Have you ever wanted to make your handwriting into a font? There are a number of sites online that allow you to upload samples of your handwriting and they’ll turn into a TrueType font for a fee. The cool thing is that you can create your own dingbats, too. Check out: Fontifier $9.00 HandFont $249.00 YourFonts $9.95 FontCapture {FREE} FontsForPeas {FREE}
Clipart Saves the Day (and the Date) My fiancé and I are in the midst of a nine month engagement and we didn’t even think about Save the Date cards until we had about five months left. Oops – most wedding pundits recommend sending these out at least six months before the big day, so needless to say, we scrambled. As a recessionista bride (and groom), we intended to do these ourselves, yet we knew nothing about the process. We just knew we wanted something with a bit of pizzazz. So we visited a fancy invitation store to flip through their sample books to get ideas. We saw a lot of vines wending their way across gorgeous cards, intricate Asian artwork, and birds perched expectantly on delicate twigs. I wondered how we could incorporate something equally stylish (and quickly!) on our own. When we got home, I beelined for one of my favorite websites, www.clipart.com.You can subscribe to this for as little as 14.95 for one week (or 299.95 for two years) and, in that time, download an unlimited number of images. There are also free sites where you can find good albeit less extensive collections. By searching under ‘bride’ and ‘wedding’, I found literally thousands of images: cakes, wedding bells, ball and chains and bride and groom combos in many different styles (some even carrying shotguns, yikes). I narrowed my search to only black and white images, figuring this would cut printing costs then downloaded five of the more modern and simple illustrations of brides and grooms. Together, my fiancé and I chose a duo that seemed, to us, both elegant and also a bit quirky, as if they might be featured on a construction sign. Like: Wedding Zone Straight Ahead. Because we’re getting married at an old electrical parts factory in an industrial section of Queens, New York, we liked that these had a rather urban feeling. But if you’re celebrating at a botanical garden or at a church, or if you’re focusing on dancing, or you have some other theme going, you can definitely find an illustration that makes sense for your event. 
Next, my fiancé went to town in the program Illustrator: he made a few tweaks and played with the sizing to make the file work for a postcard. We chose a font that seemed to go well with our duo (arial) and decided that, though we’re advocates of grammar, we’d go renegade á la e.e. cummings and write everything in small case. After a few short hours and a few different versions, our cards were designed and contained the relevant info. We had them printed out at FedEx Kinkos the next day on simple cardstock. The sage green paper we chose gave them a bit of an organic feel we were pleased with. Of course, these Save the Date postcards aren’t letterpress quality. Likewise, they aren’t refrigerator magnets and they don’t put on their own laser light show, but they seem to have gotten our point across. They cost less than $21.00 (not including clipart fee or postage). And though they were created with love, they ate up very little of our precious time: in fact, it took us longer to figure out our guest list and actually get them in the mail. 
The best thing is that by choosing this clipart, we unexpectedly developed the ‘look’ of many of our subsequent DIY projects. For example, our clipart couple is currently appearing on our website (also designed by my talented fiancé). This time they’re dressed in a subtle grey. In sticker form, (i.e. round laser printer labels I found at a stationery store) they are going to help fasten together the ‘envelofolds’ of our invitations. We’ve even invited them to stand atop our cake on the big day and they cordially accepted. 
Using one specific image across the board like this is almost like branding your wedding. I hesitate to use that word ‘brand’ because it sounds so cold and corporate (and also reminds me of something painful that happens on a ranch), but simple clipart, at the very least, contributes to a theme and creates a nice sense of cohesion. Along these lines, lots of couples get personalized logos designed, for example with their initials cozily intertwined. I think that’s cute and has wonderful symbolism, but if you’re pressed for time and cutting costs, I recommend this quick, easy, and cost-effective option. Let’s face it, any way you can streamline this whole wedding enterprise while still personalizing it, is a beautiful thing. Jocelyn blogs at Current Skate of Mind and Upper East Side Informer
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for great packaging. When the boxed invitation trend started emerging a few seasons ago, I was positively giddy at the possibilities that’d make their way to our little crafty hands. Just think of all the different ways a box could be decorated! So, knowing I had a little baby on the way (and a 2nd DIY Bride book to write), I ordered me up some boxes and began to experiment with ways to have fun with a boxed invite (and baby announcement) design. What I came up with is this beauty of a project that combines my packaging obsession with my favorite crafting tool, the die cutting/embossing machine. It’s a boxed invitation with a window cut from the top with a great little die. 
