With wedding season just around the corner, we thought we’d share some cute ideas for using our cellophane bags to package up wedding favors and gifts for your bridal party and guests. Clear cellophane bags work great because they’re both affordable and flexible, making them ideal for a wide range of stuffers… and you’ll have money left over to spend on the important stuff – what’s inside!

Wedding Favor Bags
Beautifully packaged treats make wonderful wedding favors. Cupcakes fit very nicely into our food-safe cellophane bags, but you could also use a small stack of cookies, a few chocolate truffles, or even a piece of cake! To incorporate your wedding colors, insert tissue paper into the bag before you place your treats inside and choose a coordinating ribbon.

Supplies & Tools: small cellophane bags • 1/4″ satin ribbon • scissors

Directions:
1. Insert your hand into the cello bag to open it up and flatten out the bottom to create a base.
2. Arrange your treats inside the bag.
3. Gather the top of the bag about an inch or so above the treat, and tie closed with ribbon (a friend’s help at this point comes in handy… get your bridesmaids or family members involved!).
4. Tie the ribbon into a bow and neatly trim the ends.
5. Trim the top of the bag if there is a lot of excess (I left about 3 inches above the bow in this sample). And done!

Gift Bags & Welcome Packages
Fill our larger cellophane bags with gifts and present to your bridal party Read the rest of this entry »

There’s something about the holidays that makes our creative minds turn to baking. Maybe it’s the comfort of something warm as the weather turns so cold or the yummy smells coming from the oven. We’ve found lots of festive ways to package little treats with our favor boxes, box mailers and cellophane bags. These adorable containers, along with ribbon and a gift tag, make it easy to share any number of goodies – cookies, brownie bites, fudge, spiced nuts, hot cocoa and marshmallows, chocolate covered pretzels, a mini loaf of bread…mmm, I need to go start baking!

Every holiday season growing up, my mom made sugar cookie dough and my sisters and I spent hours with cookie cutters, icing and sprinkles, which inevitably turned into a huge competition over whose cookies were the most artistic. We displayed them proudly in the kitchen, shared the ones we were able to part with, and saved a few of the best for Santa. I still love our family tradition of holiday baking and sharing little goodies with loved ones – it’s a simple thought and easy to do. It’s no wonder I ended up at Paper Source, where every day presents an opportunity for creativity!

P.S. If you’re short on time, there are always great store-bought options like peppermint sticks and festively wrapped candies!

– Karen
PS colors: moss, papaya & khaki
Latest fave: 2010 Paper Source Wall Art Calendar and Travel Tin Candles

Knot tying is a wonderful gift wrapping technique, and offers a modern alternative to bows. It also uses slightly less ribbon and works great if you’re shipping wrapped packages (bows can get crushed in the mail). The instructions below will teach you how to tie a knot using our double-faced satin ribbon. Don’t forget, always use a pair of sharp scissors when cutting ribbon – nobody likes frayed edges.

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

1. Measure your ribbon by going around the box, ending edge to edge on the top of box (so around once, plus one more side of the box). Leave enough extra ribbon so you can trim the edges again, if necessary, after your square knot is tied.

2. Wrap ribbon around the box Read the rest of this entry »

Learning how to tie a bow is easy with a little practice, and is a wonderful skill to have for gift wrapping, card making, and more. We love our double-faced satin ribbon for tying a bow – it’s silky and flexible, and always looks amazing…but you can use almost any ribbon type with these instructions. For clean, perfect edges, always use a pair of sharp scissors for cutting and trimming.

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

1. Measure out your ribbon by wrapping the ribbon around your box twice – cut your ribbon length. Leave enough extra ribbon so you can trim the edges again, if necessary, after your bow is tied.

2. Wrap ribbon around the box Read the rest of this entry »

In their December issue, InStyle featured Paper Source rubber stamps to make personalized gift wrap. We thought their idea of using Alphabet Rubber Stamps to personalize wrapping paper for the recipient was clever – and so did NBC’s Today Show (click to view), who picked up the feature as a segment on their December 2nd broadcast! We were thrilled to see Paper Source product on national television, but more importantly, we love that they were inspired by the idea of creating personalized gift wrapping – a unique and affordable project.

Using our solid roll wraps and upper or lower case Old Claude Letter Rubber Stamps you can create a personalized gift package that highlights the recipient’s name, as well as their personality by using their favorite colors. Homemade wrapping paper is not limited to one’s initials – rubber stamp with icons that remind you of the recipient, their hobbies, or passions. For the Francophile, consider the Eiffel Tower Rubber Stamp or Fleur de Lis Rubber Stamps; for the gardener, a lovely leaf or flower rubber stamp; for the chef, the whimsical Silverware Rubber Stamp; and for kids, well, the sky’s the limit!

We hope you too will be inspired to create simple, cost effective wrapping paper that really speaks to your friends and family, just as much as the thoughtful gift inside!

P.S. Be sure to give the rubber stamp as part of the gift!

P.P.S. While on the subject, also check us out on the CBS Early Show (click to view) where Real Simple features our 2010 Paper Source Mini Calendar as a great gift under $10!

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

Adding an initial to gift tags, wrapping paper and cards is a great way to personalize a gift. These monogram gift tags can be made from any kind of paper, whether solid color paper, decorative paper, even an old postcard or last year’s holiday cards!

We’ve shown gift tags where the letter is added to a backing, but you can also use the letters by themselves. If you plan to attach your letter to another card, we recommend using text weight paper for the letter cut out. If you plan to use the letter on its own without a backing, use cover weight paper so it holds its shape. The letters from the PDF Letter Template provided fit best onto a circle card or 4 bar card.

