Weekly Wrap #51 : Custom Stamped Ribbon

December 03, 2010 // kristen // 0 replies

Ez from Creature Comforts share a fantastic tutorial for carving your own eraser stamps to create custom stamped ribbon that you can use to wrap your holiday gifts, or any gifts, actually! The possibilities here are endless, and this idea may be what finally makes me dig out and use the Staedtler erasers, pink rubber block, and lino cutter that have been gathering dust among my craft supplies for the past year and a half. Thanks for the great idea, Ez!

Also, don’t forget to enter the Cardstore.com holiday giveaway that’s going through Monday. Enter to win a chance at a $50 gift certificate to Cardstore or one of two sets of personalized gift tags. Have a great weekend, everyone!

images from Creature Comforts

Weekly Wrap #23 : DIY No Sew Ribbon Bows

May 07, 2010 // kristen // 1 replies

A gorgeous ribbon bow can make a package; however, if you’re anything like me and always scored lowest on spatial relations on your Iowa Tests, then Martha’s bow-making diagrams can sometimes look like byzantine mazes and can leave you with a pile of knotted, wrinkled, formerly-beautiful ribbon that has become a stark reminder of the fact that you’re not Martha and probably will never be. Plus, you’re still without a pretty bow for your package.

So, when I spotted this DIY No Sew Ribbon Bow tutorial by Ez from Creature Comforts over on Ruffled, I knew it was a keeper. I find that one of the most difficult things to achieve when tying a bow is that nice, clean, flat square/rectangle of ribbon at the front, and Ez’s technique allows you to achieve this every time because you tie from the back instead of the front. Mix and match colors and patterns to match whatever package or favor you’re embellishing, and scale up for larger bows!

images from Creature Comforts

Gifts for Paper Lovers 2009 : Gift Wrap

December 04, 2009 // kristen // 2 replies

Now that you’ve gotten all of those craveable paper gifts, you may find yourself in the market for lovely wrappings and embellishments. Half the fun of giving a gift, at least for me, is in the wrapping. What paper will I use? What ribbon? What tags and/or embellishments? Is there something that I can use in an unexpected way for an extra special touch? I’ll also be the first to admit that I have asked for and received gift wrap as the gift itself, and I loved it!

Clockwise, from top left: Birchwood Snowflake Ornaments at Kate’s Paperie; Urban Greetings Gift Wrap at Paper Source; Divine Twine by Whisker Graphics; Partridge of Joy and Bird of Peace Decorative Tapes at TapeSwell; eieio Bali Gift Wrap at Luxe Paperie; a rainbow of Washi Tape at Tinted Mint; Letterpress Noel Tags by Duet Letterpress; Twelve Days of Christmas Gift Wrap by Caroline Gardner; Christmas Gift Wrap by Darling Clementine

Clockwise, from top left: Vintage Metal Thread at Kate’s Paperie; Moose Gift Tags by Linda & Harriett; Urban Greetings Stickers at Paper Source; Shimmery Striped Washi Tapes at Pretty Tape; Cheers letterpress gift tags by Parrott Design Studio; Barn Swallow Ornaments by Hammerpress; Bird Gift Tags by Vale Design; Midori Ribbon at Beau Coup; Merry Wine Tags from Saddle Stitch Studio; Round Bird letterpress gift tags by Satsuma Press and Skinny LaMinx; Snow & Graham Mistletoe Gift Wrap at Luxe Paperie; Egg Press Blip Gift Wrap at Luxe Paperie

images from their respective owners

Linda & Harriett Letterpress Flower Pins

September 28, 2009 // kristen // 2 replies

I’m loving these amazing flower pins from Linda & Harriett, first spotted over on Amy Atlas’s blog. Each pin is made to order and is constructed by hand from letterpress misprints. What a great way to recycle, and what a pretty result! The pins could be used in so many ways — as pins on clothing, pinned onto front of the tablecloth at the wedding party table at a wedding, as gift wrap embellishments or closures for gift bags, shower favors, garlands, and the list goes on and on.

images from Linda & Harriett

New Sponsor : Tinted Mint

September 10, 2009 // kristen // 0 replies

Please welcome Paper Crave’s newest sponsor, the Tinted Mint! The Tinted Mint specializes in eco-friendly products and accessories for crafts and DIY, and they carry rolls and rolls of that awesome colored Japanese washi tape that so many of us have been coveting. The colors, the possibilities, and it’s eco-friendly, too. The colored masking tapes are made of Japanese rice paper, and they’re perfect for decorating packages and for crafts and surface decoration, in general. Check out the Tinted Mint’s entire selection at their shop!

image from Tinted Mint