Handmade Save-the-Dates!

When we first got engaged (its been over a year now!) I had this crazy idea that I wanted to do everything for the wedding myself. Lots and lots of DIY projects. Well, as things progressed I realized that not only would that be an insane amount of work/pressure/decision making, but a lot of DIY projects turn out to be as expensive if not more expensive than simply hiring someone to do it for you. 

However after doing a lot of research and because I am a card maker myself, I decided to tackle the project of our save-the-dates. I figured this would be a good test to see how it went and if I wanted to continue on the DIY path or not. The main thing that motivated me was the fact that we would save about $400 if I made them myself! Plus I was able to pick and choose all the little details, which is exactly what I love doing!

So I have finally gotten around to sharing my save the dates with you guys! I made these and sent them out months ago, and I finally made myself take some pictures so that I can share them on the blog! I was pretty proud of making theseSo I though I would share exactly how I made them!

I knew I wanted to incorporate at least one picture, preferably more. I really wanted one picture of me and Mike, and at least one picture with Lila in it as well. So I went through our engagement photos and picked out my favorites.

I used one of my favorite photo-decorating apps, A Beautiful Mess, to add the words "Save the Date" to the photo above.

I also used the same app to create the image you see below, so that I could cut out the pictures and use one per card.

Then I used another app which I have recently discovered, called Free Prints, to order all of the printed photos. Free Prints gives you 86 free prints per month, but you have to pay $10 for shipping, which still isn't bad for 86 photos. Its also great because you can order them right on your phone, using photos on your phone or on your social media, and they get delivered right to your door!

I had this stamp custom made for me by theRUBBERpress on Etsy. They were great at working with me to get the exact wording that I wanted on the stamp! I definitely recommend that shop!!!

I want to do some sort of diy project with this stamp now that I am done with it... any ideas? I was thinking maybe a Christmas ornament?

Luckily I had a bunch of envelopes in the exact right size in my stash, so we even saved money on those! I am so glad I took on this adventure, it was totally worth it! But in case you are wondering, we did decide to order our formal invitations from a local stationer! However I am going to be saving some money by assembling them myself, and you better believe I will be sharing them on the blog!!

Do you prefer to DIY big projects, or hire someone else to do it for you?