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A baby shower for one of our own

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We talk a lot about color around here, but it really can be inspirational. A room painted in yellow can leave you feeling sunny and pair of great pink shoes can make you smile. The same is true for inspiring memorable details for any event. Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower...…
How-to: halloween wreath card

Meg Kowieski

In my world, wreaths aren’t just for Christmas. By using a black and orange color palette, presto-change-o… a spooktacular Halloween card is born! When I find a technique or idea that I love, I use it for all types of occasions throughout the year by making simple changes to the design.…
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Frosty!

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I like to think of our die-cut paper snowman shapes as a blank canvas, and I decided to create a rather debonair pair for the holidays. I’d like you to meet my Mr. and Mrs. Frosty! I’ve used just a few things to make my festive, dimensional characters. I started with our die-cut snowman…
How-to: honeycomb summer party invitation

Meg Kowieski

This breezy summer party invitation is easy to make using fill-in printable invitations and our honeycomb rubber stamps. The honeycombs take on a citrus look in these ink colors, but you can change up the colors and use them again and again for any occasion– make fireworks in red and blue for…
How-to: adorable turkey placecards

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We have a wonderful customer here in Dedham who loves to create her own special holiday cards and decorations. She visited us recently on our Grand Opening Day in search of a Thanksgiving placecard idea, perhaps a twist on our classic Turkey Placecard Kit. Along with my fellow associate, Calla, I…
How-to: embossing on ribbon

Meg Kowieski

After Linda (head of workshops) described this technique to me I just had to try it! Embossing on ribbon? Sweet! I think it works best with rubber stamps that have a clean bold image like this cherry blossom. Imagine how lovely this would be wrapped around a package or used to embellish an…
How-to: monogram gift tags

Meg Kowieski

Adding an initial to gift tags, wrapping paper and cards is a great way to personalize a gift. These monogram gift tags can be made from any kind of paper, whether solid color paper, decorative paper, even an old postcard or last year’s holiday cards! We’ve shown gift tags where the…
5 steps to perfect rubber stamping

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Here it is, your step by step guide to perfect rubber stamping and heat embossing, just in time for holiday card making*. You see us using these techniques all the time, and there’s a reason for that – they’re super easy and add a professional decorative look to all types of…
Paper Source handmade cards

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The Paper Source motto is “Do Something Creative Every Day”, and we have some very lucky folks here who get to live this out making handmade greeting cards for a living. If you’ve visited our stores, you’ve seen our greeting card wall full of funny, thoughtful and lovely…
Idea: inspired holiday party placemats

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At this time of year, we at Paper Source are reminded of how blessed we are to be surrounded by inspiring ideas every day. We recently had our annual office Holiday Party. To get everyone in the holiday spirit, we asked team members from around the organization to design placemats to be used at…
How-to: new years party hats

Meg Kowieski

If you’re having a New Years party or are looking for New Years activities for your family, you must make these glittery gold New Years party hats! CBS 2 Chicago (click to view) even featured them as a fun way to get kids involved at New Years. You could, of course, use this party hat... The…
2009 holiday card contest winner – website submissions

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You have truly inspired all of us here with your creativity and craftiness in your submissions to our 2009 Holiday Card Contest! Below you will find some of our customers’ homemade holiday cards that were web submissions, separate from the store submissions (to be featured soon). We’re…
How-to: origami paper wreath

Meg Kowieski

Here is a fun way to make use of leftover paper, gift wrap scraps or this year’s old calendar pages, while also getting into the holiday spirit – make an origami paper wreath! With just a few folds it’s really simple and fun. Surprisingly sturdy, these wreath decorations are…
How to tie a square knot

Meg Kowieski

Knot tying is a wonderful gift wrapping technique, and offers a modern alternative to bows. It also uses slightly less ribbon and works great if you’re shipping wrapped packages (bows can get crushed in the mail). The instructions below will teach you how to tie a knot using our double-faced…
Crafts for Christmas: paper stockings

Meg Kowieski

Making creative things is my job…and my heart. So to inspire holiday cheer, I made Christmas stockings for each of my department co-workers. Hung from a hutch and flanked by other holiday paper decorations, it’s a treat to walk into our area each day greeted by such a festive scene.…
Personalized gift wrap as seen on the Today Show & InStyle Magazine

