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 »

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, as well as to create a sign for the guestbook table. To create these I rubber stamped the Cottage Bloom design along the left edge of the table tent, then created a band using 1 1/2” Chocolate Satin Ribbon. Two layered flat cards contained the printed information – all super easy and high impact. I continued the theme by using the rubber stamps on our hotel gift bags, wedding programs, and even on our thank you cards!

All in all the wedding details looked beautiful (if I do say so myself), and all of the elements were very easy and economical to create. I’m now a rubber stamp believer – if I can stamp, so can you!

–Heather
PS colors: night & chartreuse
Latest fave: Satin Ribbon