This little fella, who I often refer to as my nephew (admittedly not blood relation though), turns one year old today. Happy Birthday Grayson!

Grayson’s mom is my oldest and dearest friend (next to my sister), so I was happy to help her create a birthday party invitation to fit his celebration – a football-themed gathering, complete with beer and wings! Come on, we all know a first birthday party is for adults.

The original concept was a football field with various photos of this dimpled monster. But, after spending time in my husband’s childhood closet, I suggested a trading card invitation. (If only my influence could steer them back to the Bears.) Dad took on the task of getting him to sit for a photo and Mom and I got busy replicating an old-fashioned trading card.

The design is printed on Paper Bag to make it look authentic. I printed four to an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet and trimmed down to fit the coordinating 4Bar envelopes. The Paper Bag labels were printed using the Word template provided on our website.

The celebration is supposed to be team neutral, though I suspect it will be a sea of Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning jerseys, so we focused on Night and Pool and added Curry accents. My favorite part of the invitation is the stat chart, an essential element of any trading card and a great way to share details of the first year.

Along with finished invites, I mailed a dossier to Grayson’s parents (pardon, his talent agency) with extra invitations, labels, envelopes and digital files. Everything fit perfectly into a Pool presentation envelope and gave them an easy way to store invites for mailing or upcoming press events.

–Crazy Aunt Liz
PS colors: fig & gravel
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads

Take treats for school in paper bags with adorable personalized labels. Run our large circle labels through the printer with our print template or write each name by hand. An adorable back-to-school design that is great for single lunches or an entire classroom!

Materials Needed:

• Back-To-School Lunch Labels How-To PDF
• Red 4″ Round Labels
• 8 1/2″ x 11″ Text Paper in Clover, Chocolate, Chartreuse and Eco-White
• 3/4″ Hole Punch
• 1/4″ Hole Punch
• Tiny Zots
• Scissors
• Black Marker

Instructions:

1. Begin by printing names onto labels. Use the apple template as a guide to cut your red stickers into apple shapes and set aside.
2. Cut leaf from Clover paper and stem from Chocolate paper using templates. Fold leaf in half (lengthwise) and stick both leaf and stem behind apple sticker.
3. Punch 3/4″ circles from Clover and Chartreuse paper. (You will need at least two of each color to make one worm.) Adhere together using tiny Zots and stick to apple.
4. Punch two 1/4″ circles from Eco-White for eyes. Adhere to worm’s face with tiny Zots.
5. Draw in eyes and mouth. Stick finished apple onto fold of lunch bag!
]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-back-to-school-lunch-labels/feed/ 3 http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-simple-page-markers/ http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-simple-page-markers/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:07:42 +0000 PS Design http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=14479

If you’re like me and haven’t gone completely digital… or you hate dog earring pages in your favorite books…then you’ll appreciate this simple how-to! These page savers are so FUNctional! Kids will enjoy making them and adding them to notebooks or text books.

–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad

Materials Needed:

• Page Marker How-To PDF
• 5 3/4″ x 5 3/4″ Square Envelopes
• Guillotine Paper Cutter
• Bone Folder

Instructions:

1. Begin by sealing envelope. Fold and unfold sealed envelope into quarters.
2. Use these fold crease as your cut marks. Using paper cutter, cut envelope into four quarter sections.
3. Fold and tuck in one open point.

Use as is to save all those important places in your books, notebooks and journals. Or, embellish with rubber stamping or stickers! You can even color code planners – A great back to school project for kids!

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-simple-page-markers/feed/ 2 http://blog.paper-source.com/kids/crafts-for-kids-new-kits-for-boys-and-girls/ http://blog.paper-source.com/kids/crafts-for-kids-new-kits-for-boys-and-girls/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 19:59:25 +0000 PS Stores http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=13272 Being the mom/stepmom of three boys, the thought of hosting twelve boys (ages 7-11), at the Evanston store terrified me! How would we keep these boys engaged in the crafts we wanted them to test? (Especially since we planned to sugar them up with donuts during the hour they were with us!) As it turns out, the boys LOVED to craft!

Quiet and hard working, they started by testing our Ninja Kit concept. (Due in stores this Fall thanks to the overwhelming response from the boys!) This interactive kit creates puppet-like ninjas with jointed arms and legs for action-packed battles!



They then switched to building our Space Creatures Kit, and had a great time making the aliens and other-worldly pets uniquely their own.



About an hour and a half into testing and the rowdiness was full on! The sugar-boosted creativity paired Space Creature googly eyes with our Photo Props Kit (due for release in September) prototypes. The fun continued until parents arrived.



Even at the height of silliness, these boys were nothing but pure pleasure. And thanks to their expertise, two new Paper Source kits will hit the shelves in mid-September. Boy tested but, no doubt, equally fun for girls too!

Thanks to the crew, and their parents, for taking a rainy morning to show us how to Do Something Creative Every Day.

