Is It Happy Hour Yet?

What can I say, it's been one of those weeks where happy hour cant get here fast enough! So, I like many on a Friday afternoon am counting down till 5:00. Usually on a Friday, a few of my neighbors on the "cool" side of the hood get together with all the kids and embrace the weekend. I always have a few bottles of wine on hand to bring as a hostess gift. Lately I have been using our post cards tied with a ribbon for the wine tag. They are such a great size and the boarder enhances the image just so! Tied with a grosgrain ribbon it just looks so put together. (after all I do have a reputation of offering the finest to live up to!).

This is a great idea as you start to think about all those holiday parties you will be attending. The post cards adorned with traditional holiday image such as the wreath with holly, Christmas tree with lights or something a bit more fun like the snowman or colored ornaments will ensure your generous gift gets the recognition it deserves! Dont forget we can print your personalized message on the back or leave it blank for you to write a hand written note. Hampton Paper Post Cards 8 for $12.00

LOVE....

A special thanks to one of our fav clients for sending us the photo below from her parents 40th wedding anniversary party. We were of course delighted to help her with the invitations, place cards and stickers for the favors. She used the heart flowers to create her theme. Sounds like it was a wonderful celebration!

Hampton Paper 27 square solid stickers $18.00. Available on Etsy.

Mary used the square stickers on a box with a beautiful red ribbon to wrap the favors - a candle. The table looks lovely!

DIY Create Your Own Candy Table!

Are you planning a party? Perhaps a birthday party, baby shower, bridal shower or something fun for the holidays like a cookie exchange or something to celebrate the season with your neighbors or book club. If you want to add a bit of fun then I highly recommend setting up a candy table. It's well worth the time and guaranteed to make any celebration extra special!

I am by no means as expert but I have done a few and wanted to share the steps so you can create your own. In addition I have called in an expert, Kristy Patterson from Sweet Nothings to give us the scoop!

If you are interested in seeing more, join Hampton Paper Designs at Girls Night Out sponsored by The Dandelion Patch as we will be featuring holiday candy tables. Dates are as follows:Oct 27, Leesburg, Nov 3rd Reston and Nov 10th , Vienna.

Here are some expert tips from Kristy:

Choose Theme and Colors:

Select a theme and choose 3-4 colors and table decor that supports your theme and try to match your candy selection to it.

Candy Selection:

Candy often coordinates with many occasions. Sometimes it's by color, other times it's by theme. Consider what your them is and try to coordinate your candy. Be it classic or vintage, traditional or unique chocolate or fruity, all candies offer some type of relationship to the theme. Another option is to stick with what you love - that always works too.

Dont Forget the Back Drop:

A backdrop of any type will help set the stage for your candy table. Fabric, window panes, outdoor settings, vintage hutches, or pie safes all offer great ways of making a backdrop. Don't be afraid to think outside the box when choosing your focal point. Something simple usually does the trick. If you think you backdrop looks a little plain, spice it up with bunting, paper lanterns, flowers or any items that coordinate with your theme.

Set Up 10 Easy Steps:

1. Identify Your Theme and Colors

My theme was back to school and my colors were red, orange and yellow which I pulled from the our school bus image.

2. Select Backdrop & Table Cloths

I tried to achieve balance and uniformity across the table. I used a 6 ft table and covered with jean fabric from Joanne's. I also used fabric as a backdrop from Joanne's. Its a bit tricky to get it flat and wrinkle free. A few other alternatives for the backdrop are wall paper, wrapping paper or fabric secured on a large painting canvas from Michael's.

3. Purchase Jars & Scoops

The 2 large jars on the side are from Pottery Barn that I purchased a few years ago. I like these as they give the table a bit of height. The jars with the silver lids are from Target. The small ones are around $4.99 and the large $6.99. Very inexpensive and can easily be used again. The round jar with the M&Ms is from Michael's. I think it was round 3-4.00. The lollipop holders are also from Michael's. I found them in the aisle with the wooden letters. They hold the lollipops perfectly! Another option is to use Styrofoam and cover with wrapping paper for the lollipops. The scoops are from Sur La Table. It took me a while to find these but it was worth it as they are such nice quality.I found a nice white serving tray from Bed Bath and Beyond for the Hershey Bars. Its the perfect width.

4. Create Labels

I used Hampton Paper Round stickers to identify the candy(place cards are also a great idea). I used a 3 inch round punch from Michael's on scrapbook paper to make the colored background for them. I purchased 7/8 inch gros grain ribbon from Michael's for the jars just to give it some texture. I created personalized labels for the Hershey Bars (25 for $75.00 from HPD) and used medium round stickers for the lollipops.

5. Select Center Piece

Here is a close up of the center of the table. It's nice to have something that compliments your theme in the middle. I choose a framed print for this table. For the firetruck party I hosted, Kristy from Sweet Nothings used her husband's fire hat. I also see a lot of people place the cake or cupcakes here. Also a great idea.

Here is the left side of the table. I used books covered in brown paper to give the twizzlers and swedish fish some height. Another idea here is to wrap a few boxes in complimentary wrapping paper.

