A blank canvas is what we always start with, whether it is a painting or a wedding, or even the wedding invites. That is why many couples to be wed opt for DIY wedding invitation kits so that they can make their own masterpiece to represent and introduce the happiest day of their lives.

A DIY wedding invitation kit lets you figure out what your end result would be from the get-go. You can do up some samples and compare them at first before you set your mind to it, and even ask your closest friends and family for their opinion before confirming your choice of design and creation as your wedding invite.

The first step is to decide on the base colour that you want your DIY wedding invites in. You could take the easy route and choose either white or a neutral hue because you can never go wrong. If you are not sure of what you want, order a few samples in advance and try then out with the other accompanying materials you have acquired to add colour and ‘oomph’ to the wedding invite ensemble. You can add that special touch with the likes of the following.

Ribbons & Lace: Ribbons and lace would be easiest way to add pops of colours onto your DIY wedding creation. Not just using it, but the way you use it makes a difference. You can pair a few different colours together, or even weave them into a design.

Watercolour Paint: Watercolour paint creations are beautiful, because not only are you adding your own personal touch, but also the colour from watercolours leaves a beautiful texture when completed.

Dyeing and Paper Texturing: A great way to add a twist to your DIY wedding invite paper would be to add colouring, in terms of dyeing, which can be done using watercolour itself, or even applying a coat of watercolour paint using a sponge or cloth.

Stamps: Stamps are great ways to add a professional looking finish with flowing and intricate designs to your wedding invite. Choose designs that go well together, or overlap in different colours to bring life into the wedding card.

Stencils: Stencils are also great ways in which you can acquire great and intricate designs, where all you need to do is colour over a stencil, and presto, you have yourself beautiful look.

Stitching: Some brides opt to add a bit of stitching for a homely feel. If your wedding is a casual one, or you have a notebook or cross-stitch theme going on, this would be ideal.

Embellishments & Accessories: Adding buckles, little diamante brooches in varying colours depending on your theme would be ideal for bursts of colour in the right amounts.

Envelope Liners: Another way of adding colour to your DIY wedding invites is to add a great envelope liner that surprises your guests as they open it. It can be anything from a design, pattern to even photographs.

Lace has always been a great source of beauty when it comes to adding it to fashion pieces, because your ensemble instantly becomes romantic with a hint of lace. Lace is definitely a favourite when it comes to wedding dresses, and if your dress will have lace used on it, you can focus your entire wedding around your beautiful lace accented wedding dress and theme everything, including your wedding invitations after it.

You have two options when it comes to lace designs and wedding invitations, where you can use those available at the invitations retailers, or you can make it personal with DIY wedding invitations. Now, when it comes to DIY wedding invitations you can find a design of the lace that you are going to use that is closest or identical to the lace used on the wedding dress.

1. Lace as a Design Element: If you are opting to use lace as a design element for your DIY wedding invitations, then the options you have before you are plenty. However, let us say you are using strips of lace as opposed to cut pieces or sheets. In such a scenario, there are many positions you can place the strips, be it as a focal element or even as borders. If you are using cut pieces, such as circle, square, or triangle, then you could include it in the centre and then add a similar shape of paper to add some text, such as the wedding date. For sheets of lace, it can be used as the background design to what the information will include and act as an aesthetic element.

2. Pocket Wedding Invitations: If you are going with pocket wedding invitations, you could use a large strip of lace to act as the area that encircles the area with the wedding invitation wording.

3. Using Lace Designs Punchers to Create Beautiful Edges: You can create beautiful edges if you opt to use lace design punchers that leave you with great designs that mimic the lace of your inspiration.

4. Hardy Envelopes: Using paper that has lace designs etched into it are great, or if they have been cut out or even punched out. These can act as the envelope itself, or you can use lace in the inserts, which are posted when you open the envelope of the wedding invite.

5. Using Lace as a Stencil and Spray Paint the Design onto the Card: If you love the design of the lace, then you can transfer it onto your DIY wedding invitation, but using the lace as a stencil and then using spray paint to get the design onto the card stock.

