Next Party: Super Hero

Another year, another birthday is upon us. As much as I have tried to convince Jackson to stop getting older, I have had no luck. I beg him to stay the same age and size and he responds "but my dream is to go to kindergarten". It brings tears to my eyes, how can I stand in the way of his dream? So, with the big number 5 looming ahead of us, we begin the birthday planning process. Jackson is obsessed with all things superhero so the theme has been decided. I have found inspiration from these great capes from SB Toys. Lucy is busy working on our new images and I cant wait to see them! If you have planned a superhero party and have some great ideas, please let me know!

All That Glitters

Every year there is a mad rush to create more of our best selling calendars. When you see them in person, you will know why. Each month showcases an image that is hand embellished. There is still time to order for 2012. We have a limited quantity ready to ship so dont delay!

HPD Calendar and Refill avail on line or on Etsy.

Say "Thank You" Hampton Paper Style

We hope you received everything on your holiday wish list! If you are thinking about getting those thank you notes out the door let Hampton Paper help you send them in style. 3 options to choose from below. While I am not an expert on how to write a proper thank you note, my son Thomas and I have gotten many laughs out of these "fill in"ones from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book by Jeff Kinney. Enjoy. (Greg the author is in 6th grade).

Dear Aunt Lydia,
Thank you so much for the awesome encyclopedia! How did you know I wanted that for Christmas? I love the way the encyclopedia looks on my shelf. All my friends will be jealous that I have my very own encyclopedia. Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever! Sincerely, Greg

Dear Aunt Loretta,
Thank you so much for the awesome pants! How did you know I wanted that for Christmas?
I love the way the pants look on my legs. All my friends will be so jealous that I have my very own pants. Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever! Sincerely, Greg

Personalized Fold Over Cards starting at 24 for $60.00

Personalized correspondence cards starting at 24 for $40.00

Fill in note cards for kids. 8 for $12.00. These are avail on Etsy. ( or send us a note)

As always, choose any image from our portfolio of over 300.

Welcome Sassy Bee!

We would like to welcome the newest member of the Hampton Paper family, Sassy Bee. They are located at 11400 Huguenot Road, Suite 115 Midlothian, VA. Stop by and say hello! Sassy Bee is the first store to have our new updated binders with all the products and our newest images!

Home For the Holidays

While its sometimes fun to travel during the holidays, there is a lot to be said for enjoying it in the comfort of your own home!

Getting the table set. Chef Greg is making homemade pasta with the boys. They will have pasta, homemade meatballs and bread for dipping. Greg and I are planning to have grilled shrimp on the home made pasta with a lemon scampi like sauce. Sounds delicious!

My two fav Tiffany rose bowls. The store was out of hydrangeas and roses so lily's and tulips will have to suffice. Just getting the table set. Love using my holiday dishes from Villeroy and Boch. It was a great investment. We take it out and use it in the month of December and we all look forward to it.

Thomas choose the new gingerbread house for his place card.

I choose Santa!

Gifts wrapped for my dad. He said that my sister and I getting together last night was gift enough. I asked if I should return the sunglasses. Did you hear him yell "NOOOOOOOOOO"!

HPD wrapping paper from last year. Its the first new product I will make avail in 2012. I promise!

HPD Personalized Sticker on a gift for Greg.

A gift from my neighbor. I cant wait to make this cookies and copy this idea for next year. Love this!

Another gift from a neighbor (cant you see why I love my neighborhood? Dont you want to live here too?). My best guess is pretzel, rollo's and walnut. They are almost gone I have eaten so many. I had to cover them.

DIY - Check Out This Great Idea!

I love this teach gift idea submitted by Amanda. Amanda had HPD personalized kiss stickers using the tree with lights image and then added the kids names. The kids helped assemble the Hershey kisses and then wrapped them in a jar. Love it!

House Guests!

We are having some company this weekend! I cant wait to give these Melissa and Doug stuffed animals to the kids! (the giraffe is my fav!!). Since our house seems to be a zoo, I thought it was fitting to get the Giraffe for Jackson and the Lion for Thomas. The Dog is for my nephew John Robert-- he loves to be like his cousins!

