Before returning to spend another summer interning at Paper Source, I spent 5 months reading maps, roaming markets, picnicking at parks, hiking trails, eating feasts, absorbing culture and speaking French. Studying abroad is an experience unlike any other. You are afforded the opportunity to delve deep into a new culture and learn through unconventional means outside of a classroom setting. My wonderful French host parents continuously spoke the words profitez-bien, directly translated as profit well but more commonly understood as make the most of it, or embrace life. This simple phrase soon developed as a reoccurring theme of my travels that I’ve come to embrace.

This joie de vivre, or joy of living, was particularly apparent in my painting and drawing course. My professors constantly alluded to living in the moment, whether we were figure drawing in the studio or painting landscapes in the countryside. Without saying much, they challenged our perceptions of color. I challenge you to do the same thing: take a look around, what colors do you see? If you are like me, you may think that water is blue and trees are green, but so much more is out there.

After 3 weeks, I started seeing colors I’d never seen before – stunning flower markets in Aix-en-Provence, rich red roofs in Portugal, elaborate mosaics in Barcelona, Monet’s “Water Lilies” in Paris, and the radiance of the Mediterranean Sea. My world brightened and my eyes smiled.

Coming back home, I am bombarded with a future-oriented mindset, but I truly have learned to value smaller nuances in life. So next time you’re going for a walk, take a look around and get inspired. There are new colors to see in the world and a million ways to profitez-bien!

–Lauren, Paper Source Intern
PS colors: chartruese & sage
Latest fave: Vintage Marquis Monogram A6 Flat Stationery

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 »

Is it wrong to collect something that wasn’t meant to be seen? No, according to me and my Paper Source work mates. A few months ago I brought in my collection of security envelopes and tacked them to my inspiration board. Each day since everyone in the Design Department has been adding to the mix! They’re really quite beautiful and detailed.

Some of the envelopes are duplicates so I made some origami with them. Read the rest of this entry »

Our new swatchbooks have arrived and with them our yummy new colors, peacock, persimmon, sunshine and paper bag. We’re all about color here in the Design Department, and there is a certain giddy vibe that comes over us when the new swatchbooks are ready. It’s sort of like the satisfaction of getting shiny new school supplies in the fall.

Inside you’ll find a page in every color of the PS palette, as well as handy shape and size guides for our cards, envelopes and enclosures.

They’re so useful for planning a project…even take it with you when shopping for decorations and flowers to match colors to your invitations!

–Fabra
PS colors: gravel & chocolate
Latest fave: Teflon bone folder

I’m a big fan of doing photographic research while I’m concepting a new illustration for Paper Source designs. For me, having a strong idea and concept make the designs more thoughtful, and more compelling; it should be meaningful. So for our new Marigolds Wrapping Paper, I had quite the stack of collected photos!

Created and concepted while we were working on our India inspired papers, we waited for the right summery time to release Marigolds. I tweaked our garlands with PS colors, giving the flowers a bright, lush feel – evoking pure inspiration, and not wanting the design to be literal. When you check out our new Marigolds wrap, also look for additional layers of India inspired ornaments and decorative patterns in the design…with accents of metallic gold and fuchsia no less! (my favorite parts!)

Hope you enjoy my window of creative research, and good luck with your own!

–Elaine
PS colors: pool, persimmon & cement
Latest fave: our new colors in note cards & envelopes!

We are just so thrilled to show off our three new colors (well, four when you include beloved Paper Bag from earlier this year!). Selecting new colors for Paper Source is a lot of fun, but a big responsibility. In order to make one new color, we have to commit to 10,000 pounds of paper. This means we need to feel really good about the color and are hopeful you will too!

Peacock is our new teal blue and it truly works well with the entire PS line. Have fun mixing and matching it within our palette – you’ll be amazed what new life it gives old favorites! Some of my favorite Peacock combinations are when paired with Beet, Chartreuse, Moss, Pool or Curry – I also love it with Persimmon.

