{invites} wax seal

last night, i finished up my invites and they are ready to be hand cancelled (a must when using wax seals) and sent out the door! to be honest, i'm worried about the little guys..i've worked so hard on them and it's tough to see them go out into the world..

but i digress.

i had some trouble figuring out the whole wax seal thing and wanted to share with you my tips and tricks if you plan on doing them yourself..

1st, using my glue stick, i touched a dab of glue on just the end of the flap. i only used it on the end because i did not want my guests to have to tear open the envelope, thus tearing the beautiful liner i worked so hard on. this also helped to keep the envelope flap in place as i used the wax:

2nd, i used wax that can be put in a glue gun, however, i have a mini glue gun, so the huge wax sticks would not fit into mine. boo. i was not about to admit defeat! so i used a lighter to heat the wax/glue. tips for using the lighter: don't place the stick directly in the flame. it will catch on fire. it will also turn your wax/glue black, which you don't really want, otherwise you would have ordered black wax..right? turn the stick back and forth constantly..you will know it's ready by looking at it..it looks soft and gooey..

sorry for the bad pic..but you get the idea, right?

once the wax is soft, pretend it's a crayon and draw a little circle on the flap of the envelope where you want it to seal. for me, the first coat wasn't thick enough:

so i repeated this step. the first time i drew clockwise circles, and the second time, counter-clockwise. just to be sure to get an even coating of the wax. make sure your seal is nearby and facing the way you want when you go to grab it. i use my right hand to "color" the wax and then moved it to my left as i grabbed the seal. you will need to do this somewhat quickly, and make sure you don't have a window open or a fan going as it will dry the wax quicker. then simply press your seal into the wax and hold it there for about 5 seconds:


and voila! they didn't all turn out perfect, and yours probably won't either. it's okay. i don't think they are supposed to be perfect. it took me about 10 envelopes before i really started to get the hang of it. so definitely practice. it took me less than 2 sticks to do 90 envelopes..oh and my thumb hates me today (from using the lighter).

happy waxing!

{ideas} check and check..

wow. what a wedding weekend. saturday i spent the entire day wedding dress shopping with coworker. it was really fun to see her in so many fancy dresses...we ended up with the perfect dress at the last place we went (the same place i got my dress!). it was her first and only day dress shopping. it was wonderful.

sunday, i worked hard on stamping and gluing invites. i still have work to do on the entire suite including: stamping rsvps, rehearsal dinner invites, tying them together in a pretty bow of bakers twine and addressing the envelopes. here's what the little package will look like when i'm finished:

i also managed to stumble across the little blue crystals i have been searching for at my local paper-source. i couldn't wait to get them on my shoes for my something blue:

and i have decided to get rid of the paper cones idea. it's just too much. it was totally stressing me out. i mean what was i thinking? make 150 little cones? yea right. so i am going to get cute little 3"x 3" square envelopes and mark them confetti to hold my rosemary toss. not sure if i want to attach them to the programs (yet another thing on my to do list) or just have a wine box full of the little packets. i'll let you know.

in boy related news: his tie is safe. they do have enough fabric to make it (yay!) and wonderful mike has actually found a couple of other fabrics very similar to the previous out-of-stock tie material for the rest of the boys. oh. and fh bought the shoes (woohoo!):

and i have my first dress fitting on saturday! i can't tell you how excited i am to see how the dress is going to look custom made to fit my body. sigh.

happy monday!

{invites} sweet suite!

you guys..i am so excited! i just picked up our trial invites from the print shop today...and of course the first thing i did when i got home was stamp them up and put it together...what do you think?

the entire suite together:

closeup of the invite:

closeup of the map:


closeup of the rsvp:


closeup of the rehearsal dinner rsvp:


and of course, the lined envelope! (here's my tutorial on diy envelope liners)


sorry for the not-so-great photos, but i'm oh so excited! they look really pretty in person... so us.

{invites} and the dates are saved..

woohoo! my save the dates are addressed, stamped, and out the door. thanks to the fh for getting the stamps and having them hand cancelled at the post office.

front

back

they aren't too bad...are they?

{invites} %&*#$^@$&

because i have the most ridiculous, 5 year-old looking, tilting upward, sometimes downward, ugliest handwriting i have just about ever seen...and because i am trying to save money... i had totally intended to print out address labels on beautiful soft white, oval stickers with a fancy font. it was going to be bee-u-tee-ful. (and yes.. i am talking about my save the dates that have been ready to go for weeks now pending on finalizing the guest list - which we have finally done - and printing the address labels). 

welcome to my first bump in the road: ixnay on the address labels. we can't find a way to print them short of a)buying a printer or b)paying someone to do it for me (which costs money). i had intended to utilize the work printer, but there are too many problems associated with that...as you can imagine.

so. i am (gulp) going to try to handwrite the addresses. i will just buy a nice pen, take my time, oh..and try to stay sober (aka not having a glass of wine while attempting to write beautifully). 

