Love is all around and this year we found new gift items — along with adorable cards, kits and crafts — that you are sure to fall in love with. Whether you’re looking for something quirky or sweet, you are sure to find the perfect little thing in our latest Valentine’s Day gift selection.

Here are a few that I find to be swoon-worthy:

Adding to our collection of kitchen aprons is this simple and sweet Heart Apron. It is a great way to pamper yourself for Valentine’s Day or a lovely way to shower your favorite baker with love. Add the heart-shaped oven mitt (shown above) for the perfect ensemble. Read the rest of this entry »

Love is in the air and we are ecstatic! Not only have we launched the 2012 Paper Source Wedding Invitation Collection, but we are hearing inspiring stories of love from brides-to-be and newlyweds. Even our associates have bells on – recently engaged Kristen shared her wonderful Will You Be My Bridesmaid card concept and newlywed Susan gave us a peek inside her perfectly Night and White destination wedding. And there is plenty more ahead!

For those of you who just started wedding planning (raise your hand by commenting to this post), be sure to check out the Paper Source YouTube Channel where our associates take you through DIY projects and planning exercises that help you create an event to remember.

In this video, Ann sheds light on a term you hear quite often at Paper Source — the wedding invitation suite. And suite it is! Together, with your wedding invitation, these components help inform and inspire your guests.

But that is just the beginning… there is more inspiration come, so stay tuned!

It’s time again to ask yourself, “What’s my Colorscope?”

We’ve added readings for our new Paper Source colors — Aubergine and Slate — providing more ways for you to express yourself through color.

Go ahead, think of your two favorite Paper Source colors. Check out our Colorscope readings, then tell us what you discover!

Last year one of our colleagues had a destination wedding and, like many of us, Susan wanted to incorporate Paper Source elements into her wedding ceremony and reception. Since many of our readers are also considering a destination wedding, we had Susan tell us how she prepared for this perfectly night and white wedding in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Here’s her story…

Being a destination wedding, I prepared items in advance as much as possible, but there were a few projects that we completed on site, each providing an easy way to get into the spirit.

Elements completed beforehand:

Our menu cards were printed prior to leaving

I used the Martha Stewart Double Loops Decorative Paper Punch on Night Text Paper to make strips for napkin rings

Seating cards were stamped with the Pearl Strands Rubber Stamp and heat embossed to coordinate with my wedding invitations

Completed at our destination:

Paper flowers, used at our outdoor cocktail hour, were made in my hotel room prior to the wedding (super easy and I saved a ton on flowers!)

Favor boxes were assembled and filled with candy, then placed at the seat of any child who was in attendance

Night satin ribbon was provided to the florist for the pomanders that hung on down our aisle

Items needed to complete projects on site:

Glue for the paper flowers

Double-sided tape for the napkin rings

All in all, it was very little to travel with but provided charming little details that you might not normally have at a destination wedding. Perhaps the best part about using paper items… flat packing!

–Susan
PS colors: aubergine & slate
Latest fave: Personalized Note Pads

Newly engaged and in the beginning stages of planning my wedding, something I was really looking forward to was asking a few dear friends to be my bridesmaids. I wanted to do this in a way that would make the girls feel special and would help them look forward to a year of wedding fun! I scoured the internet in search of will you be my bridesmaid ideas, but nothing seemed quite right. Then, with perfect timing, my colleague Liz presented her holiday gift, which included an ingenious enclosure with recipe card inserts. It was so darling and the perfect format for my will you be my bridesmaid presentation!

Using Liz’s recipe ensemble as my guide I printed cards with information I wanted my bridesmaids to have. The cards were cut with varying widths allowing the card titles to appear in succession. I printed and mounted a Will You Be My Bridesmaid? tag on the inside panel, which greeted the girls as they opened the enclosure. In all this project took diagonal enclosures, fine paper for liners and decorative elements, cover weight 8.5 x 11 paper cut down, and free fonts found online.

The cards included: our wedding date and location, the list of bridesmaids, rehearsal and wedding day details, a personal letter to each bridesmaid…and my favorite, a card with the silhouette of a bridesmaid dress to represent the bridal shopping to come.

