Why Great Wrapping Paper Can Rock Your World


I am a lover of pretty paper, especially a roll of nice, thick, beautifully-designed wrapping paper. When I find a great brand, I find myself buying in bulk. Here's my guide to rocking it with the best when it comes to pretty paper.

Top Places to Buy Stunning Wrapping Paper

  1. Hobby Lobby - A great variety of patterns. Super thick quality. Nice cutting guidelines. Always shop the seasonal section first, because this section will be discounted. For example, during the holidays, they offer chevron print, polka dots, houndstooth, plaid, etc. in holiday colors, so scoop up some red, silver, gold, green and black and white patterns because these can be used all year round. If you must purchase paper not on sale, at least pull up a Hobby Lobby coupon on your phone.
  2. TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Marshall's - I group these stores together, because they are owned by the same parent company and carry pretty much the same merchandise. These stores have been killing it lately with their wrapping paper selection. You can typically find their rolls in stand-up boxes by the checkout lanes. Each and every time I visit one of these stores, I get sucked into the wrapping paper patterns. I have to remind myself I already have ten rolls. The best part of their paper… the rolls range from $2.99 to $3.99. Super score!

Other "Uses" for Wrapping Paper

Aside from using wrapping paper to package a gorgeous gift, there are so many others things you can do!
  1. Use it as a table runner to add color and a festive pattern at your next party. I included this in my "14 Last Minute Tips for Holiday Entertaining" post here. I honestly think it's one of the easiest and most savvy tips on that list.
  2. Use an eye-catching pattern in a picture frame to create affordable artwork. Find inspiration here.
  3. Add a color background to your current cork board. Just measure, cut and pin.
  4. Place a piece on your desk, coffee table or side table and cover with custom cut glass for an instant design upgrade. Double plus - You can switch up your decor easily, quickly and cheaply. 
  5. Cut a piece to fit a center of a serving tray and then cover with an acrylic sheet. See a tutorial from the blog View Along the Way here.
  6. Decoupage strips of paper to the front for clothespins for extra pizazz. You can even add a magnet to the back of the pins to use them as fridge art holders. Inspiration can be found here.
  7. Wrap Styrofoam blocks to create a festive cake pop stand. We used this trick a couple years ago for a Curious George party I styled. See it in action here
So the real question is… "How many is too many when it comes to rolls in the reserve?" 

I'm currently at 10. What about you?

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An Inside Look at Ben Fest

I'm excited to finally share photos from "Ben Fest," my husband's 30th birthday party. I had a blast planning this! I hosted the party at the Red Tree Gallery, an art gallery/coffeehouse. I thought it would be the perfect setting for "Ben Fest" since my husband absolutely loves coffee.

Invitation

I worked with a local designer - Christina Reinersman - to create the invitation as well as other print materials for the party. I was so excited with the final product. She took the caricature of Ben that I purchased for $5 from Fiverr (yes - only $5!) and crafted the "Ben Fest" logo. We used this logo on numerous things for the party.

Christina handled all the printing too, which made things so easy!
Here's an upclose photo:

Ben Eats

The art gallery setup made the perfect back drop for the food table.


Christina also created buffet signage.




I love putting food on skewers. It makes eating at a party more fun. My quick tip: wrap sparkly pipe cleaners on the end of each skewer for extra pizzazz.

Ben Drinks

Since this was an adult party, I chose to serve beer, wine and bottled water. People were able to purchase their own gourmet coffee drinks from the bar though.

To take the drink selection to the next level, I added a little "Ben Fest" to everything. I added stickers to the stemless wine glasses, ordered custom koozies for the beer cans and personalized the cocktail napkins using a "B" stamp.


I lucked out and found Redtree wine, which was a perfect fit for our venue, the Red Tree Gallery.



I added a couple additional signs in this area. You'll see "30 is cool." I also had "Thirsty Thirty."


Ben Sweets

Instead of doing a big cake, I opted for gourmet minis from Cupcakes with a Fork. We decorated them "30" candles from Party City and firework-style toppers from Hobby Lobby



Other Details

"10,950 days old, but who's counting?" I came across the language on Pinterest and loved it! 


We also had "Ben Fest" stickers. I used them as confetti on the tables as well as additional party favors for our guests.


The "Ben" head photo props and the "30 Things You May Not Know About Ben" fact sheet were two of my favorite additions. They served as party favors too. 


And here's Ben himself with my mom and I posing as "Ben." 