– Cindy
PS colors: persimmon & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Stationery

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/kids/crafts-for-kids-new-kits-for-boys-and-girls/feed/ 0 http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-lamb-treat-bag/ http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-lamb-treat-bag/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:58:53 +0000 PS Design http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=12563

Decorate your Easter table or start an Easter project for the kiddies with these lovable little lambs! This idea is great for baby showers too!

–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad

Materials Needed:

• Lamb Treat Bag How-To PDF
• Small White Treat Bags
• Superfine Soft White 4″ Round Labels
• Superfine Soft White 8 ½” x 11″ Text Paper
• Googly Eyes
• Glue Dots (Glue Stick Optional)
• Fuchsia Natural Cotton Ribbon
• Sunshine Natural Cotton Ribbon
• Ribbon Shredder
• Scissors
• Marker

Instructions:

1. To make these treat bags, cut out lamb body shapes from templates and fold where indicated.
2. Adhere ears and arms in the bag’s gusset, against the front of the bag.
3. Adhere feet to bottom of bag.
4. Adhere tummy patch in place and stick 4 inch round label for face.
5. Adhere googly eyes in place.
6. Draw in nose and belly button, as shown.
7. Tuck shredded ribbon into bag as garnish on top of treat.
]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-lamb-treat-bag/feed/ 1 http://blog.paper-source.com/holiday/buyers-favorite-stocking-stuffers-for-all-ages/ http://blog.paper-source.com/holiday/buyers-favorite-stocking-stuffers-for-all-ages/#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:31:14 +0000 Paper Source http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=11023 At my house the stockings have always been my very favorite thing at Christmastime, both opening mine and shopping for them. And, here at Paper Source, we have tons of great items for stockings, from candy to toys to little coin purses. Even glitter or stamps make great stocking stuffers!

The newest and coolest items for women and teens are the colorful flip flop bracelets. Intended to be purchased in multiples (each one is unique), these are made from recycled flip flop parts and remind me of the jelly bracelets I loved as a kid. Another great stocking stuffer for ladies is the mushroom knit bag. It was hand knit in Nepal and is so cute!

For guys, the iPlunge is a great little gift, shaped like a tiny plunger it suctions to the back of any phone or mp3 and serves as a kick-stand. The Fingerstache temporary tattoos are fun for any ‘stache lover in your life– look like a hipster without the commitment (google fingerstache to see some fun photos)!


Another item for all ages is the set of six cupcake key covers, they decorate keys with super cute style. The Hottie Handwarmers are a great new item too! You simply click the metal piece inside the bag and it starts to warm immediately, and it can be boiled and reused over and over. And last, but not least, for the curious kid, the pocket microscope is the perfect stocking stuffer. They can carry it around with them to closely inspect the world around them.

Happy shopping and happy holidays!

–Lindsay, PS Buying Team
PS colors: beet & peacock
Latest fave: Pretty Aprons

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/holiday/buyers-favorite-stocking-stuffers-for-all-ages/feed/ 0 http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/gifts-for-kids-lindsays-fall-favorites/ http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/gifts-for-kids-lindsays-fall-favorites/#comments Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:49:36 +0000 Paper Source http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=9201 For this blog entry I wanted to focus on some of my favorite new kids gifts! One item that I like simply for its cute design and Japanese aesthetic is the Momiji doll. The new ones for fall are Snuggle (with the mushroom hat) and Happy Birthday (with the adorable pigtails and a cake for you!). These sweet little dolls are collectible and have a hole in the bottom where a child can store secrets or place special notes for friends. It’s a whole new way to pass notes in class.



A favorite around here are the sound machines. We have a lot of fun in the office with these, playing the bomb dropping sound when someone bombs a joke or the “re re re” knife stabbing sound when we’re dealing with a difficult situation such as… well, a completely new computer system. The sound machines come in three styles: classic, cartoon and horror, just in time for Halloween. You could have a lot of fun scaring trick-or-treaters, hiding in the porch shadows with the Spooky Sound Machine.

Another personal favorite is the Monster Balloon. This thing gets huge! It can be inflated to over 3 feet in diameter and is seriously mesmerizing for kids and adults alike. It’s made in the US from completely biodegradable latex, and is a great lung workout for whoever gets the treat of blowing it up! What fun they would be inflated with helium in clusters for a party like this pic!

Now that the new school year has started kids will need some things to keep them entertained, besides just Silly Bandz and Japanese erasers – hopefully some of these great kids gifts will do the trick.

–Lindsay, PS Buying Team
PS colors: beet & peacock
Latest fave: Pretty Aprons

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/gifts-for-kids-lindsays-fall-favorites/feed/ 3 http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/buyer%e2%80%99s-faves-for-back-to-school-%e2%80%94-lindsay/ http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/buyer%e2%80%99s-faves-for-back-to-school-%e2%80%94-lindsay/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:18:41 +0000 Paper Source http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=8820 I haven’t been “back to school” in over 10 years, but when the time comes around it is always nice to freshen up my lunch accessories (celebrating “still at work”!). It brightens up the fact that summer is almost over. This year I brought in a bunch of adorable back to school items like backpacks, lunch bags, pencil cases, journals and other fun school supplies.

