Ask and you shall receive: Cost of DIY Embossed Cocktail Napkins!

Jill, author of the Strawberry Blonde Bride, asked how much embossing your own cocktail napkins cost.  And although I don't have the exact prices of all the supplies I bought, this could definitely give you a general idea.  And if you were more patient then I am you could probably find even better deals online (ebay, overstock, amazon, etc.).  These are the prices I know for sure:

Cocktail Napkins -          19.99 for 500
Custom Stamp -               22.50 for 3 different stamps (I don't know how much it would be for just 1)

These are the other supplies you'll need with an estimated cost (by searching on Jo Ann Fabrics site; I got my stuff from Michael's, but finding things on their site sucks, so I just searched Jo Ann instead).  What I'm showing you is the full price...I did not pay full price for any of this, I used coupons!  Gotta love 40% off coupons!

Ink Pad -                      4.99 In the 200 that I've done so far I haven't depleted my ink pad yet, and once I do I'm not going to buy a whole new ink pad, just ink.
Embossing Powder -    3.99  Again, I haven't even used a full bottle yet, I'm guessing I'll use 3 bottles of powder for 500 napkins.
Embossing Gun -         26.99 DON'T YOU DARE SPEND THIS MUCH ON ONE!
Funnel Tray -                 2.50 So, you don't need this, but it helps conserve embossing powder and minimize mess (and it's only $2.50, sooo...)

So, at most, to emboss 500 napkins (this is under the assumption that a single stamp would cost 7.50 and you would need 3 things of powder) would be $73.94.  However, the following would be a much better estimate:

Cocktail Napkins -          19.99 for 500
Custom Stamp -                8.00 for 1
Ink Pad -                           3.00 (go buy the one from Michael's that is usually $5 with a 40% off coupon)
Embossing Powder -          7.20 for 3 (bring two friends and each go buy 1 from Michael's with a 40% off coupon)
Embossing Gun -              16.00
Funnel Tray -                     1.53

Okay, so a much more realistic cost estimate for DIY embossing 500 cocktail napkins would be $55.72, but I'm sure you could get it done for less if you looked for the best deals!  I probably spent somewhere around $50 in all, which I don't think is half bad considering ordering them from somewhere like The Knot would run you 20 bucks for 100 (as in $100 for 500 napkins), and you don't really get to personalize them!