As I often mention in these pages I am a hopeless gadget queen. If it’s new, bright and shiny I gotta get my hands on it because I’m always on the hunt for cool tools that make the lives of us creative (and not-so-creative) types much easier.

The swell folks at Envelopments sent me their new tool called JIGster.  A jig, for those of you not familiar with the term,  is a guide to help with exact placement of objects. In the case of the JIGster it helps invitation designers (that’s you!) perfectly align layers of paper/cardstock for each and every invitation you create.

I adore this tool. Seriously, this is on my top 10 list of all-time favorite craft tools. I create several hundred (thousands? yeah, probably) of layered invites, programs, menus, and other papery goodness every year so I can say with some authority how much trying to get uniform alignment really sucks. The JIGster made a recent project a total no-brainer and cut down production time significantly. My crafting minutes are very limited these days so that in and of itself made the tool totally rock in my book.

The JIGster allows you to create standard border widths (the amount of area showing between the edges of the layers) of 1/8”,  1/4”, 3/8” ,  1/2”, 3/4”,  and  1”. The unit itself is pretty compact, about 12″ x 12″, making it easy to store in your craft space. It’s made of heavy plastic, is easy to use, and will last forever.

The price for this baby is $69.95. In my estimation it’s well-worth the price for the quality, ease of use, and functionality. Buy here.

Check out a video of the  JIGster in action.

{Disclaimer: Per FTC guidelines, it is my duty to mention that Envelopments sent me this product for review without charge. No money was exchanged for this review and the content of the review reflects my personal and honest opinion about the merits of the product.}

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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.

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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.}

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