Graduation: A Childless Woman’s Perspective

Sponsored Post – I absolutely love helping the childless not by choice community.  Since I do have bills to pay, however, I must begin to monetize my blog.  So, I did receive compensation to write this post, but all opinions are my own.  It’s an honest review, with some insights about my childless not by choice life thrown in…

With May upon us, that means graduation season is near.  For we childless not by choice, this can feel like something else we are going to miss out on.  But there is a different way to look at graduation…

Graduation isn’t just for kids…

One of the bright sides of a childless life is that we do not have to pay for college tuition.  While my hubby and I hope to help our nieces and nephews with their education, it is not required.  Because of that, we were able to send my hubby back to school in 2009.  And in one week, Dane will graduate with his Master of Business Administration.

My husband is the first person in his immediate family to receive a college degree.  When he graduated with his Bachelor of Biology in 2013, we were preparing to move half-way across the country.  So, Dane didn’t even attend his graduation ceremony.  After taking a year off, he enrolled in classes towards an MBA, while also running his own business and remodeling our home.  To say that I am proud of his accomplishment of earning an MBA is an understatement.

Celebrating My Hubby’s Graduation!

This time, I am determined that we are not going to let anything get in the way of the celebration!  My husband is attending graduation, decked out in the Master’s robe, his college’s colors around his neck, with a graduation cap atop his head.  My goal is to make this occasion super special from start to finish.  So, when I learned about Basic Invite, an online stationary company where you can create customized graduation announcements, graduation invitations, and graduation thank you cards, I was excited to check out their site.

Focus on the good…

When I arrived at Basic Invite’s homepage, I immediately realized that there are possible triggers for the childless not by choice.  Being a custom invitation site, there is a “baby” section and the events include occasions such as “kids birthday.”  Not willing to allow anything to spoil my festive mood, however, I simply navigated around those and headed straight to the “graduation announcements” page.  Once there, I noticed some mentions of high school graduations, but honestly, it didn’t bother me…  I was there to create the perfect graduation announcement and invitation for my hubby, so I focused completely on that task.

Creating the Perfect Graduation Announcement

And creating the perfect graduation announcement was so much fun!  Basic Invite had pages upon pages to choose from, but it wasn’t overwhelming because the site is laid-out very well and is quite user-friendly.  After deciding on “Adventure Awaits,” I was able to change the text, customize its font and color (they have over 180 different options!), plus upload a photo of my husband.  I chose to upload the photo directly from my computer, but you can also use Flickr or Smug Mug if you prefer.  I absolutely loved that I could zoom in and readjust the photo as needed, until it was perfectly placed.

Creating the Perfect Graduation Invitation

After creating the announcement, I moved on to a graduation invitation.  Although I could have stayed with the “Adventure Awaits” theme, I decided to choose “Laurel Leaves” for a more sophisticated invitation.  Again, I was able to change the text, customizing both font and color.  What I truly love is that each line of text was in its own box, which means that I was able to include six different fonts on the invitation.  Although I chose to use the same color on each font, I could have used a variety, including foil options of gold, silver, and the ever-popular rose gold.

Creating Thank You Cards and More…

Next, I quickly created a graduation thank you card in the “Laurel Leaves” line and then decided to have a bit of fun making some thank you cards that I could send, plus a piece of personal stationary for myself.  I spent a couple of hours creating six different items and enjoyed every minute!

No need to worry.  Custom samples available.

Although I spent time trying to create the perfect invitation and announcement, I am, by nature, a worrier.  So, I always wonder if it’s going to be exactly what I want when it arrives…  Well, I didn’t have to fret because Basic Invite let me order samples of my custom pieces to make sure I love every aspect of my designs!  Because I created an account, everything I made was placed in my saved products.  That way, I could place a full order after receiving my samples or make tweaks to my products if there was something I didn’t quite like.

While the ability to order a sample is amazing, you must start this process early.  Because everything is custom made, Basic Invite estimates delivery within 11-14 days (although I got my products earlier than the 12-day estimate the site told me when I ordered my samples).  So, if you want a sample, you’ll need to give a couple of weeks to receive it, plus a couple more weeks to get your full order after you place it.  If you need to mail announcements, invitations, or a gift (I think the stationary would make awesome presents), then you’ll have to allow time for that, as well.

A brief commercial break…

On a side note…  Basic Invite can save you some time by addressing your envelopes, and you don’t even have to type in all the addresses because they offer an address capturing service.  You just share a link on your social media, asking your friends and family to share their addresses with you.  This info is then stored on your customer account so you can select the needed addresses during the design process. Except during Christmas, there is an additional fee for address printing, though.

Back to the awesome custom samples…

Personally, I was grateful that I could order samples, despite the fact that it requires more time.  The final products look exactly like I had hoped.  The colors shown on the site were true to real life.  If anything, they were richer in person, so I liked them even better.  The paper quality was excellent, with substantial weight.  My products were on smooth coated and signature matte papers.  Even though these are considered “standard,” I was pleased with the quality of both.  Envelopes are included, and they are peel and seal!  No need to lick that disgusting tasting envelope glue!  Plus, they are an excellent quality, as well.  And my favorite part of the envelopes…  You can get them in over 40 customized colors to match your invitation or stationary!  (And an envelope is included with your sample, as well!)

Order Placed and Ready to Graduate!

Basic Invite Products

Honestly, I was incredibly impressed with Basic Invite, from start to finish.  Although you could certainly purchase a pre-made invitation for less, it wouldn’t have the same character, quality, or uniqueness.  Plus, I had to remember that the price for an individual sample is higher than the per-unit price when purchasing multiples.  But price does matter, so I’m pleased that Basic Invite is offering 15% of everything through the end of August.  Just use code 15FF51.

Whether you have a graduation, summer party, or just want to make something special for yourself, I hope you’ll check out Basic Invite.  Maybe I’ll make up a “Just wanted to show y’all how amazing our England trip was” after we get back.  Because that’s another major bright side of a childless life—travel!  So, my hubby and I are celebrating his MBA with a two-week trip to the UK!

But for now, I think I might have to make myself some business cards…

Ready to start a custom creation of your own?  Click here…

*While I did receive a one-time monetary compensation and six free products to review Basic Invite’s graduation line, all opinions are my own. 

*This post does NOT contain any affiliate links, so I receive no additional compensation if you place an order.  (I do hope you’ll consider purchasing from Basic Invite, though.  I really do think you’ll be impressed with their products.)    

*Like I said initially, I absolutely love helping the childless not by choice community.  Your comments, emails, and social media followings are greatly appreciated.  Since I do have bills to pay, however, I must begin to monetize my blog so that I can keep writing and supporting the CNBC community. 

Featured Photo:  Stock Photo from Basic Invite