If you’ve had time to flip through our latest catalog you probably found yourself having a hoot with our new line of office organization products.

We always have a hard time picking a favorite calendar, but now the new office storage is causing greater debate. Some prefer the traditional style (and humor) of our new file folders while the DIYers love the creative possibilities of the kraft storage line. Then again, there is something special about bringing the outdoors in with our latest Paper Source designs – Adorable owls and birch tree branches!

Karen, one of the Paper Source designers, pulled owl inspiration that dated back to her youth to bring PS style to this symbolic icon, “When I was young, my mom and her dear friend Joan had a running joke where they would find odd owl jewelry and decorations at garage sales and send them to one another in the mail.”

With fond memories of sterling owls with turquoise eyes, quirky owl paper weights and vintage owl needlepoint designs, the team set out to create friendly owls that would represent wisdom, intelligence and protection and infuse a little good humor into any space. A few sketches, renderings and color variations later and they unveiled a wonderfully detailed scene, which features fun hits of Peacock, Chartreuse, Pool, Curry and Papaya that bring a playful touch to the owl’s owl natural habitat.

Take a peek at our new office and organization and tell us your must-have accessory for home, office or heading back to school.

If you’re like me and haven’t gone completely digital… or you hate dog earring pages in your favorite books…then you’ll appreciate this simple how-to! These page savers are so FUNctional! Kids will enjoy making them and adding them to notebooks or text books.

–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad

Materials Needed: Read the rest of this entry »

As the remains of Blizzard 2011 slowly wash away, and ugly *dibs materials return to more appropriate indoor storage areas, we Chicagoans cannot stop ourselves from thinking spring. Those of us working at Paper Source, both at the Chicago corporate office and in our 43 store locations, also find promise of a changing season in daisies!

Why are we so fond of daisies?

A daisy is associated with simplicity, innocence, loyal love, beauty, purity and patience. It is one of the few flowers to have absolutely no negative symbolism. They exude a positive energy that is ideal for those who suffer from winter fatigue, and a genuine happiness that transcends geographic location.

Our daisy pattern began as a simple line drawing of a small daisy cluster, showing the fronts and backs of the flowers. We also incorporated a few closed blooms, as if they had not yet opened their eyes to begin the day. Like many of us! (Did you know: Daisies open during the day and close at night?) Read the rest of this entry »

Since I moved into a tiny city apartment, my respect for anything that is functional, artful and compact all at the same time has deepened. New to our calendar lineup for 2011, the Paper Source Postcard Calendar truly is the best of both worlds, merging form and function, all in a fun little package! The ultimate in reduce/reuse/recycle mentality, this calendar is printed on 100% recycled eco white stock, packaged in a nifty little box that you can reuse at the end of the year. Each of the 12 month cards feature a mini version of the artwork from our veteran Wall Art Calendar, and the backside doubles as a postcard that you can send to friends as each month passes by. Use the included box and easel to display the current month on your desk or any surface; or, tack each card onto the wall to create an artful year-at-a-glance arrangement.

One of the most fun parts of creating this product was coming up with the clever little phrases that adorn the backs of the cards, relating in some way to the artwork on the front. Whenever we have to come up with wording ideas for things like this, it becomes a very team-oriented activity because we literally start a board and pass it around to get everyone’s input. And at the end, it’s always fun to sift through all of the great ideas as we select the winner. For this specific project, we even had some help from our manager’s 12-year old son (his contribution was “have an egg-cellent day”, which is paired with the artwork of a birds nest on a bright curry background)! My favorite, “orange you just wonderful!”, features orange branches on the reverse side, on a punchy peacock background. Some of them may be a bit cheesy, but hey, if it draws a smile or a laugh out of the recipient, then I’d say it’s well worth it!

So, we’ve got a compact, artful calendar that can double as functional wall art, a reusable box, and postcards… bet you didn’t know you were getting all of that for just $14.95!