Other ways to use letters for fun gift wrapping:
• Give “John” a gift wrapped in “J” wrapping paper for a truly personalized presentation! Make monogram wrapping paper by tracing a letter in a repeating pattern onto a large sheet of paper.
• Create monogram ornaments for everyone in your family by cutting letters out of cover weight paper. Punch a hole in the top of each letter, add a coordinating ribbon, and hang from your holiday tree.

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

Materials Needed:
PDF Letter Template Read the rest of this entry »

We worked hard for it and now we’re seeing the results – a whole lot of exciting Paper Source product featured in the press this holiday season! The fun part about seeing our products in these wonderful magazines are the great ideas their creative teams come up with on their own – often with new uses we hadn’t thought of, that we love!

Better Homes and Gardens really showed us off with their story on holiday trimmings. Our Solid Wrapping Papers in pool, moss and red are coupled with our Moss, Pool Diagonal Stripes Wrapping Paper, along with gift wrap from our good friends at Snow & Graham – an inspiring mix of pattern and color. They used the 2010 Paper Source Mini Calendar to top a gift box in place of a bow (a great idea if you’re shipping a gift wrapped package since a bow might get smashed in the mail). The pool January page of the calendar looks so fresh with the red and white wrapping paper featured.

Another clever idea is using our Moss, Pool Diagonal Stripes Wrapping Paper as a bellyband around a pool package, then topped with a band of red wrapping paper that’s trimmed at the end to look like ribbon! It’s all held in place with a Pool Border 2.75″ Circle Label and a 1 1/4” Chartreuse Circle Sticker in the center – we love the layered look!

InStyle got crafty creating homemade wrapping paper with many of our rubber stamps. I love how they used the Alphabet Rubber Stamp Kit to stamp a recipient’s initials onto solid gift wrap – a great way to call out whose gifts are whose under the tree. I also love the Fleur de Lis Rubber Stamp done in gold on pool wrapping paper – very French. And finally, they used a technique that we too like to use – making dots of ink with a pencil eraser… so easy!

In their Christmas Ideas magazine, the folks at Better Homes and Gardens came up with another clever use for our product. Featuring our Red #1 Baby Envelopes tacked onto a background of our Moss Flourish Wrapping Paper, they created a 12 Days of Christmas activity calendar. They rubber stamped numbers onto metal-rimmed key tags you find at the hardware store to count down the days. Beginning with Christmas Day and ending with Twelfth Night, each envelope holds a holiday activity – making cookies, sledding, ice skating, and others. What a wonderful way to remind us all to celebrate the joy of the holidays!

p.s. Real Simple and Redbook each featured our 2010 Paper Source Wall Art Calendar – thank you, thank you, we’re so glad you love it too!

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

Come to a Paper Source store this weekend for free holiday demonstrations and “make & take” projects… AND be one of the first to see the brand new at-home Letterpress Machine! We are so excited about this amazing table top machine that allows you to make your very own letterpress cards. Paper Source is one of the only vendors in the country to carry this item, and we’re thrilled to give you the opportunity to see how it works in person.

11:30am – 12:30pm • Holiday Gift Wrap, Accents & Hang Tags – Make & Take
During this hands-on make & take, we’ll show you how to dress up your holiday packages and hostess gifts using our baby #1 envelope template, hang tags, punches and more.

12:30 – 1:30pm • Keen Holiday Shapes & Kraft Ornaments – Demo
Learn simple tricks for dressing up our kraft ornaments with ribbon, adhesives, glitter, and paper accents. Perfect for hanging on your tree and adorning your holiday packages.

1:30 – 3:30pm • The NEW Letterpress Machine – Make & Take
Be one of the very first to see the new at-home Letterpress Machine in person! We’ll show you how to use this table top machine to create amazing letterpress cards. You’re sure to fall in love and be inspired to make your own letterpressed holiday cards this year!

3:30 – 5:00pm • Creative Crafting Time
Explore rubber stamping, heat embossing, quickie glue pens, glitter and more during our free Creative Crafting session. Please contact your local store for this “reservation required” crafting experience.

Come early to our make & take sessions (especially to see the Letterpress Machine!) as supplies are limited and available on a first come first serve basis.

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Saddle Stitch Notebooks

We are so excited about our Annual Holiday Open House this Saturday and Sunday at all Paper Source locations. In addition to our holiday demonstrations, this year we’re giving you an opportunity to do “make & take” projects so you get hands-on experience learning some of our favorite decorating tricks. The best part – it’s all FREE!

11:30am – 12:30pm • Holiday Greetings Sent with Style – Make & Take
Learn how to dress up & coordinate your holiday greetings with this hands-on rubber stamping and envelope lining “make & take”.

12:30 – 1:30pm • Kraft Boxes for Hostess Gifts! – Demo
Using paper, sealing wax, and ribbon we’ll demonstrate how to dress up our kraft boxes for lovely Thanksgiving gift giving.

1:30 – 2:30pm • Festive Stamped Notes & Place Cards – Make & Take
In this festive stamping and cutting “make and take”, you’ll see how simple it is to dress up place cards, as well as the Thanksgiving table.

2:30 – 3:30pm • Thanksgiving Table Décor – Demo
When it comes to easy and colorful table accents, our favors and place card ideas are just what you need. Let us inspire you with kits, stamping accents and embellishing techniques for the table, as well as for the hostess!

3:30 – 5:00pm • Creative Crafting Time
Explore rubber stamping, heat embossing, quickie glue pens, glitter and more during our free Creative Crafting session. Please contact your local store for this “reservation required” crafting experience.

Come early to our make & take sessions as supplies are limited and available on a first come first serve basis. If you can’t make it this weekend, be sure to mark your calendar for our second Open House weekend November 14 & 15.

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Saddle Stitch Notebooks