Friday Find: Paperless Post

So as much as #ilovepaper, I love the convenience that comes with electronic communications.

Yes, I said “electronic communications.” I remember life before the interwebs, people, when computers needed start-up disks and you were sent to the library to learn how to use a mouse. #truestory.

Back to the matter at hand. Mainly, it’s that I don’t have a lot of my friends’ addresses on file. So, come cocktail party time (which is allthetime), it’s easier to send e-invitations.

Enter Paperless Post.

No more cheesy e-vites with bad pictures of oversized martini glasses and limited room for copy and important details like “bring wine.”

Finally, a e-invite service that has designs I am not ashamed to send. (Snaps to LKS for turning me onto this one.)

Paperless Post works two ways – there are electronic invites, and you can also select to have paper versions ordered.

The designs are more like real stationary than emails, and you have much more control over the actual design elements — like fonts, type layout, and images.

Did I mention the part where you can include electronic envelope liners and response cards? So much better than an e-vite.

When the invite is delivered, the image is embedded into the actual email, so your guests can literally click the envelope to open it, and fill out the response card. There is an auto-download feature to add the event to your preferred calendar service, and an option to include a link to the location.

Plus, there is a sweet big brother aspect to it where Paperless Post lets you track who has opened your invite, bounced emails, responded, etc. (To everyone who hasn’t RSVP’d for fall beer & wine tasting, I’m watching you…)

Plus, you can track it all in an iPhone app, and set up handy reminders to your guest list. Or do old-fashioned things like export it to an excel doc, if you like to roll Windows97 style.

Some designs are simpler, with just text — which you can select from the varied Paperless Post text library.

Others you can customize with your own images.

The catch? Not all the features on Paperless Post are free. The paper invites, for one, cost $. And some of the more premium features on the electronic invites, like the fancier designs or the envelope liners, cost “paperless post coins.”

You receive 25 coins for signing up, and there are a variety of options to earn more. Or, you can purchase coins – 25 for $5.00. As many of the premium features are 2 coins/recipient – it works out to be $5.00 to send 12 of the premium electronic invites, if you buy the coins outright. (Still, this is way more affordable than if you ordered paper cards from a stationary shop and mailed them USPS.)

However, there are enough free designs that you really don’t need coins unless you really want of of the premium designs.

The internet and paper, together as one? I’m sold.

Move over e-vite, Paperless Post is here.

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Summer BBQ Stationary: Swine You Up?

If you remember CP and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, then you already know I had a major stationary fail a few weeks back.

This is said stationary.

Cute, right?

I do have to admit, after I got over the minor phone number RSVP mishap, the reprints turned out even better than the first set.

I happened to get some new inkadinkado stamps for the occasion, which I used on the outside of the envelopes.

Of course, liners on the inside.

And then the actual cards? Just a cute invite to a summer barbeque, with the RSVP line really taking the cake.

“Swine You Up, or No Shanks?”

I crack myself up, seriously.

And the baker’s twine was a nice finishing touch, if I do say so myself.

As always, #ilovepaper.

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Monochromatic Stamped DIY Stationary

I might be on an inkadinkado kick.

Just a small one.

In addition to the bridal shower stationary, I made some monochromatic stamped notecards too.

Red cards with red ink – the stamp is fairly subtle, which I like. A lot of my stuff (neon anyone?) can be a bit loud, and I really like the quietness of these stamps.

And we all know know how I feel about fancy envelopes.

With liners.

I would seriously recommend an inkadinkado to anyone who likes stamping, or wants an easy way to spice up cards and stationary.

Let’s be real here, how cute are these?

This time, I stamped a 12 x 12 sheet of red card stock, and then used my paper cutter to make six cards (4 x 5.5). Stamping the paper first was definitely easier, but it was a bit harder to predict how the pattern would end up on the finished card.

Overall I was really happy with how these came out. I doubt most people receiving them will notice the liners or the finishing touches and minute details, but I like knowing they are there.

Custom Stamped Stationary with the Inkadinkado

So I’ve been getting back into crafting lately. I know, I always say that.

But seriously. I had an epic weekend of crafting.

One of my best friends is getting married this fall – and nothing is better to give at a wedding shower than stationary customized to the bride’s new last name. Sweet, right?

(Not to mention it helped me clean up at bridal shower bingo, I rocked the “homemade” category…competitive? me? never…)

So instead of my normal celery-stamps that I am known for, I decided to bust out the inkadinkado again. While the name is epically laughable, it does create some pretty sweet stuff.

I used 12 x 12 paper and sliced it into 4 x 5.5 notecards. These fit easily into 4.375 x 5.75 (A3) envelopes. I couldn’t decide whether to cut the paper first or stamp first, so I went with slicing the paper. This also gives you a bit more control over how the stamp is placed on the card.

And I stamped the envelopes too, because who doesn’t want to get a fancy envelope in the mail?

My favorite crafts are always the ones I make for people I love – and this was no exception. Can’t wait to toast the new Mr. and Mrs. S in the fall!

Easy DIY Thank You Card Set

So I still have a fascination with this whole “measuring” feature on my paper cutter. If I could go back to the days when I measured with a ruler and cut with an exact-o knife…I wouldn’t.