Any bride who loves arts and crafts, would definitely want to be a DIY bride, because, let’s face it, it is so much fun, and you have the greatest reward in knowing that your wedding will be truly yours, because you have instilled your own personal touch. If you can handle it, then there is nothing and no one (apart from your fiancé who might worry about the stress of it all). You can definitely start with DIY wedding invitations, and even get your bridesmaids and family members involved in getting them all done.

Enchanted Garden Handmade Wedding Invitation

So what you do, if you have chosen the path of DIY wedding invitations? Well, let me tell you, there are many options for you, but this time around, we are going to focus on how you can use beads and make your DIY wedding invitations fabulous.

Types of Beads

There are many types of beading available in the market, which you could choose from depending on the theme you opt for, from the choice of a rustic wedding to and elegant wedding.  Depending on the look you are going for, you have the option of using any of the following types of beads.

• Base Metals Beads
• Bone Beads
• Clay Beads
• Crystal Beads
• Glass Beads
• Pearl Beads
• Plastic Beads
• Precious Metals Beads
• Seed Beads
• Semiprecious Stones Beads
• Shell Beads
• Wood Beads

Patterns and Styles

When it comes to using beads for your DIY handmade wedding invitation, there are patterns or styles you can select, from floral designs or flourishes to baroque designs such as damask (where the use of seed beads would be advised) to modern patterns such as stripes, polka dots, chevron and more. If you do not want to create a pattern on your DIY wedding invitations, but would rather use your beading embellishments sporadically or as a focal element, then you can do so too. Using beading for accents, or to make specific elements such as chandeliers, fairy lights design, or borders, to shapes such as circles, square and hearts, or even use the on strings and ribbons, all of that is possible. If you want to see some examples of ways in which you can use beading for a great DIY wedding invitation, find some inspiration on DreamDay Invitations’ Handmade Wedding Invitations Diva Collection.

Velvet Plume Handmade Wedding Invitations

Table accessories are important when you want a finished look for your tables at your wedding reception. Now, if you have delightful wedding invitations sorted out, which you made yourself, then why not go the extra mile and also do up DIY placemats and DIY napkin bands, to carry on the same theme of your DIY wedding invites. You can draw the same inspiration from the wedding invites theme, and then start from there. These themes can be anything from floral designs, garden inspired elements, hearts, or even a beach theme. Some truly unique wedding invites have origami creations attached to the front facing, so why not continue that throughout your wedding stationery as well, including your placemats and napkin bands.

Here are some ways n where you can purchase yourself some DIY stationery kits for the likes of placemats and napkin bands, and add trims and accessories to make unique creations for your special day. Having categories them by floral elements, paper art and origami, and beads, buckles and diamante, here at DIY Invitations, we will present to your options which you can use, be inspired and enhance upon to make your big day truly special.

Floral Elements DIY Inspirations

Flowers are great inspirations for weddings, be it a specific flower in mind, the flowers of the season or even a garden. When it comes to DIY and floral elements for your wedding invites down to table accessories such as placemats and napkin bands, there are some options which you can put to use, such as the following;

1. Flowers added to DIY Napkin Bands. You can both use a real flower, or artificial flower, and then pin it to your napkin band, to add glamour to the ensemble. You can do the same to the placemat, by adding it to a corner. The same can be done with paper as well.
2. Burlap flowers for Napkin Bands and Placemats. You can add burlap onto the base of a DIY paper placemat to create a texture and contrast as well as make a burlap flower and pin it to the napkin band.
3. Ribbons and Lace materials for Table Accessories. You can put ribbons and lace into great use. Not only can you make various flowers out of these materials, but also they are also great to use as placemat, be it as a lace material in whole, or intertwine ribbons and lace streamer, in a weave pattern. There are many ways to put them to use.

