Invitation Only

First things first. A party needs an invitation. Well, okay technically the inspiration and design were first, but followed closely behind is the invite. I mean, why go through all the work of planning a party if no one knows to come and enjoy it? Exactly. 

When I started designing Eden's invite I really didn't know exactly where I was going to go with it. I knew I wanted a photo incorporated into the invitation somehow, but I also knew that I really didn't actually want the photo ON the actual invite. When I saw this pin I knew immediately what I wanted. Ironically I had already planned on incorporating balloons into Eden's first birthday photo shoot when I saw the inspiration photo. Great minds do think alike if I do say so myself. Not that my mind is great. I won't go into details of how I did it because honestly the tutorial I followed was done very well. I'll go into a few suggestions later on. 

When it came to the invitation I really just started designing and let my imagination run wild. I definitely redesigned it a few times. I would start one and it just wouldn't feel right so I would wait a couple minutes and sometimes days until the perfect idea hopped into my mind. It was a lot of trial and error, but I am so glad I chose to do it. I really wanted to DIY her invitations for her birthday...I think it was a little therapeutic for me and kept me from being too sad at the rate at which she grew up. Okay, I sound sad, but honestly I couldn't be happier to have a toddler, it is a really fun age. Oh, and of course, if I were to decide that I was NUTS (which technically I did realize halfway through working on the invites) then I would of course gone to Megan at Red Pearl Designs since the lovely lady also designed Eden's birth announcement. You all know me though, I like to attempt the impossible and stay up way past my bedtime and make myself absolutely crazy so I make my own invitations. 

I really wanted the fun to start BEFORE the recipients opened their invitations. Yes, of course I could have just written out our return address, but where's the fun in that? 

Even the back of the envelope got a little love. Oh and let me give you a heads up...if you are going to go ahead and make address labels, then by all means PLEASE do not spend the extra money to buy stickers to seal the back of the envelope and just make your own. Not that I would know or anything. So, that's what you see here. Mallory thinking its a good idea to just buy some stickers, when in reality it took 2.5 seconds to make her own stickers and ended up liking the result better. Lesson learned. Oh, and one more tip...I chose to barely wet the sticky part on the envelope for fear that the recipients would just tear open the envelope in a fit of rage hurried excitement to see what was inside and then added the sticker to keep the envelope flap down. Maybe I'm the only one who shreds innocent envelopes whenever they arrive in my mailbox. 

So I wanted to give a few tips on the envelope liner. First things first, turn on a movie, a t.v. show, some music..I don't care what it is..but definitely have something going on in the background to keep you sane. I loved making the liners, but it definitely takes time. And with over 50 invitations let me just say, I may have wondered if I had lost my mind a few times. Honestly though, once you get into your groove it will be done in no time. Also, if you have a paper cutter you will save tons of time. I used the paper cut to cut off the excess paper along the straight lines so that when I went to cut out the actual liner I only had a couple very small cuts to make. If you don't have a paper cutter, well that sucks. Also, I did use double stick tape, but then ran out on the last few that I made. I originally thought about just going with a glue stick since it would cost a whole lot less than the tape, but don't do be a Scrooge. Seriously, it is so worth it to use double stick tape. Glue makes it all wonky (is that even a word?) and you have to sit there and hold it while its drying. Um yeah, no thanks. Plus with tape you can remove the liner which I know made some people happy because they wanted to keep the photo. Other than that, just follow the tutorial to make your liner...and the best part is? It's not limited to photos! Seriously...try scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, newspaper...really, anything because it just makes whatever you are sending that much better. Honestly, send me hate mail with a cute envelope liner and I will be all smiles. Or don't. 

So, that's Eden's first birthday invitation. Anyone surprised by the amount of pink I used in one invitation? If so, you are in for an even bigger surprise when I reveal her party. If anyone attempts the envelope liner send me pictures! I would love to see what you all come up with. And of course, if you have questions...ask away!