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.

Nothing warms the soul better than a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa. Why not score your favorite Valentine a new coffee mug? Give a hardworking mom or dad something to smile about with our Mama Bear Mug or Papa Bear Mug. Remind someone to Keep Calm and Carry On with our best selling porcelain and enamel mugs. Or, take your love to new depths with this tentacled creature. Our new Octopus Mug is perfect for a nautical romance or someone who likes quirky doodads.

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day with out sweet sentiments. Pen something original in one of these journals, made from our fine papers. Can’t find the right words? Shakesphere’s Love Sonnets book is sure to be just as romantic. Or, leave the writing to them with one of our personalized note pads.

And what Valentine’s Day round up would be complete without mention of candy?! Give the traditional Sweethearts candy (also available with Spanish phrases) or dive in to heart-shaped Junior Mints. Our red and white paper straws are back in stock for anyone who is mixing up their own sweet goodness this Valentine’s Day. Claudia offered up this adorable Valentine’s Day craft as a way to celebrate the season.

XOXO,

–Lindsay, PS Buying Team
PS colors: beet & fuchsia
Latest fave: Octopi

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.

Given the time of year, our fellow Wrappers are probably concepting holiday gift wrap themes, so patterns like Gingerbread Men Wrapping Paper and Candy Canes Wrapping Paper are great accents for the Polk Dot and Solid Gift Wrap styles recommended by Ann.

Ann also showed us how solid glitter wrapping paper can be paired with a festive pattern to create a magical Hanukkah presentation. This execution also introduced us to a new Wrapper staple: Super Tacky Tape!

These tips are just the beginning. There is so much to learn from Wrappers, like Ann, and what better time than the gift giving season?! So we challenge our fellow Wrappers to share your greatest tip or trick – comment to the post and help others wrap perfect packages this holiday season.

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 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

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?!

If you’re dealing with one of these situations, PS has hand-picked a few commencement-worthy items, which you can find in our stores or featured in the graduation gift section on our website. You can even call our customer service team at 1-888-PAPER11 to discuss gift ideas for your budget – They’re fantastic!

Personally, I think Graduation is the perfect occasion to Do Something Creative Every Day, especially if you need a couple dozen little somethings. I like to find something practical (like laundry quarters) and make it special with gift wrapping or useful packaging. I absolutely adore the creative gift box idea Kristen shared, and Rebecca’s lovely flip flop bracelet package.

What about you? Are you making something thoughtful, buying something practical or shooting for a good laugh? Tell us how you master the task of finding the perfect Graduation gift. Or, if you’re a Grad, tell us what gifts you need and love.

– Liz
PS colors: peacock & fig
Latest fave: Cavallini Wrapping Paper

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

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.

Step 2: Lift covers and set guide to “B” to make continuous hole punches. Your holes will sit in the notch guide from the backside, which keeps the holes aligned. Pull handle down again, and repeat for desired book length (There is book size guided that comes with instruction for making holes completely even).

Step 3: Gather your interior page materials and set the guide to “D” to punch holes in your interior pages. (You may need to do them in small bundles)

Step 4: Collate your pages and covers, align the holes, and feed your wire. Position your wire with the soft loops ending up on the cover side, then trim to size with your wire cutter.

Step 5: Use the wire gauge guide for accurate crimping. Place your book inside the spacer and pull handle down – The wall pinches the wires to just the right thickness. Repeat until all wires are pinched closed, then you’re finished! You just made a book in less than 20 minutes.

Learn more Zutter techniques at the Creative Spiral Travel Book Workshop. Seats are still available for tomorrow’s class – Register online or call your local store for details!

–Linda
PS colors: paper bag & persimmon
Latest fave: Zutter Bind-It-All

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.

The story alone inspires gift giving, so I bundled a few of my favorites together and added a little PS style. Using a few products (listed below) and this printable tag template you too can share the story and the style of these wonderful bracelets.

Items needed:

Square Craft Box
Lace Starburst Rubber Stamp
Berrylicious Color Box Inkpad
Fuchsia Satin Ribbon
Flip Flop Bracelets
Strawberry Solid Paper (to print the template)

–Rebecca, store training & development
PS colors: papaya & cement
Latest fave: Zutter Bind-It-All

Join us for:

Creative Spiral Travel Book Workshop
Saturday, June 11, 2011
11:00 am – 1:00 pm (local time)
Register today!

Get hands on experience with a new tool and leave with a wonderful book for summer journaling or gift giving!

–Linda
PS colors: paper bag & persimmon
Latest fave: Zutter Bind-It-All