handmade paper – Page 4 – custompaper.com/blog

January 30, 2013

More Photos from the Seattle Wedding Show

seed paper invitation with eco-twist paper twine — Bifold invitation closeup

Seed paper natural petal paper invitation with larkspur flower — Larkspur stem wedding invitation on display at the Seattle Wedding Show

Natural, rustic seed paper wedding invitation display — Of The Earth at the Seattle Wedding Show

Just wanted to share with you photographs of our seed paper invitations display at the January Seattle Wedding Show. Wallflower Photography came by our booth and wanted to snap a few photos of our display, we of course said yes! They just sent these to us and we love them!

Please note how much better professional photographers can capture our handmade invitations – even without studio lighting. If you look at our earlier post you can see a dramatic difference. Think about that next time you are shopping online; how bad photos can really impact your impression of a product.

Thanks so much for sharing Wallflower Photography! We love your work!

You can find the full set of photos from the Seattle Wedding Show on Wallflower Photography’s special wedding show photography webpage; the direct link to the 2013 SWS photo gallery is www.wallflowerphoto.com/weddingshows/galleries/SeattleWeddingShow2013.

If you want a sample invitation to hold in your hand so you can see the difference between your screen and the real thing, just visit our sample request page so you can get yours for free! Be sure to tear off a bit and plant it to watch what grows. Our unique blend of seeds that are embedded in our papers is listed below.

Our North American wildflower seed blend paper contains all of the following wildflower seeds:

Perennial
English Daisy

Perennial
Tussock Bellflower

Annual
Lilac Godetia

Annual
Monkeyflower

Biennial/Perennial
Foxglove

Annual
Dwarf Spurred Snapdragon

Perennial
Showy Evening Primrose

Annual
Red Corn Poppy

Biennial/Annual
Catchfly

Perennial
Creeping Thyme

This blend is specifically designed to be mailed and planted in all growing regions of North America. With the proper care some of these flowers will thrive from New Mexico to New Brunswick.

January 12, 2013

The Seattle Wedding show is this weekend and Of The Earth has lots of great invitation ideas to share

Of The Earth is at the Seattle Wedding Show this weekend and tomorrow is the last day of the show. We have filled the booth with lots of invitation ideas, ribbon and of course, handmade paper. There are also some great DIY invitation options to help trim your costs but still receive a beautiful unique product. If you miss us at the show, we have a showroom in our Georgetown studio so feel free to stop by Monday-Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm. The wedding show is from 10:30am-5:00pm on Sunday and is located at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.

SONY DSC

Of The Earth has been in business for 17 years and is owned and operated by Kevin and Lori Graham. We offer an array of handmade flower petal papers, many plantable, as well as all of the invitation components needed to create the perfect invitation. We also offer guest books, favor boxes and bags and an array of ribbons in various widths and fabrics. We have created a line of hand dyed bias cut silk ribbons which look lovely on invitations, favors, floral arrangements and bridesmaid dresses. We are constantly creating new color blends so there are always new ribbons and color combinations just waiting to be seen. Photos of all of our products can be found on our website, www.custompaper.com, and we are always happy to send out samples.

For more info about the Seattle Wedding Show go to www.weddingshow.com

December 20, 2012

Eco-Twist Paper Twine – earth friendly handmade paper decorating ribbon that biodegrades without harming the earth

This unique paper twine is being sold in 8 yard length and 54.7 yard spools. Pictured is the full 54.7 yard spool. This hand twisted paper twine has been carefully dyed with vegetable based dyes so you can put an Eco-friendly finishing touch on your product or project. No trees were harmed to create this item as the handmade paper used to make the 1″ strips is made from the bark of a shrub. The best thing about this twine is that you can unwrap the cut end and create cute little leaf ends for a very natural vine looking attachment. The twine is formed by cutting our large 20″ x 30″ handmade sheets into 1″ strips and then these 30″ x 1″ lengths are pinched together in an overlapping joint to create the continuous spool. View an ordering page here: Eco Twist Ribbon

Our available colors are: Sequoia; a cool Brown with lighter pale undertones, Hemlock color; an rich Brown with orange and red tones, Birch natural color; the natural paper state, without dye, Spruce blue color; an rich India ink blue tone and Aspen green color; an earthy brown green tone.

