As we anxiously await the July launch of our new line of birth announcements, we wanted to let our fans know about another opportunity to inspire our designs – our 2011 Holiday Photo Card development is underway and we’re looking for families to feature in our catalogs, online and in our stores.
We’ve been so busy monkeying around with fresh ideas and new products that we almost forgot to celebrate a very important birthday – the PS Blog turned 2 this month! That’s right, we’ve dedicated two years to parties, kids, holidays, gifts, decorating, weddings and DIY projects, along with bringing inspiration from our stores to the web.
And there’s more to come!
Don’t just decorate your home for the holidays… Adorn your party guests too with this festive 4th of July lei! It’s a great way to add a patriotic touch to anyone’s outfit!
Have a happy AND safe Independence Day!
–Annie
PS colors: peacock & paper bag
Latest fave: Spritzer Rubber Stamp Cleaner and Rubber Stamp Cleaning Pad
Before returning to spend another summer interning at Paper Source, I spent 5 months reading maps, roaming markets, picnicking at parks, hiking trails, eating feasts, absorbing culture and speaking French. Studying abroad is an experience unlike any other. You are afforded the opportunity to delve deep into a new culture and learn through unconventional means outside of a classroom setting. My wonderful French host parents continuously spoke the words profitez-bien, directly translated as profit well but more commonly understood as make the most of it, or embrace life. This simple phrase soon developed as a reoccurring theme of my travels that I’ve come to embrace.
I have come to appreciate a good baby shower game. If done well, it’s a great way to get all your guests involved. Not to mention, a nice transition from the eating portion to the gift opening portion of the shower. I knew for this baby shower that I wanted to get my friend’s husband involved because he is such a character. I learned of a game called Daddy Knows Best, where you ask the father-to-be a series of questions, then have the mother-to-be try to guess his answers at the shower. The game is simple, but I wanted to create an experience that would be fun for everyone.
I made game cards for each guest with two sections – first they would predict how many of Daddy’s answers Mom would guess correctly; second they read through the list of 12 questions I had asked Daddy and tried to guess his answers for themselves.
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.
What’s more fun than barrel of monkeys? Gigantic paper bag monkeys with Paper Source style.
Inspired by the Paper Source Halloween costume contest of 2010 (see image), our store teams started monkeying around with life-sized versions of our Monkey Puppet Kit, dressing windows with hilarious scenes of mischief and mayhem. It hass become a bit of a contest among our associates… so we’d like you to weigh in! Read More
We love how Paper Source Fan Lisa Y. used a monochromatic color palette and rubber stamps to accent her Eagle Castle Winery wedding in Paso Robles, California.
Photograph courtesy of Inktree Photography
I worked with TwoYellowShoes to design a custom template since I wanted the grapevines to go with our winery wedding.
To complete her DIY place cards, Lisa adhered each printed card to a Plum Place Card using Double-Sided Tape. She used Clear Embossing Powder, the purple from her Petal Point Color Box Inkpad and Menu Set Rubber Stamp images to heat emboss each place card (the carrot indicated vegetarian, the cow was for short ribs, and the fish signified the Monkfish entrée). Read More
Video courtesy of TheSmashFan
Many of us here at Paper Source cut our crafty teeth on the trusty ol’ scrapbook project – It was the original way to Do Something Creative Every Day! You could doodle, or write, or arrange collected treasures to tell any story. There were no rules, and artistry was not a requirement. You could spend hours arranging everyday items on a single page.
Ah… the nostalgia.
Graduation is one of the most exciting summer celebrations. Who doesn’t love a good summer party and the excitement of new adventures?!
But Graduation can also be the one of the most challenging gifting occasions. Either you’re not privy to the Grad’s preferences or you risk paying homage to the child you once knew. Time flies so fast – It’s tough to remember the American Girl Magazine your Grad once loved could render a crushing blow to Freshman coolness. In other words, what was once a go-to gift might not apply to this new adventure.
