If you have a little time on your hands, consider crafting a gingerbread cottage place cards for each of your guests. The gingerbread house stands on its own.

With the right cut on the card, you can simply deposit the place card on the roof. Whatever technique you used, make sure to not cut the gingerbread cottage. This way, next year you could use them for a village vignette. You could make a few extra cottages and spread them along the table as centerpieces.

Learn how to make a basic gingerbread cottage on Kate’s Paperie. If you feel like it, you can cut and glue holiday decorations to fill the inside of the house.

+ photos: Kate’s Paperie

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I received a few inquiries about baby showers lately. These party favor boxes would fit nicely with many themes. There were designed by Kathleen of Twig & Thistle. Besides baby showers, they will be great for a girl birthday party or a bridal shower. All you need to make your own are letter sheets of card stock, a color printer, an x-acto knife and a ruler.

+ photo: Style me Pretty with links to the download files

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One of the things on my list to bring back from my trip to Japan (it’s next Spring) will be an assortment of washi paper masking tapes. I bet that the collection down there is even more impressive than what is available at a handful of stores in the US. Stores that I know carry washi paper adhesive tapes are Happy Tape, Tinted Mint, a few sellers on etsy and a small selection at MoMA.

Washi masking tapes are great to enhance a simple box or bag for party favors, can be used instead of ribbons on gifts, enable you to add your personal touch to basic tags. Others used them to tie a bag, for scrapbooking or for decorating cards.

If you have a collection of washi paper tapes, you will soon see the need for tape dispensers. They go from keeping a single tape, or 2 small tapes up to the multi-roll tape dispensers exclusive to Happy Tape. The multi-roll dispensers are available in 2 sizes: the 8-inch can hold 10 tapes while the 12-inch dispenser can hold 16 washi tapes. I think the multi-roll are the most practical. They are hand-made in the United States with poplar. To match your decor, you can select between 15 colors for the wood.

The tartan tapes are very fashionable. You can get a green and an orange  set or a blue and black pair.

SOURCING:
+ Wooden Tape Dispenser Beech$35 USD
+ Wooden Tape Dispenser Walnut$35 USD
+ Washi Tapes at Tinted Mint $3.25 to $19.75 for a pack of 5
+ 8inch multi-roll tape dispenser $29 USD at Happy Tape
+ 12inch multi-roll tape dispenser $42 USD at Happy Tape
+ Washi Tapes at Happy Tapes $2.25 (on sale) to $36. 50 for a 20-pak
+ via Oh Joy!

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Here is your chance to get a note card in exchange of sending the card to someone. This free gesture is to honor the memory of Linda, the mother of the owner of Linda & Harriett. In fact, Liz named her stationery studio after the names of her mother and of her grand-mother to acknowledge that these two women were important creative forces for her.

Liz creates freshly modern and simple note cards.

I particularly like the letterpress paper doll note cards in in yellow and charcoal. It is feminine without being too girlie.

You can receive a note card in one of two ways:

• Grab it in person at Blue Sky Bakery located at 53 5th Avenue in Brooklyn on Monday, October 19th, 2009 between 10am to 1pm. Liz will welcome you. The bakery is between Bergen Street and St. Marks Place.
• Otherwise, send an email at lindaandharriett@gmail.com by Monday, October 19th, 2009 at noon EST with your name and shipping address.

MORE:
+ Linda & Harriett
+ paper doll note cards $14 USD for 6 cards with light gray envelops

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Cindy of Hungry Girl por vida captured the essence of simple elegance with these shots of gray paper straws. You cannot go wrong with single serving glass milk bottles for a baby shower or a kids birthday party. You can simply remove the commercial labels or go one step further and tailor the bottle with an event tag.

There is another reason why you will feel good. Besides its more sophisticated tones, the Kikkerland gray paper straws are more eco-friendly since they are biodegradable than the traditional plastic straws. Caring for the Earth is a good message to send at a baby shower party.

For a movie night or a circus party, you may prefer to get a box of blue and white  or red and white paper straws. + Paper Straws by Kikkerland $3 for box of 50 + photos: HungryGirl on Flickr + via Parcel Post

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Unique cards and memo blocks add style to our life. They are little pleasures that make us feel good. For that reason, I always try to find new sources that deliver something unique.

The first item is a block made of 1200 sticky notes that look like a slab of wood. I imagine this memo block not only at home but also to personalize your space at the office. The challenge at work would be to convince your boss to authorize this extra expense. One thing for sure, it would be a great gift idea for a man in your life. From the photo, the wooden block looks realistic. Have you seen it? If so, is it fabulous?

