Yay, you’re back!! As I mentioned yesterday, I’m excited to announce that we’re giving away one of these beautiful black and white stripe weekly format Day Designers from the Day Designer Blue Sky collaboration to one lucky winner via the Rafflecopter entry system below!

One of the entries is to comment here on the blog post about your favorite tool or app or “thing” that you use to stay organized and on top of everything. I seriously love to hear what works for other people!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you’re an Instagram user, head on over to our Instagram page where we’re giving away 2 of the gold & white stripe daily planners seen below!

The post Blue Sky Day Designer Giveaway appeared first on Paper Crush.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend Alt Summit – a conference for creative bloggers held here in Salt Lake City, Utah. On the first night of the conference, attendees have the opportunity to go to dinner with some of the conference sponsors. I chose to attend the dinner sponsored by Blue Sky, which was held at the restaurant Finca. I chose the Blue Sky dinner because I was already a fan of Blue Sky, who I am familiar with because of their collaboration with Sugar Paper and other designers to create fabulous planners, calendars, notebooks & more. And when I heard that Blue Sky had teamed up with Whitney English and the Day Designer, I was even more excited to hear all about it!

When we arrived at the restaurant for dinner, we had our own private room which was beautifully decorated with gorgeous flower arrangements and a special gift was waiting for each person at their table. Dinner was delicious and the company was just as wonderful. At the end of the night, we opened our little gifts which included some of Whitney’s favorite things: washi tape, her favorite pen, fun lip balm and pretty nail polish. Then Whitney revealed one of the beautiful new products she created in collaboration with Blue Sky – it was a daily edition of the Day Designer product – very similar to her flagship product, but with a few new features including a 3 column format with half hour increments for planning your day.

I started using my planner when it started – on July 1st 2015 and have seriously loved it so far! I’ve never owned a Day Designer before so I am definitely loving the column for my day’s to-do list and top 3, plus having everything on one page for each day is wonderful and keeps me on track. The daily gratitude box is another favorite feature to help me reflect on the day and jot down at least a couple things I was grateful for that day.

I attended a class that Whitney taught at the conference titled: Taming the To-Do List: Eliminate Procrastination, Fuel Productivity, and Find Profitability. I really enjoyed the class and each attendee was given this beautiful floral binder and this classic black and white stripe weekly planner plus a chance to see all the other products that would be available in the collaboration. You all know I’m a total paper, notebook, calendar, planner lover and I was just in heaven checking them all out!

On June 22nd Whitney and Blue Sky announced that all the beautiful products in this collaboration would be available at Target stores nationwide beginning July 12th – that’s only a few days away!! I’ve definitely been seeing Instagram posts of the products available sooner though, so you might want to go stalk your local Target to see if you can find them at your store now! Sadly I haven’t seen them on the shelf at my Target yet. I absolutely LOVE that Blue Sky is collaborating with fabulous designers to bring beautiful planners and calendars to everyone through Target stores.

I think everyone’s going to have their own favorite format/layout depending on their specific needs, but I personally love the gold stripe daily planner because it keeps my days organized and focused on everything I need to get done each day. Plus I’m a sucker for stripes!

I’m also excited to have the classic black and white stripe desk calendar to pretty up my desk!

So…have you seen these gorgeous goodies at your Target yet?? What item do you think is going to be your favorite??

Stay tuned tomorrow for a fun surprise!! (hint: it starts with g and ends with away)

The post Whitney English Day Designer + Blue Sky Collaboration appeared first on Paper Crush.

Hello everyone! Today I’m over at Bloom Designs sharing a fun printable Summer popsicle gift tag as part of Jenny’s Summer in Bloom series. I’d love for you to hop over there to check out my cute popsicle gift tags that can be used for any summer event, celebration or gift.

The post Free Printable Summer Popsicle Gift Tags appeared first on Paper Crush.

This post is sponsored by We R Memory Keepers and HSN but all opinions are my own.

