I decided on what I like to call the Janelle design, because I learned it from one of my best friends and it is her go-to invite. I knew that I could finish them in just one night, they matched my skill level and budget, and of course, would be super cute. Plus, the style can be used for any occasion/announcement.
After a trip to Michael's to get all of my supplies, the first step was to design the cards. My very first step was to measure the envelopes, and cut the base of my cards (the green) to fit inside. Unfortunately I couldn't find a card/envelope set that was going to work, nor could I find a pack of just envelopes. Boo. I had to buy a bulk pack and will just plan use the cards for something else. Once my base was measured and cut, I could decide on the size of the text portion of the card (the ivory), and format accordingly.
I hate my handwriting, so I knew it would look much better to print them. The formatting is always the hardest part, and it took a little while to make sure that everything would fit together. In the meantime, I discovered that we were out of ink, which meant another side trip to Walmart. Finally, when I was back in business, I could print and prep the cards.
The next step was to add the embossing. This is an optional embellishment, but I think it adds a nice touch. Embossing can seem pretty intimidating when first getting started, but it is easier than I thought it would be. I found a stamp for the bottom of the card, inked it, poured on the powder, shook off the excess, and heated until done. (Unfortunately I forgot to take pics of this. Oops!) I have found that embossing is a lot easier with stamps with simple, clear outlines. I ended up picking this little heart border from this clear stamp set.
Once the embossing was set, I placed the top of the card on the green back, and punched two holes at the top. I did not have a single-hole punch, and ended up using my three-hole punch, which worked well.
Once the holes are punched, the only task left is to string a ribbon through. I started from the back, so that the loop is on the front, and the tails are in the back of the card.
Then, I just flipped the card around to the back and pulled both of the tail through to the front and trimmed them so they were even on each side of the card.
I had to call Janelle to ask how she kept the ends looking so neat. She explained that to make the ends into the v's, or snake tongues, as I was calling them, you simply fold the ribbon in half, and cut at the angle from the outer edge to the middle. The key to this step is very sharp scissors.
The finished product looked like this. I am really happy with how they turned out. Although, please do excuse my poor photo editing - had to protect the identity of the bride, and didn't really feel like sharing my number with the whole world...
That is the Janelle invitation. Thanks to my buddy for teaching it to me.
Now is the fun part - the rest of the party planning with the bridal party!
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