Guest Column: DIY Wedding Invitations

Marissa is here to share how she made eco-friendly, budget-minded, hand-crafted wedding invitations. (If you'd like to submit a guest column, please e-mail me your idea(s)!)

Take it away, Marissa!

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I only used materials that I already had lying around in my craft box (minus the envelopes), and it only cost me about $2 to make about 25 invitations this way. I used cardstock that I bought on sale at Joann Fabrics last fall (6 pieces for $1!) on a whim. The actual invitation portion is just printed out on plain computer paper that I used on my home printer. The ribbon I got for free from my roommate who had it left over and didn't need it any more. And...it was really easy to do! The most time-consuming part was implementing the detailing around the bottom edge (I cut a scalloped shape and punched holes with an exacto knife to give it a bit of a border). I just thought I'd share my peace of mind that DIY invitations need not be a labyrinth of complicated pocket-folds and tons of stress.

Materials:

• 12 x 12 Cardstock (each piece yields 3 invitations)
• exacto knife or other sharp detailing knife
• scissors
• hole punch
• computer paper
• pencil with eraser
• ribbon
• glue

Instructions:

1. First, use a sheet of paper to make the templates for the invitations. The first one will be used for the cardstock backing and measures 3.5" x 10". The second template will be used for the actual invitation layer and measures 2.75" x 6.25".
2. Use a hole punch to punch two holes near the top of both templates. These will be the holes the ribbon goes through to tie the two pieces together, so make sure both sets of holes line up!
3. Optional: cut a border along the bottom of the cardstock template. I used eyelet lace and traced along the bottom edge to get a scalloped effect on my template, but you can use any number of patterns.
4. Using the completed template, trace the design along the pieces of cardstock.
5. When you're all done tracing, use the scissors to cut out the basic pieces (use an exacto knife to get the detailed edge, if necessary). Use the hole punch to punch out the holes. Use an eraser to erase any stray pencil marks.
6. To do the detail work around the edges, use an exacto knife and gently puncture holes in the cardstock. Use a ruler to guide you. Don't worry if the lines aren't exactly straight--that's part of the beauty of home-made!
7. If you haven't done so already, design the actual invitation on a word processing document. I did a trial-and-error process to get the measurements exactly right, but you can choose to alter the margins to fit the invitation template size.
8. Once you design and print the invitations, use the invitation template to trace and cut out the invites.
9. Using about 2" of ribbon per invite, tie the cardstock and the invitation together and glue together on the back.
10. Enjoy your handiwork!

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