paper + letterpress

Homemade Paper Lantern DIY

I saw a window of paper lanterns at an art store last year and I have been wanting to try my hand at them. Below, you’ll find tutorials for 4 different kinds of paper lanterns. They can be hung up for a party or strung across the backyard patio. I like the variety of all the shapes and sizes, it makes it look like a big festive party.

Click through for instructions.

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Kite on a Stick DIY: Kite Party

Here is another element for a Kite Party.  These paper versions are the perfect activity for kids to run around with before the actual kite flying begins. As a party activity the kids can paint and decorate their own. They are easy to make with a few simple supplies. Every kid who comes to the party can have their own. And, since they’re built with dowels, they’re easy for little kids to use too. (Click here for the kite invitations.)

Click through for instructions.

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Married to Craft

I was so happy to discover that Thuss Farrell has a new blog called Married to Craft. I’m so excited about their new book coming out: Paper to Petal. I’ve already preordered mine.

Letterpress Craft Night Recap

Last week we had our letterpress craft night! It was a really great night. We were able to donate all the money from the tickets to our local community preschool. A huge thanks to my friend Rebecca Wright who planned the event. Over 50 people attended and we had a great time eating and learning about letterpress. Also a big thanks to all the brands who donated items for the gift bags! They were really good (see below.)

Andrea Pimental was our caterer.  She impressed everyone with homemade oreos and Mexican-inspired salads. Our new Craft Night logos (designed by the amazing Clayton Thompson) were printed on canvas tote bags which held all the sponsored swag.

Coatt sent over a few delicate necklaces with gold dots and dashes that spelled out words and phrases in morse code. Ours came with words like “yeehaw” and “lucky.” And Hello Merch supplied every excited attendee with their own Champ Sweatshirt.

The Succulence, an adorable local succulent supplier that also offers classes and landscaping services, sent over 50+ mini plants for us hand out. We planted them in magnetic pods from Urbio, an awesome Bay Area startup that specializes in modular organization.

Photojojo, who also happens to be our neighbor, made sure everyone received a Tokyo Dreamer camera strap. Made of durable vegan leather, these are strong enough to hold SLRs, DSLR’s and their big ‘ol lenses. Ps: check out their awesome Phoneography 101 class.

Finally, Paper Source donated all the paper and envelopes we used for the letterpress demonstration. Their Luxe paper line notecards are my favorite for letterpressing. And their envelopes are the best (and come in amazing colors.)

We’d like to say a huge thank you for everyone who attended – and to all of our wonderful sponsors! We’re in the process of coordinating more Craft Nights this month. So stay tuned for the announcements!

Photos by Paul Ferney

Party Lantern Garland DIY + Free Printable

I was in New York last month and saw some really cute fabric lanterns but they were over $100. I started to think about if we could make one ourselves out of paper for party decor. After trying a few different prototypes we came up with this little version below. The best part? The materials to make it cost less than $5. You can download a free printable below for the patterns but I love that you can make them in any color depending on your party. Each lantern takes about 10 minutes to make, it’s the kind of project that is easy to finish while you are watching a movie. Click through for instructions below. (PS – Outdoor globe lights have me dreaming of last year’s Summer Garden Party…)

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