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Why Make Bridal Shower Invitations?
There are tons of reasons! 1. You'll find it's super easy to make bridal shower invitations that look as good - if not better - than many packs lining the shelves at our local stores. 2. You won't have to forego supper tonight in order to pay for them. 3. You have complete control over the design and wording of your invitations, which means... 4. Homemade invitations are 100% personalized, perfectly suited to the bridal shower theme or to the bride's individuality. 5. The bride is worth it! Making your own invitations is such a heartfelt gesture. 6. And finally, homemade bridal shower invitations are just more fun! Hopefully, by now, that crazy notion you had about wanting to make your bridal shower invitations has been confirmed! Okay: we've answered the "why" of homemade invitations. Now onto the "what" and "how."
Cards and their Variations
As you envision the bridal shower invitation you would like to make, even at this preliminary stage, chances are it takes the form of a card.
But the word "card," as simple as it might be, opens up different avenues from which to choose. Do you want a flat card? A folding card? A tri-fold, perhaps? And don't forget, a commitment to make bridal shower invitations doesn't mean you must disregard the wonders of all that is semi-homemade. For example, if you've found a gorgeous greeting card featuring a silhouette of a sparrow in flight - the bride's favorite graphic - use it! Planning a travel-themed bridal shower? Get the word out by sending interesting or unusual postcards to your guests. Don't worry about having to write out the shower details on each one; you won't have to. Compose the invitation wording on your computer, then copy and paste the text all over the page until you have one for each guest. Make sure that the body of the text will fit onto the card you're working with. Print onto sticker paper, cut each one out, and adhere it to the back of a postcard or inside your greeting card! These homemade bridal shower invitations could not be simpler. To make a bridal shower invitation from scratch, you'll first need to select the paper you will use. Cardstock, available at craft stores, offers a firm foundation for cards and comes in a rainbow of colors. Heavier-than-average printer paper does the job, too. If you will be making a folding card, use a bone folder to produce sharp creases. Want to skip that step? Craft stores also sell packs of blank cards and envelopes in assorted hues, ready for adorning.
Creative Covers
Whether the look you want is sweet and simple or devastatingly cool, this is your chance to get crafty and have fun! Try one of these ideas to make bridal shower invitations you'll be proud to send.
Want some visuals? Many of the techniques below are featured as
bridal shower invitation samples!
Detailed instructions and fun wording ideas accompany each example.
Scan or upload a favorite photograph into your computer: a picture of the bride-to-be (either alone or with her fiancee) or a photo that speaks to the theme of the bridal shower. Crop the portrait, and soften or sharpen it to your liking with a free editing program. Add any text in a quiet area of the photograph.
Upload any photograph into your computer, and open it in a photo editing program. I like Paint.NET because it's free and offers some really neat options. For example, transform an ordinary photo into a pen or pencil sketch or an oil painting. Look at what you can do with a simple color photograph:
Create a stark black and white image by saving the photograph as a monochrome bitmap file in your computer's Paint program. Easily add a text box right onto the picture.
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Your photograph can literally become a work of art. Using the Paint.NET application, click on the "Effects" tab and choose "Artistic" from the drop-down menu. Select "Oil Painting" and behold the transformation!
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Play around with the colors of your photo, or tint the picture sepia for an old-world feel. Ah, the wonders of computers! For a beautiful flat card, print a photograph (or any image, really) onto cardstock. Write up the wording of your bridal shower invitation. Size it to the photograph, but leave at least an inch of empty space above your text. Print onto a piece of vellum, and lay that over the cardstock. Vellum lends a softness to the picture while the photograph creates a nice backdrop for the shower information. Punch two holes in the tops of both pages. Weave a ribbon between them and tie into a tight bow. Lovely!Adorn homemade bridal shower invitations with clip art. Although there is plenty of cheesy clip art out there, you can find some images that are really fantastic. I love the selection on Clipart.com. While it's not free, they offer photographs, storybook illustrations, and other awesome alternatives to their storehouse of clip art.A rubber stamp might be all you need to make bridal shower invitations you love. You can find rubber stamps to fit most shower themes: tea, beach, dance, garden, Asian, lingerie, and so on. Scour craft stores or the internet for a stamp that complements your theme. You may want to experiment with different types of ink pads, too, as some produce an interesting chalky effect that might suit your image perfectly.Combine cardstock and patterned scrapbooking paper for a subtly elegant invitation. Keep the two together with a permanent adhesive roller; its design makes application flawless and smooth, never messy.Make your bridal shower invitation pop with pressed flowers and leaves.Have a bridal shower theme in mind? How might your theme inspire a certain kind of invitation that no other theme can claim to itself? For example, announce a movie-themed bridal shower with your own custom-made movie poster! Feature a photograph that stretches the length of the card. Complete the look by writing the bridal shower details in (legible!) capital letters at the bottom of the card.
Create a collage of photographs, written words, advertisements, garden seeds, album covers - whatever makes sense with your theme. Scan the arrangement into your computer and tweak the image as desired.Thread a piece of ribbon through a few holes punched on the side or top of the card. This is a nice touch when a bridal shower revolves around a specific color or pattern, such as polka dots or argyle.
All in all, make bridal shower invitations that do the bride and the party justice. But don't discount yourself. Homemade invitations can require a considerable investment in time and patience; so please, make sure you like what you're creating.
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