DIY Tutorial: Table Number Booklets

I saw this fabulous idea for table number booklets on OnceWed months ago and fell in love.

I took the DIY even a step further, and made the booklets instaed of just covering them.

In hindsight--I wish i would've found some pretty patterns, but the textured paper turned out so well!

First, I downloaded the font mom's typewriter from dafont, instead of purchasing the stamp used in the other tutorial. (saved $25 on the stamp)

Then I laid out the table numbers in Adobe InDesign (can easily be done in Word or Publisher!) to fit the print size 5 x 8.

I printed the booklet double-sided on plain white paper at home on a total of 36 pages. Free (saved $54 by not purchasing moleskin notebooks.)

I used all the same phrases listed in the OnceWed tutorial, but added "what should we name our firstborn?"  I know we'll get lots of great responses on that one, as it is sort of an inside joke with E and his married friends.

This is what the font looks like in the booklet:

Afer printing and trimming the inside pages, I got to workon the covers.  I purchased the cover paper from JoAnn Fabrics.  I had used that week's coupon for shepherd's hooks, so no discount.  We bought 7 8.5 x 11 sheets in 3 colors(brown, sage and ivory) for $.50 cents each= $10.50.  I bought a textured linen-like paper.

We looked high and low for numbers that would work and ended up using the extra paper from the boolet covers, and stencils my Aunt Jet had laying around the house. Free! (saved $8)  We traced the numbers with stencils and began cutting them out.  

You HAVE TO remember to trace the numbers backwards so that when they're done, the finished side shows the number facing the right way!  We had to throw a few out because I wasn't paying attention.

Aunt Jet measured the booklet covers so the number would be in the same place on every booklet, and traced light pencil lines.

Then we glued the paper numbers onto the booklet covers

I ended up using a mixture of colors for the booklets and loved how that turned out (i.e. ivory numbers on a brown booklet, brown numbers on a green booklet)  There are only three duplicates of each color combination in the 18 booklets.

Lastly we went through my Aunt Jet's big drawer of thread and picked out matching ivory, green and brown thread.  We stiched the booklet's bind just using a running stitch.  

I'll post pictures soon of the inside of the booklet and a closeup of the stitching.

The booklet will stand up nicely on it's own, so we won't have to have table number stands.

I love how this project turned out, and it was sooo cheap!

Budget breakdown

Font: free

white paper: free

cover paper: $10.50

stencils: free

krazy glue: $3

Total $13.50 for 18 table number booklets

Cost per table number booklet = $.75