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A Paper Party

This week is definitely taking on its own theme, with all these little notes about paper.  But in the meanwhile, I am cooking up something big for next week, adding trim work to the upstairs hallway, so stay in touch!

Paper is so fun.  I think it's one of the reasons I became a teacher.  I just love playing with all things paper.  I could spend hours in the stationery store.  A few years ago at a conference at Penn State, I visited the bookstore and found all these new "teacher toys" for school:  blank hardbound books, highlighter tape, rainbow paper on rings, and tons of other goodies.  Here is one little notebook I love that sports the logo good thinking!
I'm afraid two of my children have the same addiction, one doesn't stop making paper airplanes and the other just loves paper.  This morning on his WAY OUT THE DOOR, my son stopped to grab a piece of paper out of the printer to MAKE AN AIRPLANE to fly on his way to school.  (I so wish I were ten again!)    Of course in the moment I was like, "Are you kidding me?  Get your lunch, get your backpack and give me that paper!"  My daughter is also a collector of paper.  She will write on any paper and it will be a short list or something that looks like a doodle and if I ask, "Is this okay to throw away?" she always says, "Oh no, I've been looking for that!"  She's got drawers and drawers of paper.  Well, I can relate. 

So when it came time for a friend's birthday, I used simple paper to create a little party.  Now I know that you could use those Cricut cutters and go all out, but this is my simplified version that took about five minutes.

These were a surprise find in Joann Fabric in the Martha Stewart section.  At first I thought I would find some flags to make that I could use for all the birthdays, but the kits were a small fortune. Then something caught my eye - the paper coasters!  They were precut in cute flower shapes, were very sturdy, and had a decorative white border.  All it needed was a white pen and a clever birthday wish!  I wrote b-i-r-t-h-d-a-y g-i-r-l on each of the coasters and simply taped them to a coordinating ribbon.  Viola!  I think the cost was $3-4, as opposed to $14 for the kit. 

The second part of the birthday was the cupcakes, except that my friend doesn't eat flour.  So a cute standby, meringues.  Just use a cupcake paper liner so they fit in the cupcake stand. 
Finally, wrapping paper again.  I wrapped a box of chocolates, which I may start keeping on hand for last minute gifts, in pretty wrapping with an elegant bow.  I'm sorry I don't have the final gift pictured, but I'll show you my wrapping station another day.
Instant party with paper!
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