Party Favors - Holiday Party

I took a break (a small one!) from processing HPD orders over the weekend to assemble these party favors for the Holiday party in Thomas' class held yesterday. It was so much fun as the homeroom moms came up with some great games and crafts.

Thomas handed these out to his classmates. I love that the kids are so excited and appreciate of this small gesture. "Is one of those for me?" some asked Of course we replied "Yes!" I ordered the candy from Oriental Trading Co. sorted and put in a clear bag and tied with ribbon and a candy cane. I used our new Nutcracker image and personalized a note from Thomas.

Stickers, ribbon and bags all available from Hampton Paper Designs.

The Art of Giving

It's really a wonderful thing to see children who so easily get caught up in the "I want..." during the holidays to seek true joy and excitement in giving. I did these 4 by 4 notepads for a client as noted in an earlier blog and liked them so much I did them for the boys teachers. Both Thomas and Jackson had such a great time choosing the images for each of their teachers. They really thought about what image they would like - books for the librarian, paint palette for the art teacher, skates for the gym teachers, gumball machine for the school counselor, milk and cookies for the school nurse etc. Jackson handed his out to his teachers yesterday and couldn't wait to give it to them and explain why he choose the image he did. It was such a pleasure to see him experience how great it feels to give someone a gift you know they will love! Thomas is going to hand his out today after his school party.


Thomas' teacher gifts all wrapped and ready to go. We used the snowman and round dot stickers. I did some from Thomas and some from Jackson below. We can customize your personalized stickers to be from more than one child in your order - just let us know. Bags and ribbon are also available.

Jackson's teachers. Love the images.

For one of the young 20 something teachers in Jackson's class. He thought she would like the nailpolish. I agree!

Jackson's amazing teacher Ms. Barbara Ann loves music and has shared this passion with the kids.

So many options to choose from.

I bet this image is a best seller from 2011. It looks amazing printed. It was painted for a wedding last year.

Another best seller. These books are so classic. Many request for a kids version. We will get that done in early 2012.

I love that Thomas chose this new cookies and milk image for the nurse.

So fun!

For the gym teacher.

Happy Holidays from Hampton Paper Designs

As we move into the final week of holiday madness before Christmas, we at HPD want to wish you and yours a happy holiday! We hope that you get what you want, that the lines are short, there is a parking space for you right in front, shipping is free, your mailbox is full of cards, the champagne is bubbly and that you are surrounded by family and friends this holiday season!

Kristin in the Kitchen = Nightmare

I have been dreading making cookies for my neighborhood cookie exchange all week. I am a terrible baker and find it so stressful. Like anything I do I seem to find a way to make things more complicated instead of simplifying by needing it to be perfect. I had it in my head that I wanted to make Whoopie Pies since I saw a great book and pan in the Crate and Barrel catalog. If you are in the northern Va area, perhaps you know how dreadful it is to try to get into the Crate and Barrel in Tyson's Corner. Yes, dreadful. But I took a risk and made it 2 boys in toe the other night. Unfortunately the book was sold out but I did manage to get the pan and a few boxes of Velvet cake mix. The result? I think pretty good for an amateur like myself. It was very easy and I think they look pretty good! If I had more time I would have added crushed candy canes around the edges. I would def recommend this and would do again and try different cakes and fillings.

Velvet Cake Whoopie Pies

Mix and Sprinkles

Ok so after an exhaustive search for the hand mixer I had to trek to Target to get one. My 2nd trip to Target for the day. I know you are thinking w. Greg being a great cook, why dont we have the big Cuisinart mixer. We do - but jeeze who can figure that thing out? Plus it lives in the pantry and weighs a ton.

Wow, they were perfectly shaped and popped right out of the pan.

Looking pretty uniform.

Jackson picked out this sugar cookie pan and we made those as well. They were so yummy and a lot easier than trying to roll our sugar cookie batter. I got this plus the cookie exchange cookbook for the gift exchange. Hope the recipient likes it!

