How To Create DIY Personalized Stationery

With text messages and emails clogging our inboxes on a daily basis, it seems that we’ve lost the art of putting pen to paper to brighten someone’s day. The digital world might be taking over, but that doesn’t mean snail mail has to be a thing of the past.

You see, electronic communication can be quick, easy, and convenient, but it lacks that heartfelt connection that written mail has. Nothing packs a personalized punch as much as a handwritten letter, so next time you go to pick up the phone, why not pick up a pen instead?

We know what you’re thinking though: lined paper can be a little bit, well, boring. What if we told you that you can create personalized stationery that is anything but dull?

Thanks to the wide range of templates available in BeFunky’s Card Maker, you can achieve this within just a few clicks of your mouse! We'll show you how to design your very own stationery to use in all sorts of scenarios, whether you want to show someone you care or you want to be more thoughtful on the daily. Let's get started! 

When To Send A Personal Letter Vs. A Digital Message

While we admit that sending a personalized letter on your custom stationery everyday could be a little time-consuming, there are certainly some situations that beg you to do this (rather than typing out a quick email). We’ll delve into these below.

After a Job Interview

Think about this: you’ve just attended an interview for your dream job (and in your eyes, totally nailed it). Once the departing handshakes are over, all of the candidates will want to send a follow-up to make a good impression. But how do you stand out from the sea of emails your interviewer will be receiving? And how can you not only make a good impression, but a lasting one too?

This is where a personal, handwritten note comes into play, as it’s not everyday that a business would receive such a thing. Address it directly to your interviewer and it’ll be sure to pop up on his or her desk. Not only is it a pleasant (and often unexpected) surprise, but your kind words are also sure to put a spring in their step that day.

When a Friend Moves Away and You Become Pen Pals

Ah, the dreaded ‘friend moving far away’ scenario. Sure, you’ll promise to call, text, and Skype on a regular basis, but after time these things become commonplace. It gets harder and harder to fit them into your busy schedule, and after a whole day spent answering phone calls or sending emails in the office, you may simply just be too mentally exhausted to commit.

This is when sending personalised and cute snail mail is a great idea, as it’s hard to feel unmotivated about scribbling away on your freshly-designed, colorful stationery. You can incorporate it into your weekly ‘creativity time’ and post your mail the next morning on your way to work. Sitting down at a desk covered with your favorite pens and pencils (not to mention your awesome stationery designs) is a sure-fire way to crank-up your happiness levels. Plus, your faraway pal will be extra appreciative of you filling her mailbox with all sorts of handwritten prettiness.

When You Want to Show Someone You Care

Sometimes, life can throw some pretty harsh things in the direction of our loved ones. Whether it’s loss, illness, or just general bad luck, it’s always important to show people just how much you care. While a quick text message allows them to reply instantly, a handwritten and personalized letter goes one step above. It shows them that you truly are thinking about them and are willing to go to extra effort to put a smile on their face.

We all need reminders from time-to-time of how much our loved ones care, and while you can’t stick a text message on your fridge to admire every day, you certainly can do so with a heartfelt card or letter.

When You’re in Love And Distance Separates You

Imagine this scenario: your special someone is thousands of miles away, counting down the hours until they can phone or Skype you. They walk out to the mailbox to undertake the mundane task of collecting their bills, but instead find a beautifully-decorated, handwritten letter from you reminding them of how much they are loved. Now, that’s one way to brighten their day!

Sure, sending mail costs more than a free Skype session, but it gives your partner something tangible to hold on to and read over while they’re in your absence. That weekly or fortnightly letter is just the thing to make the time pass quicker until you can be with one another again (and let’s face it, that’s priceless!).

How To Make DIY Stationery With BeFunky’s Card Maker

Now that you’ve got some perfect stationery sending scenarios in mind, it’s time to head to the Card Maker. To begin creating your own personalized stationery, simply click on Event Templates from the menu on the left, followed by Thank You Cards. These templates act as the perfect size and shape for printable stationery.

Once you’ve chosen a template that takes your fancy, it’s time to customize the existing text so it reflects your own. You can either choose to include your full name, your company’s name, or get as creative as you want with your messaging. To do this, click on any text box and a Text Properties toolbar appears. From here, you can change elements such as Font Family, Font Size, Spacing, Paragraph, Color, and more. You can also change what the text says by clicking on the text box and typing. Additionally, you can add new text by selecting Text tab in the left-hand menu (the ‘T’ symbol).

Next up, you can change the background color of your stationery if you wish. You can do this by clicking on the Background tab in the left menu (it’s the symbol with nine squares). You have the option of choosing a color preset or using the Color Picker to select any hue you wish! You can access the Color Picker by clicking on the rectangle next to Current Color.

One of the final steps is to insert fun Design Elements such as symbols, shapes, and graphics to add extra personalization to your stationery. You’ll find heaps of these in the Design Elements tab, located in the menu on the left (the triangle symbol). Browse through the various categories until you find the perfect graphics, then click to add them to your design. 

If you want to change the color of any individual design element, just click on the element you wish to alter and a Graphic Properties toolbar appears. Clicking on Color Overlay will bring up the Color Picker option, which lets you select a new color for your graphic. You can then change the Intensity of the color using the slider at the bottom.

Once you love the look of your design, it’s time to save it so you can soon get it printed and written on! Clicking Save in the top menu will let you save your design to a destination such as your computer or Dropbox. We also recommend the Save as Project option, as this will allow you to come back and edit your stationery template in the future should you need to (for example, to print extra copies or use it as a template for additional stationery sets!).

Ta-da! Who knew snail mail could look so cool?

Now that you’ve designed your stunning stationery, all that’s left to do is hand-write a message to your special someone, before dropping it in the mail (or giving it to them in-person!). Thanks to Befunky’s Card Maker, showing your loved ones you care with heartfelt stationery has never been easier.

---