Persimmon is a color we nearly introduced with Moss several years ago. Alas, we could not forget about it. The Design team continued using the ink color in projects like the 2009 India collection, loving the warmth of this rich orange-red. Persimmon works well with Paper Bag, Papaya, Poppy, Pool, Chartreuse and of course, its former partner, Moss. But like Peacock, it works well with most all of the palette.

And Sunshine, which was a request from our customers. Each month we’d hear from our store managers (yes, they do share the requests that you make!) that customers were looking for a warm, bright, sunny yellow – a yellow that would work well for weddings…a happy yellow! Sunshine pairs beautifully with the oranges and greens in the line and takes on a sophisticated look when paired with Gravel.

Have fun and enjoy the satisfaction of creating your own favorite color combos with these newbies. Welcome to the family Peacock, Persimmon, and Sunshine!

– Cindy
PS colors: pool & red
Latest fave: Dutch Woodcut Floral Wrapping Paper

Ask anyone who knows me—my mom, my co-workers, my old hairstylist Jojo—to describe me in three words, and he or she will inevitably use the word “colorful.” Rich colors, like rich flavors, tickle some deep joyful place inside of me. Fiery colors can warm up even the rainiest afternoon, and bright, flowery hues help remind me that soon little pink and yellow and purple blooms will be popping up all across the city, like the Paas-dipped eggs that I thought magically appeared in our family’s lawn each Easter morning.

I am, one might say, gonzo for color. So it saddens me that one of the world’s most colorful brands, Oilily, a Dutch clothing company famous for its brilliantly candy-tinged sweaters, dresses, and knitwear, was forced to close down their US stores. Luckily for me, I was able to snag this amazing framed vintage scarf right off the wall of one store before they closed the doors. As a tribute to the whimsical fun of Oilily, I wanted to highlight some of our colorful new gifts for spring.

One colorful detail that I am really excited about for spring is pom poms. Our CEO Sally took one look at our new pink and orange pom pom scarf (available next month) and said, “That is just so Lindsay, isn’t it?!?” We have adorable pom pom kitchen towels in two color combinations. We also have clip on pom poms—perfect for using as a keychain or for cute-ning up your bags or belt loops. And if you want to really go pom pom crazy, you can even make your own pom poms at home.

Some other great gifts are Read the rest of this entry »

In his book “Interaction of Color,” Josef Albers talks about his method of learning about color. He uses experimentation and observation to show how colors interact with one another sometimes in a deceiving way. This play can help you discover colors that are influencers and colors that are easily influenced. It’s common for color theory to be taught with paint, but Albers felt that paper was the better medium…and we have to agree!

Color Study 1
The first color study shows how you can take one color and make it look like two different colors based on the background color you place it on. We see Curry on Blossom which causes Curry to look more muddy and a tiny bit green. When placed on Moss however, it looks more yellow. The key is to have the colors sit on much larger backgrounds so that the influence can take place. The effect is also much more pronounced in person – it can be difficult to convey on a computer screen.

Color Study 2
The second color study shows how you can make two different colors look more alike. We have Gravel on Night and Cement on Superfine White which portrays Cement and Gravel as almost the same color.

The same result occurs when you place Curry on Superfine Soft White and Chartreuse on Pool. Read the rest of this entry »

At Paper Source headquarters, here in Chicago, the winters are long and a bit bleak. So, a little color is always welcome. For one of the first birthdays of the year we created a colorful banner – Estela was so surprised to get her very own rainbow birthday banner!

This was created by simply printing individual letters onto 8.5 x 11 text weight paper. A skinny vertical font like Eccentric works great, and you’ll want to center your text and use a landscape page layout. For each sheet, run a strip of 1/4″ super tacky tape along one of the 8 1/2″ edges, roll to form a tube and adhere edges together. Once all the tubes (your letters and spaces) are formed, connect the sides of the tubes together with more tape. Punch 1/8″ holes on both ends and center to hang.

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