A bridal
shower is a time for entertaining and enchantment. It is an
opportunity for the bride-to-be to share in the company of her
friends and family, while being "showered" by gifts of love and
adoration. To add to the personal feel of the shower and to bring
forth an intimate touch, it can be a lofty idea to create handmade
bridal shower invitations. Your guests will without doubt
appreciate the time it takes you to formulate these invitations. In
addition, creating your own invitations can often save you loads of
money when all is said and done and will reassure that your cards
fit precisely within your bridal shower theme.
Add the
Personal Touch
There are
many ways you can personalize your do-it-yourself bridal shower
invitations. One is to add a portrait of yourself and your fiancé
to the invitation. Computer programs such as Corel Draw, Adobe
Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks are clever for manipulating
pictures and adding special effects. With such programs, you can
build a textured look, add borders, or make a cameo style oval shape
of the photo.
Aim for
the Right Design
If you
don't want to add a photograph to your invitation, you should still
add some type of clip art or graphic. Take your time to surf around
on the Internet for different photographs that could possibly be
used for your invitations. There are innumerable free clip-art
images available, and you might be able to find one that will fit
your theme faultlessly.
Create
or Pick Out the Right Paper
Making
your own paper for your homemade bridal shower invitations can truly
add a special touch. If you do not know how to make your own paper,
be sure to be desirous of the highest quality paper you can manage.
The paper quality will have a far greater impression on the final
look and feel of your handcrafted bridal shower invitations than you
may comprehend.
Choose
the Right Font
If you are
planning to print your do-it-yourself shower invitations, don't be
in a hurry to select the right font color, style, and size. Take
your time in choosing and the final product will show it. The
lettering on your invitation can make a great impression on setting
the mood for your bridal shower.
Do a
Few Trial Prints
When you
have decided on what you think is the perfect font and design for
your do-it-yourself shower invitations, print one out with plain
printer paper. This will help you make sure it has the appearance
you are obviously after, without wasting your more expensive, high
quality paper. After you are sure your invitation is just perfect,
go ahead and print them all out.
Try
Something New
Making
your own bridal shower invitations is a great time to try something
new. Embossing your own bridal shower invitations can make them
look classy and unique. In addition, your guests will appreciate
the time and effort it takes to create these cards. To emboss your
handcrafted bridal shower invitations, you will need to obtain an
embossing heat tool, which will cost approximately $35 at a craft
store. This is a worthwhile investment for the reason that you will
be able to use it for many different special occasions, including
creating programs, invitations and thank you notes. You can also
use an embossing heat tool if you are a scrapbooking enthusiast
(maybe you can start on one when the wedding is over!)
You will
also need embossing powder, which costs about $5 per bottle, in the
colors you are using. An embossing inkpad, which costs about $5,
and stamps, which cost in the neighborhood $5-10 each, will also
need to be bought.
The stamp
will serve as the image you will use on your handmade bridal shower
invitations. Consequently, you should pick out a couple that seem to
fit within the theme of the shower or, if you wish, the theme of the
wedding. You may also pick out a design or image that represents
love, such as two intertwined hearts or a tulip design. These
stamps can also be used over and over and can go beyond just your
bridal shower invitations. In fact, you might choose to emboss the
design or photograph on the program at your wedding or on the menu
cards at your reception.
The
colored embossing powder you will use to create your invitations
will actually go a long way. Consequently, you might want to just
stick to one or two colors in order to keep the cost down. One or
two bottles should be plenty to create all the cards you need.
The actual
process of embossing is quite simple. First, stamp the inkpad with
the stamp you selected for your handcrafted bridal shower
invitations. Then, sprinkle some of your embossing powder over the
stamped area. Tap off the spare powder and let it fall onto another
piece of plain paper. The spare powder can be returned to its
container by creasing the plain paper and using it as a funnel to
pour the powder back in. After the spare embossing powder has been
removed, administer heat to the area by holding your embossing heat
tool near to, but not directly on, the area. Keep administering heat
for several seconds until the embossing powder is melted into the
image or design you desire.
After you have
perfected this process, you can use different colors within the same
design. Or, you can choose to use a couple of different designs.
The most awesome part is that no two invitations will be exactly the
same - making each one a truly unique gift to each of your guests!
