On Monday, Paper Source Facebook fans got a peak inside the Halloween festivities that took place at our Corporate Office. We were not surprised when comments poured in over the wiley owl costumes created by our Custom Print & Invitations team – everything from the colorful paper to the unique details of each winged character left everyone in awe.

To let you savor the magic we experienced in person we snapped photographs of the parliament and asked Betsy Campbell, manager of Custom Print & Invitations, to tell us how they came up with this idea.

Here is the story…

When the Paper Source Halloween Costume Contest was announced in mid-October, our Custom Print Team decided – This year, we will NOT be beat! Each person was asked to come up with a group idea (If we dress as a group, then we had a better shot at winning!) and a prize was determined (free pizza, of course!). After a week of thinking, we all got together and tossed ideas around:

Zombie Wedding: Too cliché and had nothing to do with what we do, except for wedding invitations of course!

Paper Source Colorscope: Each of us dress as a Paper Source color from head to toe; unfortunately, we did not have enough people to create our whole color palette!

Paper Gnomes: Turns out the Machine Room staff was already dressing as our Holiday Gnomes (BUMMER!)

Paper Elves: But, come on, elves are so Christmas. This is Halloween!

And then it hit us when I flipped to the calendar spread in our fall catalog – OWLS! We could totally dress as owls! How fun would that be?! Everyone seemed in agreement – though we had a few people who were a little wishy-washy at first, within an hour it was coming together!

Someone created mask templates on her computer, printed out basic designs, and I asked our machine room about scrap material. Jose, manager of the department, certainly delivered – a ton of scrap paper in all of our colors! After that, everything else seemed easy. We made wing templates out of chipboard and everyone got to work.

Some of our characters pay homage to the owls found in our Calendars and holiday cards, while others go their own route. The only parameter was: It had to use Paper Source paper!

We only had about 10 days left before Halloween, so everyone used their break times and lunches (and home time too!) to work on their own components. The only thing supplied was scrap paper and the templates! As you can see, some of us were really inspired, creating full body suits, full heads, tails… even feet!

About 17 of us participated and each Owl showed its full glory! I enjoyed seeing the colors and how everyone got into the project in their own way – from intricately cut wings to masks with FLARE and Art Deco elements to hand-knit eyes, our Custom Print Team got creative! Even our mommy-to-be got into it, making a separate “baby owl” to go around her little belly!

It was great fun and, once again, I was proud of my team for creating something spectacular. I have a feeling these costumes will be used again. Then again, the bar has been raised, so we need to work even harder to beat ourselves next year!

Thanks to everyone who participated, our colleagues for their enthusiasm, our fans for your interest and our Design Team for providing owl inspiration that helped us do something creative this Halloween.

Hoot! Hoot! Hooray!

–Betsy
PS colors: ALL OF THEM!
Latest fave: Paper Source Wall Art Calendar and Owl products

The ever-busy gnomes at the Chicago Botanic Garden have just unveiled the 2010 PS Christmas tree at the annual Wonderland Express Walk. Our tree theme this year? Elves!

And not just cookie-cutter elves. My own elfin PS Crafts team and I started with our new Holiday Elf Kit and crafted 100 individual elves. Like snowflakes, every single one is different with his or her own personality. They’re all nestled in a garland made from our Holly A7 Leaf Cards.

A special gallery of trees is decorated by invitation only, to feature local designers and businesses. Paper Source was honored to be asked back by the curators of the world-renowned 385-acre living green museum just north of the city.

(Did you see our tree last year?)

As you can imagine we are especially busy this time of the year, but PS Crafts Department Elf Claudia, PS Buying Department Elf Nikki, FOPS (Friend of Paper Source) Elf Neill, and I worked through the night with our sharpest Japanese scissors, a palette of tape, and fueled by gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, and hot cocoa (aka elf food).

The Paper Source tree is on display now through January 2, 2011. I hope you get a chance to visit. Let us know whom your favorite elf is. Mine? Hard to pick, but maybe the one I placed smack dab in the middle. Hint: he’s upside down.

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

When I interview candidates I look for PASSION, INSPIRATION, CREATIVITY and SERVICE! We truly hire people with a passion for our beautiful product, those who can inspire others to be creative, and most importantly, understand that the customer is always the first priority! We invest in our employees with great training and a culture that promotes from within. What other small retailer will have opened up 8 new stores this year, and has 12 more planned to open in 2011?

I recently interviewed a customer for a position – sitting in front of me, she was all jittery and I thought she was just nervous, but the first thing she said to me was, “I cannot believe I am interviewing with Paper Source.” It had been a dream of hers to work here, but she had heard that it was a difficult place to get into. In part she is correct – it is a difficult place to get into, but let me tell you, that’s what makes our store staff so successful.

So I ask you, wouldn’t you want to surround yourself with our beautiful, expressive and quirky product, and be touched by what you can inspire others to create? Wouldn’t a generous merchandise discount during the holidays be just JOLLY?

Stop in at your local Paper Source store and speak with a member of their management team about seasonal hiring opportunities or apply online for your favorite store location.

