from NBC

Earlier this month, TODAY Show correspondent Jenna Bush Hager and her soon-to-arrive firstborn were honored by the NBC family. Her NBC co-hosts and friends threw a book themed baby shower at the Peter Callahan Catering Studio in New York. With a theme centered around books and words of wisdom, the event included a few key accents from Paper Source.

Image from NBC

Jenna’s four-tiered diaper cake was wrapped in Burlap Ribbon, draped in peaceful Olive Leaves, accented with our Burlap Flowers, and topped with the ever-popular Sophie the Giraffe.

Image from NBC

The hosts tied in an alphabet element by hanging kraft letters with burlap ribbon for an educational and adorable accent to the day’s events.

Image from NBC

Gifts and wishes were offered to mom and baby in the form of books! Inside covers were signed by friends in good humor and wisdom, a trend that is likely to start a bookworm baby boom. Journals and books are a fun and unique way to share moments with friends, loved ones and newborns!

Image from NBC

Favors were presented in burlap bags, which complimented the diaper cake perfectly. Guests were given a few seasonal treats like earrings and nail polish. The items were stuffed with Paper Source Wasp printed tissue paper and tied off with decorative ribbon from our collection.

We were excited to see how our products inspired this special event and even more tickled to learn that Jenna, Henry and their families welcomed Margaret Laura ‘Mila’ Hager to the world this weekend. We look forward to the creative celebrations that follow!

Throwing a shower of your own? See other baby shower ideas from Paper Source.

Spring has sprung. Hop on over to our website, or find a store near you, to take a gander at our selection of gifts and crafts that were hand-picked for the season.

Easter is March 31! Celebrate with this egg-stra special garland! Decorate and display the Egg Garland Kit on a wall, mantel or doorway.

This colorful garland is 10 feet long and features 12 eggs, each 4 1/2″ x 6 1/4″. The kit includes pre-cut shapes, papers, ribbon, stickers and templates for creating our sample… but it’s also fun to customize with your own style using paper cuts, stickers and other embellishments.

You can even grab individual die-cut eggs for additional accents or coordinating craft ideas.

This Easter craft is a colorful addition to any home and the perfect kit for beginners or the time-strapped crafter.

See this and other Easter Kits online.

If you enjoy handmade creations — crafts that give you a chance to add your own personal style — we have Easter card making ideas online, like the egg, chick and carrot cards featured above.

The Easter egg cups (also shown above) are easy to modify with your favorite PS colors and embellishments. Find this and other craft inspiration on the PS Blog.

Springtime always makes us crazy for daisies! The Daisy Wreath Kit is the perfect accent to mark today’s changing season. Crisp white daisies paired with clover green leaves feel spring fresh.

Make this wreath on a rainy afternoon and enjoy the cheer it brings! Adorn your front door, hang above a mantel or display in a window.

Daisy inspiration extends to our custom products too! Shop a variety of invitations, stationery and gifts featuring this happy sign of spring. We even have a few fine paper varieties that show off this lovely bloom.

See these and more daisy-inspired products online.

Today also brings Spring showers… and not just rain showers that offer ample time to craft and create. Many of our customers are also looking for baby, bridal and wedding shower gifts. Shop by recipient, category or price easily from our new Gifts page. Or, ask an associate at your local store for assistance. We’re always happy to help you create something unique.

The holiday season is a perfect time to craft with friends, kids, or to explore creative ideas independently. Last weekend one of our own Paper Source family members hosted an annual Mother-Daughter Holiday Crafting Tea at her home. With treats upstairs and creativity downstairs, the setting was ripe to organize a knock-your-socks-off craft that would be simple and fun for kids of a range of ages, yet interesting and sophisticated enough for parents. She also really wanted the final presentation of the craft to have that “wow” factor!   

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There are endless ways to get playful with creating different looks- more traditional or whimsical-depending on your choice of paper selection and size, patterned assembly, color choices, paper loop size, etc.

These trees look stunning in multiples of the same or varying heights! Group them on your mantel, feature them as holiday table décor, give it as a gift…this craft is sure to impress all! But not only that, a Holiday “Crafternoon” Tea is a wonderful new tradition to start that brings kids and parents together in a cozy, creative way!

Happy Holidays! Happy Paper Crafting!

Leah, Linda and Sally

Image via Midwest Living

Can you believe it’s almost December? In our family, we always had a first of December tradition of going out to a store and buying each kid their own Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas. Midwest Living has done this tradition one better with their fun DIY Advent calendar created with a few simple Paper Source items!

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Instructions

This is a great, simple craft for kids but we think it’s even more fun to keep the contents of the Advent calendar a surprise! What would you put inside your envelopes?

If you haven’t already started following us on Pinterest, there’s no better time than right this very minute! We’ve started creating lots of fabulous new holiday Pinterest boards for you to follow including Gift Guides, Holiday Decor and more…

There’s no better place on the web to collect great decorating, party-hosting and gift-giving ideas– not to mention gift getting ideas. Start pinning items from Paper Source to a personal wish list board of your own creation and then share it with family and friends!

What will you pin next?

Looking for an elegant place setting for your holiday meal? Give this cornucopia inspired idea a try!

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Use this beautiful Thanksgiving accent on your dinner plate, as a place to put your silverware and napkin. On top of the cone place your thankful card with your guest’s name and the reason why you are thankful for them. Mix and match your favorite papers and stamps for a personalized look!

-Annie, Paper Source Design Team Intern

Favorite PS colors: paper bag & persimmon
Latest Fave: Wall Art Calendar

When Women’s Day featured a similar paper straw wreath last year, we immediately fell in love with the 1950′s starburst shape that could be created from our paper straws. We were further impressed by how easy to put together and lightweight this technique could be (I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely ruined some nails with heavy wreaths)!

It’s the perfect holiday project to kick off the crafting season! Simply print our How To PDF, gather a few simple materials, put on some hot chocolate and get craftin’! 

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We’re going to put ours on a door, but what about you? Window? Stair-railing? Above the fireplace?

Stay tuned, we’ve got a whole stash of holiday projects for you!

When it comes to your most special events, a little bit of decorative cohesion goes a long way, which is why Paper Source is pleased to unveil the newest addition to our personalized collection.

Our personalized napkins and placemats  not only allow you to customize your table decor with monograms, names or messages, but they also perfectly coordinate with other Paper Source colors so all of your menu cards, place cards and other accents can have a crisp, perfectly put-together look that wows your guests.

Accent your next special event with our new assortment of personalized napkins. Featuring exclusive designs for holiday parties, baby showers, wedding events, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah, graduation and other special events and parties. Each style available as a cocktail napkins, lunch napkins or guest towels.

You can also add a touch of elegance, retro styling or a colorful accent to any party with any of our new personalized placemat designs. Opt for confetti stylings, vintage flatware or Italian illustrations to make your place settings truly exceptional.

Either option is sure to make your next party pop with personality.

We pride ourselves on having some of the most creative customers in the entire world. And we know you guys really love to outdo yourselves around the holidays! That’s why we are pleased as an elf to present the Paper Source Holiday Crafting Contest! As long as you’re already creating beautiful cards, elegant decorations and festive gift wrap for friends and family, you may as well enjoy the opportunity to be rewarded for it!

 How to enter:

Prizes: Each category (Wrapping, Card Making & Décor) will be awarded:

Deadline: Submission deadline is December 16th, 2012 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be announced on December 21st, 2012.

To see full contest details or to submit a photo of your project for submission, simply visit click to visit the Holiday Crafting Contest!

Online image submissions only, no submissions will be accepted at store locations.