At the risk of dating myself my sisters and I used to play with embossed label makers when we were kids. With the new “improved” models and computers that came out in the 90s, manual embossing label makers all but disappeared from use.

I saw this Dymo retro embossing label maker while walking through the crafts department at Wal*Mart. I just had to have it, not quite sure at the time what I’d do with it.

Recently I put it to use when writing thank you notes for Elise’s baby gifts. I love how they turned out, such a simple yet personal sentiment with a cheeky, throwback edge.

Step-by-step tutorial and supplies for the retro embossed thank yous after the jump –>>>

Supplies:

• Retro embossing label maker
• A4 size cards, flat or folded (I used white)
• A4 size envelopes (I used yellow)

Use your label maker to spell out your thank you message in raised, tactile letters. Peel off the back adhesive and stick onto the front of the card.

I’m a fan of placing the words so they’re not aligned; I think it looks more handmade and energetic. Write a personal note inside and add a colorful envelope. Long live the 80s!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Recently I took part in the first inaugural Chicago Craft Social hosted by Amanda Edwards, Megan Hall, Megan Heep, and Jessica Jones.

In addition to meeting tons of super cool crafty Chicago ladies, I made these fun retro Paris notecards out of old time-y black-and-white France vacation photos. Table leader Lisa Haskin of Faux Transformations said that her sister-in-law had inherited stacks of old photo albums stashed in a neglected corner of her new home’s attic.

My guess is that the photos are probably from the 1950s. Check out Notre Dame on the left. When I visited Paris, the front area was a landscaped pedestrian walkway but here it looks like people used to be able to drive right up to it.

Lisa also was generous enough to provide her envelope template to create matching A2 size envelopes from lime green pieces of paper. Not only nifty and economical but also nicely coordinated!

I like these photo notecards so much that I scanned in all the original Paris vacation photographs so you can make your own retro Paris notecards.

Supplies:

• 1950s-ish Paris vacation photos from an old family album (PDF, 9.6MB, 300DPI)
• Glossy 8 1/2″ x 11″ photo paper or 8 1/2″ x 11″ 210g white text paper or other heavy paper (for printing photos)
• A2 size (4 1/4″x 5 1/2″) folded notecards in light gray
• Lime green 8 1/2″ x 11″ colored paper (for envelopes and trim)
• Lisa’s A2 size envelope template (PDF, 176KB, print on letter or legal sized paper)
• Cardboard or posterboard large enough to fit the A2 size envelope template (optional)
• Pencil
• Rubber cement or glue stick
• Remoistenable envelope glue (this stuff is cool)
• Rotary paper trimmer OR Xacto knife (this is my kit) and metal edge ruler and gridded self-healing rotary mat OR good paper scissors

Make your cards

Print my free 1950s-ish Paris vacation photos template ideally on glossy photo paper to mimic the “photo” look, or on heavy white paper. I included two photos per template of Notre Dame because it’s just such a great shot. Cut them out using your Xacto knife, metal ruler and self-healing mat.

Next, cut squares of colored paper about 1/8″ larger than each photo. Please note that I kept the photos the same sizes as the originals, so the close-up Eiffel Tower photos are slightly larger than the other two.

Affix one photo onto one colored square using rubber cement or a glue stick; then glue in the center of your light gray folded notecard.

Make your envelopes

Print out Lisa’s free A2 size envelope template and cut out (note: if you’d like, you can trace it onto cardboard or posterboard for a more sturdy template). Place your cut-out template onto a piece of 8 1/2″ x 11″ colored paper. Lightly trace around the template and put it to the side.

Cut out just inside your pencil markings using either an Xacto knife, ruler and self-healing mat or scissors.

(Tip: If you’re pretty good with an Xacto knife, you can cut out a stack of envelopes at one time. Simply stack 5 sheets of paper, use your knife/ruler/mat and to slice through all five layers).

Fold the two sides in. Fold the bottom up. Use rubber cement or glue stick to affix the bottom to the sides.

Fold the top flap down. Here’s a cool trick from Lisa: Spread a line of remoistenable envelope glue on the bottom edge of the top flap. Once it dries, you can lick it to close. Très cool, no?

I am totally in love with these sewn fabric wedding invitations that I designed for recent bride Natalie Fayard.

Thanks to Google, Natalie and her mother found me and my sewn fabric poppy wedding invitations that were featured in the The Knot’s 2007-2008 Fall/Winter National Magazine. Natalie had found this lovely yellow, black, white and khaki fabric that has such energy and throwback personality:

One tricky wrinkle: Natalie’s fabric had a lot of large flowers (3″ – 4″) and smaller flowers that were not “perfect,” overlapping to create oddly shaped sides when cut out. To make things worse, the “perfect” flowers were so spread out that it would require oodles and oodles of expensive yardage to get a full-flower look.