Lotka is made in the highlands of Nepal by rural craftspeople. The Daphne bush is farmed and harvested from 3-4 year old plants that are cut down and stripped of their bark to become the raw material from which the sheets are formed. The plant is not destroyed when cut down, it regenerates from the root. The cane like stick, once it’s bark is removed is dried and used to heat the villagers homes and to provide cooking fuel for meals and also for the production of the paper. All of the water used in the paper production is reclaimed and reused. The bark is beaten by hand and boiled to break it down to a pulp (where it is mixed in with recycled pulp and paper scrap collected from the card and envelope manufacturing process) that is then pored into screens to form the sheets. These sheets are then dried in the sun. The whole process is not only earth friendly but also provides a large community with a healthy enterprise. All of our lotka paper is at least 50% recycled fiber content.

December 20, 2012

Visit Of The Earth at the Seattle Wedding Show, January 12 and 13th.

Of The Earth is excited to be at the Seattle Wedding Show on January 12th and 13th, 2013. The event runs from 10:00am-5:30pm on Saturday and 10:30am-5:00pm on Sunday.

Of The Earth is a paper and ribbon company that has been in business since 1995. Our business started with handmade paper (embedded with flowers, herbs and flower seeds) and has expanded over the years to include many more items. Some of our more popular items are hand dyed silk ribbons(dyed in our Seattle studio) plantable favor boxes, pressed flower stickers, embellishments and note card sets. We offer fully assembled invitations, as we are happy to do all of the work, but we also offer more budget friendly options that allow the client to do as much or as little as they’d like. Visit our website at www.custompaper.com to see our many products and services.

We are currently busy in our studio prepping for the upcoming bridal show. We will have a plethora of invitation samples, DIY kits, silk ribbons, guest books, eco-twist, favor ideas and of course lots of handmade papers for you to get a close look at. Kevin and Lori, the owners of Of The Earth, will be in the booth to answer questions and discuss wedding invitation options.

Stop by and take a look. We’d love to help you plan for your big day.

The Seattle Wedding Show is the largest wedding show on the west coast. This annual event is at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center located at 800 Convention Place, 4th Floor, Seattle, WA 98101. Tickets are $17.00 and can be purchased at the door. For more details you can go to www.weddingshow.com.

December 17, 2012

Elegant, speedy, affordable and earth friendly wedding invitation options by Of The Earth

Christmas is just a week away and when the festivities and visits
with family are over, the realization hits you. It’s January and that
spring wedding you had so much time to plan for is fast approaching!

Before the panic sets in check out invitation DIY kits by Of The Earth. Both of our DIY kit collections contain seeded paper which, when planted, will sprout a bouquet of wildflowers.

Of The Earth DIY invitation kits come in many different sizes and paper styles. All of
the paper is handmade, biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Choose
from handmade papers produced in Nepal to papers made by local artisans in our Seattle, Washington studio, made the same way as when we started 17 years ago!

The Nepalese paper, we call Lotka paper, is made from the bark of the Daphne bush. Harvesting the bark does not kill the plant, it 6-7 years the still living root ball generates another harvestable crop naturally making this a great renewable material. The Lotka DIY kits come in five different colors and 8 different sizes ranging in price from $57.40 to $88.25 for 25 torn edge invitations and handmade envelopes.

Lotka invitation kits contain 25 seed paper cards, cut edge overlays,
online instructions, templates for punching and folding (if needed) and enough Eco-twist to assemble the entire order. All of the components are biodegradable and the seeded paper will bloom when planted. These invitations range in price from $2.30 -$3.53 each set.

The cotton DIY kits are made from paper produced in our Seattle studio.
Each sheet is individually made then the invitations are hand torn in our studio. The
Cotton DIY kits come in 5 different seeded flower paper options and 8
different sizes.

The cotton kits contain 25 seeded hand torn cards, cut vellum overlays,
online assembly instructions, templates for punching and folding (if needed), envelopes and enough Eco-twist to assemble the entire order. All of the components are
biodegradable and the seeded paper will bloom when planted. These kits also
contain enough supplies to make 25 invitations, ranging in price from $47.29-$112.46.

Both the vellum and seeded overlays can be printed on your home computer.
By doing the printing and assembly at home you are saving significantly over the printed and assembled invitation costs. The kits containing gate-folds and bi-folds come with a folding template. All of the printing and assembly work is done at home.

The staff at Of The Earth is available Monday-Friday form 8:00am-5:00pm Pacific time to answer any questions or assist you with assembly concerns. We can also be reached from our customer service page on www.custompaper.com.

Our invitation kits typically ship on the same day you order or within 24 hours. If you would like to order custom printed or assembled works we are happy to help you with our speedy one week production time.

