After reviewing more than 400 submission, our team couldn’t be more thrilled to announce the winners of the Paper Source Holiday Crafting Contest!

Drum roll, please…

Décor Category

#1 – Homemade Advent Calendar

#2 – Friends-giving Tablescape

#3 – Woodland Winter-land Garland

Wrapping Category

#1 – Shipping a Sweet Surprise

#2 – The Edible, no-so-abominable, Snowman

#3 – Christmas Cottage with Gingerbread Santa

Card Making Category

#1 – Under the Sea Christmas

#2 – Sweet Treats & Warm Wishes

#3 – Advice from a Snowman

We enjoyed seeing the creative talents of so many customers. We hope those who participated enjoyed making cards, decorating and wrapping packages for both the contest and the pleasure in exchanging and sharing them with all. We hope everyone finds a bit of inspiration from the entries. See them here: https://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/photo-contest.html

Happy Holidays from all of us at Paper Source!

Give mom something to remember this Mother’s Day. This silhouette project allows you to create a wonderful paper cameo that you can use as a small home decor piece or as a handmade card. It’s a gift she is sure to adore.

Materials Needed:

• Mother’s Day Silhouette How-to PDF
• Photograph of your subject (profile view)
• Vellum
• Black Text Paper
• Superfine White Text Paper
• Fine paper of your choice
• Scissors OR craft knife and cutting mat
• Super Tacky Tape
• Foam Squares (optional)
• Pencil
• A7 Folded Card
• A7 Box Mailer
• Ribbon

Instructions:

1. Take a profile photograph (actual photo or printout of a photo) and trace onto Vellum paper to create the silhouette shape.
2. Cut out the silhouette shape black paper with scissors or craft knife.
3. Trim fine paper to fit your card or box mailer.
4. Cut an oval or circle out of white paper, and mount onto a sheet of fine paper using Super Tacky Tape.
5. Mount silhouette shape onto oval or circle (use foam squares if desired to add dimension).
6. Print or cut out a banner from Superfine White paper and use to add a personal message.

You can create silhouettes using our precision cutting machine, the Silhouette Cameo. This tool is especially helpful if you plan to make multiples of the silhouette. Begin by following the first two steps above, tracing the profile photograph onto Vellum paper, and cutting from Black paper. Then scan the black silhouette cut out and place into the Silhouette program.

Try this approach or the wall hanging option featured in the Paper Source catalog and online.

– Claudia
PS colors: curry & fuchsia
Latest fave: Mini Magnolia Paper Flower Kit

Send your favorite fool rushing in this Valentine’s Day with our Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love card. Utilize paper from season’s past or follow along with our color recommendations. Either way you slice it, this Valentine is better than a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Materials Needed:

• Hunka Hunka How-to PDF
• A7 Black Folded Cards
• Persimmon & Poppy 4 Bar Heart Cards
• Red Glitter Wrap
• Peacock, Curry, Poppy, Papaya and Beet Text Weight Papers (or whatever scrap you’ve got!)
• Heart Hole Punch
• Foam Squares
• Glue Stick
• Silver Metallic Sharpie Marker
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Xacto & Cutting mat

Read the rest of this entry »

And you thought only teddy bears were lovable? This adorable little Panda makes a huggably sweet folded note- perfect for your Valentine sentiments! Created by the Paper Source Craft Design team, you can construct your Panda Love Card with colors of the season, or mix and match with your favorite PS colors. He’s just too cute to pass up!

Materials Needed:

• Paper Source Panda Love How To
• A7 Persimmon Folded Cards
• Fuchsia 4 Bar Heart Cards
• Black 1 ¼” Round Label Sheets
• Ecowhite 2 ½” Round Label Sheets
• Ecowhite 4″ Round Label Sheets
• Googly Eyes
• Black Brads
• ¾” Circle Punch
• Silver Metallic Sharpie Marker
• Gluedots
• Scissors

Read the rest of this entry »

I pride myself on sending the perfect card for every occasion. I’ve collected cards over the years so I have plenty at hand. But sometimes I just can’t find the right one, so I make my own. What I thought would be perfect for this little package is a coordinating birthday card using the same wrapping paper and satin ribbon.

Simple, simple – I just covered the front of a folded card with a piece of gift wrap cut to size, added a strip of satin ribbon across the front, and used a letterpress tag as my sentiment. All with my favorite adhesive – double stick tape.

It’s an easy way to let the gift recipient know you went above and beyond to make a one of a kind package. And a great way to use those leftover wrapping paper scraps!

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

Our 12×12 sheets aren’t just for scrapbooks! Make this jolly lil’ fellow using our new “Button Nose Snowman” 12×12. It’s the perfect project for the snowman lover in us all! The page is filled with these frosty friends in all different shapes and sizes. Cut out one for each card…or how about a bunch to represent the whole family!

Happy Holidays To You & Yours!

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

Materials Needed: Read the rest of this entry »

We recently noticed that many PS bloggers list their favorite PS colors as Persimmon & Paper Bag. It’s true! These new colors have quickly found their way into many of our craft projects & product designs. Persimmon, bold, happy and bright, tempered by the earthiness of Paper Bag. It’s a cheerful, down-to-earth combination.

Inspired by the suggestion, I headed to our new Southport store and soon found myself with the beginnings of a card-making idea…Persimmon folded cards, Paper Bag business cards, Paper Bag envelopes and Lokta paper to line the envelopes. Hoping to find the rest of my materials in my paper scrap box (full disclosure: closet), I headed home. Read the rest of this entry »

It is so warm here in Chicago. It hardly feels like it is almost Thanksgiving! In fact, it feels a little weird to talk about my favorite holiday products when I didn’t even wear a coat to work, but here goes…

For crafting, a couple super-easy, but super-impactful items are the Snowflake Trim Double Edge Punch and Tinsel & Twig embellishments .

The chain punch allows you to make perfectly die-cut belly bands that wrap around an invitation or card while the crepe paper embellishments are self-adhesive, so you can stick one on a card or on the top of a gift. The embellishments are layered with four different accents so it looks handmade without the time investment. Just peel and stick! I used it in the sample to adhere the snowflake chain to the card.

When it comes to boxed holiday cards I cannot resist telling you about another one of my favorite vendors, Saturn Press. For years Paper Source has carried this line of beautiful letterpress cards, both in our everyday single card assortment, as well as in boxed holiday offerings. Not only is their product simply lovely, but their commitment to green living has been alive since the start of their business in 1986. Read the rest of this entry »

We had such fun creating our holiday card idea samples this year – including a multi-department crafting lunch, complete with holiday tunes (but missing the “lunch”)!

From the creativity of that day came the cards pictured above, along with recipes for you to follow, or improvise. We hope you enjoy the inspiration they provide and that you have a ball “cooking up” your own holiday cards this season. Remember, if you submit your ideas to us, as part of our Holiday Card Contest, you could win a PS gift card (always handy around the holidays)!

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