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It’s Only a Paper Sandwich

My favorite thing so far has been working on the invitations. I know that they’re just paper and will be circular filed by nearly everyone. But the invitations ended up being weirdly important to me in a way I hadn’t anticipated.

I have a less than ideal family situation. For as long as I can remember, I’ve craved a feeling of belonging and stability. With DJ, finally having that that was my “you just know, it just feels right.” For me, these invitations are the start of the wedding itself. There’s the stated purpose, there are our names, that’s when it will happen. I love that. So I guess I’ve been dragging my heels on finishing them. Is there a cheerful counterpoint to Penelope weaving and unweaving her shroud?

diy invitation supplies

For the folders, I bought sheets of cardstock from Paper Source. One of the tips the very helpful salesgirl gave me was to find the grain of the paper before cutting. I had not been aware that paper had a grain, but it’s important if you’re planning on rolling or folding at all.

paper grain

Check for the grain by rolling first in the X direction, then in the Y direction. One axis will have more resistance than the other; in the diagram above the arrows indicate the orientation of the grainline. Small circle = with the grain. Try to orient your cutting template so that the folds are with (not across) the grain – they’ll look smoother.

I cut the rectangles using a craft knife and a self-healing mat with a lipped ruler, then scored them with a bonefolder.

cutting diy invitations

The inside pieces (invitation, RSVP, hotel, directions card) all have the same design at the bottom, which I did in one big run of printing on the gocco. The ink is a mixture of silver and gold (more silver than gold, I think – but I didn’t measure) squished together in a baggie.

diy gocco invitations

The lacy motif across the bottom of each piece was “made” by me, in Photoshop. Each flower was excised from a scan of the envelope liner wrapping paper through a series of color inversions and selective deletions. It took a while.

diy invitations

Finally, the assembly! The front of the folder seemed plain, but I didn’t want to make it too busy. I thought about adding more of the pewter design or a monogram or embossing – but ended up wrapping it in Perle cotton, using strips of adhesive on the inside edges to hold the threads in place. The green layer covered that right up, using the same tape to mount it. I haven’t printed the text on the inserts yet, but you get the idea.

diy pocketfold invitations

That’s it, girls. That’s my best project, and it’s not even finished. You’ll want to throw tomatoes at the next one.