Happy Anniversary Paper Zone Blog!

A year ago we at Paper Zone decided that we wanted to interact with Paper Zone customers in a fun and creative way. Our goal was not to sell product, but to share ideas and foster inspiration. We had no idea how much fun we would have along the way!

When we started the blog, none of us had ever blogged before, and many of us are novice crafters so we thought "what can we teach anyone?". But when you have a love and enthusiasm for creating, and access to so much great stuff (from PZ of course!), ideas arise, inspiration occurs and I think some really great posts have emerged.

We purposefully sign each post so that you know who the creator is and I am sure that you have a favorite or two in the mix. So, today I am going to introduce you to our blogging team and share with you their favorite post from the 1st year. Going back, you can see, we've come a long way baby!!

Lauren. Lauren is our Marketing Manager and what I love about her posts is that she is great at bringing the unexpected: headbands, canvas gifts, etc. Lauren's posts show the real depth of what Paper Zone product has to offer. When asked which of her posts was her favorite, it was the most popular post OF ALL TIME, the tissue puffballs (aka Martha Stewart puff balls, pom poms). Lauren says she has even used these puff balls for her grandfathers birthday party. We have used them on numerous occasions (like Girlfest! above) and they never get old!

Christina. Christina is the Regional Manager of Paper Zone, overseeing the stores. She is our 'go to' person when it comes to crafting knowledge and she always has super cute ideas (and is the Fimo master). Being the mother of a 1 & 1/2 year old, I do not know how she finds the time to craft, but I am glad she does!! Her favorite post was her yellow and gray post demonstrating how easy it is to make your own wedding invitation. Christina says that she picked this post because it encompasses what she loves about Paper Zone: being able to help people on their most important days (weddings, birthdays, etc.) AND we cannot get enough of the yellow and gray color combo!!

Sandra. Sandra is our Replenishment Buyer, who makes sure all of our stores stay well stocked. She is the cardmaker of the bunch and always comes up with creative elements resulting in more than just a typical card. Her favorite post is the waterfall card. This is one of those creations that I'm thankful for You Tube for, because it was such a neat card to see. Sandra loves this card because it's versatile and the design can be used for any event, not just holidays.

Amanda. Amanda is our Merchandise Manager who is responsible for buying all the great stuff we have in our stores. Amanda's favorite post is also up with our top posts viewed by you: Glubers are Here! Having been with Amanda at CHA when she first saw the glubers, I know why she loves this post. It was like seeing a child's eyes light up on Christmas morning when she made her first rosette and proudly wore it during the show. You can't beat a product that makes crafting easy with results that are pretty darn cool.

Kim (me). I am the General Manager of Paper Zone, overseeing, well, everything and I am the most inexperienced crafter of the bunch. So, if I can make something, you know you can do it too!

I have to say that I really loved the 12 days of Christmas because we were a little nervous about trying to come up with so many ideas and, as usual, we had more than we could post. Plus I was able to trick my husband to pose with the paper hat in the "rat ring" post. Those holiday posts were about real sharing of real traditions and I loved it.

But my favorite post has to be my first attempt at quilling. I was so amazed that I was able to quill a flower and a dragonfly on the very first try I thought I stumbled upon the next great art. . .and I still feel that way!!

During the year we also had some posts by Tiffany, our Assistant Buyer who has since moved on and we will now be hearing from Malyse who brings a great scrapbooking background to the mix. We also have had great contributions from the stores and we hope to have even more in the coming year.

We remain committed to providing at least 3 great posts a week with creative project ideas, interesting techniques, sharing other blogs we love, and of course presenting all of the new and wonderful product in our stores. Please tell US what YOU love about the PZ blog!!

Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner of the $20 Gift Card!!!

--Kim

More Fimo Projects!

Hi everyone! I will be in our Seattle Store this Saturday from 2-4 giving a free demo on Fimo clay! In light of this I wanted to share some of my recent Fimo projects with you!

The first project is this yummy clay doughnut!

1. Mix clay together to make the perfect color for the cake part of the doughnut. (I used equal parts brown and white with a little bit of yellow.)

2. Roll clay into ball.
3. Use a toothpick or other round tool to create the hole in the center of the doughnut.4. Take a small piece of brown clay and roll into ball, then flatten.
5. Repeat step 3 to create hole in the brown clay, for the frosting.
6. Press the brown frosting on top of the doughnut.

7. Roll out a thin line of colored clay of your choice for the decorative frosting.8. Apply the decorative frosting to the top of your doughnut and bake for 30 minutes at 230*. (I added some glitter to the other doughnut I made that is pictured at the top of the page, if you would like glitter on your clay project apply glitter before baking.)

Next up is how to create a clay embellishment for a card or other paper crafting project.

1. Roll Fimo into small ball and flatten slightly.

2. Impress stamp into clay (I like to apply a clear shimmery ink, VersaMark Dazzle, to my stamp before I impress it into clay, it makes it a little easier to release and also leaves the clay shimmery!)

3. Follow baking instructions on package (30 minutes at 230*)
4. You are ready to use you clay piece to embellish a card or other project!
I would love to see you this Saturday in our Seattle store for the free demo. I'll be sharing more Fimo projects and tips!
Happy Crafting,
Christina

5 More "Love Inspired" Ideas

There have been so many gems of inspiration coming from the stores that I picked 5 more easy ideas that can help you create a lasting memory this Valentines Day.

1. Paper Lanterns. Planning a romantic dinner? How about you light the room with candles and paper lanterns? This lantern is truly so easy! Instructions on how to make it are here. Put your candles in glass votives so that you don't have firemen joining your dinner.

2: Pails in Comparison: These cute little pails almost look like a wedding cake! Clear pails can be lined with any design of paper and embellishments to personalize your gift. Fill them with homemade cookies, candies or love notes. A past post featuring a cookie recipe is a great inspiration for a unique, heartfelt gift.

3. Fimo! We love what Christina has done with Fimo. So versatile you can make Valentine ornaments (why not?!?) or this gorgeous card. Click the links for instructions. And how brilliantly easy is it to use pieces of decorative tape as a background?? love it! P.S. Be sure to sign up for our email list if you want to hear about a free upcoming Fimo demo in our Seattle store!

4. Buckle up your love. Easy as using a paper punch and some ribbon and you have a wonderful little embellishment to add some love to your wrapped gifts.

5. Message in a Bottle: Give your sweety a vial filled with sand from where you got married; dirt from a hike that made your day; a note telling them all the qualities you love about them; or something whimsical like fairy dust (glitter). The possibilities are endless.

Create something special in your life! --Kim