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.
