Inspiration #90: ctrlP Design's invitation suites under $35!

Traffic to my blog has recently been coming from a site called, Pinterest, and out of curiosity, I clicked through to it. What a cool app and site -- basically, you create a profile and then drag the "Pin It" tool to your browser's toolbar and "Pin" images that you really dig. No more having to make screenshots with FastStone Capture, bookmarking or copying and pasting inspirational images. Everything's stored on your personal boards -- and you can share inspiration very easily and quickly.

One of my boards is called "Paper Lust" and that's where I store great invitations, save-the-dates, prints and more that I come across. And I'm stoked to recently pin @luvyourway's invitations from her Etsy shop, ctrlP Designs (love that play on a keyboard shortcut).

Ultra Mod Printable Invites by ctrlP Designs

Mixtape Printable by ctrlP Design

Pretty invites for under $100!

Since we had such fab and custom Save the Dates, we skimped on our wedding invites. And sometimes I feel a twinge of regret, especially when I see lovely designs on sites like A Printable Press.

For $70, you can download a PDF of a design you choose and then you can print it as many times as you need -- or want. If you love an invitation but want to change something -- like the dimensions of a card, color, or font -- then you pay an additional $25 per change. After you get the PDF, you can send it off to online printers, like VistaPrint or UPrinting, or to local printers, like Mercurio Brothers and Greener Printer -- both here in the San Francisco/East Bay Area.

Here are some of my favorites. What are yours?

Swallow and Bee, from Birds and Beasts Collection, image from A Printable Press

Amor from the Sheer Whimsy Collection, image from A Printable Press

Let's Make Lemonade, from Modern Vintage Collection, image from A Printable Press

Birch Bark Love, from Into the Woods Collection, image from A Printable Press

DIY: Our invitation

I know I've been saying I was going to send our invitations electronically, but when I saw Martha Stewart's Heirloom Ornament invitation sets for $7.99 (set of 50), I couldn't resist.

Here's what it's looking like so far (imagine the silver piping around the border). Not so sure about the fonts (which I downloaded from iDIY.com; Freebooter and York Script). I'm still working on the wording and the pizazz!

Pingg for cool, free online invites

Recently, I've become a fan of pingg.com. It's a free online invitation and e-card service and I'm loving the modern and indie designs. Plus, you can also send the online invitation via snail mail if you like (for $1.50 each in a clear, glassine envelope). 

Their invitations and e-cards look so refreshingly cool because Pinggs asks artists, photographers, illustrators and stationery designers to submit their work so that we can choose unique designs. Now we can save a LOT of money on invitations. Yippee!

Here's an e-card I recently sent to my bridal party:

 ["Caught" by Lindsay Brackeen]

I am digging the indie vintage feel of this one by Jenean Morrison:

This is a cute one for an engagement announcement:

I really want this one for my bridal shower invitation:

Here's one that would also be fun for a girl's night out:

 ["Bows and Knickers" by Claire Cimbora]

A Visit with the Mr. and Mrs. of Aerialist Press

{Photo by Alexandra, Aerialist Press}

An August bride recently told me she was considering Aerialist Press, for affordable letterpress invitations. Affordable?! I was intrigued.

I scheduled a visit with Alexandra and Craig, the lovely couple behind Aerialist Press, in their chic studio in Emeryville (just down the street from Pixar).

As I entered their studio, to my right was a wall adorned with beautiful invitation suites and Bun, their huggable pet bunny, kept guard at the door. 

 {Bun}

As I inspected their work, they shared with me how they had been doing letterpress for only a year and a half -- basically since they had begun planning for their own "vineyard-feathers-and-twigs" wedding on a budget at Sattui Winery. Alexandra had taken letterpress classes in college and she fell in love with the art. She and Craig share artistic license and Craig handles the heavy machinery -- two presses (one's named Roxie!) dating from the early 19th century.

One of the designs they shared with me was inspired by a vintage fabric swatch their client had given them. Aerialist Press digitally rendered the floral shapes of the fabric and created the plate. The result is beautiful.

{Photo of couture invitation by the Aerialist Press}

So, there really is such a thing as affordable and beautiful letterpress thanks to Aerialist Press. Their house invitation designs start at $225 (for 50 one-color) or $325 (for 50 two-color) and up to $325 (for 250 one-color) or $425 (250 two-color). Digitally printed envelopes start at $0.75 per envelope or else $1.00 for letterpress treatment.

Visit their website to see more of their awesome work and pricing.