Stationary Practice

About halfway through my final semester of school ever, my iBook decided it was time to move on into that great big Apple store in the sky.  This wasn't too difficult for me to accept because Apple stopped making the iBook in 2004, and mine was certainly well past its prime.  I ventured into my local Apple store to purchase a MacBook.  The Mac Genius told me that I could also get a new printer and it would only cost me $30 after a mail-in rebate.  A new printer?  My mind immediately went to wedding planning.  I could design our save the dates on Mac's Pages and then print them on card stock myself!  Think of all the money I could save!  I decided it was definitely worth $30 and I bought it.

I'm not going to lie though...the whole DIY on the computer idea kind of intimidated me.  Michael's I can handle.  This was a new monster.  I decided that the best way to conquer my fear was to practice.  Fortunately, I was graduating in a few weeks.  Making my own graduation announcements would save money and give me an opportunity to practice!

Materials:
A printer that has the ability to adjust according to paper size (look for an envelope feature)
#10 Luxe Fino Flat Cards 25 for $6.25 at Paper Source
#10 Open End Luxe Fino Envelopes 10 for $5.50 at Paper Source
Squeeze Punch - 1/2" Rounded Corner $11.95 at Paper Source

I chose cream as the color for the flat cards, and I chose gold shimmer as the color for the envelopes (gold and navy are my school colors).

I then created a new document in Pages and set the page dimensions to the dimensions of the #10 card.  I inserted an image of my school's logo (don't worry, royalty-free), then inserted a line to divide the card, then I just typed in a pretty font.  I printed them out and used my fancy corner puncher to give it that little something extra.

I'm so sorry I had to blur the name!  It was so pretty!

Close up

Envelopes

The envelopes involved a little bit more trial and error, so I'm glad I bought a few extra.  I only sent 12 of these, so I don't think I saved too much money in the long run.  But if you consider the fact that I'll use the printer and the corner puncher for future projects, it's not that bad of an investment!  Above all, I was really pleased with my work.  It felt more personal than buying something from somewhere, and when I received compliments, it meant a lot more.  I'm officially in love with Paper Source now, and I plan to use them for many future wedding projects to come!  Stay tuned!