Our popular picture frame kits come with instructions for making a vertical frame, and customers will learn learn how to create this perfect gift at today’s Handmade Frame Workshop. (Seats are still available – Call your local store for details!) But, as a special treat to our fans who do not live near a store, we are showing you how to create this handmade frame, but with a twist!

Print this special quick-step PDF and create a DIY horizontal frame.

Take advantage of free shipping on online orders $100 or more and create something special for mom, dad or grad. We will even bring the store experience online by featuring fan creations in an upcoming post – Email a photograph of your completed handmade frame project to PSFan (at) Paper-Source (dot) com or tweet your photo to @Paper_Source using the hashtag #handmadeframe.

Cheers!

–Linda
PS colors: paper bag & persimmon
Latest fave: Academic Great Big Calendar

How-to: 4th of July decorating

How-to: wall bulletin organizer

How-to: camp stationery

How-to: hamburger party invites

Our first guest blogger! Introducing Andrea Boudewijn

How-to: paper doll pool party invitations

Easy wedding table cards

“Twice as nice” twins baby shower

“Cute as a button” baby shower

How-to: tissue pomettes

(Sorry this is not a kid’s class – this is for adults only – please see the policy page.)

If you are the crafter who is afraid of glue this project we will show you how to wrap book board using super-tacky tape to secure PS papers. No worries, we will also help you navigate the layout for your ribbon too!

There are still seats available for tonight’s class!! So sign up online or call your local store to get in on this wonderful French Message Board workshop.

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

Once I completed felting the birds, I found a piece of driftwood from the shoreline, and crafted a swing, simply by braiding pieces of string to each end. When the swing was assembled, the birds were then glued onto the piece of wood with PVA glue. And voila!…a cute family of birds who smell great!

That’s right, they smell ‘tweet’. One thing I’ve noticed about felt is that it holds smells very well. Simply spray or drop your favorite perfume/potpourri into the larger felt birds, and you’ve got yourself an adorable air freshener, as well as bragging rights. Hang it in your bathroom, car rear view mirror, or off your neck! Wherever it dwells, it has tweet smells.

–Minhi, Paper Source Bellevue Store
PS colors: moss & curry
Latest fave: I Can’t Sleep Journal

I walked past Paper Source’s window display of colorful papers and couldn’t resist stepping inside. I was so distracted by the beautiful papers that I almost missed the handmade boxes on display! They were so beautiful I wished I could learn how to make them myself. Luckily for me, Paper Source had all the materials to make boxes right there! I picked up some book board, bookbinding cloth, PVA glue, and an instruction manual, and headed home to make my box!

The PS instructions made the box construction easy to perfect with practice. I hadn’t worked much with PVA glue before, so that was a challenge at first. But I eventually found the best ways to handle the materials, and not get the table all sticky! I was happy to have my bone folder as well to smooth the paper down on the box as I glued. The handmade boxes turned out to be the perfect way to package my cards.

Here’s how I made my box: One by one, glue and secure the walls to the base.

Once you have secured all the walls, let the inner box set for about 10-15 minutes.

Once it is set, you can begin to cover it with your choice of paper. Cut a piece of paper long enough to wrap around the entire box, and leave extra room on the top and bottom to wrap underneath and inside. Set aside and work on the cover.

Glue the front and back covers and the spine of the box to the back of the book cloth. Fold and glue the book cloth around the covers and spine.

This is what the cover looks like before you decorate it! You can glue papers onto the front and inside of the covers…

Once the paper is glued on, glue the inner box onto the inside of the back cover.

And now I have a beautiful box to match my stationery!

–Maria Kanakis, www.paperbymaria.com – New York City, PS customer
PS colors: peacock & sunshine
Latest fave: Yuzen Fine Paper

P.S. If there are kids in your family who would love a project like this, check out our Tween Message Board Workshop in stores August 21 (for ages 9-12).