Meg Kowieski

In their December issue, InStyle featured Paper Source rubber stamps to make personalized gift wrap. We thought their idea of using Alphabet Rubber Stamps to personalize wrapping paper for the recipient was clever – and so did NBC’s Today Show (click to view), who picked up the feature as a…
Christmas tree at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Meg Kowieski

This year Paper Source was lucky enough to be asked to decorate a holiday tree for the Chicago Botanic Garden Wonderland Express exhibit. What a great way to kick off the holiday season! The whole experience was a thrill – we entered the gardens through a secret gate in the dark of night.…
My first homemade holiday cards

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This year I challenged myself to make my own holiday cards – my first attempt…ever. I’ll admit, it takes a lot of time, but I’m so happy with the finished product and I know the recipients will be too. My holiday card design was inspired to by things: 1. Annie’s blog…
Decorating kraft ornaments & stars

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Looking for a glam decorating idea for the holidays, but have a fear of glitter or aren’t feeling especially crafty? Try this easy craft project from our team at the Paper Source Reston store! They added tons of elegance to kraft ornaments with a clever combination of stamp pads. It takes…
Holiday card making ideas

Meg Kowieski

If there is something I look forward to every year, it’s holiday card making! But with the hustle and bustle of the season, the task can seem daunting. Luckily, with a little imagination I’ve discovered a few ways to embellish cards that are quick and easy. For example, what’s…
Find us in your favorite holiday magazines!

Meg Kowieski

We worked hard for it and now we’re seeing the results – a whole lot of exciting Paper Source product featured in the press this holiday season! The fun part about seeing our products in these wonderful magazines are the great ideas their creative teams come up with on their own – often with new...…
Decorating kraft letters

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I recently found myself needing a gift for a friend of mine… a friend who has everything. I came up with the idea of making him a set of decorative kraft letters in his initials. Although I’ve used glitter to decorate these in the past, I wanted to try a new technique that would create... The…
Homemade personalized stationery

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What could be more personal than creating custom stationery for a special friend? By choosing specific paper colors, embellishments, and adding their name you are honoring their personality and creating a one-of-a-kind gift. A stationery set can be as simple as a collection of note cards and…
How-to: thanksgiving turkey party favors

Meg Kowieski

We’ve turned our Pocketbook Favor Boxes into just about every kind of animal, so we knew we had to try a turkey for a fun Thanksgiving party favor! With just paper, labels, and tape or glue, these favors are super easy to put together. If you’re having little ones over to your house…
Thanksgiving ideas: grateful boxes

Meg Kowieski

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…
This weekend: free Holiday Open House at Paper Source!

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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…
European-inspired colors: Part 2

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When I travel abroad, I take a few photos of famous monuments and statues. But what I really love to capture are common elements like doors and windows. And the most remarkable to me are not the ornate or gold-plated, but the understated ones on tiny storefronts and countryside homes…the ones…
Chicago mustache adventures

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Turns out the new Stylish Self-Adhesive Mustaches at Paper Source aren’t just for Halloween – I use them to turn everyday errands into funny adventures! Recently I bought a pack of these when a friend of mine was visiting from Los Angeles. While we toured all of the famous Chicago…
Handmade says it best

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More and more people are throwing parties and insisting that their guests not bring presents… “No presents, just your presence” seems to be the theme. In these tough economic times, that’s not a bad thing. However, I often find myself wanting to bring at least a little…
Paper Source Special Event: The Grateful Table

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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…
Cloudy day fun with owls

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It doesn’t rain very often in Los Angeles, so we don’t worry much about saving things for a rainy day. However, the skies do cloud over in Autumn. During such gloomy days, we’ve found that Paper Source kits are the perfect way to gather the family around the table – away…
Paper Source Special Event: The Grateful Table

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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…
Decorate your office with birthday banners!

