After yesterday's post, I had a few questions from people wondering if the eco staple-free stapler works well. My answer: yes and no.
Here's a blue sheet of paper stapled to a white sheet.
The stapler works by punching out tabs that get folded over and pushed through a tiny slit. The device only works when fastening up to four sheets of paper. Any more and the stack of tabs is too thick for the stapler to push through the slit. That means your papers will have a hole but won't be fastened together—no good! However, when it works properly, those sheets are stuck together very securely and the only way to get them apart is to undo the tab or tear the paper. It took me a few tries to realize you have to push the top of the stapler down hard all the way to get those tabs inserted.
The pros: it's super cute, good for the environment, and you never have to worry about running out of staples. The cons: If you want to staple more than four sheets, you're out of luck. Since it punches a hole, you might punch through a valuable bit of information on your sheet. And the hold isn't quite as secure as a metal staple, since paper can tear and metal won't.
I had to share my little collection of orange Christmas presents with you because I'm giddy with happiness.
1. Staple free stapler, found somewhere by Alex.
2. Spoon and fork chopstick rests, found somewhere in Japan by Megumi.
3. Trim little pencil case... sheepishly, I confess I bought this for myself. Thank you, self.
4. Orange masking tape from West Elm's stocking stuffer section. Thank you, Alex.
5. Lion masking tape, found somewhere in Japan. Domo arigato, Megumi.
6. Felt coaster set, found in a shop in China located just upstairs from Karls Jr. and next to a Krispy Kreme. Xie xie, Heather and Tyler!
Let's see that tape a little more closely. Aw, the cuteness!
Prima09 is an edgy, handwritten font in block capitals from the Brazilian company We. See some usage examples and download the font here, free for personal and commercial use. One little drawback for Americans: Prima09 doesn't seem to have an apostrophe character, so you might need to reposition a comma if you plan to type any contractions.
Something delightful came in the mail recently: a photo book from Renee Landry Style, a North Carolina floral and event design company. Renee used three of my fabrics in a delicious, orange-themed wedding for a client. Check out these photos from Allison Pickard's nuptials: 
Allison designs commercials for Target and other companies, and though I haven't met her, I can tell she's lots of fun. See more inspiring photos from her wedding right here. And let me give a shout out to Mary Basnight, the photographer and designer of the photo book. Great work, ladies!
The Curiosity Group has launched a 2011 calendar of the month series, starting with a 3D yeti you can assemble. (Via Paper Forest.) I'm pretty sure I love yetis, especially those holding orange calendars. I'm also pretty sure I don't know what the plural form of "yeti" is. 
On a related note, if you feel the need to dress a baby up like a yeti, check out these patterns: a yeti hoodie at Berroco and monster booties by Kelly Hogaboom (a link to the pattern is in her notes.)
I found wooden disks for ten cents at a craft store and decided to see how well Sharpies would write on them. The markers bled a bit, but by varying how hard I pressed, I could control the bleed somewhat. Applying the lighter colors before sketching any black lines works best, or else the black will bleed like a victim on CSI. Applying a light coat of spray acrylic before drawing also stops future bleeding, but it will turn the wood a couple shades darker.
I didn't have any self-adhesive label paper in the house when I was printing gift tags, so I pulled out my Xyron machine. I first used one of these at a design firm to mount prints onto presentation boards, but it's so useful I decided I needed one for home, too. It's light years better than glue, little pieces of double-stick tape, or spray mount that takes two days to wear off of your fingers.
Place a sheet of paper on the tray and turn the crank to run it through the machine. As it feeds through the Xyron device, the paper is sandwiched between a clear plastic top sheet and an acid-free adhesive layer with a paper backing. 
Peel off the top sheet and cut your print into stickers if you like. Then just peel the paper backing off each sticker to use them.
This machine will also laminate paper and make magnets with a laminate finish. The current model looks slightly different than my older one; you can find it here, at the major craft stores, or at Dick Blick and Amazon—cheaper!
I'm in present-wrapping mode, so I've rounded up a supply of printable gift tags for myself. Need some?
Above: From Martha Stewart's 52-page collection of holiday gift tags and labels
Freebies from Blush Printables
Tags from Wee Life: get the Tree set here and the City set here
Labels from Whisker Graphics
Help yourself to some Lemon Chicken. Designed by Crack-a-Jack Studios, it's a tasty little retro font available at no charge from Font Squirrel.
The astoundingly productive Helen Dardik has posted another freebie for us: printable holiday gift tags. Featuring her delightful illustrations, they're available right here on her site.