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

Materials needed:
How to PDF
2 pieces of 9 1/2″ x 13″ Bookboard
Marigolds Wrapping Paper
A9 Envelopes (Poppy & Persimmon)
A2 Note Cards (Curry)
1/4″ Satin Ribbon (Curry)
1 Large Binder Clip
Stapler
Scissors
1/4″ Super Tacky Tape
Ruler
Bone folder
EXTRAS: crystal push pins • clipiolas • slicci red metallic pen

Instructions:
1. Adhere two bookboards together with super tacky tape and cover with wrapping paper.
2. Make a hanger by cutting approximately 2 feet of ribbon and knotting each end. Staple ends to back of bulletin 3 or more times (diagram A).
3. Gusset fold two envelopes to form pockets, creasing with a bone folder, and stick in place with tape (diagram B).
4. Pushpin a length of ribbon across bulletin to hang photos and mementos. Binder clip note cards to one side for jotting reminders. Use more pushpins along bottom edge to hang keys, IDs or jewelry.

Father’s Day is only one month away, and let’s face it, dad can sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to sentimental gifts! Of course we know why… he would probably rather be watching a ball game (of some sort) or out fishing on any given weekend, but deep down he loves being remembered, especially with a gift from the heart!

What better way to say thanks to the Big Guy than to create a one-of-a-kind gift at our Father’s Day Workshop on Thursday, May 27. You’ll use our most unique “fish file folder” to create a clever and personal keepsake filled with photos, cards, and messages, reminding dad of those things he might not get to hear everyday!

Whether it’s for a husband, grandpa, your own dad, or a dad-to-be, we have all the ingredients to turn this unusual pocketed accordion into an embellished treat – complete with rubber stamping, glassine envelopes, stickers and a tiny makeshift fishing pole to remind him that you “hooked the best dad!”

This project is perfect to start at the workshop and bring home for the kids – giving everyone a chance to fill a pocket or two with personal ephemera! Say “I love you DAD”, with this fun project! Seats are limited for this terrifically priced $20 one hour class, from 6:30–7:30pm. Register now! And don’t forget to bring along photos and other objects the day of the class.

Cheers,

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

Add a safety pin for one of a kind boutonnières, or use them as package toppers, on napkin rings, and as playful decorations.

–Annie
PS colors: gravel & beet
Latest fave: Tree Trunk Tea Light and Japanese 8 1/4″ Scissors

Materials Needed:
How to PDF
Paper Ribbon (Fuchsia & Sea Green – a.k.a. Pool)
Floral Wire/Tape Kit
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil (optional)
Safety Pins

Instructions:
1. For both colors, fold 3 1/2″ lengths of paper ribbon back and forth 8 times accordion style. Use Diagram A from How to PDF to cut out shape through all layers.
2. Cinch and gather fuchsia petals and pool petals at their centers (Diagram B). Layer fuchsia petals on top of pool petals in a tight bunch (Diagram C).
3. Cut floral wire in half. Using half of the wire, place petal bunch at center of wire and cross and wrap wire twice around (Diagram D).
4. Fan and fluff petals upward arranging into a flower shape (Diagram E).
5. Wrap exposed wire with floral tape beginning at the base of the flower. Cut to desired length (optional).
6. Place open safety pin along length of stem near base of flower and wrap in place with floral tape, creating flare for your outfit!

We used the three smallest Scallop Edge Kraft Boxes to make our wish box, which creates a cake that is about 9″ tall (excluding the ribbon loop) and 5 1/4″ in diameter. You can create a larger cake by stacking larger box sizes or even add more tiers. The boxes can be decorated in colors and patterns to match your wedding decor. A wish box also makes a wonderful bridal shower activity!

