Our guests will find a lovely treat in their mailboxes this week — our invitations! Finally! I never thought the day would come. Here’s a look at the complete suite, a.k.a. our pride and joy:

And the cost breakdown:

• Invitation cardstock: $20.00
• Invitation mats: $16.20
• RSVP postcards: $16.00
• Inserts: $14.00
• Additional cardstock: $5.75
• Pocket folds: $88.20
• Envelopes: $25.00
• Ribbon: $16.00
• Monogram stamp: $12.00
• Illustration: $10.00
• Gocco supplies (screens, bulbs, and inks): $80.00
• Miscellaneous supplies (adhesives, ink, embossing powder, etc.): $38.00
• Postage for invitations (61 cents each) and RSVP postcards (30 cents each): $79.18

That’s $420.33 for 90 invitations, or approximately $4.67/invitation!

Sure, I had to re-adhere the monogram stamps to the ribbon three times before I got them to stick. And, yes, each green is a slightly different shade. And, of course, sometimes I wanted to throw the Gocco out the window. But would I do it all over again? You bet!

Last week I placed stamps on the RSVP postcards and envelopes and hand addressed each one. Then on Thursday night — before leaving for a holiday getaway — we stuffed and sealed all 90 pretty little packages. And I just dropped them off at the local post office to be hand canceled and mailed.

These have truly been a labor of love! You can read previous posts here:

• Invitations Part 1 – Setting the Stage
• Invitations Part 2 – Tackling the Gocco
• Invitations Part 3 – Gathering Supplies
• Invitations Part 4 – A (Not So) Sticky Situation

What DIY projects are you most proud of?