I sat around stressing out over what kind of image I wanted … I knew I wanted to do it myself but had no idea where to begin stylistically.
But I finally buckled down and did the block print of the hands, and as soon as I lay the ink on I knew I had my design.
I couldn't decide on a color…
So I didn't!
I just put cardstock through the photocopy machine at Kinkos to make the text and the RSVP inserts, then cut the smaller block print stamps of bicycles and letters, and started stamping.
Want to see how they turned out?
The die-cut paper skeleton keys were a last minute addition that gave the invites a whimsicality that I love.
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In the end it cost about $80 to make 100 invitations, not including the block printing supplies which I already had. The recycled brown bag cardstock ended up being the most expensive part.
Bonus: I was able to make big B&W posters of the holding hands print at Kinkos, which we will put in the movie poster display windows of the theater where we are hosting the shindig.
Those are beautiful works of art! It's nice to see an invitation that doubles as something one could frame and put on the wall instead of admiring for a while before throwing it in the recycling bin.
That's fantastic! We're also making our own invites, and just finished our Save The Date cards – thank goodness for my one of my maids of honour, who is a fantastically talented graphic artist! DIY all the way (and help from others who are gracious enough to provide it). I love the whole look of your invites & RSVPS!
I just completed and sent off invitations with this same idea in mind, although my blocks (I did two—one for the wedding ceremony/reception and one for reception only) were carved by two of my dearest friends. Although I could have done it myself, I really want my wedding to be a labor of love, and I love showcasing the talent of all of my fabulous friends!
My only advice would be, should you want to go this route yourself, make sure that you buy papers that work in a home printer. My first attempt at cool papers (I wanted all different colors and textures) failed miserably when I realized that my printer would not take them, and neither would the local print shops. It was a minor panic moment that was easily resolved with the purchase of new papers……
It's so lovely to see this in action! I plan to do this for my invites and RSVP cards in a few months! Since I've done a little research on these 100% recycled, DIY things myself, I just wanted to drop a note here to let interested folks know that the envelopes (made from 100% recycled brown paper grocery bags which were mulched and then re-formed into clean new paper) are from a company called Greengrocer. You can find them from a few different sources and they also make the grocery-bag cardstock mentioned here too. The block-printing kit can be easily obtained from a company called Speedball (about $12 for a stamp carving kit that includes the carving tool and the rubber sheet needed) and a small lino-roller (to apply the ink to the large stamp) is about $5, also from Speedball. If you've never carved before I recommend the kit with the rubber to carve as a starter… and if you like it, you can move on to the linoleum blocks (which allow for greater detail, but are much harder to carve).
Thanks so much for including this! I am in love with this blog!
here's a shot of the posters we made from the invite design, with my best friend and i behzing bizarrely in the foreground. (there was lots of wine)____<img src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv293/hellawedding/5122_97919469225_557714225_2194318_.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">