–Annie
PS colors: gravel & beet
Latest fave: Tree Trunk Tea Light and Japanese 8 1/4″ Scissors

Materials Needed:
How to PDF
Scallop Edge Kraft Box (extra small, small & medium)
7 Point Shape Hole Punch
Small Zots Dots
Glue Gun
Gold Glitter
Pool 1 1/2″ Satin Ribbon
Yuzen Pool Gold Waves Paper
8.5 x 11 Text Paper (pool, chocolate, superfine soft white)
Glue Stick
Xacto Knife
Scissors
Bone Folder
Pencil

Instructions:
1. The small (middle tier) and medium (bottom tier) boxes need to be cut to create the inside drop hole where your guests will place their wishes. The extra small box (top tier) will not be cut. To cut a hole in the lid of the medium box and the bottom of the small box, lightly trace the bottom of the small box with a pencil onto the lid of the medium box. With an xacto knife, cut a hole in the lid of the medium box approximately 1/2″ smaller than the traced outline. Then cut a hole in the bottom of the small box about 1/2″ smaller than the base of the box itself. These two holes should match up when you stack the boxes.
2. Create the ribbon topper by carefully cutting a hole, with an xacto knife, approximately 1/4″ in diameter into the center of the extra small box lid. Cut a 9″ length of ribbon, then tuck the ends of the ribbon into the hole leaving a loop above the lid. You don’t need to tie the ribbon ends – the tension of the ribbon inside the small hole is enough to keep it in place.
3. Print a banner measuring approximately 1″ x 5″ onto superfine soft white text paper. We’ve chosen the message: “Write your wishes for the Newlyweds here. {life the ribbon topper & drop into cake}”. Back this onto chocolate text paper with a 1/8″ border on all four sides.
4. Decorate each cake layer with branches by using the shape template in the How to PDF. Trace and cut the branch shapes from chocolate text paper. Cut to desired lengths and adhere to the boxes. Adhere banner in place. To create flowers, punch 7 point shape out of pool text paper and curl the petals up with bone folder. To add the glittered centers, stick a small zots dot in the center of each flower punch out, dip into gold glitter and tap off excess glitter back into container. Add the flowers to the branches with small zots dots. Add additional decorative flair with a 1/4″ band of Yuzen Pool Gold Waves fine paper around the scallop lids.
5. Once decorating is complete, you will adhere some of the box pieces together using a glue gun. Starting with the lower tiers, first glue the small box bottom (middle tier) to the center of the medium box lid (bottom tier). Then glue the extra small box bottom (top tier) to the center of the small box lid (middle tier). Lastly glue the extra small box lid to the extra small box bottom by adding a little glue to the inside rim of the lid.

When your guests pull the ribbon, they will remove the entire first tier and the lid of the middle tier revealing the drop hole. To collect your wishes, you can remove the lid of the bottom tier.

Use our PDF template to cut out each cake shape for easy assembly, and choose any colored paper to create your own combination of “flavors”…red velvet…strawberry…dark chocolate!

Sweet!

–Annie
PS colors: gravel & beet
Latest fave: Tree Trunk Tea Light and Japanese 8 1/4″ Scissors

Materials Needed:
How to PDF
8 1/2 x 11 Cover Paper (Superfine Soft White)
8 1/2 x 11 Text Paper (Shimmer Chocolate and Stardream Opal)
Xacto Knife or Scissors
Ruler
Cutting Mat (optional)
Bone Folder (optional)
Glue Stick
Scallop Scissors
Pencil

Getting Started:
Begin by printing the How to PDF and cutting out each cake part template. Cut along the solid lines only. Once finished, you should have 7 cake part templates (you will use the Step 2a template twice to create a total of 8 cake pieces). Next follow the instructions below along with the How to PDF for using each template with the paper listed or other paper you have selected.

Instructions:
1. Use each cake part template to cut out shapes from the colored papers creating all 8 cake parts.
2. With a bone folder, score and fold along the dotted lines as shown in each template.
3. Assemble the parts in numbered order – the templates will show you where to apply adhesive. Use the finished sample image as reference.