Right side of the table. I added a ribbon to the scoops so they had some color that tied to the theme.

6. Select Boxes or Bags for Candy

As far as containers for the candy - there are lots of fun options. For our BTS party, I used Chinese to go containers. They are 27 sq stickers and 27 boxes for $38.00 from HPD. Other great ideas are small colored bags or popcorn boxes from Michaels or boxes from The Container Store. Both places have a nice variety of colors and sizes. I recommend a label for the front to tie it to your theme.

7. Purchase Candy

Here is a close up of the candy jar from Target. I purchased a few bags of skittles and sorted to get the red, yellow and orange you see here. You can purchase bulk candy online that is already sorted at places like The Candy Warehouse. I found the candy from Target to be cheaper and didnt have to purchase in such large quantities. I tried to use the larger jars for the less expensive candy and the smaller ones for the more expensive which tends to be the chocolate.

Again, I choose Starbursts for the large candy jar and weeded out the offensive colors that didn't coordinate with my theme!!

It took two giant bags of M&Ms to yield this small jar of red, orange and yellow. Again, another reason to put the chocolate in small jars.

I love the lollipops from Hammond's Candies. I added our medium stickers to tie them in with our theme. A ribbon on the bottom would also have been a nice touch. The lollipops were a nice way to add some add'l height to the table.

I used 3 images, School Bus, Pencils and Pen and Pencil on Hershey kisses for the 3 small jars in the front of the table. Kiss stickers are 108 for $12.00

8. Give yourself plenty of time to sort the candy.

9. Assemble the Table

Now that you have everything you need, you are ready to assemble your table. It may take a few times to get everything organized the way you like so give yourself ample time to make adjustments.

10. Send Kristy and I photos of your finished table!

Close up of sticker label.

Another close up.

Party Favor Kit- Stickers and Chinese To Go Boxes

I have mentioned before, I am all about the party favors. In fact, sometimes (actually, usually) I start with what I want to give as a party favor and plan the entire event around it. Yep, it's that important to me!! In an effort to help you simplify your party favors we are now offering these Chinese box containers with personalized stickers. The are white and hold 26 ounces. We can customize the stickers with any image and personalization to make every event special. These boxes are food safe so you can use them at a candy table like I did at our back to school party, fill with cupcakes or just fun goodies for the kids.

HPD Chinese To Go Boxes & Stickers
27 personalized square stickers and boxes $38.00
24 personalized round stickers and boxes $38.00
26 ounce boxes measure 4 1/8 by 3 5/8 by 4 1/4 approx with wire handle

Available now on Etsy
Photo compliments of James Woo Photography

Boy or Girl?

Boy or Girl, Blue or Pink?

We're really not sure what to think!

But we're certain that Baby Mika will be here in May

And hope you'll help Kristin celebrate that special day

By joining us for a baby shower lunch

And tell us about your hunch!

This poem adorned the top of the invitations for my baby shower in March 2003. I didnt find out but I knew it was a boy - mother's intuition! These new images would have been perfect for the inviations and perhaps perfect for the baby shower your are planning or for great personalized thank you note for a new mom. (every new mom loves to see their baby's name in print!)Twins? No problem, we can double these images up, 2 pink, 2 blue or 1 of each.

Adirondack Balloon Festival - Image Inspiration

I am often asked where the ideas for the images for Hampton Paper come from so I thought I would share some background on the hot air balloon. This image, as with many, comes for a nostalgic childhood experience.

As you may know, I grew up in Glens Falls, NY (for the most part) and one of the big celebrations every fall was the Adirondack Balloon Festival. We went every year and if you have never been, I suggest you add it to your bucket list! There is something so beautiful and peaceful about getting up early (I mean really early like 5:00 am- balloons launch around 6:30 am) and watching those huge balloons fill with air and rise so gracefully to the sky. We were rewarded with breakfast after the festival, usually, cider and donuts from Sutton's (back when Sutton's was a small farmer's market/bakery!)

This year they celebrated their 36th anniversary. (doing the math these photos must have been around the 8th year)


This is the invitation sample from our retail store binders. I lived in Bedford Close on Lantern Hill Road. While I may provide the idea for the image, the amazing interpretation is all from our artist,Lucy. The details and colors on our hot air balloon image are bright, vibrant and fun. I love these two kids peaking out of the basket. This image is often used on our sketchpads/travel journals for kids.

My friend Kristi, me and my mom. Don't you love our CB Jackets? A total "must have" of the time. I think this photo is from 1983ish.... Do you see Rachel Ray in the background? I don't but maybe she was there too!!!

Balloons filling up

Air born

This blue and gold one was always my favorite. I went to Queensbury and those were our school colors.

PS. When I say Glens Falls, NY the typical response is "where is that?" so if you too are wondering, it's about 4 hours north of NYC - an hour north of the Albany, the capital.

October Baby Shower

I just received a request from an Etsy shopper to use the pumpkins image on Hershey Kiss Stickers, Place Cards and Personalized Round Dot Stickers for a baby shower in October. This idea is adorable so I thought I would share it.