Love is all around and this year we found new gift items — along with adorable cards, kits and crafts — that you are sure to fall in love with. Whether you’re looking for something quirky or sweet, you are sure to find the perfect little thing in our latest Valentine’s Day gift selection.

Here are a few that I find to be swoon-worthy:

Adding to our collection of kitchen aprons is this simple and sweet Heart Apron. It is a great way to pamper yourself for Valentine’s Day or a lovely way to shower your favorite baker with love. Add the heart-shaped oven mitt (shown above) for the perfect ensemble. Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you learned last year, I like to have a holiday gift wrap theme each year. Born out of necessity, I am extra excited to share this year’s look.

With a new baby in the house, gift wrap was not at the top of my list. One day, she was napping especially well and I found myself with some free time to get some wrapping done. One problem – I hadn’t planned anything or purchased any paper. Creative inspiration struck! I love the look of our Paper Bag wrapping paper, and decided to use the months of my Great Big Calendar as the base for this year’s gift wrap. Once I started, the ideas kept coming.

One month is the perfect size for a standard shirt box. For larger packages, I banded with a strip of calendar or used our Holiday Typography Paper, which matches perfectly (though this required my husband to make a quick run to our Evanston Store). So far, my favorite idea is this bow made out of the days of the week.

I hope this idea inspires you. For more inspiration, check out these wrapping tips for the season.

From our new family to yours – happy holidays!

–Ann
PS colors: pool, peacock & chocolate
Latest fave: 2012 Great Big Wall Calendar

Last year, Ann brought us together when she gleefully confessed that she is a Wrapaholic. Slowly, confessions trickled in from others who admitted their obsession with color, coordinated style and perfect corners. Her post was like a safe place for fellow Wrappers to disclose the amount of time spent preparing packages or share in the joy of present perfection.

This year, Ann revealed her secrets to perfect packages in our latest gift wrapping video. In it, Ann talks about five main components she credits for helping her stay cool, calm and coordinated.

Scissors
Ann recommends having two pair of scissors — one for paper and one for ribbon — but make sure you have at least one pair solely dedicated to gift wrapping, so they stay nice and sharp.

Tape
Always have a full roll of tape on your spool. If you’re a fellow Wrapper, we suggest using double-stick tape — it keeps your adhesive hidden and works really well with ribbon application.

Solid Gift Wrap
Select a few rolls of solid wrapping paper to have on hand. Mix up the colors, so you have a base for any occasion that might come up.

Ribbon
Store a few spools of ribbon, in various colors and sizes, so you can accent boxed packages and gift bags.

Patterned Gift Wrap
It is hard to choose just one, so Ann recommends having a wedding print, a gift wrap for kids, and a colorful polka dot gift wrap to cover events throughout the year. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re singing the praises of good design with the newest addition to our personalized gift offering – custom note pads!

Personalize fabulous and functional note pads sets with a name of your choosing. Pads in each set contain 70 sheets of recycled paper and feature exclusive designs that are sure to grab the attention of office passersby. At $35 a set we’re pretty sure you’ll find them perfect for plenty of occasions.

Fellas, this new office accessory features plenty of masculine styles too. Our designers infused the collection with fun illustrations and stately monogram designs that are sure to uphold your desktop swagger.

Whether it’s your name or someone else’s, we are certain you will find the perfect statement piece for your notes and lists. Choose from note pad sets, list pad sets or a mixed set of note pads, list pad and mini note pads. With more than 90 designs to choose from it might be hard to pick just one!

Only available at Paper-Source.com!

I’m loving the pennant garlands I see online. Whether made from paper or fabric, strung inside or outside, and used for kids or adults, they are perfectly festive. And I especially love them when they are scaled down to a miniature version (take a look at the tiny birthday garland Annie made…adorable). For simple, yet incredibly festive gift wrap, I used our craft box and wrapped a strand of pennants around the box a few times.

I love using craft boxes as gift boxes…even plain, they are really interesting. For the banner, I cut lots of triangles and adhered two back to back with a small piece of tape with the string in between. What is great about this banner is that wrapping it haphazardly only enhances the look, so there is no need to be perfect. I think I’ll be using this technique again and again!

–Kristen
PS colors: peacock & chocolate
Latest fave: Craft Boxes

Graduation is one of the most exciting summer celebrations. Who doesn’t love a good summer party and the excitement of new adventures?!

But Graduation can also be the one of the most challenging gifting occasions. Either you’re not privy to the Grad’s preferences or you risk paying homage to the child you once knew. Time flies so fast – It’s tough to remember the American Girl Magazine your Grad once loved could render a crushing blow to Freshman coolness. In other words, what was once a go-to gift might not apply to this new adventure.

Or maybe you’re dealing with the biggest problem… you have a dozen fabulous Graduates to recognize with your given budget. (I usually hum the lyrics to Feist’s Mushaboom when these situations arise, “It may be years until the day, my dreams will match up with my pay”) Oh, how wonderful it would be if I could execute the creative ideas that run through my head?! Read the rest of this entry »

Last month I needed a graduation gift for a friend. Deciding what was going inside the box was easy. Deciding how to jazz up my packaging took a little more time. I was traveling on a flight with this, so sturdy packaging was a must. I found a gift box I had saved (thanks, Anthropologie) that fit everything inside and was the perfect blank canvas. To personalize it I designed a piece to mount to the lid of the box, which featured a series of words related to my friend’s graduation in a variety of fonts.

I love how this turned out. It is simple, clean packaging that is truly custom (I chose each word featured in the design), and it’s something I can do for another occasion.

P.S. Don’t think that you need any fancy design programs to do this – I created this in good old Microsoft Word with a series of text boxes.

–Kristen
PS colors: peacock & chocolate
Latest fave: Satin Ribbon

You’re probably thinking, “Zutter, what?” Or maybe you’re already a fan of this new DIY tool. To help you discover the magic of the Zutter Bind-It-All and its accessories, I created a simple keepsake book in five easy steps.

Items needed:

• Zutter Bind-It-All
• Wire cutters
• ½” gauge wire (thinner books) or ¾” gauge wires (thicker books)
• Envelopes, cover stock and text for pages
• Chipboard for covers (try adding decorative paper or photos to the cover)
• Xyron 510 or Tape Runner adhesive for attaching paper to covers
• Your imagination!

Step 1: Set your guide to “C” for creating the holes in the chipboard. Set your covers (these are finished with Cavallini Gift Wrap) inside opening, stopping at the guide. Make sure the stabilizing foot is out, then pull the handle down. Read the rest of this entry »

Among the small treats that make me happy (in no particular order): chocolate, coffee, sheets of Lokta paper, new felt tip pens and, now, flip flop bracelets! I love mixing different color palettes on my wrist with stacks of these recycled bangles, and I absolutely love the story behind them.

These bracelets are made by a group of women in Mali (West Africa), who collect worn out flip flops, melt them down and draw the plastic into colorful loops. Everyday flip flops are reborn as unique, handmade bangles. One can only guess the journey each one of these lovely trinkets has taken. Read the rest of this entry »