I’m all about the owls, and I love pretty much every single packaging / gift wrap project that Denise Sharp creates. Needless to say, when you combine the two it puts me in gift wrap idea heaven. If you have a paper bag and a few other paper craft bits and bobs, then you can create this adorable owl gift bag, too! Just head on over to the d.sharp blog for the how to. Oh, this little guy is giving me so many ideas, especially for Halloween.

images from Denise Sharp

As both a lover of letterpress and someone who’s always looking for new and tasty recipes to try, I think that that this set of letterpress recipe cards from Bison would make a fantastic anytime gift, housewarming present, or hostess gift.

The recipes, provided by Bellingham, Washington catering company, Ciao Thyme / In the Kitchen, include delicious summertime fare — Heirloom Tomato Soup, Corny Corn Bread, Snow Peas with Pine Nuts & Mint, Rosemary Lemonade, Beet Greens, and Roasted Beets & Peaches, and each card features coordinating illustrations. The set comes packaged in a letterpressed chipboard box, perfect for giving as is or easily wrapping to gift.

images from Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress

So darling — bunnies and bunting!

And I’m really liking the stylized feathers in this design. If you chose an autumnal color for this suite — all of the invitations have customizable color and font options — you’ll have a beautiful feather/leaf look for a fall wedding or occasion.

Pistachio Press uses rubber-based inks and biodegradable citrus-based solvents for press clean-up, and they print on 100% tree-free cotton papers or recycled papers that contain at least 30% post-consumer waste. They also re-use or recycle office and shipping supplies.

images from Pistachio Press

I’ve been on the lookout for Alice in Wonderland inspired paper goodies since Tim Burton’s take on the classic was released earlier this year, so I was pretty jazzed to hear from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada based graphic designer James Prunean, who submitted these dangerously chic baby shower invitations that he designed for his sister’s Alice in Wonderland themed baby shower tea party.

The watercolor-y harlequin background on these invitations is a daring contrast to the bold, slightly gothic black and red elements, and I love the back of the invite, which was designed to look like a playing card. You can see more of James’ work at his site, OOXX, and here’s some more tasty invitation eye candy (with a peek at the super cool baby shower cake, too!):

images from James Prunean

I was excited to hear from Nathalie Carrigan, the designer behind custom wedding invitation studio, 120 Water Street, not just because she shared these oh so elegant custom invites in one of my favorites color palettes and featuring a lovely damask pattern, but also because she talked about something that’s on the mind of almost every bride and groom around, especially these days: budget.

When Nathalie mentioned that she created this suite for a very budget conscious bride who was having 400 guests (yikes!) at her wedding, I wanted to know how she managed to keep the invitation budget down while still creating an invitation that would wow the invitees.

One thing that Sarah, the bride, wanted was a pocket fold, a tall order for a very tight budget with as many guests as she was inviting. Nathalie found these pockets, which were slightly less costly than the traditional tri-fold pockets, but they allowed for savings in other areas, the most major of those being cutting costs.

All three cards in the suite were cut to the same size, which greatly simplified the cutting process, lowering labor costs while maximizing the content space, an added bonus because the couple needed to share a good deal of information with guests. Having everything cut to the same size also eliminated the need for adhesives, as there was no backing panel or mounting to the center of the fold.

The printing method chosen was digital, the quickest and most budget friendly option, and it also allowed for use of rich, saturated shades of navy and pink. Reply envelope costs were eliminated by the use of a detachable postcard RSVP, which also helped save postage costs.

Thanks to Nathalie for sharing a beautiful invitation suite, as well as her fantastic tips for keeping within a tight budget while still maintaining quality, a happy client, and great results!

In addition to creating lovely wedding invites, Nathalie also designs eco-friendly, personalized note cards that you can find in the 120 Water Street Etsy shop. She’s currently having a summer special, which runs through Labor Day, and she’s offered Paper Crave readers free shipping on her note cards to anywhere in the US. Mention “paper crave” when you order to receive either a shipping refund or six additional note cards, free of charge!

images from Nathalie Carrigan / 120 Water Street

I’ve featured The Time Is Now’s outstanding papercut work previously, my focus having been on their beautiful cut paper journals and cards, but you can find much, much more in the shop. Naomi Shiek, the papercut artist behind The Time Is Now, creates outstanding papercut art pieces that often feature woodland themes and incorporate folkloric symbolism, and she also does private commissions, creating everything from wedding invites to posters and papercut books. Here’s just a bit from her impressive collection:

images from The Time Is Now

Jordana, the bride, who has been an event manager in Toronto for 11+ years, has long believed that an invitation sets the tone for the event to follow (I agree completely), and when it came time to create her own wedding invites, she knew exactly what she wanted. Book style invitations are such a unique choice, and they allowed the couple to share their story with their guests, including those friends and family who live out of town and don’t get to spend much time around the couple.

