12 Days of Christmas at Paper Zone Blog - starts now!

Today Paper Zone is starting daily blog posts counting down the 12 days until Christmas. Can you believe it's that close?!? Over the next 12 days we will be posting last minute gift ideas, crafty ornaments, gift wrapping tips and whatever fun surprises we can come up with.

To start, we want to announce the internal winner of the Holiday Crafters Challenge. And the winner is. . . .(drumroll) for the second time in a row: Sarah in Tacoma!!

Sarah, blew us away with this AMAZING recipe book that came complete with a card stand and some pretty tasty recipes.

Once I saw this creation, I realized that Sarah, our store manager in Tacoma, is crazy. . .crazy in a super skilled way!!! You would not believe the amount of detail that is in this little project.

For each recipe, she printed off a recipe card that was then completely embellished, including a picture of the final dish. Then each recipe card got it's own pocket. Sarah used the lined envelopes from the Making Memories Noel collection to create a uniquely fabulous pocket for each recipe that not only listed the recipe to be found inside, but matches the recipe's embellishing as well!

To create the stand, Sarah used the mini easel embellished with one of the secret ingredients. And, of course, it's adorable too.

This project, to me, epitomizes what is great about crafting. You can really share something from the heart, in such a unique way. It is better than any gift you can buy at a store. Well done Sarah!

Check with us tomorrow for the next Christmas idea! --Kim

Here Comes Santa Clause?!

Sooooo...are you ready? Are you in the process of getting ready? Do I even dare ask? What might we be getting ready for, you might wonder? Well, CHRISTMAS don't you know! Oh my goodness, it's hard to believe that it is only six short weeks away. But it is. I see it on my many calendars. Sometimes, despite being able to see important dates on the horizon, I'm still behind the ball.

But, I am excited. I watched the Family Stone last night. Oh, I love that movie! Sad but funny, warm and touching all the same. And, I've pulled out the recipe binder and started thinking about what I will be cooking, since I am hosting Christmas at my house this year. For the first time. Yikes!! I have not, however, given much thought as to what I am going to do for holiday correspondence or decoration. Luckily, we've got some great stuff in our stores to inspire me. Something that I am particularly fond of right now is Making Memories Noel line. There are some truly great pieces to work with. Check out these 12x12, which are perfect for making cards or a background for a menu:


And these very fun and useful Findings Kit and Rosettes which are perfect for making gift tags and embellishing hand-made ornaments and cards:

And last, but definitely not least, an Advent Calendar Kit to count down the days 'til Santa Clause comes to town! Yes, I know, I am obssessed with calendars!

So what do you think? Don't you just love it? For me, it has that old-timey, curl-up-with-a-cup-of-cocoa feel, which is sure to sooth one's shopping, chopping, and tree trimming nerves. Oh, and just a reminder, pieces from the line are also included as a part of our Holiday Crafters Challenge!

Stay tuned for more crafting inspiration as we head into this most wonderful time of year!

Tiffany