Looking for an elegant place setting for your holiday meal? Give this cornucopia inspired idea a try!

Materials:

Instructions:

Use this beautiful Thanksgiving accent on your dinner plate, as a place to put your silverware and napkin. On top of the cone place your thankful card with your guest’s name and the reason why you are thankful for them. Mix and match your favorite papers and stamps for a personalized look!

-Annie, Paper Source Design Team Intern

Favorite PS colors: paper bag & persimmon
Latest Fave: Wall Art Calendar

Many of us have been glued to the television and internet, getting snippets of the horror that has befallen Japan. Only two weeks in, and it is shocking to see news coverage shifting to Libya and Wisconsin, while the country of Japan faces an overwhelming restart on virtually every front, with even more dire survival conditions remaining for hundreds of thousands of citizens.

This isn’t the first tragedy triggering our compassion; however, Japan is very special to Paper Source – It is a treasured part of our heritage.

Sue Lindstrom, the founder of Paper Source, traveled to Japan almost 30 years ago to learn the craft of paper making, only to return entranced and committed to opening a store that would showcase the artistry. Over the decades, we have developed relationships with Japanese companies and small artisan workshops, in order to bring a full range of paper techniques and styles to enthusiasts across the United States.

Most of the workshops that create our papers have not been destroyed, but no Japanese citizen or business has been unaffected by the recent tragedy. We are currently working with several partners to see when shipping can resume, so that we are able to continue presenting their beautiful works of art, and they are able to sustain their livelihoods.

For the next six weeks, Paper Source will also donate 10% of Japanese paper sales to the American Red Cross Japan Relief Program, to help the many victims in Japan. While this contribution makes only a small dent in the endeavor ahead, it is an important signal of support to the many Japanese partners we have, furthering our founder’s hope to inspire people to discover the beauty and technique of Japanese papers.
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Incorporate a beautiful fine paper design into your wedding suite with the subtle punch of a paper sash. Decorative sashes are an easy way to decorate wedding invitations, programs, favor boxes and more.

Here is our simple DIY formula:

Object width x 2 + 1” = sash length

Example: If you’re using half of an 8.5” x 11” sheet for wedding programs, the width of your object is 4.25” so your formula would look like this:

4.25” x 2 + 1 = 9.5” long sash

We make ours 1.5” wide, but you can adjust based on your style preferences. For more decorative sash inspiration, check out our Everyday Ideas section.

Like the little black dress that sits in your closet, we’ve found the little black (or white) gift offers the same reliability and versatility. So, in addition to a springtime ode to daisies, we’ve compiled a beautiful assortment of black and white products.

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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

For the past several years, I’ve been making “cake boxes,” putting chenille fabric, lace trims and other vintage baubles on craft boxes to resemble frosted confections. When I came across our Flocked Cream Fine Paper, I instantly recognized it as a perfect “frosting” for a cake box. With a few other PS embellishments, what a beautiful cake box it would make!

To begin, I took three sizes of our vanilla craft boxes and covered each with the fine paper. I then trimmed the edges of the lids—as well as the top center of the second lid where the smallest box would sit—with chocolate grosgrain ribbon. To have the ribbon resemble decorative icing trim, I applied the ribbon by doubling back and adhering it in small folds (about 1 inch wide) using a hot glue gun. I used Diamond Stickles Glitter Glue to give the icing trim a soft gleam. I trimmed the bottom of each of the boxes with straight chocolate grosgrain ribbon.

When the layers were finished, I constructed the cake by attaching the stacked boxes with a hot glue gun. I then attached the whole cake to a piece of cardboard covered in Silver Glitter Wrapping Paper. Now for the fun part of decorating! Using flocked cream and opal shimmer papers, and templates from two sizes of our Magnolia Paper Flower Kits, I made a collection of magnolias to drape over the cake. I glittered the magnolia stamens with adhesive crystals and Stickles Glitter Glue. For a finishing touch, I placed green leaf trim on the straight grosgrain ribbon by anchoring it every few inches with Zots.

The cake box made a lovely centerpiece during our Wedding Suites Girls’ Night Out in March. A cake box can also be used as a wedding wish box to hold cards given to the bride and groom, as a table decoration at a bridal shower, or as a gift box for a special occasion.

–Denise, Paper Source Princeton Store
PS colors: violet & bluebell
Latest fave: Printable Round Labels

My dad is a pretty handy guy, and so growing up, I was always encouraged to build, tinker and create. I remember as a little kid I was always outside in the tool shed with dad (yep, I was a daddy’s girl!) while he was working. Sometimes he’d give me a piece of wood, a handful of nails and a small hammer, and there I’d sit, hammering nails into the wood, and then sometimes finishing off my “project” by stringing twine around the nails. Now, all grown up and living on my own, I still go to dad when I need help constructing items to decorate my living space. And, of course, since I work at Paper Source, I have to incorporate paper! This is my favorite home decorating trick: paper-covered wall art.

It’s a good idea to select your paper first, because that will affect how large your piece of art can be. For the base, all you need is a wood frame (this is where my dad helps!) Using scrap pieces of wood, he constructs a simple frame to the dimensions that I need. Canvas stretcher bars, which are quite inexpensive, also work well, and you can customize the size by choosing the lengths you buy. An old wooden frame without the glass/picture might also work. If you don’t have access to wood (or someone who can build the frame for you) you could also try old shoe boxes, shirt boxes, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a really simple and sweet hostess gift idea that is a fun use for some of those beautiful little paper scraps that are too small for larger scale projects. Recently, I wanted to put together a little gift to bring to a friend who was hosting dinner, and noticed a Paddywax candle tin in our photography area, which sparked an idea (how fun – I know I’m lucky to work in such an inspiring environment!).

I used super tacky tape and cut a strip of one of my favorite Japanese papers, Yuzen Cherry Blossom Clusters on Pool, to go around the candle tin. Then I used my old compass to make a 1.5” circle for the top of the jar. If you don’t have a compass, you can trace the candle tin, then cut the circle a bit smaller. Here’s a tip: apply the super tacky tape to the traced shape before cutting, so you won’t have to trim the tape afterwards. Next, take a box of matches Read the rest of this entry »

We are well known for our collection of high quality fine papers – but how much do you know about how they are made? Some of our best selling Lokta papers – Black and White Paisley and Gold Mums on Cream – are hand-crafted by Nepalese artisans. The material used for making these papers is the daphne plant, grown in the Himalayas. The bark of this plant is cleaned and cut into small pieces, then beaten with a wooden hammer until it’s reduced to fibers.

It is then put into a metal drum along with ash and water to produce pulp. The pulp is mixed with water and poured into wooden frames to dry in the sun. Once it’s dry, the pulp becomes a natural, eco–friendly paper prized for its superior strength, durability and rich texture!

These papers are processed in the city of Kathmandu by women co-operatives Read the rest of this entry »