Gender neutral baby showers can be challenging because the obvious themes and color schemes aren’t good options. For my dear friend Laura, I went with a theme that would honor her love of reading and her mother, who is a librarian in our home town.

With a little planning it was easy as ABC.

I love creating extra special invitations – it’s such a treat for your guests and we all love the feeling of receiving a delightful surprise in the mail. The invitation itself was simple – I added baby blocks at the bottom and printed my own ABC envelope liners (my favorite part). But what made this particularly fun for guests was that it arrived in an 8.5″ x 11″ envelope because also included was a scrapbook page for each guest to complete. Sometimes bigger is better and an oversized baby shower invite?…that’s unexpected.

Playing on the alphabet theme we mailed each guest a scrapbook page with one letter (we happened to have just the right number of guests to make this work). With an instruction card we asked them to design a page in the theme of their letter with baby related words, parenting advice or memories of Laura. We left it very open-ended and encouraged them to be creative. There is some risk when doing a project like this, as you never know if your guests will have the time or creative energy required. But, I must say, I was SO proud of everyone – the ABC pages were absolutely adorable.

B is for Babysitter – with a list of important information to prepare for sitters

N is for Neighborhood – with a map of where the baby will first live marked with the parents’ favorite spots

U is for Ultrasound – with a place for Laura to slide in an ultrasound picture

So creative, right? And visually stunning whether painted, drawn, or collaged… Read the rest of this entry »

One of our favorite customers at the Highland Park store came in looking for an bridal shower invitation idea. She had a particular color scheme in mind – Poppy and Pool – and wanted our help coming up with a cool idea.

As we walked past the printable label sheets, I saw our decorative scissors out of the corner of my eye. “Let’s cut the circle stickers in half with the scallop scissors to make umbrellas,” I said. The hostess loved the idea and we thought you would too.

Here’s what we used:

• Poppy A7 Note Cards

• Pool A7 Envelopes
Read the rest of this entry »

My dearest friend, Kelly, is having her first baby next month and I had the pleasure of co-hosting a baby shower in her honor. We wanted this to be a wonderfully festive and fun baby shower filled with special touches and unexpected moments.

Since the invitations were the first thing that guests would experience, we wanted them to be perfect. It’s so true that your invitations set the tone for your event – we received lots of calls after people received these, so excited to see what was in store. I printed the invitations at home using our Quilted Frame Embossed Printable Party Invitations, then mounted them to blossom flat cards. Enclosed with each invitation was a paper t-shirt, along with a note explaining to guests that they should write a special message to Kelly and decorate their t-shirt in any way.

We asked everyone to bring their t-shirts to the shower where we clipped them to our clothes line centerpiece with miniature wooden clothes pins. It was wonderful to see what people created and it turned our gift table into a focal point. After the shower, I collected all of the t-shirts and will put them into an album for Kelly along with photos from the shower – something she, and the baby, can enjoy for years to come. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh boy! Baby fever continues and this time it is my oldest, dearest friend who is expecting a little bundle of joy. Her first! And, like a good crazy “Aunt” Liz, the news prompted me to send her a litany of whimsical nursery room decorating ideas for welcoming baby Grayson. My best friend has always had style—a contemporary and coordinated style much different from my own—so it came as no surprise when she sent me a picture of the modified Wildness Madness suggestion I threw her way.

It is just the beginning, but the tree and color scheme provided perfect inspiration for her upcoming baby shower. Here’s a glimpse of the invitations Read the rest of this entry »

Looking for a summer party invitation that will WOW your guests? Send them a tasty hamburger with all the trimmings, including your party details! Such a fun and unique idea for cook outs and backyard bbqs.

Our favorite part – it features one of our brand new colors…persimmon!

–Annie
PS colors: gravel & beet
Latest fave: Japanese 8 1/4″ Scissors

Materials Needed:
How to PDF
5 3/4″ square persimmon envelope Read the rest of this entry »

Dress up our oh-so-sweet paper dolls and turn them into adorable party invitations for a child’s birthday or even your BFF’s bachelorette shower. Ours is going to a pool party sporting the latest in pool safety with her very own inner tube. To create this accessory, slice a curved line almost in the center of a circle card with an xacto knife, then tuck your paper doll into the slit. Don’t forget flippers! Simply cut a tapered rectangle to fit over each foot. Our dolls fit into A9 envelopes so you can mail them off to party guests!

Show us what you create with our paper dolls – upload your photos to our Facebook page to inspire our fans!

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

I recently helped my mom make bridal shower invitations for a bride-to-be who will be getting married in Costa Rica. My mom wanted a subtle tropical theme and a unique invitation design that she could do on her own. We browsed the wedding inspiration boards at the Evanston store for ideas, and loved a sample we found of a palm tree stamped onto a baby envelope. We decided we would print the invitation onto an A7 card, then attach the baby envelope with satin ribbon.

Originally the baby envelope was only to add visual interest, but in the end guests loved it because inside the envelope we included a small card with the bride and groom’s registry information. Instead of carrying around the whole invitation, guests could slip the small registry card into their wallet – so handy for when they’re out shopping.

Good job, Mom – they’re beautiful!

–Kristen
PS colors: lake & chocolate
Latest fave: Printable Labels

When it comes to throwing a party, big or small, we hear from customers that one of the more challenging things is creating a theme. If you’re planning bridal shower or bachelorette party, you want it to be special for your guests and the bride-to-be. Lucky for you, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite themes and ideas into one great class, the Perfect Shower Invites Workshop. I like to think we’ve covered just about everything – from pretty luncheon invites, to an edgy martini girl’s night out bachelorette party, and a few other lovely party ideas tucked in between.

If you’ll be hosting or planning a bridal shower or bachelorette party anytime this year, this invites workshop is just what you need to get your ideas percolating and your DIY skills honed. So you can throw a party everyone will talk about for months to come! Space is limited to only six seats per store for this intimate creative experience. Sign up early!

WHAT: Perfect Shower Invites Workshop
WHERE: All Paper Source stores
WHEN: Thursday, February 25 from 6-8:30pm
HOW: Visit our workshop page to find your store & purchase your $35 ticket. (Save 10% when you sign up with a friend!)

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: 2010 Paper Source Letterpress Calendar

For those of you who have tried it, you know, lining envelopes is oh, so satisfying! It’s an easy, instant upgrade to wedding invitations, stationery, and greeting cards, and even if you claim you’re not crafty, you will be able to do this. You can use almost any paper imaginable to make envelopes liners – solids, patterns, fine paper, newspaper, magazine pages, even photocopies of pictures.

When lining Paper Source envelopes, the trick is to use our Envelope Liner Template Kit, which comes with traceable plastic templates in 7 envelope sizes. Check out our How-to Video where our beloved founder Sue will show you how to make envelope liners, and keep you entertained along the way.

Enjoy, and, as Sue will remind you, Do Something Creative Every Day!

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