1. 
Measure the outside dimensions of the jewelry box lid. (Or you can be like me and set your box lid, face down, on the back of a piece of decorative paper and make folds where you’ll need to trim the paper.) 2.
Using your paper cutter, trim the paper down to fit the dimensions of your box lid. 3. Spray the back of the decorative paper with spay adhesive. I like 3M brand. (Don’t use re-positional adhesive.) Apply the paper to the box lid, being careful to line up the edges of the paper with the edges of the lid and smoothing out any wrinkles as you go along.
4. 
This is pretty as-is, isn’t it? Before you guys start asking: I don’t know who made this paper. It’s a few years old and part of the endless stash of scraps I’m trying to use up. 5. Next up: the die cutting machine.
I have the Cuttlebug from ProvoCraft. Other manual die cutting machines like the BigShot by Sizzix will also work. 6. 
As luck would have it, the Top Note die is almost exactly as deep as the box lid and fits perfectly within the width. Place your die, cutting side down, in the center of the box lid. 7. 
Now, sandwich the die+lid between 2 of the die cutting machine’s plates. For the Cuttlebug, I used 2 “B” plates. Your machine may vary so do a little experimentation with plates or shims to get the best cut for your particular machine. It’s worth noting here that the box lid is a super tight fit with these plates and some come out a little smooshed on the edges. I can usually smooth them out with my fingers but some have looked damaged. 8. 
Run your die sandwich through the machine in either a forward or reverse motion, whichever you normally use for your die cuts. Do NOT go forward and then back thinking you’ll get a better cut. You’ll just end up dislodging your die and it’ll cut twice but not in the same spot. 9. 
Ooh, look! The window has been cut. Save that cut piece! It’ll be great for other projects like seating cards, favor tags, or …? You tell me. 
10. 
For the interior of the box, the invitation, I cut a piece of solid-colored cardstock to the inside dimensions of the box. This is the mat around the invitation. I then created a template in MS Word for the invitation that was 1/4″ smaller (length and width) than the mat and printed the invite. 11. 
Using double-sided tape, I attached the invite to the mat. Beautiful. 12. 
Each jewelry box comes with a cotton batting liner. Don’t let that go to waste! I cut strips, about 1″ wide and 1″ long to use as padding in the 4 corners of the box. This props up the invitation. I stuck them down with double-sided tape. 13. 
Insert invite into box. 14. 
Place lid on box. Voila! 
2008 was definitely the Year of the Chandelier as the hot design motif. I’m happy to say that it’s still going strong in these early days of 2009 and am pretty confident we’ll be seeing the chandelier love in weddings for some time to come. scrapNfonts just released this set of chandelier brushes (.abr) that comes along with .png image files for those of you who aren’t Photoshop users. You can use .png in other programs like MS Word. Pretty cute, eh? For just $6.00, it’s a steal. 
scrapNfonts is a great resource for – you guessed it – fonts. Though geared towards scrapbookers, they have a wide selection of fonts, dingbats, and Photoshop brushes that’d be perfect for your printed wedding projects.
Today’s guest post comes from DIY Bride Kristen who made 175 invitations for $102. Inspiring!
How I Only Spent $100 On My Wedding Invitations
…and 8 Tips On How You Can Do It Too
Most brides have a similar focus when they finally get their hands on that first bridal magazine, or when they sit down in front of Google for that very first wedding-related search. That magical gown, the wedding dress.
For us craftier brides-to-be, the focus is a bit different. We dream of invitations, programs and stationery. Vellum and engraved and metallic and handmade and letterpress. Wedding invitations are little paper masterpieces, and for brides like myself, they set the tone for the wedding much more than the gown does.
Pretty paper is by no means cheap, though. And when you are on a tight budget, or you have a hefty guest list, wedding invitations can quickly become one of your most expensive items.
