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Celebrate a Green Holiday Season with Botanical PaperWorks November 10, 2010

What does plantable seed paper look like after it's been planted? November 3, 2010

Ever wondered what plantable seed paper grows into after it's been planted? Check out these photos sent in by customers who plantable seed paper from Botanical PaperWorks.

The abundance of foliage and color always amazes us!

For more images, please check out the Photo Gallery in How Plantable Paper Works. Just scroll down one page for many more beautiful pictures.

Great customer feedback from Abby November 2, 2010

Our customer Abby sent us these comments after placing an order with us for plantable seed paper products. Her response was so lovely that we asked her if we could share the list on our blog. Here's what she said:

Why I love Botanical PaperWorks:

• Creates a gateway for non-gardeners to explore their nurturing instincts.
• No trees were cut down to make their products.
• Makes me feel good that my letter/card has a higher chance of being 'recycled'.
• Recipients get pleasure from 'planting' their card, and watching flowers grow.
• Their products foster a deeper connection with the outdoors.

Thank you Abby for taking the time to write to us. If you've had a great experience with Botanical PaperWorks, please write to us and let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

Proud to be a part of the second annual Canadian P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards held in Toronto November 1, 2010

The second annual Canadian P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards were recently held in Toronto and hosted by Queen Latifah.  We're happy to have participated in the event by adding our plantable holiday postcard sets to the event swag bags. 

Eco-Friendly Christmas Cracker Favors November 1, 2010

For family holidays and special occasions, Christmas Crackers are fun for all ages and are easy to make. The crackers can be placed at the place setting of guests at a holiday dinner or handed out at a New Year's party. Here's what you'll need to get started:

Supply List

1 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 plantable seed paper
1 cardboard toilet tissue tube
1 pull-snapper, available at craft supply stores such as Michael's
1 party favor such as small novelty erasers, bouncing balls or a wrapped chocolate
a joke, fortune or verse handwritten on a 1 x 3 inch strip of paper
2 raffia ties for each end
For tissue crown (instructions to follow): 1 sheet of tissue paper 30 x 20", glue or tape and scissors

How To Make This Project

1. Fill the tube with party favor, joke and paper crown.

2. Insert pull-snapper so that the ends protrude equally from the ends of the tube.

3. Wrap tube in plantable paper lengthwise and secure ends tightly with raffia. A small line of glue will seal the seam.

Instructions for paper crown (will make 4 crowns)

1. Fold the sheet in half, lengthwise, to make a rectangle 30 x 10"

2. Repeat step 1 so that the rectangle now measures 30 x 5"

3. Fold the long strip in half, end to end. Now the piece is 15 x 15"

4. Repeat step 3 to form a piece 7 1/2 x 5"

5. Cut V shapes out of one of the 7 1/2 x 5" ends

6. Open the folded pieces. Trim to 24" and glue the ends in place.

When you are done with your cracker, don't forget to recycle the toilet paper roll and plant the plantable see paper to enjoy beautiful colorful wildflowers.

Project written by Heidi Reimer-Epp and Mary Reimer, co-founders of Botanical PaperWorks Inc and authors of An Introduction to Papermaking, 300 Papermaking Recipes, The Encyclopedia of Papermaking and Bookbinding.

Featured in American Baby magazine October 31, 2010

Botanical PaperWorks' plantable, eco-friendly birth announcement called Little Elephant has been featured in the latest issue of American Baby magazine. 

Make Your Own Favor Pillow Boxes October 12, 2010

Pillow boxes are the perfect package for small or fragile objects because they can be surrounded in tissue and easily inserted into the pillow package. With this project, we are using eco-friendly, blooming and plantable seed paper that comes in a variety of colors. Decorate the pillow box with raffia, ribbons, flower sprigs and stickers. Have fun personalizing the pillow box to reflect your unique style.

And if you love the idea of a plantable seed wedding favor but don't have time to do it yourself, check out the ready-made plantable seed wedding favors boxes and favor tags personalized just for you.

Project Supply List

8 1/2 x 11 plantable paper or decorative paper
scissors or X-Acto knife
blunt knife or bone folder

How To Make This Project

1. Download the free project template. Trace template onto plantable paper. TIP: Use plantable paper, so that your guests can take the pillow box home and plant it. Wildflowers will grow right from the paper!

2. Cut out plantable paper and score along lines as shown. Fold along score lines.

3. Apply adhesive to the side fold and press in place. Pop out the end flaps to create a small pillow.

Written by Heidi Reimer-Epp, founder of Botanical PaperWorks, and author of An Introduction to Papermaking, 300 Papermaking Recipes, The Encyclopedia of Papermaking and Bookbinding.

Wedding Verses and Quotations October 9, 2010

At Botanical PaperWorks, our customers often ask us for help with finding a verse or quotation for their wedding invitations and favors. To help you find a special piece, we've compiled this list of our favorite quotations and verses.

If you have a favorite wedding quotation or verse, please contact us with your suggestion. We'll add it to our list to help future brides and grooms.

Verses and Quotations

"Two such as you with such a master speed cannot be parted nor be swept away from one another once you are agreed that life is only life forevermore together wing to wing and oar to oar." Robert Lee Frost

"Two souls with but a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one." Friedrich Halm

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage." Martin Luther

"Marriage is an Athenic weaving together of families, of two souls with their individual fates and destinies, of time and eternity--everyday life married to the timeless mysteries of the soul." Sir Thomas Moore

"Hear the mellow wedding bells Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!"
Edgar Allan Poe

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." George Sand

"Came but for friendship, and took away love." Thomas Moore

"Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble,
attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility...
It is therefore able to undertake all things, and it completes many things,
and warrants them to take effect, where he who does not love would faint and lie down.
Love is watchful and sleeping, slumbereth not. Though weary, it is not tired;
though pressed, it is not straitened; though alarmed, it is not confounded..."
Thomas A. Kempis

"A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short." Andre Maurois

"Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate,
intimate dance together and nothing matters more
than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner."
Amy Bloom