My DIY invites are done & sent!!

[Lynnie]

Yay! Sent about two weeks ago... I haven''t loaded the pics into my cpu till tonight.

The pocketfolds and all the cardstock/inserts and envelopes are from cardsandpockets.com. The green is called meadow, and the pink is watermelon.
I had been planning on going to staples/office max for the printing, but then I found out it''s 59 cents/page (I had 300 "pages" - they all come pre-cut), plus they have size restrictions, so I braved the home printer. It was definitely a PITA, though. My printer for some reason kept sucking the paper in crooked, so I had to sit there and guide EACH one into the printer so it would come out straight. They ended up printing really nice. I set the printer to "high quality", and bought high-quality ink, too.
We used glue-dots to mount the invites and invite mats into the pocketfolds. Major props for FI for helping me out on assembly. Then we ran out of glue dots, and I went to a local store to get some more. They didn''t have any, so I bought this: http://www.keenzo.com/showproduct.asp?M=HENKEL&ID=1060979&ref=GB It''s like permanant double-sided glue/tape. Worked just as well as the glue dots, but it''s a heck of a lot faster.

We also put 3 jewels in each invite. We bought them from Michaels. It was tedious work... They have adhesive on the backs, and FI couldn''t un-peel them b/c of his stubby fingers! Lol

The ribbon came from the florist. Mom works there. The owner let me take a bolt, which was nice. The color is called "wildflowers".

The flower on the front is actually "Bridal Confetti" I found at Michael''s. Link: http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=wd0405&channelid= There must be 400 of them in the container. I just added a larger jewel on those. Gotta figure out what to do with the leftovers, now.

Anywho, before I post pics, I wanna thank all you crafty PSers who served as major inspiration! And, I never knew the Scriptina font existed before PriceScope!!

First pic - Invite closed. Sorry it''s blurry

 

[Lynnie]

Open...

 

[Lynnie]

Invite part...

 

[Lynnie]

...

 

[Lynnie]

Close-up of the texture...

 

[Lynnie]

rows and rows... I think we ended up sending out 75 of them

 

[Lynnie]

last one... it shows my attempt at calligraphy.

 

[Winslet]

Those are adorable! I''m sure it''s a huge relief to have them done!

 

[miraclesrule]

Love, love, love them!! I have an affinity for flowers, so that sold me. I love the colors too. Yayayayaya, you are on the road to matrimony!!!

 

[Deelight]

WOW (I actually said that out loud) those are beautiful and Scriptina is my favourite cursive font of all time, beautiful invites

, congrats on getting them done they are just amazing.

 

[kama_s]

Oh wow! Your invites look so amn professional! I can''t believe they''re DIY! Looks amazing, congrats on having them done and sent!

 

[CDNinNYC]

They look fabulous!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

They''re fantastic! I think your "attempt" at calligraphy was pretty darn successful!

 

[Clairitek]

These are totally awesome! Thanks so much for posting.

If you haven''t already, can you post a couple of pics and a link to this thread in the DIY Thread?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Kelli]

They look great! I''m now thinking of doing it myslef too!

 

[Definitely. Maybe]

I LOVE the colors! Everything about them just looks fabulous. great job!

 

[Lynnie]

Thanks everyone! Yes, it is a huge relief to have them done. And it''s so exciting getting the replies in the mail! I ended up inviting a total of 124 people (booked the venue for 110). So far, I''ve gotten 16 replies, and no regrets!
FMIL called me up when she got hers... She said "I thought you were doing them yourself?" Ha, she couldn''t believe they were DIY. I still think that she thinks I got them done professionally.

Anyone contemplating DIY, definitely go for it! Although time-consuming, you can save a lot of $. I spent a total of around $260 (including $90 on postage) for 80 invites. I had also bought extra inserts, which I didn''t use. There was supposed to be an "accomodations" card as well. The closest hotel didn''t offer much of a discount, and I found out that most of the people from OOT either stay with family, or have "their" preferred hotel anyway, so we decided to go without.

Heading to the DIY thread, now... thanks for the reminder, Clair!

 

[redfaerythinker]

Those look really great. Totally professional.

 

[newsboysgrl777]

wow. I know you sent these out a long time ago and you''re already married, but I was going through the DIY sticky and when I saw your invites, I gasped!! WHY? We are doing the EXACT SAME THING!! I''m serious!! The same color scheme, the same idea with the pink ribbon, the same idea with the little flower!! LOL I couldn''t believe it when I saw it!!

Of course, they''re not 100% identical...so don''t worry!! But I did have a question for you - did you print these yourself or have them done professionally? Either way, how did you come up with the design (as in, the flowers going across it, and then the little ''gems'' on some of the flowers?) We''re not going to do anything like that, but I WOULD like some kind of adornment somewhere...just like a little something?! ANYWAY...sorry I''m rambling...LOL!!! I would just like to get info from you because they are SO CLOSE to what we''re doing!!

 

[newsboysgrl777]

LOL...so never mind my post. I was so enamoured with the pics that I didn''t read what you wrote....and it answered all my questions. LOL Wow!! Way to go!! I''m so impressed!!


OH...and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kittybean]

My goodness, your invites are so beautiful! Your guests are going to be so thrilled to receive them.

 

[mrscushion]

Nicely done!!!

 

[Upstate NY]

OMG, I LOVE your invites! They came out amazing! I am doing my invites myself as well (pink and green

) and Im having trouble coming up with a design for my invitation and insterts. Where did you get your design from or how did you make it?

 

[Lynnie]

Sorry for the late response! I saw this thread had been revived, but I haven''t had a chance to reply!

Newsboysgrl, that is too funny... great minds think alike, huh?

You MUST post photos of yours when you''re done. Are you ordering the folders from the same company? If so, get samples first. A lot of the colors are a lot different than what comes up on the screen.

Upstate, I used photoshop for the design. The branches are actually a photoshop "brush". If you google "free photoshop brushes", you can choose and download different designs. I ended up with a couple finalists, and polled family and friends on which one to choose. Ended up with the one we did because the jewels looked nicest with that one. As far as coming up with it? A lot of internet inspiration. Plus, I knew I wanted some kind of flower/branch/vine decor, because the ceremony was outdoors. Do you have a certain feel/vibe you wanna go for? Modern, traditional, whimsy? You should start a thread here! You''d get a ton of help!

So I had the final design and ribbon, and had been planning on using the extra inserts to print up squares with the wedding date to attach on the front of the cards, where the flower was. But then I went to Michael''s for something else, saw the flowers, and a lightbulb went off. I thought they were so cute, the perfect size, etc. And 5.99 for 400 of them. And at that point I was sick of all the printing, anyway. There were a ton left over, so we used them as our favor adornment as well.

Thanks again!!

PS I am upset that I didn''t bring an invite to the wedding! I forgot, but would''ve loved some pro shots of them!

 

[Sparkalicious]

They are beautiful, Lynnie! Great job!