Meg Kowieski

At Paper Source we take birthdays very seriously, especially when it comes to decorating. There’s nothing better than coming into work on your birthday and being surprised by a festive birthday banner. Over the past few months we’ve celebrated many birthdays in the office and we thought…
Paper Source Special Event: Holiday Card Making

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You asked for it… our first ever Holiday Card Making Girls Night Out! Get your creative juices flowing while you play with our new holiday rubber stamps, punches, cards and glitter – leave the mess with us and take home all sorts of great ideas. The event is this Thursday, October 1, so…
The paper dolls now have homes!

Meg Kowieski

Who would have guessed that our new Paper Doll Kit would cause such a stir around here? The kids of Paper Source employees are showing their true creative roots in their continued excitement over our paper dolls! Nicole (9) and Nina (7), daughters of Sally our CEO, have gone to town with their…
Paper Source Workshop: Halloween Deadcorations

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Who doesn’t love Halloween?… the perfect time of year to throw a spook-tacular party! This year we decided to dedicate an entire workshop to fabulous and festive Halloween Deadcorations. Mark your calendar for our workshop on Saturday, October 10th. We will teach you to make…
Favorites: India rubber stamps

Meg Kowieski

I love the graphic simplicity of our India Rubber Stamps. Whether used as one clean image or stamped in multiples they really make a statement. When I find a new rubber stamp design I love, I make several cards and gift tags to keep on hand. These cards would work for birthdays and as thank... The…
How-to: ribbon embellished wedding invitations

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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…
Rubber stamping my way through my wedding!

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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, wedding envelopes, menu cards, etc. And although I am surrounded by inspiring design ideas and expert crafters every day at work, I am NOT a crafty person…
How-to: pop-up halloween party invitation

Meg Kowieski

I’m a sucker for a pop-up, so I knew I had to incorporate one into a spooky Halloween party invitation this year. There’s just something about the unexpected three-dimensional experience that instantly puts a smile on your face… and then, like a self-proclaimed geeky engineer, you…
Decorative tape, not just for gift wrapping!

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The associates here at the Evanston Paper Source store are always excited to see the new and creative products that arrive on a regular basis. We love being able to share these products and all the imaginative ways they can be used with our customers. Our most recent favorite is a set of decorative…
A baby shower gift worth drooling over

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I’ll admit there’s some pressure when you’re giving a gift to a fellow Paper Source employee – they know the products and secrets all too well. We recently threw a baby shower for our lovely and talented coworker who is having her first baby, and I put together a gift basket on behalf of the... The…
Nature-inspired color combinations

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Every Saturday morning I look out my 15th floor window to the tiny farmer’s market that sets up just a block away from my apartment. I can’t wait to walk by each stand to see the fresh produce picked just days earlier. But my favorite is the fresh cut flower selection. Many times I don’t... The…
Buyer’s faves for back to school — Gretchen

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This past Sunday I turned 37. How can I be 37? My birthday always makes me think of back to school time. I still remember being 7 or 8 and getting my new school shoes in early August and letting them sit in their box in my closet until I got to wear them on... The post Buyer’s faves for back…
A new take on the classic paper doll

Meg Kowieski

We’re really excited around here about our new Paper Doll Kit. Our staff can’t seem to get enough of it–many of us and our families have been spending countless hours coming up with fun ensembles and paper doll characters (and their pets)– and we’re not done yet! We…
Out-of-the-box gift wrap ideas

Meg Kowieski

Like all faithful paper geeks, my favorite part of gift giving is the wrapping. Here are two unusual techniques I like to use that often get a “wow.” Origami box An origami box is a super cool way to make your own gift box out of any paper. Here are a few additional tips to... The post…
Desk embosser, woman’s best friend

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A typical day in my life: 4:30am- get up, do yoga for ½ hour 5:00am- take shower 5:15am- walk dog 5:30am- drink coffee, watch the weather, get dressed 6:00-6:15am- leave for work, drop Gus off at Doggie daycare 7am-6pm- WORK-WORK-WORK 6:15pm- pick up Gus from Doggie daycare 7pm- whew! Finally get…
The little calendar that could

Meg Kowieski

At Paper Source, we’re constantly working to come up with interesting and beautiful ways to do calendars. Last year, we launched our first wall art calendar, a large-scale poster display of gorgeous saturated color. This year, we had a “paper engineering” brainstorm to come up…

2009

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