So I noodled around and designed this variation for Natalie featuring half flowers layered on top of loose fabric leaves. I couldn’t be more more thrilled with this design twist …and to tell the truth, I think I like these even better than my poppy ones.

From Natalie: “A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  Kathy, they’re awesome; you are so great honestly! …Thank you again so much for all your hardwork and all the time you took to assist me with this project. I look back and have learned so much.”

You’re more than welcome to use this invitation template and design for free with the request that anyone using this template or design post a comment below or email me to track its usage. Craft and pass it on!

Supplies:

• Kathy’s sewn invitation text template in Adobe Illustrator CS3 (429K, uses Copperplate Gothic Bold and Spoleto from Novel Fonts, not Monotype. If you can’t find this version of Spoleto you could substitute Machiarge or Fenway Park)
• A6 size (4 1/2″x 6 1/4″) flat luxe cream cards OR 8 1/2 x 11 luxe cream 210g text paper (also available in bulk) or other heavy paper
• A7 size (5” x 7”) flat yellow cards
• Flowers and leaves cut out of fabric – edges should be raw
• 4.75” x 6.75” fabric squares for invitation backs – edges should be raw (optional)
• Fusible interfacing (craft, medium or heavyweight)
• Yellow thread
• A7 size (5 1/4″x 7 1/4″) yellow envelopes
• Rotary paper trimmer OR Xacto knife (this is my kit) and metal edge ruler if you’re printing yourself and cutting 8 1/2 x 11 paper
• Gridded self-healing rotary mat, clear fabric ruler and rotary fabric cutter for cutting fabric squares (you will thank me)
• Good fabric scissors
• Good iron
• Sewing machine

This time I created a special ‘how to’ video for you featuring a fun song called “Valley of the Dolls” by Mylo that my friend Chad Crosby included in a CD mix that he made for me.

Traditional step-by-step instructions and photos are after the jump. Don’t feel like making them yourself? Contact me and I’ll help.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Print invitations
First design the text in Illustrator using my template or your own design. You can either get them letterpressed or print them on your computer or at Kinko’s. (Note: Buying A6 and A7 flat cards will save you a lot of time because they’re already the right size. However, if you decide to print them on your own computer and your printer can’t handle odd sizes, buy sheets of paper instead of A6, print 2 per page and cut to size.)

Cut flowers and leaves
Press fabric flat. Iron on interfacing behind areas of flowers and leaves to stiffen and add weight (you can skip this if you’re using thick fabric).

Cut out flowers and leaves, making sure to cut slightly *outside* the lines. Remember not every invitation needs to be exactly the same.

Cut all large and odd-shaped flowers so that they bleed off the top of the invitation.

Cut fabric for invitation backs

Iron craft weight interfacing onto fabric (if using thick fabric you can skip this step).

Using your rotary cutter and ruler cut 4.75” x 6.75” squares, one for each invitation back. Remember all fabric edges are intentionally left raw and unfinished.

Stack your invitation and sew
Place the fabric rectangle back face down on your mat. Layer on the A7 flat yellow card next and then the A6 cream printed page on top.

Sew yellow thread through all three layers 1/8th of an inch from the cream sides; you can either backstitch or tie it off (here’s a perfectionist trick: backstitch where the flower is going to go to hide your backstitch).

Here’s what the sewn fabric back looks like.

Put the flower on the top and slip a loose leaf underneath. Sew around the edge of the flower. Leaf edges will be raw and loose.

You will see the stitching on the back of the invitation; again, this is intentional to add to the texture and handmade feel. Voila!

Get creative! Layer flowers on top of loose leaves and sew around edges

Mix and match flowers and leaves to create a range of pretty invitations.

For instance, I made these leaf-only “more manly” invitations were for Natalie and Jeff’s single male guests :)

Create bunches of variations and have fun!

Don’t feel like making them yourself? Contact me and I’ll help.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and template for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Every time I drive over the Chicago Avenue Bridge I look forward to seeing the “thank you” graffiti painted inside a heart on the northwestern side of the overpass. First there’s that nervous moment of anticipation when I’m afraid that Mayor Daley’s Graffiti Blasters have painted over it. But then I see it’s still there and it makes me smile.

So on a chilly January Sunday where the bridge wasn’t covered in snow, I snapped some photos and created these super cute urban thank you cards just in time for your post-holiday gracias.

You’re welcome to use these instructions and templates for free for your own personal use. Anyone using the template simply post a comment below or email me to track its usage.

Supplies (makes 2 cards each):

• Kathy’s free urban graffiti thank you card template (PDF, free for personal use)
• 1 sheet of white card stock weight paper
• 2 envelopes (4 bar size in bright white envelopes or 4 bar size colored envelopes, I used black)
  
• Computer and color printer
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), Ruler and Self-healing cutting mat

Print my free urban graffiti thank you card template (PDF), two cards a page.

