This Thanksgiving each guest at my dinner table will be welcomed with one of these personalized keepsake boxes. Our craft boxes are so wonderful to decorate – the perfect blank palette for adding colored paper, ribbon, rubber stamps, etc. I will also have a stack of “I am thankful for” letterpress cards on hand so everyone can share their gracious thoughts of one another and slip them into each box. It’s a nice way to engage your guests and remind everyone of the true meaning of the holiday. The boxes themselves make charming Thanksgiving table decorations and double as favors for your guests to take home.

This extra special touch is sure to stir up smiles, joy and happy hearts this Thanksgiving!

–Annie
PS colors: gravel & beet
Latest fave: Owl Placecard Kit

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

Our last Girls Night Out of 2009 – The Grateful Table is coming up this Thursday at all store locations. In addition to a fun opportunity for you to spend an evening with friends exploring creative hostess gift giving and learning to make beautiful accents for your holiday tables, this a wonderful way for you to thank others by giving them the gift of our Girls Night Out. Treat your next-door-neighbor, babysitter, or any of the other people in your life you are oh, so grateful to, with a ticket to this wonderful event!

WHAT: The Grateful Table Girls Night Out
WHERE: All Paper Source stores
WHEN: Thursday, October 22, 7-9pm
HOW: Visit our workshop page to find your store & purchase your $30 ticket.

We look forward to sharing our great ideas and inspiration with you, all while gluing, stamping and sipping a glass of wine. The best part: you’ll receive 10% off all your purchases that night.

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

While planning our Girls Night Out: The Grateful Table we listened closely to the many customer requests we have received this year. Your wish list for a pre-holiday social crafting night included:

• A fun evening of inspiring ideas and some “not too serious” crafting
• Table accents appropriate for Thanksgiving, as well as for the holidays
• Secrets for packaging “fast and easy” hostess gifts
• An event early enough in the season to allow time to make all of the great ideas, at home
• Ideas for building new family traditions at the Thanksgiving table…my favorite request of all

While this is a lot to accomplish in one evening, I loved the challenge of fitting it all into a wonderfully fun and festive Girls Night Out…this is our way of saying “we’re grateful for you!” Many of the ideas featured at this event come from my fellow Paper Source colleagues, and what a joy it was to learn about the ways they celebrate the season with their own families. I hope you’ll join us and be inspired to bring some of our ideas to your family.

Mark your calendar for our Girls Night Out: The Grateful Table, on October 22 from 7-9pm. Visit our workshops page to register at your local store.

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

So much attention is paid to spring and summer weddings, but we know that fall and winter brides are also looking for unique ideas to make their wedding truly special! Our hands-on Wedding Day Details event will feature fabulous seasonal wedding ideas for wedding programs, placecards, table tents, and favors. With the help of our Paper Source team you will create three wedding suites of varying themes featuring table décor and other wedding day essentials.

Wedding Day Details is also a great opportunity to involve your mother, bridesmaids and friends – you’ll learn so much while enjoying light snacks and sipping wine* – what a great way to celebrate a girls night out while preparing for your big day! Individual tickets are $35, or sign up with friends and receive $5 off your seats.

Whether you’re a fall bride or are planning nuptials next year, this event will provide creative inspiration to help you WOW your wedding guests!

WHAT: Wedding Day Details
WHERE: All Paper Source stores
WHEN: Thursday, September 10, 7- 9pm
HOW: Visit our workshop page to find your store & purchase your $35 ticket.

*Please note not all locations will be serving alcoholic beverages; call your local store for details.

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

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 »

Okay, if it’s possible to have a total FAVE outside of PS designs, then these French canvas fabrics from Les Toiles du Soleil (”canvas of the sun”) have to be mine. They just scream summertime and the beach! The best news is that on top of using them to make our awesome French canvas journals (handmade at Paper Source here in Chicago), we are now selling the cloth online by the meter– ideal for summer craft projects! I have been hoping for years that we could offer it by the meter, so with five summery patterns now to choose from it’s a dream come true for me. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine this: the fragrance of arrabiata sauce fills the kitchen as it simmers on the stove top. Oh, the daunting task of clean up. As I sort through the mess, I hesitate to throw the empty tomato can in the recycling bin. As usual, I’m scheming, plotting, thinking: what could I make with this?

My latest idea: wash it out and make it into a delicious vase. Yup, I always treat myself to flowers after being such a good hostess. This technique is lovely, green and so easy to do– an empty milk or OJ carton also works great here, particularly with its water-resistant wax finish. Here’s how I did it:

Tomato can
I chose my favorite decorative paper (here I used the Lotus & Jasmine Garden print from our new India Collection), using tiny magnets to hold it together. The magnets allow me to switch out the paper when I want a change of scenery. Read the rest of this entry »