i spy: pretty fakes

Why do we love pretty fakes? No...they're nothing new, but they're mighty clever- and popping up everywhere, it seems. Some of my recent favorites above... a jello lime crafted to look like a watermelon; a cupcake meant to look like an ice cream cone; and one of my all-time faves- the potted cake. What are your favorite fakes?

watermelon...right here (via pinkcupcakevintage)

ice cream cone...right here (via gen)

potted plant cake...right here (from martha, of course!)

paper party idea + atlanta wrap-up

I just returned from the Atlanta Gift Show last evening, and am playing catch-up on a myriad of things. 

First of all- the show was fun. I always love getting to see Whitney and toss around ideas. She's my tech/internet guru, and gets me up to date on the latest (last year's conversations led me to bloglines, this year, she's turned me on to alice.com and blurb). We also dined briefly with Ashley, sampled some extraordinary fare in beautiful surroundings at Abattoir, and were introduced to Seed Factory via Ash (a sister store to Sprout). I also met some kind fellow paper people, including Robin, Karen, and Lori (love those stamps!). Being in that atmosphere is energizing and always makes me want to go home and create. 

We spotted these amazing paper t-shirts (see above) in the window of Seed Factory, and it immediately got my wheels turning. What about doing onesies for a baby shower instead of t's? If you're slightly crafty it looks easy enough... The paper was lightweight, and stitched together (with a sewing machine) over the hanger. If you didn't want to include a hanger, you could easily do this without- and string on a line with clothespins instead. I think it would look just as nice without lettering, but a stamp either spelling out the name of the baby-to-be or mother-to-be might be lovely as well. So many ways to go with this! 

p.s. If you're looking for baby stuff, and haven't yet seen the new market slings from Serena & Lily, they are drool-worthy. I am considering indulging for baby #2.

reader question of the week #2

reader question of the week #2:

"My husband was recently laid off, and his birthday is in a couple of weeks. I wanted to have a small party to celebrate and cheer him up, but what are some ways to do this inexpensively? Thanks for your help! -Stephanie"

reader question of the week #1

I'm a bit behind in posting reader questions, so this week, I'm featuring two...

reader question of the week #1:

"I'm trying to pull together an 'Army' or 'Camo'-themed birthday for a little boy. Any ideas to help make it look less like a store-bought party would be greatly appreciated! -Lindsey"

To submit your query for reader question of the week, or to send party photos, email me at: hickspapergoods(at)yahoo(dot)com.

hanging tutorial

Lots of you asked about hanging techniques after seeing this paper lantern ensemble. Lucky for you, Ashley Ann posted a tutorial. Instructions right here.

via...simple lovely