It’s no secret that I love planning parties and creating handmade elements to make a celebration extra special. I’m helping with a baby shower next week for a cute girl in my neighborhood who’s having a little boy. The colors I chose for the shower are the same ones in this fabulous tissue paper tassel garland we sell in the shop: royal blue, aqua, mint gray and silver.

I’ll be using the tissue tassel garland as decor but wanted to add some additional DIY elements as well, including this fun paper bowtie garland in a coordinating color scheme and a colorful felt ball garland as well. You can never have too many garlands in my opinion!

To make my paper bowtie garland I used supplies that came in this fun new punch board party pack from We R Memory Keepers. You guys, this kit is AMAZING! It comes with everything you see above: 123 punch board, banner bunch board, twine, packing tape, 12×12 patterned paper pad and a project idea book. You know how much I love to make bows & banners for parties (as evidenced here and here and here) and this kit will make those things PLUS envelopes, envelope liners and boxes – so fun!!

And here are the specific supplies I used for my paper bowtie garland: paper trimmer, 123 punch board, 12×12 paper, twine, adhesive and a small 2 hole punch. All instructions for making 6 different sizes of bows are included and they were very easy to make. The instructions tell you how to make a more fancy bow, but since I’m making bowties I eliminated 1 piece of paper and 1 step in the process. The basic steps are shown below.

Here’s where I used my little 2 hold punch to create holes for my twine to string through.

And here’s my twine strung through the holes on my bow. Just keep making bows and stringing them onto the twine to create the length you need.

I hung my tissue paper tassel garland over my mirror in my entryway and added the bowtie garland and felt ball garlands on top of it. But they’ll all be coming to the baby shower with me next week!

The awesome We R Memory Keepers 123 Punch Board Party Kit is available to buy exclusively on HSN next Tuesday March 24th so set your alarms and head on over there Tuesday! The kit is a one time special and will be discounted below retail pricing.

I can’t wait to make the banners, envelopes & boxes with my punchboards next!

The post How to Make a Paper Bowtie Garland appeared first on Paper Crush.

Who’s ready for St. Patrick’s Day?? Are you decorating for the upcoming rainbow and gold Irish holiday? Last year I created some fun St. Patrick’s Day art prints using stripes with a gold clover in various color schemes. I’m still loving those colors for St. Patrick’s Day and created another free St. Patrick’s Day printable – a Kiss Me I’m Irish art print in 4 different color options – black, kelly green, light green and mint green. And who doesn’t love those gold lips?? Totally digging them right now!

All you need to do is download the PDF file in the color of your choice by clicking on one of the boxes at the end of this post. Then print on white cardstock on your home computer or take to a local print shop like Office Depot or Staples.

Once you’ve downloaded & printed your file onto cardstock, simply cut along the lines with a paper cutter or scissors to create an 8×10 inch print. Then insert into a picture frame and you’re all set!

For all my newsletter subscribers, stay tuned for an exclusive matching decor item that pairs perfectly with our new art print! If you’re not already on our newsletter list, sign up in the box below or on any of the sign up areas on the blog!

The post Free St. Patrick’s Day Art Print – Kiss Me I’m Irish appeared first on Paper Crush.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to pop in & let you know I’m over with Cindy at Skip To My Lou sharing a fun printable Valentine’s Day game for kids if you want to head over there & check it out! This game is a classic and is great for classroom parties or just playing at home with siblings or friends!

The post Valentine’s Day Game for Kids appeared first on Paper Crush.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Valentine’s Day is less than 2 weeks away! If you’re in need of some last minute decor for your home, gift tags for goodies & trinkets, or notecards for that special someone, don’t forget about our printable Valentine’s Day collection! This collection includes 24 printable PDF pages including art prints, digital paper, notecards, gift tags, circle tags, banners, and calendars. AND it’s on sale for 50% off!

