I did my escort cards today!
Total Time Spent: 2 hours
Cost: $35.00
Ok and I drove to Berkeley this morning to go to Paper Source because I brilliantly decided I wanted to do my own invitations at midnight last night, after poring over websites looking for a company who could do what I wanted on my shoestring budget (White Aisle and Wedding Paper Divas do beautiful and affordable work, just not what I wanted). I found none and thought I may as well give it a go myself.
We found a design we liked in the wedding catalog and to make it easier on ourselves, basically copied the whole thing. Our wedding invites should take me about a week and all of the supplies, including RSVP inserts with their owen envelopes cost us $83.00.
Rachel at Paper Source was a HUGE help. She knew I wanted to use stamps and hipped me to embossing machines. Basically you stamp your image onto your surface, pour some embossing powder on it, shake off the excess and wave your magic embosser wand over it. This is the cool machine I got:
It costs around $20 and is available here. I always wanted to learn to emboss but thought it was much more involved and messy than it actually is. I think I’m addicted already.
I finished my escort cards tonight and used my new tool to do it. Now that I am doing my own invites, programs, menus, escort cards, table numbers and nameplates for the table, I can tie it all together with my own designs and be sure that everything matches, AND looks exactly as I want it to.
Here are my embossed stamped escort cards:
I will fill a tray with sand and use that to hold up the cards, like so:
I took this off a knottie’s page and should give credit. I’ll find out where I got it from soon.
This is the tray I am going to use:
And that is my exciting new for this evening.
urban bride. 
twan said
Ekuse! you’re doing it lil mama….
Mama Okun said
Megan, those escort cards are BEAUTIFUL!
You should be a graphic designer!
Mama Okun
Shannon said
Hey I found you through google… I just got engaged and am looking for cheap alternatives to the traditional wedding planning, too. You have some great ideas! I’ll definitely be checking back!
cristina said
what kind of font did you use to make the cards?
September Bride said
I am thinking of trying this idea for my wedding, but am wondering if you printed the names on the cards before or after you did the embossing or did you do calligraphy? please let me know. thanks, September Bride
Michelle said
I’d love to know how you made the design and the font for the names. The escort cards are gorgeous and I would be thrilled if I could make similar ones (with my own design) in about two hours. You must share how you did it (besides the nifty embossing machine).
Abby Arko said
Hello!
I am wanting to make my own cards but could anyone explain to me how to do the embossing? I see where she bought all the stuff to do it but what is the process! You use a stamp…do you have to use a color when you stamp it on the paper..do you let it dry…how does it work! I am in desperate need of help! I want to make all of my own cards,menus etc as well!
Thank you for anyone who can help
email is abbylaine14@yahoo.com
waitress said
I wrote a post on this but maybe it was not clear.
All you have to do is get a stamp you like, colored ink, and clear embossing powder.
Paper Source has the best kind.
Stamp the stamp onto any type of paper.
Cover the ink with the embossing powder.
Shake off excess.
Heat with the embossing tool for about 10 seconds– you will see the powder start to harden,
That’s it!
Good luck, let me know if there is anything else I can help with.
JC said
What did you use for the names? They look so beautiful!
Carly said
I am confused on the cards and printing the names on them… Do the cards come on a perferated sheet, which you print then, detached each card? Where did you get the paper? If not, how did you get the cards to fit in your printer?
Hello! « urban bride. said
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games like runescape said
Jeez thats rad, now i just need an excuse to make business cards.
games like runescape said
Jeez thats rad, now i just need an excuse to make business cards. And buy an embossing thingy majiggy.
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