When Paper Source fan Stephen C. and his wife announced their big day, they took on the project of creating one-of-a-kind invitations inspired by Stephen’s old train tickets.

We own a public relations and design company, so we were really interested in making our wedding invitations. I designed them with inspiration from my old train tickets from London to Paris that I’ve been using as bookmarks.

The couple’s invitations were enclosed in #10 Open End Shimmer Gold Envelopes with a string and button enclosure that was fashioned by hand. They printed #10 Savoy Cotton Notecards at home to achieve the faded look, then finished with rounded corners.

Using a perforating wheel the couple created a tear-off piece that could be placed in purses and wallets, and the black strip across the top is magnet tape for refrigerator posting.

They also included a QR code on the rear. With a scan of a smart phone, guests are taken to either their Adroid or iPhone app store to download the couple’s wedding app.

With their know-how and creative thinking – and the help of basic note cards and envelopes – the couple created a project that instilled the essence of their wedding’s theme. We were truly excited to hear from Stephen, and equally excited to share his project.

– Stephen & Dana, Stellar Impeller — Austin, PS Customers

Favorite PS colors: PS colors: persimmon & curry
Favorite PS product: Patterned Gift Boxes

Want to share your creations with us? Email us at: psfan@paper-source.com

Luxe Blush: this delicate color brings flower petals and sweet sentiments to mind, and we can’t think of a better way to bring out its best than on wedding invitations! Our new Luxe Blush invitation suites take on a sophisticated-vintage appeal when paired with Antique Gold as seen here, (we also loved pairings with Black, Slate, and Night.)

The subtlety of this color is a favorite for the new year, and with a personal touch it’s sure to be a wonderful way to let friends and family know of any upcoming celebration. And it’s here just in time for the season of love!

Paper Source is gearing up for the Summer Games!

Hosting a get-together of your own? Sport Team USA inspired designs –note the wreath made of olive leaves!– and catch the crafty Olympic fever our Summit location is sporting.

Likewise, Paper Source Oak Brook is featuring a festive ode to the Red, White, and Blue: alongside our Stars and Stripes Garland, scrap paper came in handy to create an athletic-minded accent!

Tell us, what’s your favorite event?

I am expecting my first baby in seven short weeks. It is a truly amazing time. I have loved sharing (possibly over-sharing) details with my family, friends and coworkers. A few weeks ago, family and friends threw me a butterfly-themed baby shower in my hometown.

Because I’m a Paper Source employee and former invitation designer, my hostesses felt some stress when coming up with an invitation for the event but, after a bit of collaboration, we came up with the most darling idea using our die-cut butterfly cards. (Note: Layout was a little tricky, but we just kept testing on white printer paper until it was perfect. Then, we used removable double-stick tape to attach the butterflies to a full sheet and fed them one-by-one through the printer.) At the shower, there was a matching banner and little butterfly gift tags to tie the entire theme together.

I was also introduced to a great new baby shower game – Midnight Advice. A tiny, newborn diaper was given to each guest. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

I threw my first baby shower this year!… and my close friend had her first baby. Okay, one of these is more momentous than the other. The new mom is a laidback librarian-to-be, so she requested that for her baby shower guests bring books in lieu of other gifts (such a great way to build a library for baby!). From this we decided on a “bookworm” baby shower theme.

Inspired by Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and all of the Paper Source circle card and sticker options, I started playing with baby shower invitation ideas. My first thought was to use 1 1/4″ circle stickers to create a little bookworm on an A7 folded card with hand written details on the inside, but I quickly realized my handwriting wouldn’t look so pretty after 50 invitations! This card idea, did however, turn out to work perfectly for coordinating thank you notes, which I presented to the mom-to-be as a gift.

Next I experimented with printable circle stickers Read the rest of this entry »

Who doesn’t love Halloween?… the perfect time of year to throw a spook-tacular party! This year we decided to dedicate an entire workshop to fabulous and festive Halloween Deadcorations. Mark your calendar for our workshop on Saturday, October 10th.

We will teach you to make frighteningly fun party decorations including coffin invitations, spider-webbed favors, bootiful candy corn placecards, and more. These Halloween goodies are sure to inspire a festive night of Trick-or-Treat fun for all ages! All you’ll need to come up with is the perfect Halloween costume!

Even if you aren’t planning a Halloween party, you’ll be able to use the tips and tricks you learn in this class for craft projects and party planning any time of year. Sign up now, seats are limited.

WHAT: Halloween Deadcorations
WHERE: All Paper Source stores
WHEN: Saturday, October 10. Times vary, see store for details.
HOW: Visit our workshop page to find your store & purchase your $45 ticket.

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

I just love the “aha!” moments when I make a discovery that saves time or turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. I had one of those wonderful moments when putting together my sister’s wedding invitations. My sister loved the richness of our satin ribbon, but the idea of tying a bow didn’t appeal to her. My solution? Use the ribbon as a decorative band for a pop of color.

In my quest to perfectly adhere our 1 1/2″ Satin Ribbon to the wedding invitations I reviewed all the standard options. Glue stick? Messy and time consuming. Double-sided tape? Would create visible ridge from the tape’s edges. Zots? Bumpy and lumpy. Liquid glue? Would soak through the ribbon creating splotches. Ugh! I was out of options.

Thankfully, I don’t give up easily. I spied our Baby Xyron, a great little machine that turns almost anything into a sticker – including ribbon… Aha! The results could not have been better. The ribbon adhered smoothly to the paper and the process was clean and quick. The final product was more than I’d hoped for – perfect wedding invitations with an elegant ribbon embellishment. I also layered on a 1/4″ Satin Ribbon with a little knot in reference to the happy occasion.

Read on for a list of materials and instructions needed to create wedding invitations in the style I did for my sister. The printed wedding invitation (so easy using our online print templates) accented with the satin ribbons is mounted onto a backing creating layers or textures and colors. A beautiful design for any special occasion!

–Sarah, Paper Source Oak Park Store
PS colors: rhubarb & moss
Latest fave: Owl Placecard Kit

Materials Needed:
A7 flat cards (backing) Read the rest of this entry »

During the planning stages of my wedding about a year ago I was looking for a way to carry a theme through elements like my wedding invitations, menu cards, etc. And although I am surrounded by inspiring design ideas and expert crafters everyday at work, I am NOT a crafty person myself, which means I needed a simple design solution. After ordering beautifully letterpressed Cottage Bloom wedding invitations, I turned to coordinating rubber stamps as something I could use to embellish other wedding decorations. In the end, the Cottage Bloom Rubber Stamps saved me and even made me a wee bit craft-savvy! I never imagined myself owning rubber stamps let alone using them in all aspects of my wedding day.

For an unexpected way to present my wedding invitations, I placed them inside A7 box mailers wrapped with a paper band stamped with the Cottage Bloom. This would be the first peek for my guests at the theme to come. Was the box mailer necessary? Maybe not, but expectations were high and my guests raved about receiving them in the mail! You can mail them in a number of ways – seal the box closed with stickers, then add a label and postage to the box lid…or wrap the box in cellophane and add a label and postage.

To incorporate the Cottage Bloom icon on my wedding day, I stamped them onto my menu cards and table tents. I printed the menu details onto Luxe Cream Fino 5” flat cards, then layered them onto Chocolate 5.5” flat cards, which were displayed at each place setting.

I used Luxe Cream Fino Table Tents to display table names, Read the rest of this entry »