My Vision
I knew I wanted an invitation that was something extra special. But, I also knew that I, as well as my parents, could not handle the extra special price tag that went with it. So, DIY wedding invitations it was.
The inspiration for the basic shell of my invite came from one of Khris’ features in DIY Bride. The rest came from flying by the seat of my pants. I learned some great lessons and gained some truly invaluable tips along the way that I believe every bride can use in some aspect of her planning.
**Quick Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form promoting the DIY-invitation route as an EASY one. It takes time, work and lots of patience to create your invitations from scratch. You have to decide for yourself if the cost benefit is worth taking on such a large task. For me, it absolutely was.
1. Research, Research, Research
If you decide to do your own invitations, you need to start EARLY. I don’t mean start making them early, but start thinking about them as soon as you can. Search the internet, visit local stationery stores, order samples. You may already have a vision in your head, but seeing that vision in a tangible form may change your feelings.
I sat for hours in different stores around town, going through their books of invitations, making mental notes of what I liked, and what I couldn’t believe some people paid to have done to paper (Eek!). Oh, and don’t let the sales clerks pressure you. You don’t have to tell them you have no intention of buying anything, just say you are only looking today. If they still won’t back off, just leave. Most stores have all the same books anyway.
2. For Materials, Think Outside the Box…Waaaay Outside the Box
Now, I am just as partial to craft and hobby stores as any other DIYer, but when it comes to crafting a wedding invitation, using products from these kinds of stores will cost you – significantly. Get creative with your resources. Just because it doesn’t come pre-packaged and labeled as a craft item, doesn’t mean you can’t make it one.
Exhibit A: the pocket folder or “shell” of my invite. Oh, how I love Office Depot. These homemade folders are each made from a cardstock report cover from the office supply store. These navy papers have a beautiful linen finish to them, and are really easy to work with in terms of scoring and cutting, so that is an added bonus. The best part: $12.99 for a pack of 50.
3. Simplistic Designs are Often The Most Beautiful
When it came time for me to create the printed pieces of my invitation, I decided I wanted something to build around. If you are not experienced in design, this is a great tip to remember. Think about taking an element or a logo and adding to it, so that your entire invitation works as one unified piece.
I created a logo of sorts with mine and my groom’s initials. It took no more than 10 minutes to create in Photoshop, but it added so much elegance right from the start.
4. Get Back to The Basics
I don’t want to be misleading with my opinion on this one, because oh my, what I wouldn’t give for some yummy letterpress invites to send out for my wedding. However, if you can’t break the bank for letterpress, you can use what you’ve probably already got: a basic inkjet printer.
As for what to print your elegant designs on, you can get back to the VERY basics: construction paper. Yes, you read correctly. Do me a favor if you think I’m crazy. Just go buy a pack. Open it, and really look at the pieces of paper. Construction paper has that beautiful handmade texture, with all those little imperfections that give it character and, believe it or not, style.
My light pink construction paper ran through my HP all-in-one printer like a charm. Especially charming is the fact that it’s only 97 cents for a pack of 50 sheets.
5. Don’t Waste Your Scraps
If you are going to be crafty, you also have to be thrifty. In order to save yourself multiple trips to reload on supplies, try and find a use for your scraps.
With my Office Depot covers, I had a rectangular scrap that was cut off each one of them. I recycled all of those scraps and turned each one into a matte for the reception information card.
6. Shop Around for the Items You Can’t Make
I spent weeks looking around for envelopes because I wanted to make sure I found the best deal. And, boy did I ever. I must give a little shout-out love to Cutcardstock.com, for not only the most incredible deals, but incredible service as well. I got 250 white 6″ square envelopes for $26.00 plus S+H. Just incredible.
7. Don’t forget the “Yourself” in Do-It-Yourself
This is your project – a way to really put your own unique touch into your wedding. DO NOT FORGET THAT. Undoubtedly, you will hit a few bumps in the roads when you take on a project of this magnitude (I had 150 invitations brought back to my front door last Friday for not having enough postage – don’t get me started).
Just keep things in perspective, and don’t beat yourself up. Brides have so much stress and pressure put on them, and they put the majority of it there themselves. Take this project on as a way to relieve some of the other wedding planning stress you’ve already got on your mind. You’d be amazed at how therapeutic cutting, folding and gluing can be for you.