MadeByGirl is a great place to find unique cards. Most of her cards are printed on 100% recycled, acid-free paper and come with an Earth friendly white envelope.

Next the cute birdhouse drawing makes me wish I was moving to a new house. These moving cards are a luxury but when you consider how much you already spent on your move, it would not be a noticeable part of your total expenses. Reserve those for when you will be moving to the house of your dream.

SOURCING:
+ Wooden Memo Block $35 USD at Charles & Marie
+ Sitting next to you Card $2.95 USD at MadeByGirl
+ Brown Birdhouse personalized moving cards $294 USD for 100 thermography cards at William Arthur

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When I saw this store window yesterday decorated with corrugated cardboard rolls, I grabbed my iPhone to take pictures. This is something that you can reproduce at home.

I immediately imagined a twist for the hat making activity that is so popular in Alice in Wonderland theme party. After all, why not set the theme in a different environment? Your guests can paint, draw and glue decorations. You will set up a wall to exhibit their creations.

It can also form the backdrop of a tasting of Asian tea service. It is a creative decor that is simple to do.

Corrugated cardboard rolls are easy to find at packaging supply stores. You can use A, B or C flute sizes but look for 6-inch thick rolls.

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This is a first! I never imagined that a box of facial tissues would fit into the scope on my blog until I saw the print design on those boxes. It is another proof that great packaging can win customers.

It is about time that facial tissue maker acknowledged that a large number of people lives in modern home. I gave up long time ago on finding acceptable prints on facial tissue boxes. But it bothers me every time my eyes meet a box in my home.

Even though the colors do not complement my home decor, I will be looking for the Umbra designer series boxes in stores. I wish they were as cool as the patterns available for the Flip Mino HD. But it is first step in the right direction. Toronto-based designer Annie Chou created these illustrations.

This is a limited edition that Scotties did to appeal to the style-savvy people. I encourage you to get those since if they sell well it may convince Scotties and Kleenex to add good modern prints on a continuous basis.

MORE:
+ Umbra designer series by Scotties

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Available in 3 color palettes, Amy Butler’s new desktop collection will hit the stores in September. The range includes folders, organizers, binders, journals and much more!

In the meantime, you can browse her collection of paper craft and eco-line gift wrapping supplies. Her gift wrap collection comprises 100% post-consumer recycled gift wraps, bags, and giftcard boxes. The gift bags are sold in set of 4 with 100% recycled/biodegradable tissue paper.

MORE:
+ Belle & Sola Crafts and Scrapbooking materials
+ Petal Gift Wrap Rolls by Amy Butler $12.75 USD for 3 rolls
+ Petal Bags by Amy Butler for the Gift Wrap Company $18 USD for set of 4 bags

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Graphic designer Emily Arrison handcrafts paper tabletop creations for weddings and special events.  Her flora and fauna shaped cards are perfect for a garden party. She makes place cards, table numbers, menu cards, napkin rings that incorporate the place cards.

SOURCING:
+ Timeless Paper – starts at $1 a piece with minimum buy of a pack of 25 cards

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You can repurpose vintage silverware in several ways at the end of their useful life. You can make you own wind chime by flattening forks and spoons.

Etsy seller monkeysalwayslook converts old silverware into custom garden markers or picture holders (see last picture). What is cool is that you get a custom piece.  You will be able to select from her collection which silverware pattern you prefer and specify what to write on the garden markers.

On Etsy, petitepear uses silverware images as a stamp for gift tags. For a special occasion, you could hang the tags so that each tag falls above the place setting of each guest. The tag becomes the place card.

SOURCING:
+ Custom Vintage Silverware Garden Marker by monkeysalwayslook $8 USD each on etsy
+ simply chic vintage style silverware tags by petitepear $3.50 USD each on etsy
+ Custom Silverware Picture Holders by monkeysalwayslook $13 USD each on etsy

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The super talented Kathleen of Twig & Thistle has designed the cutest party celebration kit for the Fourth of July. Her design is modern, festive and elegant. Build your party around these elements. You could print a second batch of sparkler cards to glue on handmade paper cones. Use the cones to serve cashews, popcorn or fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Kathleen provides the templates with easy to follow instructions on her blog. Basically, you simply print, cut, tape and you are ready to receive big Awe! from your guests. I absolutely adore it!

If you can remove the words “Fourth of July” with Photoshop or add a white rectangle on top to hide the unwanted words with MS-Word, you could print a second batch of the sparkler cards, matchbook covers and straw tag for when you host other summer parties.

MORE:
+ DIY 4th of July on Twig & Thistle

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