Martha Stewart pom-poms

For anyone who wouldn't make a craft to begin with, perhaps you should just ignore this post. However, I spied these at Michael's a few months ago, and I think they are the epitome of whimsy. I wish I had known about these when I had my wedding, because they would have made a great addition to the colored lanterns that were hung from the ceiling. A pack of 8 pom-poms is $20, which includes the wires, tissue and template. A lot of the how-tos are right on MS's website. These would also be great for a bridal/baby shower; one woman wrote that she hung them above her baby's crib (watch out for falling paper, however). There are also tissue paper flowers (which are really lovely and not high school dance-ish) ($20/27); and party favor boxes with flowers ($10/8). Perfect for spring/summer inspiration!

Paper Source: Antique Gold 3-D Star Kit

I bought these on a whim this summer in DC. I thought they would make a great mobile in a child's room or a template for some other fanciful art project. Also, I knew I could keep the pattern for the future. Paper Source is chock-full of beautiful items and even offers workshops to assemble different products. For a paperless world, they certainly keep busy. My Christmas present from CR was a sample pack of different patterned paper and envelopes. I was able to make about 6 really pretty homemade cards. It's a great idea if you want to make something homemade but not invest a lot of money.