Mother’s Day, the thoughtful time of year that celebrates the loving, creative woman behind all those favorite dishes, birthday wishes and kissed boo boos. If you’re looking for a way to recognize this influential woman, our Mother’s Day Gift Guide features a collection of our most inspired gifts for Mom.

Here are just a few of our favorite gift ideas…

Set inside an everlasting Peony Wreath we see one of the many Paper Source exclusive Mother’s Day cards. Adorn any door with a wreath of flowers, or set a pillow on her favorite chair. This charming grain sack pillow is a rustic accent for any couch, bed or boudoir!

Greet the day with a cup of her favorite coffee in her own Mama Bear Mug, or sample some Mom You Are The Best Tea before she begins her day.

Set up the kitchen with little surprises! Make her a breakfast with this thoughtful spatula, and clean up the kitchen with the matching sponge and kitchen towel.

For walls, coffee tables or bedsides, gift one of the many decorative signs available to convey that perfect message, to any Mom in your life.

Sunday, May, 12th is a day to celebrate. Visit our website for a full list of Inspired Gift Ideas for Mom.

Head back to school (or the office) in style. Use pretty paper to mark your place and accentuate your love for all things paper. Follow the steps below to create a customizable bookmark like the one shown on the left.

Materials Needed:

Instructions:

Alternately, you can create the variation on the right using any of our fine papers and Xyron Machine. For an alternative style check out our fancy bookmark how-to.

Happy reading!

Follow these step-by-step directions to create a DIY paper wallet or custom cardholder.

1.) Begin by selecting any of our fine papers. We recommend a fibrous paper, like this Houndstooth Indian Fine Paper, so the paper won’t tear as you make creases and folds. Cut paper to 12″ by 12″ using scissors. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Our unique collection of custom stamps are so lovely and so practical. Choose from more than 50 exclusive designs and customize with your mom’s name or home address for a gift that is truly unique.

And, guess what?

Today through April 22nd many of our best-selling custom stamps are 25% off!

Grab a gift for mom, the happy couple getting married this summer, and perhaps, one for yourself too! It’s a gift that will keep on giving — 800 to 1,000 stamp impressions to be exact.

Shop our full line of custom stamps including new designs for return address, wedding and holiday!

For more Mother’s Day inspiration, check out our assortment of Mother’s Day gifts, Mother’s Day crafts and our newest how-to project – a silhouette Mother’s Day card.

Can you believe that Easter is right around the corner? It is so early this year! So, if any of our readers are scrambling to complete plans for their gathering, I thought I’d take the pain out of filling those Easter baskets by recommending a few of my favorite gifts for Easter.

Celebrate with a fun and festive Easter basket. This year we introduced a few into our assortment. The Paper Birdhouse Box is an adorable basket option — perfect for holding candy and other small treats. Hang inside or outside for something fun to find! Our egg-shaped baskets are a lovely spin on the more traditional basket. We offer paper grass for filling!

Now, for the good stuff! We have added more than 100 gifts since the holiday season, including gifts for kids that are the perfect size for baskets. We have pulled together a few recommendations to make things easy — ask your store associate for assistance or shop our favorite Easter gifts online. Personally, Easter isn’t compete without the all-favorite Easter Bunny making an appearance. Surprise someone you love with this Bashful Bunny (or his miniature bunny friend) for a wonderful addition to your Easter festivities.

-Lindsay, PS Gift Buyer
PS colors: beet & fuchsia
Latest fave: Octopi

Are you always on the look out for personalized projects that are great for anyone on your list, including those hard to shop for folks?! Well, our new 2012 DIY Calendar is perfect! With 12 months to work with and a manageable size, all you need is inspiration… and a little time to create!

And, speaking of time, we totally have that covered! On Thursday, September 8 join us for our Crafter’s Night Out event. From from 6-8pm you can use our supplies, including stamps, ink pads, punches, paper cutters, decorative papers, glitters, and more, to create your own calendar. Learn tips and techniques from our craft experts and leave with a completely finished calendar – ready for giving or for treating yourself!

For details or to reserve your seat, check out the Paper Source Workshops page. Remember: You can save $5 off the seat price when you register with a friend.

Cheers,

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

Video courtesy of TheSmashFan

Many of us here at Paper Source cut our crafty teeth on the trusty ol’ scrapbook project – It was the original way to Do Something Creative Every Day! You could doodle, or write, or arrange collected treasures to tell any story. There were no rules, and artistry was not a requirement. You could spend hours arranging everyday items on a single page.

Ah… the nostalgia.

Now, our favorite pastime has been resurrected with the new line of SMASH journals and accessories. Everything from the SMASH folio to hip SMASH tape embellishments, is now available at our store locations and online!

See just how SMASHing this line is by watching the video. Or simply share photos of your SMASH journaling on our Facebook page, and bring back the days of sharing scrapbooks with your friends.

Among the small treats that make me happy (in no particular order): chocolate, coffee, sheets of Lokta paper, new felt tip pens and, now, flip flop bracelets! I love mixing different color palettes on my wrist with stacks of these recycled bangles, and I absolutely love the story behind them.

These bracelets are made by a group of women in Mali (West Africa), who collect worn out flip flops, melt them down and draw the plastic into colorful loops. Everyday flip flops are reborn as unique, handmade bangles. One can only guess the journey each one of these lovely trinkets has taken. Read the rest of this entry »

The press is going wild for our new gifts and spring crafts, and here’s a look at what’s HOT for Mother’s Day.

In the recent issue of People Magazine, Jessica Alba suggests creating a Mother’s Day scrapbook. According to Alba, “Receiving a keepsake from your child that’s filled with pictures, drawings and poems is priceless!”

To create your own, she recommends our Brown Fabric 12 x 12 Scrapbook or gorgeous Gold Mums Photo Album and our 12 x 12 papers to style the book. Alba listed Flora and Fauna Papaya Flower Circle Paper, Goldfish Paper and Pink Sweet Cupcakes Paper as her latest favs. Mom is sure to love this unique gift, especially if fellow mother Jessica Alba thinks it’s sweet.

Read the rest of this entry »