Submitted by Kristen Phillips.
Images and text copyright Kristen Phillips 2008.
Today’s guest post comes from DIY Bride Kristen who made 175 invitations for $102. Inspiring!
How I Only Spent $100 On My Wedding Invitations
…and 8 Tips On How You Can Do It Too
Most brides have a similar focus when they finally get their hands on that first bridal magazine, or when they sit down in front of Google for that very first wedding-related search. That magical gown, the wedding dress.
For us craftier brides-to-be, the focus is a bit different. We dream of invitations, programs and stationery. Vellum and engraved and metallic and handmade and letterpress. Wedding invitations are little paper masterpieces, and for brides like myself, they set the tone for the wedding much more than the gown does.
Pretty paper is by no means cheap, though. And when you are on a tight budget, or you have a hefty guest list, wedding invitations can quickly become one of your most expensive items.
My Vision
I knew I wanted an invitation that was something extra special. But, I also knew that I, as well as my parents, could not handle the extra special price tag that went with it. So, DIY wedding invitations it was.
The inspiration for the basic shell of my invite came from one of Khris’ features in DIY Bride. The rest came from flying by the seat of my pants. I learned some great lessons and gained some truly invaluable tips along the way that I believe every bride can use in some aspect of her planning.
**Quick Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form promoting the DIY-invitation route as an EASY one. It takes time, work and lots of patience to create your invitations from scratch. You have to decide for yourself if the cost benefit is worth taking on such a large task. For me, it absolutely was.
1. Research, Research, Research
If you decide to do your own invitations, you need to start EARLY. I don’t mean start making them early, but start thinking about them as soon as you can. Search the internet, visit local stationery stores, order samples. You may already have a vision in your head, but seeing that vision in a tangible form may change your feelings.
I sat for hours in different stores around town, going through their books of invitations, making mental notes of what I liked, and what I couldn’t believe some people paid to have done to paper (Eek!). Oh, and don’t let the sales clerks pressure you. You don’t have to tell them you have no intention of buying anything, just say you are only looking today. If they still won’t back off, just leave. Most stores have all the same books anyway.
2. For Materials, Think Outside the Box…Waaaay Outside the Box
Now, I am just as partial to craft and hobby stores as any other DIYer, but when it comes to crafting a wedding invitation, using products from these kinds of stores will cost you – significantly. Get creative with your resources. Just because it doesn’t come pre-packaged and labeled as a craft item, doesn’t mean you can’t make it one.
Exhibit A: the pocket folder or “shell” of my invite. Oh, how I love Office Depot. These homemade folders are each made from a cardstock report cover from the office supply store. These navy papers have a beautiful linen finish to them, and are really easy to work with in terms of scoring and cutting, so that is an added bonus. The best part: $12.99 for a pack of 50.
3. Simplistic Designs are Often The Most Beautiful
When it came time for me to create the printed pieces of my invitation, I decided I wanted something to build around. If you are not experienced in design, this is a great tip to remember. Think about taking an element or a logo and adding to it, so that your entire invitation works as one unified piece.
I created a logo of sorts with mine and my groom’s initials. It took no more than 10 minutes to create in Photoshop, but it added so much elegance right from the start.
4. Get Back to The Basics
I don’t want to be misleading with my opinion on this one, because oh my, what I wouldn’t give for some yummy letterpress invites to send out for my wedding. However, if you can’t break the bank for letterpress, you can use what you’ve probably already got: a basic inkjet printer.
As for what to print your elegant designs on, you can get back to the VERY basics: construction paper. Yes, you read correctly. Do me a favor if you think I’m crazy. Just go buy a pack. Open it, and really look at the pieces of paper. Construction paper has that beautiful handmade texture, with all those little imperfections that give it character and, believe it or not, style.
My light pink construction paper ran through my HP all-in-one printer like a charm. Especially charming is the fact that it’s only 97 cents for a pack of 50 sheets.
5. Don’t Waste Your Scraps
If you are going to be crafty, you also have to be thrifty. In order to save yourself multiple trips to reload on supplies, try and find a use for your scraps.
With my Office Depot covers, I had a rectangular scrap that was cut off each one of them. I recycled all of those scraps and turned each one into a matte for the reception information card.
