Becky + Stephan

I meant to get this up a long time ago, but things just got away from me. It's another design I did for a really sweet girl out in Oregon, Becky.

She wanted pink, and one of the designs I had already done - which made my job a little bit easier :-) She was so much fun to work with and I LOVE how she added to her pocket fold by:

• Using an engagement photo to add a personal touch (or help relatives remember exactly who you are again..hehe - I should have done this!)
  
• the ribbon around the pocket
• using brads to hold the pocket in place instead of adhesive! (way cheaper I imagine PLUS it held it in place really well!!!)
  

I fell in love with this invite when it arrived in my mail box! It must have taken forever to assemble these but I can imagine the response she's getting from people - and it's nothing to do with my design! This girl really made her invite - HERS!

Check it out!

**Just a note to anyone interested in invite design from me - I am not taking anymore orders until after I return from my honeymoon in September. If you won't be needing anything until then, but want to book me now to save your place - please contact me at acgrundman@gmail.com as we'll chat!**

A Classy Fishing Themed Invite? Yah You Betcha!

OMG, I am so excited! I just finished my good friend Amy's wedding invites and I feel great! First off it was a nice break from the chaos of my own wedding plans, which today just were out of hand. And Second, to know that I was a part of her special day in such a great way, oh I could cry.

So, her lucky hubby-to-be popped the question on a boat while they were fishing, so she knew she wanted fishing incorporated somehow. She provided me with something she found that she wanted, and I tweaked it to what I could do right now, and this is the final product:



My favorite part of this whole thing is the RSVP - the wording on it, suggested in part by FutureMrs on Wedding Bee and the other wonderfully creative Hive over there:

For yes: We Will Be there Hook, Line & Sinker
For no: Sorry, Gone Fishin'

I think this will be the last project I take on before the wedding. At least a full pocket fold invite. Little things I'm ok with - but since I still have to do her programs, and thank you cards...who knows if I'll have any more time.

Wrapping it all Togeter

When I said that cutting the pieces of paper out that make the invite was the worst part of the invite process.....I lied. I hadn't yet been faced with the "belly band" issue.

I'm sure it would have been much easier if the piece of paper I was using to go around the invite was in fact the same size, as the invite. But no. I'm thrifty and wanted to use scrap from my inserts for it.

So I laid out the belly band like this, and tried as best I could after 2 glasses of wine to make it smack dab in the middle (you'll see the final result, is a bit off center. I blame the wine)

I then folded in the two sides, and using a glue stick applied adhesive to the edge of one of the belly band.Then I applied my square seal, and then put the adhesive to the other edige of the belly band. Doing it this way kept me from gluing myself to my invites - which I assure you could have been done with out any wine at all....

As you can see this one is a bit...off. LOL. But I fixed it before I mailed it out - I just never took the extra picture.


And here they are, boxed up ready to head to the Post Office, where I will double check to make sure I have the correct postage (I know I do, but I like to check things about 14 times...) and the post the ones to Europe to our friends overseas. LIKE AUNTIE NORA!!! HI NORA!!!

So this is 90 of them, I have about 30 more or so to get all together...and then they will leave me and I will be sad to see them go....

Finished 6x6 Pocketfold Invites!

Here they are, in all their glory. Months of work, waiting, freaking out and gluing tiny gems to paper and here they are! And they are almost ready to mail!

I have to admit that of all the steps: Designing, Printing, Cutting and Assembling - cutting was by far the worst part and the most time consuming!!!

Here's a quick run down of how it all came together.

• After the jewels were glued onto the invite and the invite stuck to the pink backing piece, I then stuck that whole piece into the pocketfold.
• Then I handed off the pocketfold to Mr S, who stuffed in the Drections/ Information card and the Reception/Accommodations cards and set that off to the side.

Now it was time to get the RSVP's in - and since I had 6 different RSVP's, and each one had to be numbered to coincide with the guests number on my Excel spread sheet this step tooo a little longer then expected.

• Mr S would read me the name off the mailing envelope (which I printed up months ago) I would find them on the list, write the number on the back lower corner of the RSVP and he would stuff it in, then lay the whole thing with it's envelope, in a big white box to wait for it's belly band.

The belly band will be the last thing to go on, I tried making the seals at home and honestly gave up cutting them out and simply ordered some sticker ones instead. Sure it was an added $40 for 250, but I'll use them all through out the wedding planning and what not, and it will save me a load of time.
I'm still finding time to take on design projects, be they for invites, programs, thank you cards, Let me know and do it soon if you're thinking about it. Soon I'll be shutting down design until after my wedding and honeymoon - so mid-Sept!!!

Putting On The Glitz!

I started this task last night, as I received the 1's, 2's and 5's RSVP's from my step dad.

I cut it all up, and then realized I still needed to put the crystals on the invites, so I shifted gears and started this process.

