Mrs. Pomegranate, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 27, Technical Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Software Engineer
Engagement Date: August 23, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 5, 2008
Venue: R.H. Phillips Winery
About Me: Hi, I'm Miss Pomegranate and I'm a shopaholic. I have a weak spot for the chic cheap - especially anything I can re-create on the DIY. Shoes are my vice, music is my passion in life and technology is the medium by which I live and work. When I'm not scoping out a sale, I'm spending my quality time training for a marathon, playing Wii with my fiance and snuggling with my Silver Labrador and Teacup Panther - and oh yeah, planning my wedding!
The Poms’ STD Budget Breakdown
June 11th, 2008 @ 10:24 am by Mrs. Pomegranate
Making our own Save the Dates was not a terribly quick process, but it was pretty easy. Once I got Adobe Illustrator down pat, I was swift in creating my envisioned pieces for the collection. While Mr. Pom has the full version of Illustrator on his computer, I did not - so I simply downloaded the 30-day free trial to assist me in my project.
My Partner in Crafting Crime: Adobe Illustrator CS3.
Printing proved to be easy thanks to Ryan at the Kinko’s in my hometown. I had contacted Paper Source in order to make sure I had the correct Pantone code so that our invitation ink would match the envelopes and ribbon perfectly. Once printed, Mamita Pom and I carted them home to complete the crafting process - slicing and dicing - for only a few hours. The process went by rather quickly - so quickly, in fact, that I definitely do not regret taking on the project whatsoever. My mom is a scrapbooking genius and therefore, knows her tools very well - this, of course, made things run smoothly.
Our Finished Save the Dates.
With that said, I will itemize all of the resources used in the making of our Save the Date Collection as well as the costs involved below.
Tools Used to Create the Save the Date Collection
Adobe Illustrator
Paper Trimmer
Paper Trimmer Scoring Replacement Cartridge
Large Corner Rounder
Large Hole Punch
Scissors
Xyron 900 Creative Station
Mamita Pomegranate (sorry - she’s not web enabled yet!)
Products Used to Create the Save the Date Collection
10 Packs of Paper Source Soft White Cover Stock
(didn’t use it all - will use for invitations)
10 Packs of Paper Source Moss #10 Open End Envelopes
2 Spools of Paper Source Moss 1 1/2″ Double-Faced Satin Ribbon
1 Xyron Laminator/Adhesive Cartridge
100 Stamps
Budget Breakdown
$11.49 Cards - 34 sheets of Paper Source Soft White Cover Stock
@ $.338 per sheet ($3.38 per pack of 10 with bulk discount)
$5.75 Labels - 17 sheets of Paper Source Soft White Cover Stock
@ $.338 per sheet ($3.38 per pack of 10 with bulk discount)
$49.50 100 Paper Source open end Moss green envelopes
@ $.495 per envelope ($4.95 per pack of 10 with bulk discount)
$13.30 100 6″ lengths of Paper Source Moss green 1.5″ ribbon
@ $.133 per 6″ ribbon ($7.95 per spool of 10 yards or 360 inches)
$42.16 Cards - 34 double-sided color-prints at Kinko’s
@ $1.24 per page
$10.03 Labels - 17 single-sided color-prints at Kinko’s
@ $.59 per page
$41.00 100 stamps
@ $.41 per stamp
$7.50 1/2 Xyron Laminate/Adhesive Cartridge
@ $15 per cartridge on eBay.com (I used half the cartridge)
___________________________________
$180.73 for 100 Save the Dates
$1.81 per Save the Date
Please comment or message me with any questions!
14 Responses to “The Poms’ STD Budget Breakdown”
I’m trying to decide whether to buy a xyron or get a 3M double sided tape gun to adhere the two parts of my flat invitation together. Any advice, bees? How easy is the xyron to use? How cost effective?
Many thanks!
Miss Trifle, I am also with you in your comment. I am DIY crazy! I have purchased so many different items that are all in my color scheme and have my save the date in my mind yet I am not sure if I want to purchase a xyron. I have a Save the Date Card that is going on a larger card. Any ideas hive?
I don’t have that many guests so for me to buy a xyron ($100+ CND) to save $50…does not work.
I bet it saves a ton of $ when you have 100+ invitations.
I am in love with my xyron, and have used it to make a variety of things - it’s de.f been a worthwhile investment for me!!
On another note, I wanted to design my invitations, and it seems like everyone is using Illustrator but I can’t figure out for the life of me how to use it. Any tips??
Something to keep in mind for those thinking about downloading a trial version of Illustrator CS3. I tried to download the trial the other day and it’s unavailable for download until July 1. I tried downloading it to get a head start on our RD invitations and no dice. Luckily I can work on it at work but it would be easier if I could do it at home (less interruptions, less “Oh, what’s that?”).
I make paper crafts all the time, and I don’t have a Xyron. I use double sided tape. It goes on sale fairly often at Hobby Lobby. You can check their website for the weekly specials.
I also really like the Stampin’ Up! snail adhesive…it is a little more, but I’ve never had it break mid-cartridge like some of the cheaper brands…
Those are fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration. I can’t wait to buy a Xyron and a gocco machine this summer. Yay!
Hi Crafty Bees,
I have a question about printing at Kinkos/Office Mx. (This may be a no brainer for some people but I have bride brain, I guess!) If I make something and bring the file to the store, will they just print it right then? Or do I need an appointment? Can I bring my own paper in, or do I have to use what is there? Any other tips from people who have printed somewhere other than your own house?
Thanks!
@Miss Trifle: The Syron is super easy to use - but if you’re simply sticking one card on another, you’d do well with just using some adhesive transfer tape.
@V: It probably wouldn’t be cost effective for just one project - but Mamita Pom is an avid scrapbooker and uses hers regularly.
@ktdid23: Illustrator can be terribly difficult as it is a professional piece of software. Therefore, there is no quick answer to this - I’d advise looking up a local class at a community college or nearby learning center.
@meleven: I brought my files on my laptop (they don’t have memory card readers) and transferred it to their USB stick. I also brought my own paper. So the only thing I paid for was the printing.
Miss Pomegranate, those are absolutely beautiful and exactly what I want as invitations. 2 questions, 1 for you and one for bees:
1. I recently purchased some cardstock from papersource and it wasn’t very thick cardstock; I’m afraid that when people pull the invitation by the ribbon out of the envelope, it will rip. Did you enforce the hole with something or is it sturdy enough?
2. Do you guys think this is too informal for an invitation? I am going for the modern vibe; I have about 300 guests for a ballroom reception.
@miss8:
1. I did not reinforce the hole - the ribbon was very thick and the hole was punched about 1/4″ from the edge. Upon testing it, we decided it was nothing to worry about.
2. I think you can make your invitations as formal as you’d like. Will you be using multiple cards tied together with one ribbon? If so, cute idea! Just be sure you don’t over stuff the envelope - THAT is where I might foresee there being a problem with the ribbon ripping the cards.
miss pomegranate,
i was wondering if you’d be willing to answer a few of my questions via email? my email is sheaulee.ng@gmail.com
thanks in advance!
@miss8: I’d be happy to answer your questions - just go ahead and send me a message right here.
For all you ladies who are taking Miss Pomegranates FABULOUS Save the Date cards as inspiration and are worried about the card ripping- I decided to use a single large eyelet at the top to feed the ribbon through. If you’ve never hand-set an eyelet before its super easy- you just need a punch, eyelet setter and a hammer. Any decent craft store can show you how. Beware- many hours of loud eyelet setting makes fiances cranky!