Paper Art and Origami DIY Inspirations

1. Paper flowers added to DIY table accessories. You can use paper art or be creative to make floral origami and add it to the napkin band and placemat, which would be similar to the first options given in floral elements.
2. Tissue Flowers added to DIY table accessories. Similar to paper flower, you can use tissue materials to make tissue flowers or pompoms, which can be added to your table centres, napkin bands, and placemats.
3. Paper Doilies for Table Accessories. You can use paper doilies in varying colours, as the base of your placemat, or use then to highlight your napkin band, or even turn it into a flower.
4. Laser cut or cutouts of designs according to your theme. If you do not want to use doilies, and want your own designs, you can use the laser cut technique on your DIY stationery, and make yourself an ornate and intricate design for your placemats and napkin bands.

Beads, Buckles and Diamante DIY Inspirations

1. Beads for your DIY Stationery. Using a design of beads, make it as a flower, a shape, or something from your theme, can spruce up for your napkin bands and the placemats in a great way.
2. Adding buckles to your DIY table accessories. Buckles either made out of beads or diamante, are great additions to your ensemble. Add a splash of glamour with these options.
3. Mix and Match your Materials for your DIY table stationery and decor. Using all the options given here, you can make a beautiful array of creations that will be ideal for your big day. Choose wisely, and make samples to see for yourself and pick the best one out of the lot.

If you are hyped about being a DIY bride, want to do something personal yet elaborate, you still can. With the option of doing up DIY pocket wedding invites, you will have yourself a personal and custom wedding invite, with your creative input in a neat and concise little package in the form of an enclosed invite, known as the pocket invitations.

Pocket Invitations Types

Either there are two types of pocket wedding invitations, namely, which are square, or rectangular those are either horizontal or vertical. Essentially, they are square pocket invites, horizontal pocket invites, and vertical pocket invites. These bi-folded and tri-folded pocket invites allows you the option of choosing which type of layout, fold and direction you would want for your wedding invite and announcement. If you are going for a tri-folded pocket invite, then you are making a statement, because you will have more space for your invitation wording and personal notes, which make the invites, stand out. However, that does not mean that you should not opt for the bi-fold, because it does allow you to exude a sense of elegance.

Styles for Your DIY Pocket Invites

When it comes to styling your DIY pocket invites, you can keep it simple and opt for the likes of traditional, modern, & contemporary, to classic and elegant. Each of these styles has their dominant elements, which will show through, essentially through the colours and font usage. For traditional and classic styles you find yourself with san serif and cursive fonts with muted yet statement colours, whilst modern and contemporary you have the option of going with contrasts for your colour choices, and opt for either san serif and rigid fonts, or even serif fonts depending n your feeling towards the end result. Whether you choose traditional or modern for your style, you can make an elegant DIY pocket invite creation bloom from just an idea. Be wise when you opt select your designs, and make sure you do not mix and match these styles, so that your design shows through. Colours that are great on invites include the likes of black and white, being the base colours, whilst silver, gold, purple, pink, red, blue, brown, green, yellow, orange and neutral colours such as nude or taupe are great options.

Uses for DIY Pocket Invitations

You can use DIY pocket invites for the likes of DIY wedding pocket invites or even engagement party invitations, or even use it for save the date card. The choice is all yours.

Most of the bridal couples out there want something different and memorable to represent their special day. Some of them opt to DIY their wedding invitations, some look for handmade wedding invites and the rest, they look for ways in which to make the most unique wedding invites out there. In this article, we will be looking at ways in which you can make DIY Pop-Up Wedding Invitations.

Firstly, you will have to decide where you are going to host your special day, in terms of the ceremony and the reception. Once that is sorted out, you will need to figure out the dates and times which the venues are available to you. Accordingly, you will have all the information you need to start on your wedding invite wording. If you want to create a pop-up wedding invites, then there are several steps to take, as mentioned below.

Steps for a DIY Pop-Up Wedding Invite

1. Look around for inspiration and ideas on what your masterpiece will be like. What will be the colour, or the theme and other decorations you will include in the final product? What will pop-up when the card is opened?

2. Acquire the DIY wedding invitations kits from your wedding invitation retailer. Make sure that you have selected the best option for you in terms of colour and design. If you are not too sure at this stage, order some samples and then use them to create mock-ups of the design. Try out various layouts and locations of the wedding invitation wording as well as the designs to see what is best suited for your type of wedding invites.