My Christmas tree needed more orange (of course), so I made this little thing. It appears to be a spaceship which has crashed into a circus tent. To make your own circus spaceship, you'll need two colors of regular paper, scissors, needle, thread, pencil, ruler, and two beads.
1. Cut the paper into strips that are 3.5" long and 0.5" wide. (This makes a small ornament about 3" in diameter.) Cut 9 strips of each color. Cut two 0.75" circles. Tracing around a penny works nicely.
2. Fold the paper strips in half. A crisp fold isn't needed; just a crease will do.
3. String a bead onto a length of thread. Then push both ends of thread through the needle so the thread is doubled.
4. Poke the needle through one of the circles to string it next to the bead. Then string on all the paper strips near one end, alternating colors. 
5. After all the paper strips are added, begin threading the opposite ends onto the string. To do this, start with the strip you put on first (the one next to the paper circle). Take its loose end and push the needle through it. Continue threading on the paper strips in order. They'll naturally begin to fan out as you go.
6. Add the second paper circle.
7. Pull the needle off the thread. Feed the bead onto one of the loose ends of thread, then tie both ends of thread in a knot to hold the bead on next to the circle. If your ornament hangs a little crooked, thread the needle again and push both ends of thread up through the underside of the bead and out through the top so both ends of thread emerge. Tie off a loop and hang that spaceship. 
My ornament has a bit of a gap on one side where the papers meet at different levels. I'll put that toward the inside of the tree, and no one will be the wiser.
Check out the charming Merry Mixer bottle labels and recipes at Hi, Friend. Print out instructions for making cranberry cocktail, apricot ginger fizz, and a pomegranate cosmo. Yum! Delight the host of your next holiday party and put to shame your friends who bring boring old bottles of wine.
Today's fun giveaway comes from Jo Totes. If you're tired of carrying your purse and a separate camera bag, one of these lovelies might be just the thing for you. Jo Totes bags do double duty—not only will they hold your camera and an extra lens or two, they'll also hold your wallet, phone, and all the other goodies you squirrel away in your purse. Repositionable pads allow you to customize your own bag. Jo Totes sent over a sample, and I can tell you the construction is top notch and the bags are gorgeous. 
Giveaway details
One reader will win the Jo Totes handbag of your choice. To enter, leave a comment on this post with the name of the bag you'd like to win. Be sure to include a link, email address, or other way of contacting you. (In case you're nervous, you won't be penalized for choosing a color other than orange, I promise!)
The giveaway closes Friday, Dec. 17 at midnight CT. The winner will be randomly selected, notified, and announced here.
Update: The giveaway is now closed. Melinda, commenter 1643, is the lucky winner. (And not because she happens to like the Clementine bag best. Though I wholeheartedly approve.)
I've made a simple computer wallpaper version of a ribbon I designed awhile back. Download this little holiday camper desktop right here. It's mostly blank space so you can still find all your files and folders. And should you need matching ribbon, click here.
You're devastated. You were hoping to buy your mother a Hermès collier de chien bracelet, only to learn it costs $2,600 and you're ten dollars short. No worries—make a paper one. To get the printable template, click here and choose "Travel the world of Hermès." When the page loads, click the orange bar at the left and choose "Surprises." Click on the bracelet image.
Though no longer in elementary school, I still get a kick out of paper snowflakes. I made this snowflake garland the other night from origami paper, dental floss, and tape.
The simplest paper snowflakes are based on 4- or 8-pointed stars (fold a square in half diagonally and keep halving it until it's nearly too thick to cut, then snip out small shapes ). The second and third flakes in this garland are based on a 5-pointed star. Download the 5-point folding directions right here. I think they're easier to cut since there are fewer paper layers.
Here's an 8-pointer. Unfolding is my favorite part; it's practically as thrilling as bungee jumping. To get them nice and flat, iron your snowflakes with the steam setting turned off. 
If you're hosting a cookie exchange this year, head to Joy Ever After. You'll find an entire set of printables to download, including an editable recipe card, gift tags, and more.
The blank folding cards might make nice labels for the food at a Christmas dinner buffet, too. Not that there's anything wrong with Post-its. What began as an effort to differentiate the sausage from the non-sausage stuffing turned into label mania at Grandma's this Thanksgiving. It can be hard to tell gravy from carrots, so it's best to label absolutely everything.
We added a little more orange around the place recently. Awhile back I'd ordered some of these super inexpensive frames that come in a million sizes. I love changing things up, so we plan to switch out the prints now and then. The little cactus is from Home Depot, and our magazines and owner's manuals are now tucked away in orange files from IKEA.
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