Here at Paper Source, the beginning of each new year means it’s wedding time! We start to see lots of brides in our stores over the holidays and come January the ruffles and cupcakes of wedding season are full on!

This year, we thought it would be fun to share with you some Paper Source real life weddings. We will show you how Paper Source newlyweds used cards and envelopes, favor boxes, ribbons and all the other trimmings to make their big days unique and reflective of their own sense of style. Lauren is our first PS bride – we hope you enjoy her story and feel inspired by her photos!

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

The first thing I did when I got engaged, was flip my sketchbook to a fresh page and begin jotting ideas for my wedding invitation! While most brides would first make appointments to shop for dresses, I was instead Read the rest of this entry »

This year we decided our bride-to-be’s deserve a morning tea, done the Paper Source way! Join us for The Wedding Tea workshop where we’ll give you a personal introduction to our brand new 2010 Wedding Invitation line (hot off the press!), hands-on projects to build your DIY skills, great raffles, and the bonus – a 10% off coupon to use towards purchases made that day (get your wedding supply list ready)! All while you sip tea and nibble on sweet treats.

Mark your calendars for this one hour morning event on Saturday, February 20 from 10-11am. Then stay for our free event, Paper Wedding the same weekend – February 20 and 21!

Don’t worry, we’re covering all the categories of wedding tradition:

Something Old
We’re old pros at showing you the tips and tricks for creating your perfect wedding suite.

Something New
Our fabulous new collection of exclusive Paper Source wedding invitations and accoutrements!

Something Borrowed
Use any of the kool crafting supplies we have at our workshop tables to build your make and takes.

Something Blue
Ah yes, we built the whole Wedding Tea theme around our lovely blue shade of pool.

Space is limited, so sign up early and perhaps bring a friend to help you take notes. We can’t wait to spend the morning with you!

Cheers,

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

We are thrilled to introduce the Paper Source 2010 Wedding Invitation Collection – now available in stores and on our website. What labor and love the teams here at PS put into the design and execution of this year’s wedding invitations. Planning our collection was not unlike planning an actual (BIG) wedding, just without the pretty dress, fancy cake and amazing party!

To kick off the development of our new wedding invitation collection, we began by creating an inspiration board. We looked at current trends in color, pattern, fashion and design, and gathered things we love – buttons, bits of lace and fabrics, branches and flowers. We also considered feedback from our wonderful customers about what was missing from our 2009 collection, and what they loved!

Much of this inspiration and insight eventually made it into the 2010 wedding collection in the design of our new embossed Faux Bois invitations; the introductions of curry and beet letterpress ink colors; the whimsy of the Carnival suite; and the much desired inclusion of black and white patterns and styles! In addition to beautiful wedding invitations and save the dates, we also created wedding guest books and rubber stamps that coordinate with many of our new designs so you can carry a theme throughout your wedding.

P.S. In planning your wedding, consider building yourself an inspiration board. You’ll have such fun doing it and it will remain a great reference for you throughout your planning process. And, when you’re happily married, it will be a wonderful remembrance of all the planning, labor and love that you put into your big day!

– Karen and Cindy
PS colors: moss & papaya and pool & red
Latest faves: India Calico File Folders and Dutch Woodcut Floral Wrapping Paper

Are you looking for some great ideas, including templates for printing (finally some easy to use Word files) for creating unique “Save the Date” cards for all your guests? Look no further, because we have created the perfect class for you! You’ll get to walk away with samples of each project and the inspiration to combine with your own style, theme, and color palette!

As an added bonus, we have created a wedding workshop series for our brides – purchase a total of any three workshops offered in January: Save-the-Dates, Wedding Favors, Wedding Invites, or the Fabulous Handmade Album and you’ll receive 15% off the price of ALL THREE classes. You’ll also receive, during each class, a 10% off coupon to use towards purchases. What a great way to get hands on experience and fantastic ideas along with some great savings on all your wedding needs!

Register online or at a store near you. Cheers!

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

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, Read the rest of this entry »