 

i do think handwritten is the nicer, more thoughtful thing to do...but what if it gets thrown in the trash because the recipient thinks it's some sort of joke being played on them by a little kid? surely not. ;)  

..unless anyone has a better idea?

{invites} the great stamp debate

is anyone else freaking out about the choice of stamps out there? I mean...i think they kind of stink as far as wedding selection goes...they do have a series of "wedding hearts" but the colors are so...pastel 80's. yuck. i was hoping to find something simple...perhaps in a black and white to keep the almost vintage feel of my envelopes. although i haven't found the perfect stamp, i have narrowed it down to the following contenders:

the normal bell, not a favorite, but kind of goes with the "wedding bells" thing:

i kind of really like this one, but it would require an additonal 1c stamp (boo):
the hideous (and totally not matching) 1c stamp would be:
next up, flowers. cute but would also require aforementioned hideous 1c stamp:
Finally, the love. i like the little guy running away with the heart...actually, kind of like my honey:
don't think i have forgotten the eames. we do plan on using these little gems...for our rsvp envelopes!! how cute is that...it's like saying "reserve a fabulous seat for me":
so seriously..what's a girl to do?

{invites} Dingbat Press Giveaway

so, you all know by now that i have been diy-ing my save the dates and have planned on doing my invites as well. i have sincerely enjoyed making my std's, but for some reason i am extremely nervous to do my invites...they just seem so ... scary. i mean, they have to be perfect.

when i began thinking about the invites i did some research on what other brides were doing and found this great little thing called "letterpress." i fell in love instantly...like a schoolgirl with a crush on a celebrity and actually thinking it could happen one day...and then i saw how much they cost and it was only then that i truly understood that it could never happen for me. sigh. i have to admit, i still fantasize about it...the creamy, textured paper...the beautiful ink, and the depth of each letter gracefully announcing our big day...

so this morning, while reading my favorite blogs, idiy announces this fantastic opportunity: dingbat press is giving away an entire wedding suite in letterpress! oh my heart be still! that school girl crush is back...and she's not shying away this time!

just look at some of their amazing work:




Be sure to check out the blog too...it's more than just letterpress, it's inspiration.

{invites} save the dates:almost finished!

so, initially i told my fh(future hubby) that i was not going to post a picture of the std's until after they were sent out. but, i can't help it. besides...i think i need some help...

i spent most of last night hand stamping and circling the date on the cards..i got about half way thru (i hope to finish the rest by this weekend). we don't quite have our guest list totally finalized, which is probably a good thing, because i really don't know how i'm going to label these babies and can use the extra time to figure that out...i really wanted to do the wrap-around labels showcased on martha's wedding website, but i really don't want to purchase a sticker machine. so i bought these soft white oval labels at paper source. i think these will look great with the gray font used on the std's for the guests address. here's my problem...i don't want to lick (for lack of a better word) the envelopes shut, because i don't want them to be ripped open. i really want my guest to be able to appreciate the lining that i worked so hard on:


here is a close up of the card:


so...any good ideas out there on how i can close up the back of the envelope to keep the lining from getting ripped?

{diy} envelope liners

i am so excited to share my experience with my diy envelope liners! at first i was unsure that they would ever turn out as pretty as i wanted them to. but lo and behold...they are even more beautiful than i had expected!

materials needed:

1. 100 envelopes + 1 for making a template (shown: paper source in curry)
2. 20 sheets of fabulous paper (shown: found in store, size 12 x 12)
3. Utility blade (i had one in my toolbox, but you can get one here
4. scotch wrinkle free glue stick
5. an old magazine or thick catalog for cutting on
6. a pencil for tracing

first, you will need to make a template. you can buy the templates at paper source for about $10. but..i am a thrifty girl. by not using the pre-made templates, i saved myself 10 bucks & was able to get 5 liners from 1 sheet as opposed to 3 maybe 4 from 1 sheet...

using the utility blade, cut the envelope horizontially just below the visible portion. then you will cut around the flap, just underneath the sticky part:


now you are ready to trace your first sheet. turn the paper over and trace your template on to the paper with your pencil. i was able to fit 5 on one sheet by placing 2 side by side, 1 on each remaining corner, and one in the middle.

using your utility blade, cut each liner by tracing the lines. don't worry, it won't be perfect! that's what gives it it's homemade charm. be sure to remember to cut on the old magazine or catalog so you don't ruin your lovely table.

next, fit a liner into an envelope and fold over when it is where you want it. using your wrinkle free glue stick, get glue happy with the top portion of the liner and press back on the flap firmly. let your envelope dry before you fold it over again.



and voila! beautiful and thrifty envelopes for your soon to be homemade save the dates! (or invitations) ..coming soon...


cost:
envelopes: $3.50 for pack of 10 (x 10) = $35
paper: .95 a sheet (x 20) = $19
glue stick: ~$3.00
old catalog: FREE
utility blade: FREE
total cost: ~$55

time:
3 days at 3 hours a night. not too bad, and i did this while watching mad men, project runway, and drinking a glass of wine. :)

please let me know if you have any questions concerning your own envelope liners. happy diy!!