–Cara
PS colors: chocolate & persimmon
Latest fave: Monsters Place Card Kit

Southport (left) and Santa Monica (right)

Come join us at either of the Grand Openings – we’d love to see you!

– Cindy
PS colors: persimmon & paper bag
Latest fave: 2011 Paper Source Booklet Calendar

What do you do on a typical day at work?
Everyday I brainstorm new kits, how-to ideas for the stores and our blog, as well as physically work on numerous craft assignments. I make samples for our stores such as cards, invitations and paper kits. I even make birthday banners for PS employees!

Where do you get your inspiration?
Ironically, I rarely use paper craft books for inspiration. Instead, I like to look at kid’s catalogues, knitting books, kid’s story books, and store window displays. These sources usually provide simple shapes that can be easily translated into paper crafts.

How would you describe your crafting/artistic style?
My style is mostly whimsical and quirky. My crafts usually appeal to the light-hearted person who is a child at heart.

What is your favorite type of project to work on?
I like projects that form organically from kits that we’ve created in the past. For example, the flower petal shape from our Gerbera Daisy Flower Kit served as inspiration for our new Mums Wreath Kit coming out this fall. One day I noticed that after curling the daisy petals and playing with different shapes and colors, they transformed into a completely different flower.

Why do you like to craft?
Crafting for me is a form of creative expression. I like it because it transforms something so basic as paper into interesting and fun objects. Working with paper is unique because with just a few simple tools, you can create so many different things.

What are your favorite summer colors?
I like the combination of bright, bold peacock with pure white.

–Lauren
PS colors: curry & paper bag
Latest fave: Leaves 4 Bar Letterpress Stationery

One of my first projects this summer was to help make multicolored whirls from envelopes that are now displayed in the windows of our new stores in Corte Madera, California and Houston, Texas. We made these sunburst shapes in our new PS colors: persimmon, peacock, sunshine, and paper bag; using four different envelope sizes. I worked along side Maria and Estela, two of the master crafters here, who work every day to make the beautiful items you see in our windows, as well as the samples in our stores.

Often, our window displays are inspired by Paper Source kits sold in our stores, and are so well liked that customers have even asked to buy the display items to use as decorations in their homes or children’s bedrooms!

Now after having been at Paper Source for close to six weeks, this dedication to maintaining authentic artisanship doesn’t surprise me. Paper Source goes the extra step to preserve the unique character that making crafts by hand produces. The thought and care that goes into every project here is truly outstanding.

–Lauren
PS colors: curry & paper bag
Latest fave: Leaves 4 Bar Letterpress Stationery

The first step after an idea is conceived is its design. Elements such as print method, fonts, color, size, imagery, and copy all must be taken into account. For this card, one of our graphic designers, Elaine, used an existing image of a Boston Terrier as inspiration for her hand-drawn computer image. She made sure that the dog had the right angle and facial expression in order to create a strong composition with lots of character. Once the design is created, it goes through an approval process. Often there are color, composition or sentiment tweaks that must be made in order to prefect the card.

Something I was able to help with this summer was brainstorming the messages that will be displayed on the inside and outside of new card designs. Paper Source is all about collaboration, especially in design where the more ideas and perspectives the merrier.

Next steps in the development process include envelope color and packaging selection. These Archie cards were sold as a greeting card set for Valentine’s Day and because Archie is a letterpress card, he is packaged in a paper box, rather than banded with a plastic sleeve.

Once all of these elements are approved the card is ready for production. Something you may not know, is that all of the Paper Source designed cards are packaged and distributed right here at the headquarters in Chicago (and yes, they are printed locally, something I was happy to learn too)!

I hope this gives you some insight into how much thought and work goes into every Paper Source product. Working here has opened my eyes to all that must be taken into account, in order to turn creative ideas into reality, every day!

–Lauren
PS colors: curry & paper bag
Latest fave: Marigolds Wrapping Paper

Indeed, it was play time with our presentation envelopes and colorful combinations of circle stickers. We loved seeing them feel empowered to express themselves – no two were alike! If you’re looking for a creative place to bring a group – to celebrate a birthday, or as a weekend outing for kids or adults – look no further than your local Paper Source! Stop by or call your store for more details.

Remember being creative doesn’t stop when you’re young – it just starts then!

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Circle Stickers and Presentation Envelopes

Here at our headquarters we have a team of holiday card elves who are responsible for these wonderful creations. These talented, patient and just plain nice ladies make each and every assembled greeting card by hand for all seasonal holidays.

Here they are in action this week making Mother’s Day cards for 2010. Can you believe that they place every embellishment on every card by hand? Now you see why I call them patient!

The whole process from card concept to finished product takes a few months. And in the end, you get to give a unique card that you know was handmade with plenty of TLC. It’s the next best thing to making cards yourself!

–Gretchen, PS Buying Team
PS colors: fuchsia & moss
Latest fave: PS Wall Art Calendar

Sue as a young girl

Sue in New Mexico

– Paper Source