As an exclusive bonus for our newsletter subscribers, the following 2 coordinating 8×10 art prints are yours for free, just for being a subscriber! Simply fill out your information in the box at the bottom of this post or in the header at the top of the blog and you will immediately receive the 2 PDF’s to print at home or at your local office supply store.

Stay tuned for the release of our next monthly collection coming later this week – Hello Spring!

As a reminder, you can purchase a subscription to receive printable PDF files delivered directly to your in-box each month to help you be prepared for every occasion! Visit this post for more information. We will soon be offering a new option – the monthly PDF files printed and mailed directly to your home each month so you don’t have to use all your ink or run to the print shop!

If you have any other suggestion for our monthly printables subscription, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

The post Free Valentine’s Day Art Prints appeared first on Paper Crush.

Sorry for the radio silence over here, guys! It’s been a crazy month! Just for a little re-cap of what’s been going on, the first week of January I spent 5 days in Atlanta at the Home & Gift Show where I was on the hunt for pretty things to stock in the new online store. Yep, that’s right! I’m opening up an online store as part of the exciting things happening over here at Paisley Petal Events. The following week I spent some time in Phoenix at BASH Conference learning from the best in the party business and having a fabulous time hanging out with some of my favorite party girls.

Once I got home from my trips, the orders I placed in Atlanta started arriving and I’ve basically been working day and night to get the shop ready to open. I’ll tell you what, it’s a lot of work, people! BUT the good news is I’m planning to open the store with a soft launch tomorrow, Thursday February 5th! Yay, I can’t wait for you to come see the fabulous goodies I’ve found for you all!

As I mentioned here on the blog previously, I’m re-branding with a new name, logo, website and everything else. But for now I’m launching the shop which can be found by clicking here: Paper Crush. That’s the new name…Paper Crush! It’s a reflection of my love of paper and anything related to paper. Paper Crush products include a carefully crafted collection of unique party supplies, beautiful paper goods, must-have desk accessories and one-of-a-kind gifts. “Making Life Pretty With Paper” is our new motto. If you want to check out my Instagram feed, I’ve been giving sneak peeks of some of the products we’ll be carrying. Oh, and for all my local Utah friends (yay!), stay tuned for Paper Crush pop-up shops around the Salt Lake Valley so you can see all the pretty paper in person!

If you aren’t already on our newsletter list, I strongly suggest you get yourself on there ASAP to get exclusive info about the new shop, hint hint! You can subscribe in the box at the bottom of the post or in the header at the top of the blog as well.

I hope you love the new logo and direction of everything here at Paisley Petal Events (soon to be Paper Crush) as much as I do! I seriously wake up every morning just excited to get working and making life pretty with paper!

xoxo
Holly

The post An Update – Online Shop Opening Soon! appeared first on Paper Crush.

Hello everyone! I’m over at the Snap blog sharing my one little word for 2015. I’ve never chosen a word to focus on for the year, so for the first time I chose a word and it has already helped me reach my goals and pursue my dreams. My word for 2015 is BRAVE. Head over to Snap to find out a little more about why I chose this word.

Creating and releasing our new monthly printable subscription is definitely a result of me being brave and as I mentioned late last year, a name change & re-branding is also on the horizon and I couldn’t be more excited about it!! I hope some of you will follow along with me in the journey via Instagram or Facebook and be inspired to be BRAVE in your own way.

If you’re interested, I created a simple art print to keep on my desk and serve as a little reminder every day to “BE BRAVE”. You can download your favorite color scheme below.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GOLD BRAVE PRINT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PINK BRAVE PRINT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BLACK WITH PINK BRAVE PRINT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BLACK WITH GOLD BRAVE PRINT

The post One Little Word 2015 appeared first on Paper Crush.

Eek, you guys, I’m so excited I can’t even stand it!! Today is launch day! Today I’m launching my first product. A new product that I’ve been working on for a while now and it’s finally ready for you! I wanted to release it Monday, but because of the crazy busy holidays it didn’t happen until today, but that’s okay!