November 14, 2012

Standard magazine features Of The Earth holiday gift wrap in their latest issue

Last month we got a call from the feature editor Mallory Hamel of Standard magazine, a prominent, celebrated design powerhouse. They found our seed embedded wrapping paper and asked if we would send them samples to photograph. We were flattered and excited and of course sent the stock and hoped for the best. The feature turned out so much better than we had imagined. You should have a look here

We love how our wrapping paper can be used and saved, reused and finally planted to add oxygen to our environment, closing the circle of life by nurturing new plants from the embedded seeds. Not only is our paper tree free and recycled, it is decorated with vegetable dyes and just right for the holidays. You must have that one (just one?) family member that is hard to shop for. Wrap their gift in our paper and like that kid who plays with the empty box, your friend will spend more time with the paper than what was inside. Come spring time this wrapping paper can be potted or planted outside and with constant watering will produce a garden of wildflowers to celebrate the next season. You can order the gift wrap here

November 5, 2012

Seed paper gift bags in time for the holidays!

These compact gift bags are the perfect fit for a container of your favorite coffee or tea that you want to share with your friend. The bags measure 7.25 x 4.75 x 3. They are not only earth friendly because they can be used over and over again before before it is time to retire them: they do not contain fiber from a single tree! This 50% recycled content paper is made from the bark of a common shrub found in the foothills of the Himalayas. The shrub is part of a farmed plant that will regrow from the root ball and be ready to harvest again in 7-8 years. And that is not all! Once you are ready to retire this paper the careful gardener can coax flowers from the embedded seeds and generate oxygen once the sprouts bloom! Please visit this page to order yours for just $2.50 each! http://www.custompaper.com/Shop/Earth_Friendly/Holiday/holiday_bags.html

September 27, 2012

Recycled paper invitation with rustic torn edges and floral accents

Pressed larkspur invitation with torn edges

This stunning handmade paper invitation was designed by our new friend in Australia who used our clunky invitation design tool (found here http://www.custompaper.com/Invitations/invitation_tool.html ). While not a perfect tool, it still has the ability to help you visualize your ideas and translate them to a working model which we can then turn into a wedding invitation proof like this. The invitation shown uses our Chocolate lotka heavy weight stock with a light weight non-seeded paper (it is Australia after all) overlay. The two are glued together and a pressed white larkspur stem is added to complete the look. These invitations can be recycled or composted as they will biodegrade naturally. Design your own today and send us a screenshot so we can post your creation here.

This invitation by the way would cost you only $4.08 each when paired with a matching handmade paper envelope. Amazing right? If your budget is super tight you could order the printed invitation as a do it yourself style package and spend only $2.58 each for the same set by adding your own tearing and gluing labor. You can call 1.888.294.1526 or visit www.custompaper.com to order these today.

June 8, 2012

Seed Paper Thank you notes – 3rd Party Review

We just received this wonderful review of our seed paper cards from Jeanna who writes for MommasBacon.com. Thanks Jeanna!

http://mommasbacon.com/2012/06/08/product-review-kids-seeded-thank-you-cards/

: Kids thank you card on seed paper

These seed paper cards are blank on the inside and have a note about the seeds on the back.

June 8, 2012

Hand Dyed Silk and Seed Paper Invitations – A marriage of the things we love

Recycled lotka seed paper paper invitation with blend #014 Silk ribbon

We are excited about our latest marriage of silk and paper. These invitations are so easy to make! We have always loved the silk bows that we assemble our invitations with but when faced with 250 invitations to make (and 250 silk bows to tie) it can be overwhelming if you are doing it at home. This style of invitation pairs our hand dyed silk and hand made papers in a way that can easily be done at home to save money for more important things (like cake). Just a small photo mounting square on the back side hides the seam. This invitation uses just one yard of silk. There are currently 144 colors both solids and blends that you can pick from in our Earth Silk line. You can order the printed invitation below for just $2.17 each and then add the silk ribbon shown for $0.76 to attach at home. If the deckled edge look is not for you, you can order the printed invitation on our lotka seed paper for just $1.32 each if you order it with cut edges. Call us today if you want to know more. 1.888.294.1526.

: Recycled lotka seed paper paper invitation with blend #014 Silk ribbon

: Recycled paper invitation with blend #056 Silk ribbon

: Recycled paper invitation with blend #056 Silk ribbonRecycled lotka seed paper paper invitation with blend #014 Silk ribbon