Planning a birthday party is an opportunity for many people to showcase their arts and crafts skills. One crafty way to put a personal touch on birthday party planning is to make your own party invitations. Invitations can be decorated in any number of ways, ranging from computer-perfect clip art designs to handmade decorations that have been cut out and glued into each invite. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Find pieces of card stock in colors that match the party's theme, if there is one. Fold each piece of card stock in half for invitations that open, or use half sheets for invitations that can easily be displayed on the recipients' refrigerators or taped into their day planners.
2. Type up whatever party information you wish to include---for example, the party's occasion, date, time, place, RSVP date, contact person and contact information. If you wish the invitations to have a more personal look, handwrite the party information in colored pen or marker.
3. Cut out the information. Use wavy scissors or provide a border around the text to add detail to the edges of the paper. Glue the party information inside of or on the bottom half of the invitations, depending on whether or not you folded the card stock. A glue stick works better than liquid glue for projects like these, because glue sticks do not leave paper looking "crinkled," as liquid glue can if too much is used.
4. Decorate the front---or top, for half-sheet invitations---of the invitations with birthday-themed graphics. For example, cut out balloon shapes from colored construction paper and add pieces of ribbon to serve as balloon strings. If the birthday party is themed, have the invitations reflect that theme. For a girl's Sweet 16 birthday party with a floral theme, find flower stickers at a craft store or print a picture of the birthday celebrant's favorite flower on the invitations. For parties without a theme, consider decorating the front of invitations with clip art graphics or photos of the person for whom the party is being thrown. Most photo centers offer wallet-sized pictures that can be printed in a short time at an in-store kiosk. As an added bonus, it may be possible to add borders or text to the photos before they are printed as well. Place a quote that fits the theme on the front of the invitations, or get creative.
Tags: birthday party, card stock, party information, front invitations, half invitations, information wish