Do You Ever Wish You Were A Teacher?

You may when you see some of the gifts they are getting this holiday season! Love this photo submitted by a client. 4 x 4 notepads $26.00.

It's Christmas? Yea, Didnt You Get the Memo?

I have just shipped our last big order. 2012 Calendar refills to The Elegant Setting in Southampton. If you have it on your list, call asap as this is the last shipment before Christmas and I know there is already a waiting list!

I spent the weekend delivering orders. Yes, we deliver! If you are in the Northern Virginia, DC area and needs something in a hurry, we are happy to try to drop off your order. This isnt just a holiday perk, but something we offer all year around. I was happy to meet a client on Saturday in McLean to deliver some photo cards that were ordered on Thrs. Yep, 2 day turn around!! We also made a trip to The Dandelion Patch in Reston and Georgetown. The sleigh/car filled with holiday orders.

Also a big order was dropped off to Georgetown Paperie on Sunday. It was for hostess and teacher gifts, our new 4 x 4 150 sheet notepads. They looked amazing! So much in fact I am ordering mine tomorrow for the boys' teachers and a hostess gift for a cookie exchange on Thrs.

Now, I MUST MUST MUST finish decorating my house and tree and take out my Christmas dishes. The Hallmark holiday ornament says only 12 days left! Tick Tock.

PS. Do you know what movie line the title of this blog is from? Its a good one!

PSS I have a great idea for a gift for the teacher from the kids- I will blog about it tomorrow.

Santa's Helper

Are you starting to panic a bit about the days remaining between now and Christmas? I know I am. How can it already be Dec 9th??? Let the elves at Hampton Paper help you get all your gifts organized. HPD gift stickers 27 for $18.00. Order today and we will ship tomorrow!

The Children Were Nestled All Snug In Their Beds

Oh wait, that's not at my house - my kids are running around screaming! Anyway, thought you might like a peek a a new holiday tradition in the Mika house. The boys wanted to do a small tree upstairs and it just so happens its perfect for our new HPD ornaments. The back says Christmas 2011 and their names. I want to use the same image I used for their birthday party invitations each year so we can remember the theme as well as the image we used on our Christmas cards.

You may remember Jackson's Firetruck Party of at they very least Fireman Curtis!

Apparently "pose" means act goofy to my kids! We need to add the tree skirt.

Oh What Fun It Is.....

What a great success the show was this year at the Washington Jr. League Capital Collection of Holiday Shops. Thanks so much to Heidi Kallet and her team from The Dandelion Patch for inviting us to join them. It was so great to see so many clients that we work with all year long and catch up. So much has happened since last year, engagements, babies (twins!), new houses, new jobs and many other wonderful updates. I even met a few folks that read the blog (and I thought only my dad read it!!). It was a pleasure seeing everyone and I am so thankful to all of you who continue to support Hampton Paper Designs.


Best sellers this year were of course the gift stickers since we printed on site - ( Wreath with Holly - top image). It was followed closely by the notepads - they are a great gift and many people took advantage of our new offering of the 4 x 4 in acrylic, 150 sheets personalized for $26.00.



See you next year!!

Will We See You This Weekend?

If you are in the DC area, please stop by the Washington Jr. League Capital Collection of Holiday Shops and see us! We will have tons of great gifts in stock and can take personalized orders as well. We will be printing personalized stickers on site, while you shop. (yes, kiss stickers too!!).

So many gifts to give! Dear Santa Cards are available plus our new fill in thank you notes for kids. Get inspired with your new binders - so many great ideas!

Great ideas for your friends and family.

See how you can set up a fun candy bar for your holiday gathering. Its so easy!

It's not too late to order Christmas cards - we can turn the order around very quickly!

Framed Prints, Personalized Correspondence Cards, Journals and more. We have samples of our new baby pillows. You can even order something for yourself, we wont tell!

We have lots of prints in mats. They make great gifts!
If you cant make it, check out everything on line! www.hamptonpaperdesigns.com