First a little back story…one night I was laying in bed and I was thinking about how I always feel behind when it comes to the next holiday and getting my house decorated for that holiday, and all the preparations that come with said holiday. ANY holiday, not just Christmas in particular. I LOVE to decorate for every holiday and other special occasions, but my problem is that I don’t get things done or decorated until the last minute so there’s hardly any time to enjoy it.

So I had this idea…that if someone was to just send me or give me some of the things I needed to prepare for that holiday in advance, I would (hopefully!) get things done much sooner. I’d be ready early and wouldn’t be scrambling to get things together. I’d be ahead of the game and not always feel behind and stressed out. Wouldn’t that be a great feeling??!!

I ALWAYS end up using printables (downloadable PDF files) for my holiday and seasonal decorations and other things like gift-giving, planning little get-togethers or parties, etc. So my idea was to have someone create (since I’m not that graphic design savvy) a bunch of printables that would help the busy mom/wife/woman be ready for the upcoming holiday. AND to have those printables delivered directly to her inbox at the beginning of the month prior to the holiday. That way you wouldn’t have to go searching around the internet or Pinterest to find what you need; it’s automatically sent to you and far enough in advance that you have plenty of time to get everything ready. What do you think?? Are you liking my idea??? Could you use some help getting ready for the next holiday or season or celebration?? Embrace our motto and “Be Prepared for Every Occasion”!

I’ve enlisted the help of Debbie at Wants and Wishes Design to help me with this new idea. Debbie is an amazing graphic designer and she seriously has the exact same style and design aesthetic as me. I have always loved what she creates. Debbie quickly designed a Valentine’s Day collection for me so that I could launch this new idea of mine.

How Does It Work?

You basically have a couple of options:

1. You can purchase a particular month’s exclusive collection of digital printables by themselves for $10 per month.

2. You can purchase a 6 month subscription for an exclusive collection of digital printables to be emailed to you by the 5th of each month in preparation for the next upcoming holiday, season or celebration for $50 ($10 savings).

3. You can purchase a 12 month subscription for an exclusive collection of digital printables that will be emailed to you by the 5th of each month in preparation for the next upcoming holiday, season or celebration for $100 ($20 savings).

Basically, the longer your subscription period, the lower your cost per month. With the 6 month subscription you get 1 month for free and with the 12 month subscription you get 2 months for free!

If you purchase your subscription before the 15th of the month you will immediately be sent the digital printables for the next month’s holiday/season/celebration. If you purchase your subscription after the 15th of the month, your subscription will begin the following month with files emailed to you before the 5th of the month in which your subscription begins. PLEASE NOTE: you are purchasing digital PDF files that you download with Adobe Reader. No physical products will be shipped to you.

Here is a calendar of the printable collections we will be releasing for 2015:

• January – Valentine’s Day collection
• February – Spring collection
• March – Easter collection
• April – Birthday collection (boy & girl color schemes)
• May – Summer collection
• June – 4th of July collection
• July – Congratulations collection
• August – Fall collection
• September – Halloween collection
• October – Thanksgiving collection
• November – Christmas collection
• December – New Year’s Eve collection

So, for example, the Valentine’s Day collection is available NOW, yay!! The Spring collection will be released and e-mailed to you by February 5th. The Easter collection will be released and emailed to you by March 5th, etc. etc. You get the picture.

What’s Included In Each New Collection?

Each month you will receive a minimum of 15 printable PDF pages in your inbox. All collections will include art prints, banners, calendars, tags and note cards. Additional files will be included and tailored to the specific holiday, season or celebration. Below are 2 images that show you exactly what is included in our 24 page Valentine’s Day collection with access to both color schemes. You can expect future months to include similar offerings.

