With save the dates under her belt, Sarah moved onto planning her wedding invitations and day of details. Continuing to leverage colors from her inspiration print, she used Sapphire cardstock to create a custom piece that would hold all of the items in her invitation suite. She backed her printed invitations with the featured Italian paper creating a decorative trim, then adhered that to the inside of the Sapphire folder.

A sheer ribbon tied around one half of the Sapphire folder secured the response card and envelope in place, and created a lovely embellishment for the closed invitation. Each envelope was lined with the Italian paper for a fully finished look.

Knowing that she would be having a photo booth at her wedding, Sarah wanted to create her own guest book that would hold the memories captured in the photo booth that day. Using a photo album kit, she created a one-of-a-kind guest book covered in the same Italian paper.

As guests took photos in the photo booth, they used photo corners to add them to the guest book and signed personal messages on the bright white pages. A true keepsake for the bride and groom!

Sarah used 3D Star Kits covered in the Italian print to create large dimensional decorations for her wedding venue. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with my childhood friend, Sarah, who moved away long ago when we were in elementary school. What an amazing surprise to find that over the years Sarah has become a wonderfully talented crafter and has fallen in love with Paper Source. In April of this year Sarah got married in beautiful Charleston, and I’m thrilled to be able to share some of the incredible things she created for her big day.

Sarah said it all started with a trip to the Paper Source Georgetown store. In searching for inspiration she kept in mind her wedding location – a historic Charleston building right on the waterfront. She was looking for something that would emulate the colors of a sunset. What she found was a decorative Italian paper glittered in golds, oranges and blues. She knew right then that print would become the aesthetic for her entire wedding day.

First on her list were save the dates, and Sarah wanted something bold and unique. With a little coaxing from the Paper Source associate she was working with, Sarah decided that she could only get the perfect design by creating it herself. Using A2 matchbooks, colored brads, and the Italian paper, Sarah put together a beautiful four page save the date booklet. Each handmade save the date took 30 minutes to make, but Sarah was so pleased with how they turned out she said it was worth every minute.

The first page of the save the date booklet featured a US map that listed fly and drive times from various locations where their guests would be traveling from to Charleston. She also included an introduction about the wedding and the events to come.

The second and third pages Read the rest of this entry »

Being organized is a beautiful thing. So is finding easy ways to be creative! Labels and stickers are a perfect blend of the two because they satisfy the urge to get organized in a creative way. Here are a few fun ways we at Paper Source like to use labels and stickers.

School/Office
In school we all remember covering our books with paper to hide their second hand covers. You can do the same thing with books on your shelves at home, color coordinating cookbooks, home décor, gardening, art, fiction, Read the rest of this entry »

One of the things that is so stunning about Paper Source is all of the gorgeous fine papers from around the world. I walk in the store and pause to just say “ahh” at the beautiful ladders full of papers. Like many customers, however, I haven’t always been sure what to do with them (especially the papers I buy and save at home because they are “too special” to just wrap a present with). Some people are technically skilled at bookbinding or collaging and make incredible paper projects. My favorite uses are a bit more everyday– accessible techniques that are also inspiring and fun (relying on the artistry of the paper for a great result, rather than any required artistic perfection on my part!). Read the rest of this entry »

Invited to a summer BBQ recently, I tried this fun decorative idea to transport my go-to homemade brownies (a jazzed up version of the boxed kind that could fool anyone). While I like to use something inexpensive that I can leave behind, those disposable aluminum trays kind of kill the presentation. And if my mother taught me anything, it’s that presentation is key.

The solution? Read the rest of this entry »

This spring we introduced a new paper flower kit to celebrate one of our all-time favorite blooms, the sunflower. At Paper Source, from the moment we decide on a kit concept, we begin the rounds of brainstorming, sampling and prototyping that make up the creative process. After investigating different varieties of sunflowers (there are more than 50 species), and bringing in lots of fresh ones to examine in person, we decided on a look and began creating initial models. Read the rest of this entry »

I wanted to share this cool study in color & texture contrast that I stumbled upon in my magazine archives, from Livingetc (one of my favorite home design magazines out of the UK). Color is such an integral part of Paper Source– if you haven’t yet, check out our colorscope– and the vibrant yellow in this image reminds me of how our curry is a beautiful match for almost any deep purple. This particular vase with its glossy finish, set against the deep dark richness of the flower, and the highlights of its edges and velvety texture… all create a bounty of visual fun! Whether it’s a vase and flower combination like this, or a shirt and a scarf, or a card and envelope pairing…there are countless ways to mix this gorgeous color combo into your everyday life.

P.S. view the photo full-sized to get the full effect.

–Fabra
PS colors: gravel & chocolate
Latest fave: Teflon bone folder

Here is a fun, easy way to do a 3-D homemade Father’s day card (this technique is great for a kid’s or baby’s room too). Start with our nifty 3-D craft letters, colored paper and some large photos printed on superfine white text weight paper. Our superfine paper works great with inkjet printers, and the matte finish makes it easier to glue than glossy finished papers.

Instructions:
1. To cover the front of each letter, trace along the outside and inside edges of the craft letters on colored paper (here I used sage). Read the rest of this entry »

Each year, the PS Design team works together to create a new paper collection. This has become one of the projects we most look forward to– a wonderful mix of inspiration, creativity and collaboration (and long, long hours, thoughtful conversations and many, many revisions…the list goes on!).

After a trip to Asia last year, our founder Sue came back inspired to create a paper collection about India– what struck her most was all the COLOR, everywhere, as she traveled through the country.

We had a long time to reflect on the project before we actually began work, but the idea and thoughts of India stayed with us through the year. The attack on Mumbai, the emotions of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, a wonderful PBS series about India– plus trips to Devon Avenue in Chicago to hunt and gather fabrics and foods, countless books Sue brought back, magazine articles, questions and wonderful conversations…we became more and more enamored with India’s rich design tradition and its storied culture of festivals & celebrations. In the end, all of this helped shape our final collection. Read the rest of this entry »