3. Make sure to select the styles for the wording, colours for the text and the background, as well as how the entire text block will appear. You could stylise it to imitate a shape on the card, or something else entirely. However, make sure that you leave enough room for the pop-up material, as well as the wordings.

4. Come up with a design or pattern which you want to use with the pop-up. Order the materials you require, in terms of extra coloured paper, to scissors, cutters, rulers and more. Make sure to leave a percentage off the edges for construction, and even use tissues or fanned paper when making mock-ups.

5. Once you have a design or pattern figured out, make sure to have then cut out in the template of your choosing and ensure that they have been cut out correctly. Fix these to the DIY wedding invitation sample card and try it out by gluing the main component on side A, which gluing on the sleeve, which will allow the item to pop up when opened. Make sure that folding the card is easily done, because you need it to close properly and pop out when opened.

A simple thank you goes a long way. When you take the time out of your busy schedule to send out a personal and sincere note of thanks, that means a lot. In this article, we will look at a beautiful and yet simple way you can deliver a truly personal wedding thank you card to your guests.  The basics include DIY wedding thank you cards, a monogram stamp and copies of some of your wedding photos of your choosing.

Essentially, the output will be a DIY wedding thank you card pack, which will include a DIY embossed finish, a set of the best wedding photos, the envelopes and final additions that can include a tag and a ribbon, to make the entire bundle presented prettily.  The materials you will need for the entire DIY thank you card project includes the following.

• DIY Wedding Thank You Card Kit (as per the quantity you require)
• Envelopes as per the Thank You Card sizing
• Tags (Luggage, Custom Tags, or Paper to cut out tags)
• A “Thank You” Stamp
• Custom Monogram Stamp
• Copies of Selection of Your Wedding Photos
• Watermark Ink
• Ink (Colour of Your Choosing)
• Thermal Embossing Powder
• Heat Gun
• Ribbon or String

To get started, take care of the stamping so that you do it neatly. Start with the “Thank You” stamps, using tags, such as luggage tags, or custom tags in the sizing you want, or cut out tags from paper you have acquired. Stamp the tags with the regular ink by pressing it down on the paper firmly, but make sure to remove the stamp quickly so that you do not create ink blotches in the free space and keep it aside.

To emboss your monogram onto the wedding thank you card, use the monogram stamp with watermark ink, press it down firmly on the paper and then remove it quickly. Sprinkle or shake the thermal embossing powder over the card in the area of the watermark monogram, until it is covered. If you want to remove the excess powder, merely tap on the card and scoop it back into the container of the powder. However, do make sure that you do not leave behind any specks of powder on the other areas of the card (except where it is intended) and brush it off. After you have carried this out, use the heat gun, turn it on and melt the embossing powder, which should take a few minutes to have it ready.

After you have a completed wedding thank you card with the wordings written inside, you can proceed to put together your wedding thank you package, which includes the photographs inserted into the thank you card, all included in the envelope. Following this, you can tie your ribbon or string in an appealing manner and finish it off with the ‘Thank You’ tag. Now, you have a beautiful and personal thank you card, ideal to let your guests know how much their presence at your wedding meant to you and your spouse.

When it comes to your wedding invitations and other cards, such as the save the date cards, reply cards and thank you cards, there is much to be done. Nevertheless, do not fear, there are ways in which you can make sure that your designs are in line with the theme, without too much cost and definitely lots of creativity, and that is with the help of the good old DIY way. With DIY wedding invitations cards you can use paper stock or DIY invitation kits and add your own spark and magic to it with various means and styles to get that ‘wow’ effect that you desire.

With the right trims and accessories and also, do not forget a clear vision, you can do just about anything. The materials are also important, ensuring that you get the maximum effect with the minimum cost. To achieve that, a simple way of going about it using unique multifaceted materials and going against the grain in terms of traditional wedding invitation styles. In this article, we will look into such items and how you can put it to use.

