How to Find (And Make) Nice, Affordable Stationery
I have a weakness for beautiful stationery. Walking into the “paper” section of a shop is always a treat, but it can be expensive and with the cost of postage increasing all the time, what’s a pen pal to do? Well, lately I have been curbing my desire to buy all the pretty cards I see, instead channeling that creativity into making some stationery of my own. Here are some easy ways to source nice but affordable stationery, to add details and touches to elevate your existing stationery, and to make custom stationery that people will love to receive in the mail!
By the way, in case you ever have a problem getting your “stationary” and “stationery” mixed up, it is easy to remember when you think “e stands for envelopes”.
So, first decide whether you want cards or letter writing paper. In this post from a few years ago, I cover how to get started with letter writing. Notecards are a nice way to start because they have a limit to how much space you write in, which is a bit easier than letter writing paper, which can go on forever. Nice letter paper is by far the most difficult to find. This is the beautiful paper I have, above, received as a Christmas gift years ago, and it is by Peter Pauper Press. I save this for extra special occasions. I sometimes use one sheet as a pretty “cover” page, and then use plain paper behind it for the rest of the note, but mostly I just save it for things like special thank-you notes.
So, now for the more affordable paper for regular letters! I buy journals with nice smooth lined or unlined paper and cut it out of the journal. This is very affordable- these journals cost $1.75 each for 136 pages. All I have to do is cut off the margin and they are the right size to fit in a small envelope. I always get ruled pages because I have a hard time keeping my lines straight. I also choose paper with a smooth finish that isn’t too thin, because I always write messily on rough paper and ink bleeds through thin paper.
Now, if you do want to use note cards, the possibilities are endless! Box sets of cards are easy to find in stores, often for a great price/ piece. However, while I do buy the occasional boxed set, I like to find even more affordable options by looking for cards and paper in thrift shops.
Over the years I have found great deals on both vintage unused and modern sets of cards; usually there are only a couple of cards missing from the boxes, and the price/ piece is excellent. One year I even found a box set of 12 Christmas cards and matching envelopes by Indigo for $0.50, but because Christmas items were on sale for 1/2 price, I got the cards for only $0.25 (which worked out to less than $0.02 each!)
Thrift stores are also a great place to find envelopes of all sizes, and once you’ve got envelopes, it’s very easy to DIY your own cards. With some cardstock or pre-folded card blanks and some creativity, it’s so easy to make your own, and who doesn’t love receiving a handmade card?
If you want to DIY, but aren’t sure quite how to start, stickers are an easy and cute option. For this falltime card, I used some thank-you cards I got at the thrift store and simply covered up the text on the front. These stickers are a printable from the artist Abigail Halpin, and I stamped the letters. Stickers are also a fun way to seal your envelopes. As much as I love wax seals they aren’t always practical, and stickers add a nice touch, without being dimensional.
You can also use card blanks, or simply fold your own cardstock to make cards. Make sure to make the card about 1/4″ smaller than the envelope.
Here are your classic papercrafted cards, using rubber stamps and scrapbook supplies. These types of cards are a little more time consuming, and you do have to have a stash of supplies on hand, but the sky is the limit. When an occasion comes up, you can make a card perfectly suited to it, rather than needing a birthday card, but finding that you only have thank-you cards on hand… and have you seen the price of cards at the store lately?! I made a few papercrafted cards last week with decorative papers, and then made another, below, in a more collage style.
Another type of card I have been making are photo cards. I have a lot of printed photographs of flowers and nature scenes, but don’t really have anything to do with them, aside from sticking them in an album. I have been trimming them to size, stamping sentiments on them and sometimes drawing or sewing a border around the edge. If you decide to try this, you MUST let the ink dry for several hours, or overnight once you’ve stamped it onto the photo! Do not touch the card after you have stamped it, or the ink will smudge. This is the voice of experience… but once the ink is dry the cards look very nice.
Another nice touch to customize boughten stationery, or handmade cards is an envelope liner, which not only elevates the experience, but also makes a cheaper see-through envelope opaque.
To make one, you simply cut your paper to the width of the envelope. This paper was from a 6×6 paper pack from the dollar store. Slide it into the envelope, leaving about 1/2″ at the bottom to account for the glued edge (along the red line). Trace the flap (along the dashed red line), then cut it out and slide into place. Fold the flap, open it back up and then secure the top edge with glue or double sided tape. And there you have a beautifully custom envelope to match your cards.
And as a final touch if you’ve made the card; sign the back! I used to simply write “Made with Love by Nicole” on the back of all my cards, but I have this cute stamp now, so I usually just use it.
And if you decide that you do want to splurge on some gorgeous stationery one day, then here are a few of my favourites.
- Peter Pauper Press, for both letter paper and cards
- Rifle Paper Co. for both letter/ note papers and cards
- Carol Wilson For Arts Sake (the embossed bouquet card below)
- Jenni Haikonen (the “Hello From the Prairies” card below)
- Oh Jess Marie from Redbubble (the “Garden Teapots” card below) The print quality from Redbubble is really great for greeting cards.
Hopefully this has inspired you to go forth, create and write!