A few weeks ago I whipped up this set of thank-you cards. I already had the ‘thank you’ part printed out since I used them for my niece’s birthday party, and I hoard save things to “use them later.”

The blue paper was left over from my ombre Tiffany card project, and the dashed line cardstock I already had in-house.

A little slicing, a little glue stick action, and it’s thank you card game time.

I really like how these cards coordinate as a set.

Oh, and I still have more of the ‘thank you’ pieces to use up, so I’m sure you will see another variation of these on CP soon.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll even bake some cupcakes again soon, once I get this whole “work life balance” thing to stop being such a myth. Green velvet for St. Patrick’s Day anyone?

DIY Tiffany Blue Ombre Stationary

So I finally figured out that my paper cutter has this amazing feature, where it measures paper right as you cut.

That Martha Stewart, she thinks of everything.

And don’t judge, I would have figured this out sooner if I had actually read the directions…

Anyways, this is a vast improvement over measuring everything with a ruler.

So slicing and dicing custom cards is now pretty quick. Which is good when you’re getting ready for girls night out breakfast at tiffany’s birthday dinner and still haven’t started the cards…

But these went quick. I started off with 4 different shades of Tiffany blue for an ombre effect, in 12 x 12 paper.

Trim these down to fit in A6 envelopes.

Then a quick run through the printer to customize.

And done.

(For reals, I need to learn how to do letterpress to uplevel the wow here.)

I even got these sweet transparent envelopes to make sending the cards super fun.

But seriously? This whole “distance to the blade” feature is changing my life.

It’s the little things these days, really. 

And My Kraft Paper Obsession Continues…

We all know that I sort of, well, enjoy kraft paper. A lot.

Here’s the roundup of my holiday projects that involved kraft paper. And yes, I know it is well over a month since Christmas passed, but considering that I just took down my tree last weekend…it’s still holiday time here.

You can use it to make table runners, like this.

I really love this idea. Plus, you can do fun things like handwritten place settings or scrawl the menu out. (I did not do those things because it was only Christmas Eve and I needed to keep my over-the-top-ness to a minimum. Which was hard.)

Kraft paper also makes great invitations. Like the one for my Christmas Eve Spectacular.

(Yes, I send out invites to Christmas Eve dinner…hence the reason I had to keep the table runner simple.)

Or, you can use it to make Christmas cards.

This one was for my boss. She reads a lot of romance novels, which we jokingly refer to as “The Cowboy and the Princess.”

And it’s a great way to wrap presents. Plus, yarn is an easy upgrade from your basic ribbon.

Alright, I’m back to krafting. I mean, crafting.

A’hoy Mate!

Yo ho, yo ho a pirate’s life for me…

But back to reality. My goddaughter came to visit a few weekends ago, and her mom mentioned that they are going to a pirate-themed party.

SAY NO MORE.

Not only is Pirates of the Carribean pretty much one of my favorite drinking games movies, I just so happened to have this sweet pirate ship shape for my Cricut.

(Okay, so yes, technically you could say it was just a regular ship like the Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria…but I like to think it’s the Black Pearl.)

(And if you don’t mentally read “the Black Pearl” in a pirate voice…something is wrong with you.)

Use the outsides of the Cricut cutout for the stencil, and then use the Cricut shape for the notecard.

I had the Cricut set on 4.5 inches, and the onesie is size 6-12 months. This notecard is an A6 size.

Savvy?

If you want a full tutorial on painting baby onesies with stencils, here is a step-by-step overview.

My Novel. On a Notecard.

I can’t stop making stationary lately.

I love paper. And I love mailing it.

The part I get most excited about, what I love the most, is imagining the person’s face when the card gets opened.

For me, the second I see an envelope in the mailbox which isn’t a bill and is clearly a card, I start picturing what’s inside. Love note? An invitation? Just someone saying hello?

I made this one about my novel.

And then I sent it to Texas.

The card is a bit of a font-a-thon, but I still like it.

And, surprisingly?  It doesn’t take that long for mail to get to Texas from Upstate NY.

Quick Gifts: DIY Printed Notecards

Yesterday I had one of those “crap I need to bring a gift” moments. You see, I was invited to a graduation party for the sister of a friend. So, I didn’t want to show up empty-handed, but my willingness to pay for this type of gift was about $10 or less. And the moment this “you need to bring a gift” realization hit me was the moment I was leaving the house. And since giving booze to teenagers is frowned upon, I couldn’t do my standard grab a bottle of wine out of the rack and call it a day moves.

Which is why it’s handy to have blank stationary in my craft kit and notecard design pdfs saved on my computer. Open one of the card designs, load notecards into the printer, and hit print. Quick, easy, DIY notecards.

I have a variety of designs that are my “go-tos” for gifts. The ones above are my ‘hello cards.’ Hola, bonjour, ciao bella.

I also have thank-you cards like this.

I really like the old-fashioned type key font on this one. And the accent letter.

For notecards I use 4.5 x 5 inch folded cards, but you could easily use flat cards or a larger size as well. I like the folded notecards because they strike me as more formal.

Quick, easy, inexpensive to make but impressive to give. Which is the way I like it.

What is your go-to gift when you’re in a rush?