It is so warm here in Chicago. It hardly feels like it is almost Thanksgiving! In fact, it feels a little weird to talk about my favorite holiday products when I didn’t even wear a coat to work, but here goes…
For crafting, a couple super-easy, but super-impactful items are the Snowflake Trim Double Edge Punch and Tinsel & Twig embellishments.
The chain punch allows you to make perfectly die-cut belly bands that wrap around an invitation or card while the crepe paper embellishments are self-adhesive, so you can stick one on a card or on the top of a gift. The embellishments are layered with four different accents so it looks handmade without the time investment. Just peel and stick! I used it in the sample to adhere the snowflake chain to the card.
When it comes to boxed holiday cards I cannot resist telling you about another one of my favorite vendors, Saturn Press. For years Paper Source has carried this line of beautiful letterpress cards, both in our everyday single card assortment, as well as in boxed holiday offerings. Not only is their product simply lovely, but their commitment to green living has been alive since the start of their business in 1986.
The proprietors of the company live on Swan’s Island, Maine without computers or air conditioners. Their printing press is 77 years old, they use less than a gallon of solvents per year in their press room. Their total output of garbage is two cans per month, mainly because all of their recycled paper is custom made to their specific size to avoid waste. Heck, even the grass around their building is cut with a reel lawnmover in the summer. I think that’s pretty cool. Plus, they’re just friendly, down-to-earth people which is always a nice thing, too.
–Gretchen, PS Buying Team
PS colors: fuchsia & moss
Latest fave: 2011 Paper Source Academic Grid Wall Calendar
That happens to be one of my favorite cards! I love their work. (FYI Gretchen – you’ll need that coat next week for sure!)
xo
linda
(workshops)
I just used the Tinsel & Twig embellishments on party invitatons this weekend. They are so sturdy. And such a great value when you consider how much you’d spend on the supplies to make something similar of your own.
A word of advice…they’re bulky, so they don’t fit very well in an envelope. I had unfortunately already lined and addressed the envelopes I had chosen, so I had to use them. I had to use stickers to keep them shut and kind of ruined my design. Users might want to plan ahead and get an envelope that’s a size larger than your cards. Or place the sticker towards the center of the card design so that you can use a large sticker to hold it shut.