An Alternative

I want share something I do to save money just in case it's helpful...

For starters, I love invitations, cards, stationery.  I'll go so far as to say that I may like them more than the average person :)  I do not think money spent on paper is foolish.  Rather, I think beautiful paper is a work of art, even if for a short period of time. 

But, at the same time, I also find there are more occasions to send cards than a budget may allow for :)  So, instead of forgoing sending cards all together I've tried to come up with affordable alternatives.  Here are 2 examples of things I've tried.

For Gavin's Birth Announcement 

I typed the announcement, printed it onto a large label and adhered it to the back of a newborn picture we took and printed of him.  Below is the draft of our announcement that I made while still pregnant.  G-dog fans will notice none of the stats are accurate :) 

This year's Thanksgiving card

We took pictures at the pumpkin patch and then I uploaded them to my computer.  We do not have fancy editing software, so I opened the picture in Paint and added text to it.  I used free downloads to spiffy-up the fonts.   Using a coupon for 101 free photo prints I printed the pictures with a matte finish and only had to pay for shipping.  Then, I bought envelopes at Hobby Lobby (using a 40% off coupon), bought stamps, and sent out our cards!  I love the idea of traditionally sending out holiday greeting cards.  This year I was very pleased with what we think are fun and affordable cards!