Sneak Party Peek

I'm furiously working on the last-minute details for my daughter's 8th birthday this Saturday, but I have a ton of exciting stuff coming up!  Here's a little sneak peek at the invitation:

Can you guess what the theme is this year?

How to Line an Envelope

One of my favorite ways to customize an invitation is with a lined envelope.  Sure, you can pay the invitation company extra money to provide you with lined envelopes, but it's a fun and easy DIY project, and you have infinite possibilities for creating exactly the look you want.

Materials for making a DIY Lined Envelope:

• Envelope of your choosing
• Pencil
• Paper for creating template
• Pretty paper for lining the envelope
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Instructions for Lining an Envelope

1)  Use a pencil to trace the shape of the envelope on a piece of scrap paper and cut out the shape.  

Trim 1/4 inch off of the left side, and 1/4 inch off of the right side of the template.  Trim 1/2 inch off the bottom of the template.  Leave the pointed top edge of the template exactly as it is.

2)  Use the template to trace and cut the shape on a piece of pretty paper.  Scrapbook paper works well for this, but can get expensive.  High quality wrapping papers are excellent for this job, and come in a huge array of colors and designs.  Art and paper shops often have large sheets of stunning papers available for a more economical price as well.  

3)  Slip the liner in the envelope.  Use a glue stick to glue only the top (pointy) portion of the liner paper to the envelope.  Do not glue lower than the fold!  When gluing, be sure not to cover the adhesive on the envelope itself.  Trimming the 1/2 from the bottom of the template should take care of this, but it's still important to be conscious of placement when gluing the liner in place.  

That's it!  It's an incredibly simple project, but really adds such a visual difference.  I love pretty little details like these that set the tone for the event to come.  

Other Ideas for Lined Envelopes

• Having a character-themed birthday party?  Look for licensed scrapbook or wrapping paper and use that for the envelope liner.   So much more fun and interesting than a plain birthday invitation!
• Don't limit yourself to paper.  Imagine using lace, or a calico print fabric for an event with a shabby chic or vintage vibe.  
• How about this amazing idea using photos printed on paper from Martha Stewart Weddings:

Get creative!  That's the point of DIY projects like this--make your invitation yours.  

Fabulous Product: A Sweet and Customized Return Address Stamp

Sitting down to address all of your wedding invitations is a daunting task.  I put it off until I absolutely couldn't any longer, and ended up with the most clawed, cramped hand by the end of the evening.  I can't get behind how some people print out sticker labels for their wedding invitations--that's just a little too mass-mailer-advertisement for me.  But I can completely get behind these darling return address stamps from Note Trunk Stamps + Paper to ease the burden of writing everything by hand.

So sweet, but somehow elegant at the same time.  I love these designs!  And this is an item that you'll be able to use for years to come (at least as long as you're still living at the same location), unlike most items bought for a wedding.  

Some purists insist on everything on the envelope being hand-written.  But with custom stamps that look this good?  I say stamp away.

Inspired Idea: The Handkerchief Invitation

Invitations are important.  They set the tone and give a glimpse of what's to come.  If you were lucky enough to receive an invitation to Yougna and Jacob's wedding, you'd have no doubt that their celebration would be something truly special.  

So what did they do?  She knew that her guests would need a map to find their celebration, and had the inspired idea to make the map into a gorgeous, custom-printed fabric map, sewn into a handkerchief.  Extra hankies are always a good idea at weddings!  

The pictures were also taken by the amazing Yougna, also a photographer.  No wonder she has such beautiful artistic vision.  

The idea is incredible, yes, but the end product is so spectacular thanks to the design work of Kelli Anderson.  For more great information on the involved, impressive process behind creating the design, check out Kelli Anderson's blog.  It's full of great details and insights for anyone considering a project of this sort.  

Bravo, Yougna!  Projects like this make me want to get married all over again!

Now This is a Bachelor Party I'd Love to See

What an incredibly fun idea for a bachelor party invitation, from Grace Printables:

What fabulous photo opportunities this party would have!  If your groom is anything like my husband (and most men I know), they're not much into party planning, but they do appreciate the effort when it's made.  The brilliance of this party is that it creates a fun, unifying theme, while still allowing the party to be as loose and unstructured as the groom and friends might wish.  Best of both worlds!

DIY Project: How to Make A Storybook Invitation

Looking for the storybook invitation tutorial?  It's moved to its new home at Tikkido.com.