This project was so worth the extra time – I will never forget the smiles and tears that came when my friends opened their packages. I know they will spend a year making me feel incredibly special, so I was happy to do the same for them while asking them one very important question.

–Kristen
PS colors: peacock & cement
Latest fave: Printable Labels

It’s always fun to make a themed party extra special, and our pre-cut heart shapes and striped paper straws are a perfect match for your Valentine’s Day get-together. They’re a cinch to make and will make a bold, colorful statement on your table. Show your guests extra love and customize them with names!

Materials Needed:

• Valentine Party Drinking Straws How-To PDF
• Red & White Paper Straws
• Heart Shapes Pack
• Fuchsia Glitter Ribbon
• Rouge Glitter Ribbon
• Hot Pink Adhesive Crystals
• Red Adhesive Crystals
• Uniball White Gel Pen
• Small Zots Dots
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Layer heart shapes using small zots dots.
2. Embellish by writing a loving message or adding adhesive crystals.
3. Attach to straws using more small zot dots.
4. Create ribbon flags by wrapping a small length of glitter ribbon around straw and using a zot dot to keep in place.
5. Trim ends with scissors for added flair.

Sip & Enjoy!

– Claudia
PS colors: curry & fuchsia
Latest fave: Mini Magnolia Paper Flower Kit

As letter writers, we were tickled when Stephanie told us about her New Year’s resolution. We thought her story would inspire your creativity and, for those of you with sisters or loved ones who live afar, touch your heart.

We hope you enjoy this story and the inspiring year ahead!

I am so lucky to have an incredibly amazing sister who just so happens to live on the other side of the world– Sydney, Australia to be exact. Several years ago (when she lived oh-so-much closer) we went through a brief phase where we would send each other wacky postcards that we found on our journeys. It was always such an unexpected surprise to go the mailbox and find a postcard mixed in with the bills, magazines and junk mail that awaited me. It’s so rare to receive a piece of handwritten mail these days and these little cards brightened my spirit. They made me laugh, they warmed my heart and they made me think of my beautiful sister and remember how dear she is to me.

Postcards from Allie

Late in 2010, an idea came to me that I hoped my sister would embrace. I thought it would be fun for us to do a sort of New Year’s Resolution together, but instead of giving something up, we would take on a challenge. The challenge? Send each other a postcard each week of 2011. Thankfully, my sister jumped right on board and, by the first week of January, a beautiful postcard of the Sydney Opera House arrived in my mailbox.

Searching for postcards fitting to send is part of the adventure. Wherever I go, I now scout for postcards that either make me giggle or evoke a memory from years past. The messages written on the cards vary from week to week. We share details of recent trips (hers are admittedly more exciting than mine– I sent her a postcard about my day-trip to Minneapolis to conduct a Store Audit the same week that I received a card from her with details of her adventure in Malaysia), other times we share memories from our childhood, and stories of the crazy things that our cats– and husbands– do. Read the rest of this entry »

Our handmade holiday card inspiration continues with this magnificent creation by Rick V., Midwest Regional Manager for Paper Source. The corporate office was buzzing when this wonderful creation arrived.

Of course we had to find out more, so here is his story…

Having spent the past few years in the Pacific Northwest, the mountains, snow and beauty of the moonlight shining on the snowy trees was the initial inspiration. The snow and surroundings are amazing after a nice snowfall.

The card went through several rounds. At first it was going to be a pop up card, but I could not perfect it in time (will probably be included in my card next year). Then, the idea of cross sections of wood spurred this iteration, as did our Faux Bois stationery and rubber stamp. The layers of trees and forest animals completed the idea with additions added throughout the process. Read the rest of this entry »

Our Annual Holiday Card Contest drew to a close yesterday. Thanks to those of you who submitted fantastic and original holiday card concepts, voting is going to be difficult.

While we wait for votes to trickle in from our teams, we wanted to put the spotlight on a few of last year’s submissions. We hope the recap will serve as inspiration and connect you with others who share your love for the handmade greeting.

Enjoy!

Created by Elisa B.

Created by Haley S. Read the rest of this entry »