6. Shop Around for the Items You Can’t Make
I spent weeks looking around for envelopes because I wanted to make sure I found the best deal. And, boy did I ever. I must give a little shout-out love to Cutcardstock.com, for not only the most incredible deals, but incredible service as well. I got 250 white 6″ square envelopes for $26.00 plus S+H. Just incredible.
7. Don’t forget the “Yourself” in Do-It-Yourself
This is your project – a way to really put your own unique touch into your wedding. DO NOT FORGET THAT. Undoubtedly, you will hit a few bumps in the roads when you take on a project of this magnitude (I had 150 invitations brought back to my front door last Friday for not having enough postage – don’t get me started).
Just keep things in perspective, and don’t beat yourself up. Brides have so much stress and pressure put on them, and they put the majority of it there themselves. Take this project on as a way to relieve some of the other wedding planning stress you’ve already got on your mind. You’d be amazed at how therapeutic cutting, folding and gluing can be for you.
Submitted by Kristen Phillips.
Images and text copyright Kristen Phillips 2008.
Today’s guest post comes from DIY Bride Kristen who made 175 invitations for $102. Inspiring!
How I Only Spent $100 On My Wedding Invitations
…and 8 Tips On How You Can Do It Too
Most brides have a similar focus when they finally get their hands on that first bridal magazine, or when they sit down in front of Google for that very first wedding-related search. That magical gown, the wedding dress.
For us craftier brides-to-be, the focus is a bit different. We dream of invitations, programs and stationery. Vellum and engraved and metallic and handmade and letterpress. Wedding invitations are little paper masterpieces, and for brides like myself, they set the tone for the wedding much more than the gown does.
Pretty paper is by no means cheap, though. And when you are on a tight budget, or you have a hefty guest list, wedding invitations can quickly become one of your most expensive items.
My Vision
I knew I wanted an invitation that was something extra special. But, I also knew that I, as well as my parents, could not handle the extra special price tag that went with it. So, DIY wedding invitations it was.
The inspiration for the basic shell of my invite came from one of Khris’ features in DIY Bride. The rest came from flying by the seat of my pants. I learned some great lessons and gained some truly invaluable tips along the way that I believe every bride can use in some aspect of her planning.
**Quick Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form promoting the DIY-invitation route as an EASY one. It takes time, work and lots of patience to create your invitations from scratch. You have to decide for yourself if the cost benefit is worth taking on such a large task. For me, it absolutely was.
1. Research, Research, Research
If you decide to do your own invitations, you need to start EARLY. I don’t mean start making them early, but start thinking about them as soon as you can. Search the internet, visit local stationery stores, order samples. You may already have a vision in your head, but seeing that vision in a tangible form may change your feelings.
I sat for hours in different stores around town, going through their books of invitations, making mental notes of what I liked, and what I couldn’t believe some people paid to have done to paper (Eek!). Oh, and don’t let the sales clerks pressure you. You don’t have to tell them you have no intention of buying anything, just say you are only looking today. If they still won’t back off, just leave. Most stores have all the same books anyway.
2. For Materials, Think Outside the Box…Waaaay Outside the Box
Now, I am just as partial to craft and hobby stores as any other DIYer, but when it comes to crafting a wedding invitation, using products from these kinds of stores will cost you – significantly. Get creative with your resources. Just because it doesn’t come pre-packaged and labeled as a craft item, doesn’t mean you can’t make it one.
Exhibit A: the pocket folder or “shell” of my invite. Oh, how I love Office Depot. These homemade folders are each made from a cardstock report cover from the office supply store. These navy papers have a beautiful linen finish to them, and are really easy to work with in terms of scoring and cutting, so that is an added bonus. The best part: $12.99 for a pack of 50.
3. Simplistic Designs are Often The Most Beautiful
When it came time for me to create the printed pieces of my invitation, I decided I wanted something to build around. If you are not experienced in design, this is a great tip to remember. Think about taking an element or a logo and adding to it, so that your entire invitation works as one unified piece.
I created a logo of sorts with mine and my groom’s initials. It took no more than 10 minutes to create in Photoshop, but it added so much elegance right from the start.