–Alanna
PS colors: gravel & persimmon
Latest fave: Colored Dots Insulated Lunch Bag

The Design Department at Paper Source is a full of color and creativity, and you don’t have to look hard to see that the team really loves inventing new things! What I love about our space are all the little surprises that pop up – the creative things people bring in and add to their workspaces or to the general office area that create the inspiring environment that we are lucky enough to enjoy each day.

Here’s one little vignette that greets us each morning when we come into work…and when we toss our recyclables on our way out the door at night – little hand-drawn recycling signs! Read the rest of this entry »

We love how our wall bulletin organizer dressed up our work space so much that we created a coordinating cubbie to hold pens, notes and of course, our PS Swatchbook. Follow our steps to create a desk organizer of any size, and cover it in your favorite wrapping paper.

A great back to school craft to get your tweens and teens organized or spruce up your own desk (adults can celebrate back to school, too!).

–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad

Materials needed:
How to PDF
8 1/2″ x 11″ Chipboard Read the rest of this entry »

I love my job! Part of the fun comes when our buyers find a new product that screams creative possibilities – the new Naked Binder (fun name, but I can’t take credit for that) is one of my latest favorites and is the feature of our Creative Organization Workshop taking place this Thursday, August 5.

Here are the ingredients that got me percolating for this workshop:
• The Naked Binder with a solid chipboard cover (which means freedom to play!)
• The Silhouette Machine for cutting perfect letters and phrases
• Our new PS colors

Mix all these ingredients together and you get a colorful, yummy recipe binder complete with dividers.

For only $25 you’ll get to create your own binder with tons of ingredients…plus you’ll learn tips for using the Silhouette Machine (a great way to experience the tool if you’re thinking about buying one)! Sign up now for the Creative Organization Workshop and get inspired to make a functional binder you can use in your home, office or kitchen.

Cheers,

–Linda
PS colors: chartreuse & pool
Latest fave: Silhouette SD Digital Cutting Tool and Peacock Cards & Envelopes

Jot lists, to-do’s and ideas on this E-Z to make and stylish notepad. Make it tall, make it small! Customize your notepad colors to suit any mood or room in your home. Handmade notepads make fun gifts for friends – don’t forget to pair them with paper covered pencils!

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

Materials needed:
How to PDF
3-4 packs of A2 Note Cards (use two different colors for a jazzy pad!)
PVA
Glue Brush
2 Rulers
1-2 Jumbo Binder Clips

Instructions:
1. Stack A2 Note Cards (alternating colors optional). Jog sides back and forth on a flat level surface until desired edge is completely flush.
2. Cover one edge with PVA to bind cards.
3. Carefully sandwich the glued edge between two rulers, then clamp with jumbo binder clips. The rulers will protect the paper from the clips. Set aside to dry.
4. If necessary, apply another layer of PVA and set aside to dry. Once completely dry, unclamp and use!

For the design team, working on the Paper Source calendar collection is a true joy and privilege. Having all of us work on the 2011 calendars results in a creative variety of design and illustration styles, tied together in look and feel by the PS color palette. Like clever little squirrels, we spend the year gathering inspiration and sketches so that come spring, we have a surplus of creative ideas for our new calendar designs!

You can see some of our favorite illustrations, patterns and designs in our 2011 Letterpress Calendar, Wall Art Calendar, Mini Desk Calendar and Academic Grid Calendar. Have you seen Archie the dog? Or the classic cruiser bicycle (see Elaine’s bike inspiration)…or the serene forest? You’ll also see our new colors­ Persimmon, Peacock, Sunshine and Paper Bag featured prominently throughout the designs.

This year, we were given the opportunity to create brand new calendar formats! So, without further ado, please allow me to formally introduce 3 new additions to the Paper Source calendar collection:

1. Great BIG Calendar: Clean, classic typestyles in bright bold colors on our lovely new Paper Bag. As the name implies, it is nice and BIG so you can see it halfway across the room! The Great Big Calendar is perfect for a classroom or office.

2. Booklet Calendar: To be truly honest, Read the rest of this entry »