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.

When planning our ABC baby shower for CEO Sally we wanted to create a keepsake for baby Ella. Using a Kolo album the team pooled creative talent to turn our ABC theme into a baby book that showcased the alphabet through the creativity of Paper Source associates.

The book ended up being more than any of us imagined it could be – a wonderful project for all who participated and a special keepsake for Sally and her family. Here are just a few pages from this colorful and inspired book..

A is for Animals – a beautiful menagerie of fine paper cut outs

F is for Fashionista – for a baby who is sure to appreciate style

I is for Invitations – featuring the baby shower invitation

J is for Jars – our canning illustrations with fabric and fine paper accents

L is for Letterpress – a Paper Source tradition

V is for Vellum – with button and vellum flower accents

And a fitting close that will inspire Ella to turn the pages over and over again.

-Ann, Kristen, Karen, Heather & Lora

PS colors: 2012 Paper Source Colorscope
Latest Fave: Baby Shower Ideas

We love to celebrate life moments with our coworkers and friends, and a baby shower for Paper Source CEO Sally Pofcher was certainly an event worth recognizing. But how do you create an event that is as inspirational and creative as Sally herself?

Luckily, we have no shortage of talent!

So, we pooled our resources and threw her an alphabet themed baby shower to welcome baby Ella. Here are a few of our most-favorite details:

The invite
Every great party must begin with an equally lovely invitation. This one, created by Paper Source Design Team leader, Karen, pairs some of Sally’s favorite things – the color persimmon, typography, Baker’s twine and scalloped cards.

The party decorations
Pinwheels large and small in Persimmon, Paper Bag, and Blossom were everywhere. Tiny ones became cupcake toppers, medium ones were attached to striped paper straws and used in (A is for) apple centerpieces, and giant ones adorned the walls.

Behind the food table, we created a feature alphabet statement. Members of our team hand painted, glittered and covered kraft letters. Some of our favorites included “L” – covered in Sally’s favorite Indian paper, “C” – created out of a box of crayons, and “O” – with a tiny mirror as the center.

And, of course, “N” – covered in pictures of Sally’s two older daughters, Nina and Nicole.

As guests arrived, we had each fill out a Baby Wish card. These were hung from Baker’s twine using our tiny clothes pins. Sally took them all home in a decorated A2 box mailer to share with little Ella one day.

The food
On a table draped with solid Paper Bag wrapping paper, we lined up tiny treats.

White bags were cut with scalloped-edge scissors and featured printed circle stickers stating “P is for Popcorn.”

There were rows of baby veggies in clear cups with the message “Eat your veggies!”

We even ordered Sally’s favorite smiley face cookies in bright pink (the traditional yellow ones once served as her wedding favors).

The game
A spin on baby jeopardy, our game – F is for Family – featured questions about Sally’s role as a Mom and were answered by her husband and two girls. It was a fun way to include her family in the day and give everyone fun glimpses into their excitement about the new baby.

The gifts
Gifts were bundled and given fun tags. The new moms in the group all brought favorite supplies, these enjoyed the tag “M is for Mommies Recommend.” A bag sporting “Y is for Yuck” included all sorts of wipes and creams. “O is for Owls” showcased four tiny sleepers with one of our PS owls on the front of each. We borrowed a tiny shopping cart, added the tag “F is for Fashionista” and filled it with tiny and adorable clothes. One basket’s tag simply read “ABCs” and included books, blocks and bibs featuring the alphabet. Our final gift was a hand-made book – Paper Source ABCs. Each letter celebrated something special about PS, and was hand designed by a member of our team.

In May, Sally welcomed her third daughter, Ella James, to her family at home, as well as her family here at Paper Source. After a shower like this, welcoming Ella into the world was as easy as A-B-C!

-Ann, Kristen, Karen, Heather & Lora

PS colors: 2012 Paper Source Colorscope
Latest Fave: Baby Shower Ideas

Bun in the oven? You’re in luck! We have wonderful things cooking too. Not only are our baby announcement designs an adorable way to welcome your new arrival, but our growing Paper Source family has provided plenty of reason to showcase real baby shower ideas.

Check out these DIY shower ideas…

Many of you celebrated our newest bundle of joy when you followed along with creating Something Sweet for Ann. Learn everything from concepting an original baby shower game to incorporating personal details from Ann’s coworkers.

Heather’s team celebrated the arrival of her first child with this Cute As a Button baby shower theme. Check out the clever ways a little button can go a long way. Read the rest of this entry »

This well known baby game was extra sweet at Ann’s shower because it was something played at her mom’s baby shower when she was pregnant with Ann. We created a calendar with dates surrounding Ann’s due date – each guest wrote their name on the date on which they thought Ann’s baby would be born.

Done in our shower colors it made for great shower decor and more importantly was a lovely keepsake for Ann that will serve as a reminder of the guests who attended her shower and a wonderful memory of her mother.

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!

Since Ann is our go-to person for brilliant baby shower game ideas, it was challenging to think of something new she would not have seen before. Sticking with our sweet theme, we came up with a Sugar & Spice Timeline where everyone had to guess the year in which famous candies were born. A simple game card and a basket of the highlighted goodies (which also served as the prize for the winner) is all it took!

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!

As part of Ann’s Sugar & Spice Baby Shower we found a few easy ways to take the candy theme beyond the refreshment table, creating wonderful paper accents for a touch of sweetness on every table.

Pink candy pieces were included in floral centerpieces and Read the rest of this entry »

When our resident Hostess with the Mostess announced that she was pregnant with her first child, nearly everyone at Paper Source squealed in delight. Not only was Ann the perfect candidate for motherhood, but she was also deserving of one spectacular celebration. After all, she had planned so many events for friends and loved ones – it was time to shower her with something special.

Only problem: What do you do for the woman who has done everything?!

Three of us (from non-creative departments) volunteered for the challenge and quickly realized we were in for a treat. After sourcing inspiration online we decided on a Sugar & Spice Baby Shower theme and a perfectly pink color palette.

Since charming treats and refreshments would serve as our main party elements, we concentrated on the buffet table itself as the focal point of the room. We filled the table with sweet (and a little salty) old-fashioned candy and snacks displayed in various glass and white ceramic containers. We dressed our tables with rolls of solid gift wrap in Blossom and Strawberry, and printed place cards matching our invitation style to mark each food item.

Treats included Read the rest of this entry »

Our dear coworker Ann recently gave birth to her first child – a very sweet baby girl! Little Maggie arrived earlier this month, which gave us a chance to revisit Ann’s very special Sugar & Spice Baby Shower thrown in late summer. We enjoyed planning this event so much that we wanted to dedicate a blog series to her special day.

Check back all week as we walk through concepting an original baby shower theme, creating accents, developing a baby shower game and folding in a bit of sentimental charm. It was an event to remember for a woman who has created many memorable events for others. Be sure to save room for a daily helping of sugar – it’s sure to be a delicious read!

Dive in to with these posts from Ann’s baby shower:
Something Sweet for Ann: A Sugar & Spice Baby Shower
Something Sweet for Ann: Candy-Coated Shower Accents
Something Sweet for Ann: A Custom Baby Shower Game
Something Sweet for Ann: A Touching Baby Shower Tradition

–Kristen, Liz & Heather
PS colors: chocolate & fuchsia, fig & gravel, peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads!