A PS Fan fan recently wrote in about a 4″ x 6″ booklet idea she was working on and, like many of us, the final execution of her project was unanswered – How was she going to secure the pages of her booklet?

Would it be snaps?

Could it be eyelets?

Or should it be brads?

Decisions, decision, decisions…

Sure, they seem too small for the fuss. But, take it from me, these embellishments add charm and function in their own unique way. To help her and others understand how and when to use each I created this quick-step guide.

Feel free to comment with other questions. I’ve tackled a lot of projects and have plenty of tips and tricks to offer the inquiring crafty mind.

Cheers!

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

We all know duct tape to be a universal fix it tool, but have you ever caught yourself grabbing something random to get you through a household task? Then thought to yourself, “Not too shabby.”

No? Well, you’re free to laugh when I tell you PVA is my duct tape.

Flip flops with a loose sole? Slap a little PVA on there.

A loose arm on your wooden chair? Polyvinyl acetate to the rescue.

Detached roller on the office furniture? Grab that handy tub of goo.

Hey, it works! And, those of us who have limited crafting activity, have plenty to spare.

Given the creative spirit that fuels this blog, I suspect many of you have quirky alternatives for your crafting supplies. From spot drying a shirt with your heat tool (careful with this one!) to tacks or starch for apartment wall coverings (courtesy of Apartment Therapy readers), share your unexpected moments of brilliance.

– Liz
PS colors: night & curry
Latest fave: Cavallini Wrapping Paper

If you ever feel nostalgic for those sticker collections of early childhood, then let me introduce you to my new crafty best friend, the Xyron Create A Sticker. It brings back memories of carefree days and transforms all sorts of beautiful paper into stickers I can use for grown-up things like cards, files, books, and other craft projects. Recently, I found an even more practical use for my Xyron – making labels! This is not your mother’s old one-font label maker – you can print any font, shape, and color that you want, turn it into a sticker, and label to your heart’s content.

I used my newfound labeling skills to spruce up the envelopes for a friend’s bridal shower invitations. The wrap-around address labels were the finishing touch that the invitations needed to make them look complete and professionally crafted. It was all courtesy of my Xyron, a little imagination, and Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of the time, it’s the small things in life that make me happy. But, every once in a while… it’s the big things! The Silhouette SD Digital Cutting Tool is one of those things. Roughly the size of an average inkjet printer, this machine is definitely a crafting power tool. It allows you to cut designs out of paper, vinyl, heat transfers and more! You can choose from templates, or be your own designer! Our stores have had a lot of fun creating cool samples to get you inspired…

Two lovely cards made by Olivia and Lacey from our new Houston store, opening soon!

Custom decals for a moped and helmet made by Nicolas in our Cambridge store – vrooomm!

A charming save the date with coordinating enclosure made by Martha in our Atlanta store.

We introduced the Silhouette into our stores a few months ago, and as I have been traveling around the country opening our new Paper Source locations, I have been training our employees how to use it. Most haven’t heard of this crafting machine, so I get to be the first to tell them! As I explain how it works and what kind of results you can get, I get a three stage reaction: Read the rest of this entry »

“Letterpress is undeniably special and luscious. This print method originated in the 15th century and is known for its timeless beauty and rich, tactile feel. Type and image are impressed into the paper through the pressure of a clam-shell-like printing press, resulting in a luxuriously textured imprinted surface.”

If you’re on our blog, you’re probably already familiar with Paper Source’s elegant letterpress stationery, wedding invitations, and greeting cards. (For those of you who aren’t familiar see the definition from our website above). Letterpress products are artisan crafted in a centuries-old print method and, until now, there really wasn’t an option for the average Joe to experience this art form at home.

Enter the Letterpress Machine Combo Kit! This all-in-one kit contains everything for the home crafter to create beautiful handmade cards, stationery, gift tags, and prints. Now, this kit is not a vintage Chandler and Price press, but it’s not 4,000 pounds either. It’s not a Vandercook, but you also don’t have to apprentice with anyone to use it! Bottom line…you can set up shop on your kitchen table and crank out some lovingly made, beautiful cards that 99% of recipients won’t believe you made yourself.

The Letterpress Machine Combo Kit contains everything you need to get started from paper to ink and of course, plates of images and text. I recommend playing at first and doing some test runs before you leap head first into your wedding invitations. Although this kit is small and good for home use, you still want to get a feel for how to move the ink over the plate with the brayer, and figure out exactly what techniques work best to get the impression you desire. One thing is for certain – you’re sure to have fun throughout the whole process, and you’ll be so proud of yourself when you create cards that have the tactile, elegant quality of fine letterpress printing.

p.s. See this Letterpress Machine video for a quick demo!

–Gretchen, PS Buying Team
PS colors: fuchsia & moss
Latest fave: Poppies Flower Kit

I love, love, love playing with new crafting tools and am so excited that we now carry one of my absolute favorites – the Silhouette SD Digital Cutting Tool. It’s similar to a printer in shape & size and connects to your computer, but instead of printing images, it uses a tiny blade to cut them out of your choice of media – paper, vellum, vinyl, oh-so-many options!

Our text weight paper works the best, and our cover weight paper and entire line of note cards can be cut with a little tweaking of the settings. It definitely takes a few practice rounds to perfect the art of placing the media in the right spot on the mat and finding the perfect the blade settings, but if you love card making, scrapbooking or just general crafting, this tool is a must have!

The tool comes pre-loaded with 50 shapes, and can cut almost any font you already have loaded on your computer. Additional images are available for download (iTunes style) on the Silhouette website. The samples shown here were created using Silhouette shapes. A patterned background and layered message (all cut out of text weight paper) make for a fun thank you card.

Floral cutouts xyroned to a brightly wrapped package with coordinating card create a fun gift presentation any girl would love! For those of you who want to take it to the next level, Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we created the cover of our most recent Paper Source catalog. Valentine’s Day is all about taking the time to show love, so we really wanted something handmade on our Valentine’s Day catalog cover. What we came up with was simple and lovely – a paper heart hand-stitched with the word “love.”

Create your own hand-stitched sentiment by following the easy steps below!

– Karen
PS colors: moss & papaya
Latest fave: India Calico File Folders

1. Choose the note card onto which you want to stitch (in this case our heart shape card). Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you who have tried it, you know, lining envelopes is oh, so satisfying! It’s an easy, instant upgrade to wedding invitations, stationery, and greeting cards, and even if you claim you’re not crafty, you will be able to do this. You can use almost any paper imaginable to make envelopes liners – solids, patterns, fine paper, newspaper, magazine pages, even photocopies of pictures.

When lining Paper Source envelopes, the trick is to use our Envelope Liner Template Kit, which comes with traceable plastic templates in 7 envelope sizes. Check out our How-to Video where our beloved founder Sue will show you how to make envelope liners, and keep you entertained along the way.

Enjoy, and, as Sue will remind you, Do Something Creative Every Day!

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

As useful and handy as this craft tool is, we think the word “Xyron” should be in the dictionary. Until it is, we figured we’d help explain for those who haven’t had the pleasure of getting to use one.

A Xyron is a machine that applies an adhesive to the backside of any paper you run through it. Besides being super easy, what makes this adhesive so useful is that it is dry — ever tried using a glue stick and noticed everything you glued began to curl? This happens to most surfaces, but especially paper, when introduced to the moisture of wet glue. With the Xyron machine, you create a dry adhesive akin to a sticker– no wet, no curl, no mess. All in all, a smooth, clean and fast way to add creativity to any project.

Xyron machines come in many sizes, each appropriate for different kinds of projects. The 510 machine, which takes paper up to 5” wide by 10’ long Read the rest of this entry »