In terms if the styles for your DIY wedding invitations and moving away from traditional types such as bi-fold, tri-fold and no-fold, you have the options of gatefold wedding invitations, pochette invitations, layered invitations, seal and send invites, stacked pocket invites and also rigid invitation boxes which can hold larger and more creatively designed creations.  The name of gatefold invites gives meaning to its style, which is a folded paper where the invite open up similarly to that of a gate. Pochette on the other is somewhat like the opening of a flower, with petals shaped edges folding on top of another. It is best finished off with a ribbon and box on the front facing. Seal and send invites are similar to that of messages of royal times, where the invite itself is folded and sealed with your choice of material, be it a monogrammed sticker or wax seal. Layered wedding invitations include different papers, of designs, patterns or colour, stacked atop on another to create depth and a design. These are quite popular because you only need to acquire the type of paper, which comes in colour, design and pattern, and paste it atop one another to get the effect. Rigid invitations boxes are boxes, which will contact the invite, which are usually either large or delicate and require boxes to carry its wonder.

Materials on the other hand, apart from the most obvious being different types of paper, you can opt for tissues and velum or wraps or even the creation of envelopes, or use paper, satin or lace ribbons for belly bands as finishing touches. The likes of studs, buckles, fasteners, lace & tape are also great trims to finish off the look you were trying to achieve.

In terms of treatments that you can use, apart from the usual, which includes embossing and engraving, you also have metallic or foil printing, or even the option of using such paper. Another great option is either indulging in the DIY or handmade version of laser cut treatment, which would require you to use a very sharp paper-cutting knife and a stencil or acquiring a puncher with the design you have in mind.

With such great ways in which you can truly get that desired “wow” effect from invitees, what is stopping you? Get down to business and have fun.

Origami is an oriental style of art and craft, and essentially in definition and translation, it means to say “folding paper”, as “ori” translates to ‘folding’ whilst “gami” means ‘paper’ (a connotation of kami). This Japanese art form has spread throughout the world. The beauty of the creations can truly marvel and the precision and patience it takes to make them truly tests one’s character. Therefore, when you opt to do up your DIY wedding invitations in a unique way, you might want to think of Origami and DIY Wedding Invitations.

There are many types of origami, as well as techniques and materials, which you can use. In addition, when it comes to shapes there also various types you can come up with, whether it is to tie it up with your wedding theme, with the traditional ones being flowers, or even just something the bride and groom cherish and want to use as their wedding theme.  In this edition of DIY Wedding Invitations, we have looked into a few ways types and shapes of origami you can use for your DIY wedding invitation base that you can acquire. Let us look at what you can do.

1. Cranes

Cranes are considered lucky, and for you to feature a crane on the front facing of your DIY wedding invite would be quite lucky too. Cranes are also one of the popular origami shapes and is considered somewhat easy to implement, once you have gotten the hang of it. Make a few samples before you embark on the final one.

2. Butterflies

Butterflies, whether they are real, photographs or even illustrations, they are all beautiful. For you to come up with something as like an origami butterfly is so unique and unusual that could amaze your invitee trying to figure out how you did it. You can find yourself creating simple yet beautiful butterflies with patterned paper, or intricate complex ones as well.

3. Lotus

Lotus flowers are beautiful and are quite intricate depending on the type of origami you choose. No matter which one you choose, your outcome of a beautiful lotus flower will be quite spectacular. You can opt to use one large intricate lotus or many to form a design on your DIY wedding invite. The choice is up to you.

4. Roses

Roses have always held a place in weddings and even in origami; you will find these beauteous flowers. Decked in red, white or whichever colour you have chosen and with different folding types for a larger bloom or even bud, you can arrive at a beautiful design for the invite.

5. Hearts

A heart origami is quite appropriate for a wedding, don’t you think? In addition, it can be quite intricate. This carefully folded heart could very well be the centrepiece of your design or even make up a design of its own using various heart origami pieces.

6. Other Shapes

Other shapes that you can make with origami for your DIY wedding invites include the likes of a windmill, fish, peacock, wreath, seashells, horses, elephants, doves, swans, stars and many more. Start discovering now!