4. Get Back to The Basics
I don’t want to be misleading with my opinion on this one, because oh my, what I wouldn’t give for some yummy letterpress invites to send out for my wedding. However, if you can’t break the bank for letterpress, you can use what you’ve probably already got: a basic inkjet printer.
As for what to print your elegant designs on, you can get back to the VERY basics: construction paper. Yes, you read correctly. Do me a favor if you think I’m crazy. Just go buy a pack. Open it, and really look at the pieces of paper. Construction paper has that beautiful handmade texture, with all those little imperfections that give it character and, believe it or not, style.
My light pink construction paper ran through my HP all-in-one printer like a charm. Especially charming is the fact that it’s only 97 cents for a pack of 50 sheets.
5. Don’t Waste Your Scraps
If you are going to be crafty, you also have to be thrifty. In order to save yourself multiple trips to reload on supplies, try and find a use for your scraps.
With my Office Depot covers, I had a rectangular scrap that was cut off each one of them. I recycled all of those scraps and turned each one into a matte for the reception information card.
6. Shop Around for the Items You Can’t Make
I spent weeks looking around for envelopes because I wanted to make sure I found the best deal. And, boy did I ever. I must give a little shout-out love to Cutcardstock.com, for not only the most incredible deals, but incredible service as well. I got 250 white 6″ square envelopes for $26.00 plus S+H. Just incredible.
7. Don’t forget the “Yourself” in Do-It-Yourself
This is your project – a way to really put your own unique touch into your wedding. DO NOT FORGET THAT. Undoubtedly, you will hit a few bumps in the roads when you take on a project of this magnitude (I had 150 invitations brought back to my front door last Friday for not having enough postage – don’t get me started).
Just keep things in perspective, and don’t beat yourself up. Brides have so much stress and pressure put on them, and they put the majority of it there themselves. Take this project on as a way to relieve some of the other wedding planning stress you’ve already got on your mind. You’d be amazed at how therapeutic cutting, folding and gluing can be for you.
Submitted by Kristen Phillips.
Images and text copyright Kristen Phillips 2008.
I know, I know… it’s Thursday. Pretend it’s yesterday and enjoy these fantastic Gocco tips submitted by DIY Bride Miranda. If you’re unfamiliar with the Gocco, it’s a small screenpriting machine from Japan.
I’ve been reading wedding blogs compulsively for months now as I’ve been planning my April wedding. I’ve learned so much and found some amazing ideas and advice. I wanted to contribute now by sharing what I learned by making my wedding invites with my Gocco PG-11.
First of all, I’m a relatively artistic person (I’m a costume designer by profession), so I thought I could easily handle making my own invitations. I do tend to be a little impatient, though, so I knew I was going to be challenged by this project. I waited a long time to begin, and read the instructions included and online over and over again. There are a few helpful hints they don’t mention anywhere, though, that I learned the hard way by making a whole set of very flawed invitations that I ended up having to throw
out. Maybe I’m just especially “challenged”, but I thought I might be able to help someone else as they begin their own Gocco invite project.
This is what I learned:
1. Have plenty of extra bulbs and screens on hand. I used up the ones I had in my first screw up and then had to wait weeks while a new order got shipped. It’ll make you feel much less pressured if you have plenty handy.
2. Print way more (15-20) invitations than you think you’ll need. That’ll allow you to weed out the less than perfect ones.
3. DON’T try to do more than two screens/colors in your first design unless you’re an extremely compulsive/careful/fastidious person. It was harder than I thought to make things line up perfectly. There might be some designs where this is easier than others…where being a little off won’t show too much.
4. Don’t make a fine border on your invitations and expect it to print clearly. It turns out that the stamp doesn’t work as well on the very edges of your machine, so fine details on the edge will sometimes not print. A border also points out too obviously when your paper’s a little off-kilter…something I found to be easy to let happen.
5. Use a couple of tiny pieces of masking tape to affix your card to the stamp pad. Sometimes I’d line the card up with the registration guide (that clear insert that comes with the PG-11 that helps line up your second screen) and then it would shift when I closed the top. Make sure you put the tape on a part of the card where you’re NOT printing something, or it’ll interfere with
the print.