Some of my favorites are reusable lunch items that I can bring to work everyday. I love to bring leftovers for lunch and the Amy Ruppel Travel Bowl is great for pastas, rice dishes, and even soups! I am also a tea junky, so the matching Amy Ruppel Thermos is perfect – it’s insulated, BPA free and so cute!



I’m also a fan of our Resnackit Reusable Bags – they’re awesome for any kind of snack! I love that they’re machine washable and made in the USA (plus pvc, phalate and BPA free). Such a good alternative to plastic zipper bags.



My favorite lunch bag right now is from Rebel Green. It’s made from 100% organic cotton (which means it’s washable), and has a little pocket on the side for the included matching napkin.



Last but not least, I can’t neglect to mention my very favorite new fall item – our Solar Owl. I have nicknamed this adorable desk accessory Tootsie, in honor of the Tootsie Roll Pop licking owl from the old commercials. He nods his head back and forth by solar power all day long. Pretty sure he could cheer you up on even the most stressful of days!

–Lindsay, PS Buying Team
PS colors: beet & curry
Latest fave: Lotus Flower Gift Wrap

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/gifts/buyer%e2%80%99s-faves-for-back-to-school-%e2%80%94-lindsay/feed/ 2 http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-wall-bulletin-organizer/ http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-wall-bulletin-organizer/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:06:33 +0000 PS Design http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=8688 I may not be heading back to school with a fresh supply of notebooks or have a locker in dire need of personalization, but that doesn’t stop my urge this time of year, to get organized. And of course, in the prettiest way possible! This cheery bulletin board made with our brand new Marigolds Wrapping Paper, envelopes and fun accessories will make putting things in their right place an absolute joy!



P.S. If there are kids in your family who would love a project like this, check out our Tween Message Board Workshop in stores August 21 (for ages 9-12).

–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad

Materials needed:
How to PDF
2 pieces of 9 1/2″ x 13″ Bookboard
Marigolds Wrapping Paper
A9 Envelopes (Poppy & Persimmon)
A2 Note Cards (Curry)
1/4″ Satin Ribbon (Curry)
1 Large Binder Clip
Stapler
Scissors
1/4″ Super Tacky Tape
Ruler
Bone folder
EXTRAS: crystal push pins • clipiolas • slicci red metallic pen

Instructions:
1. Adhere two bookboards together with super tacky tape and cover with wrapping paper.
2. Make a hanger by cutting approximately 2 feet of ribbon and knotting each end. Staple ends to back of bulletin 3 or more times (diagram A).
3. Gusset fold two envelopes to form pockets, creasing with a bone folder, and stick in place with tape (diagram B).
4. Pushpin a length of ribbon across bulletin to hang photos and mementos. Binder clip note cards to one side for jotting reminders. Use more pushpins along bottom edge to hang keys, IDs or jewelry.

]]> http://blog.paper-source.com/how-to/how-to-wall-bulletin-organizer/feed/ 4 http://blog.paper-source.com/kids/extra-special-stationery-for-a-first-time-camper/ http://blog.paper-source.com/kids/extra-special-stationery-for-a-first-time-camper/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:17:12 +0000 Paper Source http://blog.paper-source.com/?p=8649 My oldest daughter just went to sleep-away camp for the first time. It’s a big deal for both of us – she’s a bit reserved and home-based, and I like having her around! Of course I wanted to send her off with materials to write our family lots of letters (we’re five days in and nothing has arrived yet). She left with a cool set of Sukie stationery with 4 different types of writing paper and patterned envelopes (available in stores only at this point).



More importantly, I wanted to send her special notes each day to let her know how proud we are of her new independence (and how much I miss her, though this cannot be written too much!). I am so proud of the awesome camp stationery that I made using Martha Stewart camp-themed 12×12 scrapbook paper and stickers, tied to some of my favorite colors in envelopes and cardstock (peacock, persimmon, paper bag, curry, and pool). I lined envelopes using the envelope liner template kit with bandana, wood grain, ladybug and gnome-in-the-woods paper patterns. I cut the 12x12s into smaller cards or just trimmed them to fold into my A2 cards. Stickers went on scalloped cards to created 3D campfire scenes or corresponded to an icon in the liner pattern (e.g. an owl, bunny, trail sign, gnome). Most of these “ingredients” are still available in stores, but not all are online (though various interpretations are possible!).

My hope is that every note she gets makes her feel good because it is a connection from home, but also because each one is so cool that she will feel proud and show them off. When we dropped her at the bus for the ride there, I gave her a note written on a piece of 12×12 paper. I used a white uniball pen to write on the side that looked like a tree trunk (wood grain pattern), and then gate-folded it so that the opposite side pattern (woodland gnomes and creatures) came together and was sealed with a cool 3D gnome sticker. One of her friends looked over and said, “That’s cool. You’re so lucky your mom works at Paper Source”. So true!!

Cheers!

– Sally, Paper Source CEO
PS colors: papaya & pool
Latest fave: 2011 Paper Source Academic Grid Wall Calendar

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