Source List

Venue: 

Caricature Illustrator: 

Stationery Designer:
Christina Reinersman

Koozies:

Cupcakes:
Cupcakes with a Fork

"Ben Fest" Poster
Walgreens

Large "30" and "BEN" Balloons
Bargain Ballons

Decor Items:
Party City, Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree, Target, Shindigz, Michael's
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My Top 5 Tips for Saving Money at Target


(Preview tip: These mirror sets were marked down to $12 last week!)

Target is, by far, one of my favorite stores. I pretty much go there once a week. I think the store offers anything you would ever need. I shop there for clothes, jewelry, home decor accents, house supplies, food, gifts, seasonal items… you name it!

The only thing I do not purchase at Target is shoes. Their shoe quality isn't great and comfort means a lot to me (and my little tootsies). 

Here are top tips for getting the most out of Target: 
  1. Get a Target Red (debit) Card - If you have a Target Red Card, you will automatically get a 5% discount on everything. Plus, you get free shipping online. If you shop at Target often, this is perfect for you! Target offers two versions - a credit card and a debit card. I have the debit card version which comes directly out of my checking account. If you're going to shop at Target, you might as well save 5%! 
  2. Download the the Cartwheel app - I discovered the Cartwheel app a couple months ago and love it! Basically, you open the app on your phone and browse a "news feed" filled of Target coupons. Coupons are available for every single department. When you find a coupon you like, you flag it. For example, if you're buying hand soap, why not check your Cartwheel app for a coupon? Chances are there is a coupon for the very product you're purchasing. When it's time to check out, you just show your Cartwheel app to the cashier. He or she will scan the code on your phone screen. Then Target instantly honors all coupons you have flagged. It's so easy! 
  3. Always shop the end-caps - The aisle end-caps are like gold. That's where Target places all of the clearance merchandise. The best end-caps are usually the ones hidden on the back of the aisle, away from the high traffic. I pretty much browse the end-caps in stationery/party supplies, home decor and kitchen accessories each time I go. You never know what great goodies you will find at a fraction of the original price.
  4. If you really want a home decor item, wait it out - Almost everything in the home decor, kitchen and seasonal areas will eventually be discounted. I always get sucked into the couple rows of seasonal home decor and entertaining merchandise. I have to tell myself to wait it out though, because chances are, I can get it at a deeply discounted price in only a few weeks.
  5. Follow Target-oriented accounts on Instagram - @RedTagLove posts great discounted deals that you can find at Target.  @TargetDoesItAgain posts show-stopping finds. 

Bonus Tip - Shop on the week days, during daytime hours. That way you can browse the best selection of marked down goods.

Do you have any great tips I left out?

Happy shopping, my friends!
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Big Blue Baby Boy Bash

This past year, four of my coworkers welcomed four baby boys into the world. To celebrate, my boss asked me to head up the plans for a surprise baby shower. The new parents thought they were attending a lunch-n-learn when in reality it was a Big Blue Baby Boy Bash in their honor. We held the shower in the creative meeting space we rent out to clients (tour the space here). 

You'll see this shower capitalizes on everything blue, but celebrates fox accents. We mixed in foxes here and there because we work at Copperfox Marketing and have a fox as our logo.

Below you will find a recap of the shower with a source list for the materials. Enjoy the inspiration!

Refreshments

Each place setting included...


IBC Root Beer | Party Favor | Cookie by Servatii's Bakery







Catered lunch from The Echo

Decor Elements







Games & Prizes


the Price is Right (baby version)



Gifts


Each baby received...
Fox Bib and Hat from Gymboree | Fox Wash Cloth Mitt from Target 
Fox Onesie from Carter's | Personalized Nursery Sign from On to Baby
(We really lucked out finding so many baby fox items.)



Party Favors



Inside, we included mini Hershey bars with the "HE" highlighted in blue. (I forgot to take a picture of these.) We used a blue Sharpie paint pen to highlight the letters.

Shopping/Source List


Grocery Store
  • Root Beer Bottles
  • Price is Right Items
  • Ghiradelli Chocolate Bars
  • Mini Hershey Bars
Dollar Store
  • Napkins
  • Plastic Buckets for Gift Baskets
Local Bakery
  • Custom Cookies 
Craft Store or Website (e.g., Hobby Lobby, Michael's, GroopDealz, Etsy, etc.)  
  • Baker's Twine
  • Double-Sided Tape (for bow ties and party favor tags)
  • Striped Bags
  • Striped Straws
Printables
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