In the absence of my actual craft tweezers, I grabbed an old pair of my eyebrow ones, because grabbing the gems and dipping them in glue and properly placing with your fingers is IMPOSSIBLE!

• STEP ONE: Squirt some glue, about a dime sized amount onto a scrap piece of paper. It will be easier to apply the glue to the gems this way.
• STEP TWO: Pick up gem with tweezers and dip lightly only the back, in the glue.
• STEP THREE: dab back of glue covered gem on scrap paper to remove excess, a very little amount is needed and you don't want the glue oozing out the sides.
  

(forgive my photos this time around, camera was having an off day, as was I! UGH!)

When all finished lay the items out to dry, it shouldn't take too long. Especially if you don't use too much glue. Be sure to lay them out flat, do not stack they can and will stick together!

And with Elmer's or the Jule glue I used, you will find that excess will dry clear but it's still better not to have a whole lot because you will still see the clear lump if it's too big.

And then you're all done adding the glitz to your invites!!!

It's so Rewarding!

Remember a bit back I designed some wedding invites for a fellow bride - well she sent me one, and today it arrived!

Check out the detail on the cascading pocketfold inserts - when lined up they make one fluid image, yet it still appears on the individual cards in full as well.
I was so happy to be able to make these invites, and it's so rewarding to see how well they turned out as a final product. I'm proud to have been a part of this part of her big day!

Crazy.....about designing

Because I'm a total nut case I decided to take on a huge task during my own wedding planning - create and design from scratch someone else's wedding invites and stationary. Someone I didn't know, never met other then on the computer.....

Luckily I got to work with a really fun, and understanding girl, who wasn't one of those demanding Bride-Zillas! Phew! Seriously, if I had to deal with a bride...like me for instance, I would have flipped!

My Bride had a very specific design in mind, one that I couldn't find a graphic anything even close to use for her design - so I had to draw it from hand, by looking at some sample invites she sent me for inspiration. That was one of the most time consuming parts of all this.

Here's a little sample of what her dream and my designing came up with.

She's making a type of pocket fold invite, something similar to mine. And since she decided she wanted the same script font as me, and the same RSVP - they look similar in a few way! But it kept at least a few things easy for me!

The Main Invite

The Thank You Card

Inserts, as they will appear once printed and stacked

The Menu

I had a great time making these for her! I can't wait to see what they look like printed on Opal Star Dream paper and accented with the champange and blue!


Credits:
*Design Idea sent to me by Bride,
*Thank you Mrs Lemon again for your Awesome RSVP - it goes onto please even more!!!
*All other design created by myself using PhotoShop CS2

Making My Pocketfold Invites -Part 1-

I finally got to start the invitation process *Scream with joy!* The instruction process is going to be done in installments, so if you have question between them - feel free to ask.

I started last night doing the one thing I knew I could with out needing to print anything, cut the pink paper to size. I bought 2 packs of Rose Quarts Stardream text weight paper from www.envelopemall.com. When pricing out the paper, we did find a place that sold 12x12 sheets but it was cheaper still to buy it 8.5x11 from Envelope Mall, especially since the scrap will not go to waste.

I needed 2 different sized pieces, a 6x6 square for the main backing to the invite, and a 2.25x2.25 square for the backing to the monogram on the band that wraps around the closed invitation.


I started with the larger of the two pieces. Setting the two separate sized pieces of scrap off to the side in individual piles, for use later. No scrap here!

I used a stack cutter because in my years of scrabooking I have leaned the Fiskars trimmers do not produce straight lines consistently, and I was not taking any chances with my beautiful wedding invitations.
The one used here is an Exacto brand and is even equiped with a laser light to show you where you're cutting. I borrowed it from my step-dad, but I would think you could pick it up for about $50 at an office supply store.


I placed each finished 6x6 sheet into piles of ten so I could keep track of how many I had cut. Since I ordered more pink paper then needed just for the invites, I didn't want to cut too much and not have any left for other stuff later.


Next I moved onto the smallest of the scrap pieces, which was about 2.25 x 5.

From it I got (2) 2.25x2.25 pieces for use in the band wrap

I set those off tot he side as well and then decided to use up the last of the scrap before bed as well. So I grabbed the larger of the two pieces of scrap and cut 22 pieces down to a 4x6 size and decided to give my table names a shot. As my printer isn't a big fan of any paper smaller then a 8.5x11 it was a real risk, but - better I tired it with scrap then with a full sheet.

It worked out really well, and I got out about 15 before the ink started to run low.

When all is said and done these table names will be placed on a black cover card stock backing and decorated with a clear jewel on the main loop(s) of the first and last letter. BLING!

More to come.....next I hope to print and assemble the actual invite, and finish the table name cards. We may even start on the construction of the wedding program itself!

Until next time!