The Party Invitation

My siblings and I celebrated my Mom & Dad's 45 years of marriage and their 70th birthdays by throwing them a big party celebration.  One of my responsibilities was to make the invitations.  I have the most incredible parents in the world and I knew the invitations had to be just as special as they are.  No store bought cards would do.

Their wedding colors were red, white and black; this is what I used as my starting point.  After finding some beautiful papers, I went to work.

The tools I used:

I cut each paper to the size I needed for the card.  The paper cutter makes it a snap to cut each sheet of paper to the exact size needed.  This helps me tremendously in ensuring all cuts are the same.  What?  Me picky?

Next, place the photo squares (tape) on the back of the papers.  The corners that will be at the top and bottom of the card have tape in each corner, and the section of paper  in the middle of the card will have only one.  It makes a much nicer presentation when the corners are securely fastened and not peeling up when the person receiving the card opens it.

Some would use glue to adhere the papers together, however I found the paper wrinkles as the glue dries.  The tape makes a much cleaner presentation.

To separate the two black patterned papers, I wanted to add a pop of red.  To give it a different look, I tore an edge along the bottom of the strip rather than have it straight cut.  I like that it added something different.  I placed tape squares on the outer corners of the red strip.

I just LOVE the texture of the red paper.

To complete the front of the card, I added a strip of white paper with their names on it, a black swirl embellishment and a tiny flower. 

We can all use a little whimsy in our lives...

Place a tape square on each corner of the backside.  This will help in securely adhering it to the front of the card. 

This is how all the pieces came together.

It's always nice to add a little something extra to the wording on the inside.  Here, I cut out the wording of the inviation, taped it down onto black paper cut to size and then taped it all to the inside of the card. 

Very simple and adds just a small touch of elegance.

The finished project.

One down, only 39 more to go....