Affordable Notecard Gift Set

Here's the single-panel notecard I'm using for the sets I'm giving at Christmas to my kids' teachers and therapists. This year, I have 17 sets to make, as two new aides have been added to the roster in the last month. These things happen when one son has autism (it REALLY takes a village, people!) and another son has attention issues and a team-teaching classroom. I thank the Lord above for every one of those 17 professionals.

The card uses the three-poinsettia stamp from PTI's Peaceful Poinsettia. I stamped it and then added the gold edging. (See my edging tutorial for instructions.) For a final touch, I added little dots of gold stickles to the center of each poinsettia.

I package ten notecards and envelopes in a clear box from PTI.

Cost analysis: For those of you watching your pennies this Christmas, notecard sets can be a very affordable yet high-quality gift. I use PTI's stampers select white cardstock, which is thick and rich-feeling, but I hear that Gina K has some fab paper as well. For a ten-card set, you only need two-and-a-half sheets of 8.5x11 cardstock because each sheet yields four cards. DO NOT COMPROMISE on the quality of the cardstock. Thin, floppy notecards will look and feel cheap.

The clear boxes PTI sells are $6 for ten boxes. (I saw basically the same thing at Marco's the other day for about $9.) PTI's boxes, at 60 cents a piece, are very affordable and make the cards look so professional. But you could use pretty ribbon to tie the sets together instead.

I buy nicer envelopes from Marco's ($10 for 50) because I like the way they feel; that means $2 per set for envies. The lady at the checkout kindly tried to steer me to the less expensive ones, which are $6 per 50. For even less money, you can buy 100 standard invitation envelopes for $8 at Office Depot. Since envelopes are going to end up in the trash eventually anyway, I think skimping on them won't ruin the gift. Unless the recipient is a stationery snob (or paper crafter), he or she won't notice the envies if the cards are stunning!

The total cost for my notecard sets is roughly $3 each but could be even less with cheaper envelopes. My budget was $50, so I'm just a dollar or two over, which is a minor miracle. If not for the two new aides, I'd be below budget, which is simply unheard of in my world.

[Note: I'm assuming no shipping from PTI 'cause I can't imagine not ordering $55 of perfection from them to get the free shipping!]