The Valentine’s Day collection includes 24 pages of PDF files including:

• 3 8×10 art prints
• XOXO banner
• Heart love banner
• 2 calendars (4.5″x6.5″)
• 2 notecards (4″x5″ folded)
• Valentine tags (4 square designs)
• Valentine tags (4 designs – 2 hanging & 2 circle)
• 4 different patterned papers

I printed out some of the files included in our Valentine’s Day collection and set up a little display to show you how some of the printables can be used for your upcoming Valentine’s Day decorating, gift-giving, etc.

A printable banner is a must-have decor item in my book. I ALWAYS have a printable banner hanging up in my home. Either on my mantle, on my sofa table, or on the mirror in my entryway. All you need is some ribbon, twine or string and your PDF files printed at home or at your local office supply store to create a cute and simple banner for every holiday and season.

In addition to our pink hugs & kisses printable banner, a red heart LOVE banner is available in the Valentine’s Day collection. Simply cut out the hearts, punch holes and string onto ribbon or twin and hang. Or use little clothespins to attach to your ribbon.

I added a tissue tassel banner underneath our red hearts to give it more depth and color.

Art prints are another decor item that are always on display at my house. Simply print, trim to 8×10 to fit your frame and display. So easy to add some fun and color to your holiday decor. Our Valentine’s Day collection includes 3 art prints. AND if you’re on our newsletter e-mail list you’ll be receiving 2 more art prints for free! Sign up for our newsletter in the aqua bar across the very top of our website.

I use printable tags all the time! I add them to gifts I’m giving to my kids or husband, birthday presents, little gifts or treats for my kids to give to their classmates, friends or dance class, church classes, etc. My daughter loves to give little gifts to her friends at dance and since her class is pretty small we usually do this for holidays. Go to your local Target Dollar Spot right now (seriously before everything’s gone!) and pick out some lotion, lip gloss, treats, pencils, notebooks or whatever you can find to give out for an inexpensive Valentine’s Day gift. Print out one of our many Valentine’s Day tags and attach with some twine and you’re all set! Or simply tape our tags to your classroom Valentine’s Day exchange items for an extra special touch. Attach a tag to gifts you’re giving to your kids or husband for Valentine’s Day.

I thought a calendar and note cards would be a couple of fun items to include in the collection that you can always use and are nice to have on hand. The printable desk calendars are 4.5″ x 6.5″ and you can use a CD case or a small metal/wood easel to display your pretty calendar. The note cards can be used to write a little Valentine’s Day letter to a loved one or friend and measure 4″x5″ folded.

I don’t have any images of the patterned paper in action, but that can be used for any paper crafting projects. Create your own little note cards with it. Use it as a matte behind a photo, punch out circles or hearts to add as embellishments to a homemade Valentine’s Day card. Fold into an envelope or small box. Use as an envelope liner.  Cut hearts out of it and make your own banner. Those are just some fun ideas for you. Get creative!

My hope is that you’ll find this idea – monthly printable PDF files delivered to your inbox each month – as helpful as I think they will be. I’m seriously so excited about this idea, if only for myself, so that I will feel more prepared for the upcoming holidays and get some decorating and preparation done before the holiday. I want my home to feel welcoming and the kids to be excited about holidays and changing seasons. So will you join with me in being prepared for every occasion?? Click on one of the options below to sign up today and immediately receive your Valentine’s Day collection to start preparing right away!

By clicking on one of the options below, you will be directed to our new Shop (yay!) where you can securely purchase your subscription via PayPal or with a credit card.

Click HERE to purchase the 12 month subscription

Click HERE to purchase the 6 month subscription

Click HERE to purchase the Valentine’s Day collection

If you have any questions or suggestions about these new products, please don’t hesitate to email me: [email protected] or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

And don’t forget to sign up to be on our newsletter list and receive 2 FREE Valentine’s Day art prints!

The post Be Prepared For Every Occasion – New Product Launch! appeared first on Paper Crush.