Save the Dates Phase I

I've been planning the wedding for a while (we got engaged in July 08), so there are a bunch of things I want to tell you about.  Let's start with the save the dates.

As I mentioned in my last post, I fell in love with Gocco-made invitations, daydreaming about the "squish" of the Gocco ink as it gets pressed onto paper.  I knew Gocco'ing the save the dates and invitations wouldn't save a ton of money considering the cost of a Gocco, so that's why I made my sister buy it. Ha! (Lest you think I'm a horrible person, my sister is actually quite artistic and crafty, so the Gocco is right up her alley.)

Despite the cost, I had decided it was the best way for us to personalize the save the dates and make them say "it's us!" to the guests, as well as print on paper that was a size and thickness that I wanted.

So, in addition to the actual image that would be printed onto the save the dates, what was going to be my canvas? Rectangle, square, circle, triangle, trapezoid? Ivory, white, metallic, vellum?

I browsed through many websites for inspiration, such as Bella Figura (I almost made out with the computer screen) and Sanskripts. And lookee lookee what I found.  Who knew that rounded corners could push such an emotional button?

Source (so tiny)

Here's another example of rounded corners that I decided were absolutely necessary.

 

Source 

I launched into research for the perfect paper to realize my vision of rounded-corner perfection. I found many a paper source, including thepapermillstore, paperpresentation, cardsandpockets, limitedpapers, and, um, well, paper-source, to name a few. I really wanted luscious paper. However, I later discovered that my idea of "luscious" paper was Crane Lettra 300gsm (yeah I don't really know what those numbers mean either) and a bit out of my price range (sound of heart breaking). 

Okay, so maybe not "perfect paper", but I still wanted a nice thick paper, at least 110lb (this is a good heft, paper that doesn't bend too easily). Cardsandpockets and Limitedpapers offer in-house custom-cutting for a fee, which was perfect for someone like me who does not have a paper cutter at home and is too lazy to find someone else to cut the paper for me.

I finally went with Limitedpapers, after ordering two sets of samples, because they had a wide selection of paper finishes and shades of white. I ended up buying the Strathmore Natural White 130 lb and had the sheets cut down to the right size.

Limitedpapers doesn't offer rounded corners (but CardsandPockets does, by the way), so on advice from Mrs. Penguin I ordered a Fiskars 1/2 inch corner rounder squeeze punch.

  

Source  ($11.99 on Amazon)

Which are pretty fun by the way. I'm going to round the corners of all of Kevin's magazines, mail and important documents (social security card, passport, birth certificate, etc.).

What kind of paper did you end up getting for your wedding stationery?