There are seemingly endless uses for stationery, and even more ways you can customize it to make your own. When it comes to stationery, it’s always good idea to add a touch of your personal flair. This is especially true if you are using the stationery for personal scenarios (e.g. your grandmother’s 75th birthday). But by and large, having your own version of stationery will give you the freedom to express yourself in whatever way you’d like. Here are few suggestions on how to enhance your stationery based on what you need it for:

Love letters or sympathy cards
Generally speaking, you don’t want to go over the top with any decorations on stationery that has more serious undertones. When you’re writing a love note or sympathy card (after the death of a loved one, for example), you don’t want to do it on stationery that will distract the reader from the message you’re trying to convey. Go for something a little more basic in scenarios like these. Writing your note on simple, yet elegant stationery will show that you care but won’t distract the recipient.

Invitations, announcements and thank you cards
Occasions like these afford you the opportunity to add a little more silliness or craziness on your stationery. Unless you’re making wedding invitations or baby-on-the-way announcements, you can explore fun options here. If you’re using your stationery to make invitations for your child’s birthday party, feel free to include imagery that’s tied in with the theme of the party. If the birthday party is at the zoo, for instance, add some decorative animals to the borders of your paper. Looking for an easy idea for thank you cards? Try adding an embellishment with your initials.

Business interactions
Your safest bet in correspondence at the business level is to keep things plain. You don’t want anything to look too playful or unnecessarily fancy. Go with a simple color (think white or gray) and finish. It’s not a bad idea to pick out paper that’s a little thicker than regular, printer paper. It shows a level of professionalism that you won’t find by fetching a piece of white paper from your office’s printer tray.

Remember, these are merely suggestions for what to do with your stationery. The best part about it is that it’s yours. Have fun in designing your stationery for every occasion.