Christine Flynn of Love the Card (her wedding stationery portfolio is a MUST see) instantly understood the blend of elegent and irreverent that Jordana and David were going for, and she created an amazing invitation suite that imparts the love and excitement that the couple feel about getting married, while also keeping it light and funny. These invitations aren’t just beautiful. I’m sure that they’ll also be kept as a memento for years to come by many of the guests and the couple themselves.

Bride & Groom: Jordana Novak & David Stephens
Design: Christine Flynn
Photos: Jason Nip

images from Mae Mae Paperie

If you’re a regular reader of Martha Stewart Weddings, then you might recognize this, the cover of the 15th anniversary issue, featuring an absolutely gorgeous sugar flower creation by Sylvia Weinstock. Pretty amazing, huh? The idea for the craft in this post started brewing as soon as I laid eyes on this cake. I thought that the intricately ridged petals looked a little like cupcake liners. Actually, for brief instant, I thought that they might be cupcake liners.

I started my experimentation with full size cupcake liners, but I felt that they were too large for the look that I was going for. Then I remembered this great cupcake liner flower tutorial from Intimate Weddings, which used mini cupcake liners, and I used this as a jumping off point to create the flowers on the cupcake liner tree. I was delighted with the results!

The cupcake liner trees would make wonderful accents for reception or buffet tables at weddings, and you could use different colors and patterns for different looks. Red and white striped liners would be great for circus or retro themed parties, and I’m already planning on making a Halloween tree using black liners. Here’s a shop with lots of mini cupcake liner choices to inspire you.

You can easily change the look of the tree by adding crafty accents, too. Using a wire cutter, I disassembled a holiday berry pick from the craft store and used the berries to create a Christmas tree:

I used one full mega pack (350 count) of the mini white baking cups (1 1/4″) from Wilton to cover one tree form, though I think that the 1 3/8″ size would work also work very well since there’s not much of a size difference. It took me a little less than two hours to put together my first tree, and since I had most of the supplies on hand already, the only thing I really needed to purchase for the craft was the baking cups, which were about $4 (less with a Jo-Ann coupon). If you had to purchase everything to make the trees, then I think you’d spend around $20, but the pins, glue gun, and glue sticks would last well beyond the first tree.

Okay, are you ready for some scrunching action?

DIY Cupcake Liner Flower Trees

Supplies you’ll need:

a styrofoam tree form (I used a 9” tall form)
mini cupcake liners (1 1/4” to 1 3/8” size)
straight pins, preferably with a ball head
a hot glue gun and glue sticks
accessories for decorating (ribbon, decorative picks, etc.)

Directions

1. Separate cupcake liners into groups of five. Flatten the liners, and poke a straight pin through the center of each group.

2. Gently “scrunch” the top cupcake liner around the pin head, taking care not to rip the paper.

3. Repeat the scrunching action for the remaining liners. When you’re finished, you’ll have a flower.

4. Using your thumb and forefinger, grab the flower at the bottom and press the liners together and away from the length of the pin. Add a bit of hot glue to the pin, and immediately insert into the styrofoam tree form.

5. Fold two or three layers of the liners over the pin head, taking care not to burn yourself on any hot glue that may have found its way toward the pin head, and press the pin head in until it’s flush with the tree form. Hold in place for five to ten seconds, until the glue starts to cool and the pin is firmly attached. Fluff and adjust the flower “petals”, if needed. Continue adding cupcake liner flowers, starting at the bottom of the form and working your way around and up, until the entire form is covered. Add embellishments and decorations to the tree to coordinate with your occasion, if desired.

images by Kristen Magee

This also gives me the perfect opportunity to do a little roundup of some of the completely swoonworthy business cards that have caught my eye recently. I never tire of looking at pretty business cards!

Check out these business cards for Cinch Creative — owls and woodgrain on the same business card? Hello, love! – via Card Observer

More gorgeous letterpressed woodgrain in Verve Studio’s business cards — six passes through the press for these! The cards were designed by Leslie Vega and printed by Studio on Fire.

Really digging these clever cards, cut to look like tags, in a rainbow of candy colors by Erin Vale.

Absolutely gorgeous business cards for photographer Lisa Rigby, designed by Funnel : Eric Kass. The cards feature engraved printed accents that make for a wonderful, textural element.

Beautiful red and white letterpress cards by Ribbons of Red. Printed by Angel Bomb Design. – via Oh So Beautiful Paper

I’d seriously love to get my hands on these letterpress business cards, designed for Touchpoint by Merge Studio and printed by Studio on Fire. Duplex paper, foil stamping, laser cutting, lovely letterpress — these cards certainly have a wow factor or ten.

Completely droolworthy letterpress business cards for photographer Kate Murphy, designed by Jessica Hische. Hello, lovely hand lettering and vivid yellow! – via Design Work Life

Love the deep impression on these red and white letterpress business cards for John Henry, designed by John Henry Donovan and printed by Blush Publishing.

These letterpress business cards for Cricket Design Works pack a punch of color from custom duplexed papers in the French Paper Poptone collection. Metallic silver ink adds a bit of razzle dazzle to these super cool cards, printed by Studio on Fire.

images from their respective owners