Make Your Own Invitation

This invitation design when completed will be 4 ¼″ square and can be  used for any birthday, anniversary, retirement or dinner party. The  invitation design is rated as simple in difficulty and cost to make is under $0.30 USD each, not including envelope. The  invitation card can be mailed with or without an envelope. All  materials can be found at your local craft stores.

Materials per invitation:

 
• One sheet of 8 ½″by 11″heavy 30# to 50# paper stock with color and print of choice. Some sheets may have each side a different color.

 
• One sheet of 8 ½″by 11″printable 24# linen or resume paper stock with suggested color of ivory, ecru or bright white.

Instructions:

These half-circle-fold designs are popular for their low cost and ease  of assembly but have a unique look and feel. The finished design can be  the larger 5 ½″ square if using 12″by 12″cover stock.   Here we will use the 8 ½″by 11″cover stock  paper resulting in the 4 ¼″square,   since the smaller cover paper is easier to purchase.  The outside cover paper of the invitation can  be chosen to complement the occasion or person of honor. The heavy  paper stock can be found in many different colors and patterns; sports,  romance, children and neutral.

To start, design your wording for the center section with the word  processor of your choice. The wording should include the four W’s;  What, Why, When and Where. This wording needs to be confined  within a square no more than 3 ½″by 3 ½″and printed on 8 ½ by 11″sheet of paper.  The square area can be created by a either a  single or two column layout.  One column  provides two cutouts per sheet (good for two invitations) and a two column page  layout will provide four per sheet (good for four invitations).

Another way to design the square area for the wording is with a custom table,  supported by most word processors.  A  table created from three columns and three rows where the outer cells can have  a different border and color than the larger center cell that will hold the  wording.  So once the table is created,  copy and paste so there are four per sheet, again this saves paper. Once the design is completed, place the printable paper into the printer and  print how many copies needed. These can then be cut to the proper  size, which is 3 ½″ square.

Use the attached .pdf file as a guide in measuring and cutting the heavy  stock cover paper. Just cut the cover paper using a pair of  scissors.  When cutting, move the paper  instead of the scissors.  Make the four  folds as shown with the square on the cover template.  For each fold, use a straight edge and crease  the paper evenly.

Center and attach the square piece with the wording to the inside of the  invitation.  This paper can be attached  with a spray adhesive or paper glue. A good spray adhesive works  very well with attaching two pieces of paper and photographs.  Another method for attaching the center paper  is with eyelets, ribbon or thread.    However with these optional attachment methods, the invitation cover  should be mailed within an envelope.

Fold the invitation by one edge at a time, going around  counterclockwise.  With the last fold, tuck  the last edge under the adjacent fold to keep the invitation closed.  A mailing sticker can be added to the center  of the folds to help ensure the invitation stays flat until opened. This invitation can be mailed with and without an envelope.