6. Don’t use fonts that are too fine or small. You can use a 12 point font if it’s a blocky font, but curvy fonts (like the cursive font on my invite) just blur together illegibly when they’re smaller.
7. Make sure you have paper towels handy. This can get messier than I thought from what I read from other people…but maybe that’s just me, again.
8. The paint is very sticky and hard to clean up. DON’T use water, because it just smoodges it around on you, but doesn’t remove it. Just smear that remover they include and wipe it off with paper towels. I’m impressed by people who cleaned and reused their screens. It’s not easy to clean off the paint.
9. Go really slowly. My second time around I took a lot more time to make sure the card was even, aligned, and taped down, and it made a huge difference.
Good luck!
Photos of the Gocco Process
Gocco with “registration plate” down to help line up card for second printing
Pieces of tape strategically placed
Our finished invite
Miranda is a Boston-based costume designer. She designs for theater and opera in New York and around the country. She marrying a Cajun in the gorgeous French Quarter of New Orleans. Miranda envisions her wedding to be “fun, festive, inviting, and the opposite of a cookie-cutter event. It turns out that what I do for a living has made planning a wedding really manageable (knock on wood). It’s not too different from what I do all the time, so I’ve been having a lot of fun.”
{Tips and photos are copyright Miranda Hoffman.}
Last week I introduced you to the basics of heat embossing. Thank you to everyone who added questions and tips in the comments. That was very cool!
Today I’m going expand your embossing repertoire with 3 different ways to use the embossing skills you learned last week. Using 4 different products, we’ll create some really beautiful and unique textures to give your projects that “wow” factor. We’re going to cover: clear embossing, glitter embossing (my favorite), and flocking.
Because this post is going to be super long, I’m putting all of the how-to stuff after the jump.
{Workshop Wednesday is a new weekly feature at DIY Bride. Every Wednesday, I’ll be presenting a new technique to help you create some crafty wedding goodness.}
That I am a rubber stamping fiend should come of no surprise to long-time DIY Bride friends. I’ve professed my undying love for it many times in these pages. Part of the reason is that it’s what got me started in crafting and part because stamping is just plain fun. The technique I’m sharing today is one of my favorites and one that adds a beautiful finish to nearly any paper craft project you can stamp on.
Heat embossing is the act of melting a plastic-based powder onto paper. The result is a shiny, slightly raised surface on the embossed image. It’s a great way to add a little pizazz to invitations or favor packaging. And it’s pretty darned easy to do.
While the finished project (above) is black-on-white embossing, I’ve used white embossing on black cardstock to better illustrate the technique.
Tools & Supplies
Directions
Ink a rubber stamp with the VersaMark pad. For larger stamps, I like to turn the stamp on its back and tap the pad onto the surface of the stamp. This lets me see where I’m putting the ink to make sure the stamp is evenly covered.
Stamp the inked image onto the invitation. Set aside for a sec.
Pour a generous amount of embossing powder onto the stamped areas of the invitation. Do be stingy here.
Pour the unused embossing powder back into its container. (Spilled e.p. is a pain in the butt to clean up! It’s almost as bad as glitter.)
Turn on your heat embossing tool and let it warm up, about 30 – 45 seconds is usually sufficient.
{Shot of grainy embossing powder, before melted}
Now, point the heat tool over the embossing powder, about 2″ – 3″ away from the surface. In slow, steady movements move the tool back and forth over the powdered images. You’ll be able to see the powder melt and go from slightly grainy to glossy. It’s important to note that the heat tool is HOT. The air coming from it is HOT. It will burn the paper (or you) so keep it moving. Linger too long on a spot and it’ll turn brown or it’ll catch fire. I know this from experience.
Once the embossing powder has completely melted, you’re done! That’s all there is to it.Notes:
The finished project measure 5.25″ x 7.25″. The template for the invitation is available here: 5x7template.doc. It measures 5″ x 7″ and is mounted on a 5.25″ x 7.25″ piece of contrasting cardstock.
Rubber stamp: Baroque Motifs set from Stampin’ Up!
Cardstock: Unknown
Ink: VersaMark
Embossing Powders: Imprintz, White ; Personal Stamp Exchange, Black
Heat Tool: Uchida
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