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

Instructions:

1. Using templates, trace and cut letters. (We used Peacock for “hunka hunka” and “burnin” and Beet for “LOVE”)
2. Punch hearts out of Beet paper.
3. Using an assortment papers, cut a mix of flames in varying heights.
4. Adhere flames to card using a glue stick.
5. Layer Persimmon heart on top of Poppy heart and adhere to card with foam squares.
6. Adhere phrase, as shown, using a glue stick and accent with hearts.
7. Write message inside using silver marker.

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

Instructions:

For panda body:
• Punch a ¾” circle from center of small black label, for panda tail.
• Stick tail just behind one large ecowhite label.
• Stick body with tail onto card, leaving room at top of card for head and ears.

Assemble panda head before sticking to card:
• Cut a small black label in half, stick in place onto medium ecowhite label.
• Punch two ¾” circles from centers of small black labels and stick in place just below ears.
• Adhere googly eyes on top of black punches with gluedots.
• Finish assembling head by affixing one black brad as nose.

To finish:
• Stick panda head onto card slightly overlapping body.
• Cut two more small black labels in half for paws and draw lines for claws with silver marker.
• Stick paws onto heart card as shown, using them to keep it in place on panda body.
• Write name or message onto heart card.

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

Happy Holidays To You & Yours!

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

Materials Needed:

• Luxe Fino Cream A6 Folded Cards
• Persimmon 8 1/2″ x 11″ Text Paper
• Blizzard 12″ x 12″
• Snowfall 12″ x 12″
• Button Nose 12″ x 12″
• White Pom Poms (optional)
• Foam Squares (optional)
• Small Zots Dots/Glue Dots
• Double-Stick Tape
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. For the backdrop, cut three wavy landscapes using assorted 12″ x 12″ papers in three
varying heights for layering.
2. Adhere landscape layers using double-stick tape.
3. Trim out a snowman from button nose 12″ x 12″ paper and adhere to card with a foam
square (for added dimension) or double-stick tape.
4. Top off snowman’s hat with a pom pom affixed with a zot dot/glue dot.
5. Print (or write) your message onto Persimmon paper for banner.
6. Cut banner into strips measuring approximately 3/4″ x 8 1/2″.
7. Cut “V” shape at both ends, fold banner in place and affix to card using double-stick tape.

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.

Here’s how the card came together:

Miscellaneous paper scraps from years gone by, punched into little circles with a 1” hole punch, arranged in a flower shape and adhered with a piece of tape on the back.

Paper flower shape is punched in the center using 1/8” hole punch, and brad becomes the flower center.

Paper Bag business card, cut in half lengthwise, message written with Micron pen.

Paper Flower and business card message adhered together onto the front of the Persimmon folded card.

Envelopes lined, and voila!

While Jadeite will always be my first true love (oh, how I miss thee!), Persimmon & Paper Bag, I can say for certain now, this is real love.

– Karen
PS colors: persimmon, moss, paper bag (of course)
Latest fave: Holiday Elf Kit

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.

The proprietors of the company live on Swan’s Island, Maine without computers or air conditioners. Their printing press is 77 years old, they use less than a gallon of solvents per year in their press room. Their total output of garbage is two cans per month, mainly because all of their recycled paper is custom made to their specific size to avoid waste. Heck, even the grass around their building is cut with a reel lawnmover in the summer. I think that’s pretty cool. Plus, they’re just friendly, down-to-earth people which is always a nice thing, too.

–Gretchen, PS Buying Team
PS colors: fuchsia & moss
Latest fave: 2011 Paper Source Academic Grid Wall Calendar

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

Our customers have been raving about our most recent Holiday Card Making event, so we added another to the schedule to keep the inspiration coming! Trust me when I say that this October 21st class should bring your holiday greetings to life. You will get to play with some of our new products including: birch veneer, fabric tapes, tiny jingle bells, decorative paper ribbon, and other fun adornments!

Sign up online, or call your local store, to get on the list for today’s activities! If your local store is sold out, please ask about an encore class or private party options. These cards and tags are not to be missed!

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

Here are a few holiday card samples the folks will be making tomorrow night. Left: We used our new Tombow Markers with rubber stamps to add fun hits of color! Right: Vintage distressing combined with our die-cut snowflake cards, layered over new 12×12 paper.

Below are a few card ideas sure to be winners for those who love creative embellishments like bakers twine or decorative cloth tape! (Some of these new ingredients are hot off the press and you’ll be the first to see them in this workshop – not yet available online).

Please stop into a store to view even more holiday card samples on our inspiration boards, and get a jump on your own creations just in time for the start of our 5th Annual Holiday Card Contest! This is the season we love to inspire correspondence between families and between friends. This is the rich part of life, sharing your thoughts and words with those you love. And, well…this is the fun part too, getting to “Do Something Creative Every Day!”

Cheers & Happy kickoff to the Holidays!

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: 2011 Paper Source Booklet Calendar

Here are a few card samples using some of our new bold colors along with card making techniques we’re sure you’ll love! Most of these designs sprang from the creative minds of our amazing sample making “dynamic duo,” Annie and Claudia, who never cease to wow me with their clean and playful style.

Sign up fast as seats are selling out quickly! Many stores are planning to feature this workshop again – if your store is already sold out for this week, call to find out when they might be hosting this class in the future!

Share photos of what you create on our Facebook page. I promise to let Annie and Claudia know how they have inspired you with their imaginations. Hmmm…I think I feel a card making throwdown comin’ on!

Cheers,

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Silhouette SD Digital Cutting Tool and Peacock Cards & Envelopes