Using your paper cutter or Xacto knife, ruler and mat, cut out your cards. Be sure to hold your ruler down tight and run the Xacto knife a couple times to make sure the edge is smooth.

Now here’s a tip to ensure your cards fold perfectly. Measure the center of your card and put your ruler along that imaginary line. Turn your Xacto knife upside down. Yep, upside down. Run the *back* of your knife gently down the middle along the ruler two or three times. Your goal is to just score the line, not cut through the paper, so be careful. Now you’ll be able to easily fold the card in half along a perfect seam.

That’s it. Write your card, slip into an envelope and mail. And heartfelt thanks to my favorite Chicagoland mystery graffiti artist.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use the template so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Holy smokes! This invitation by Nick and Nikki Lo Bue is one of the most amazing wedding invitations I’ve ever seen.

Nick and Nikki had a charming story behind their relationship which inspired them to make this stunning book as their wedding invitation. Making the wedding book gave the couple a fabulous opportunity to tell their story to friends and family as well as give guests a cute keepsake.

They asked a dear friend who also happened to be a copywriter to write their story and worked closely with their friend Stacey Stern at Steracle Press to help bring their wedding book concept to reality.

Nick’s friend Jeff Carlson drew the super cute color illustrations such as the couple’s daily Starbucks runs at work where they met, the home-y Chicago skyline, and more.

The wedding book begins with the story of how Nick and Nikki met at a Chicago design firm, followed by the unique story behind their relationship including daily Starbucks runs and a move for one to Austin and back, and Nick’s proposal, ending with the formal wedding invitation/details.

Nikki included a perforated and stamped RSVP postcard at the end of the book for guests to tear out and mail.

Wherever possible, Nikki used archival paper/elements to create the book to ensure that it will last a long time without yellowing or showing signs of age. Suppliers are listed later in this post.

Not only did Nikki make the invitations but also the lovely letterpressed fabric book jackets, mailing labels, belly bands around the boxes as well as the ‘nikki & nick’ tags on the cloth drawstring book bags.

Nikki has kindly documented free step-by-step DIY instructions and supply lists after the jump. We request that if you use this idea or instructions, please post a comment below. Enjoy making your very own smythe sewn book!

NOTE: The instructions that follow are not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, graphic designer Nikki is available to provide her services to you. Feel free to contact her at nikkilobue[AT]gmail[DOT]com or 512.627.2607. Lucky you!

Book pages

• 8.5”x11” sheets of paper for book pages (we used Crane’s pearl white wove unwatermarked paper, which is an archival sheet and ordered it through Lewis Paper)

Use a page layout program to design/layout your book pages; a page layout program such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress would be best, but Microsoft Word could work if you do not have access to a page layout program. Layout your book pages in reader’s spreads in landscape format, knowing that the finished size of each page will be 5.5”high x 4.25”wide when the page is folded. Allow 1.125” margins on the right and left edges of your document (you will need the extra width when the pages are folded and stitched so that the content of your book is far enough away from the spine). Allow at least .375” margins on either side of the center of your document. A good margin to use for the top and bottom is .75” or 1”.

After you have completed your layout for your book, you will need to imposition your document pages, meaning you will sequentially reorder the pages by shifting each page one page to the left in your document (so your document pages will no longer be in readers spreads, but once you fold the printed pages and put them in sequential order, they will be in readers spreads once again). After you have prepped the pages, you may want to print out a copy of your book and make a dummy to make sure all of your pages are appearing in the correct order.

Once you have imposed your document and prepped it for printing, you can print the book pages yourself if you have the capability, or have someone else print them for you.

Fold your printed pages in half to be 5.5”high x 4.25”wide. To make a really crisp edge, press a Teflon bone folder along the folded edge. Sequentially order your folded book pages and set them aside.

Letterpressed Front and Back Book Covers
Choose a cover weight paper for the front and back covers of your book, and create your design. You can print the covers yourself if you have the capability, or you can send them out to be printed by someone else. We designed our front and back book covers and had them letterpressed on Crane’s Lettra Pearl White 110# Cover stock, which was an archival paper made specifically for letterpress printing; it also matched the paper stock we used for the pages of our book.

If you choose to have your book smythe-sewn, check with your binder to find out what size they would like to covers to be – they will likely want them to be larger than what the finished size of the book will be, because they will line up the pages of the book and trim off any excess so that the finished edges of the book pages will all be flush. Our book covers were 4.375” wide x 5.75” high before sending them out to be smythe sewn and trimmed.

If you will not be having your books smythe sewn, you can make the document size for the covers to be the finished size of the books – 5.5”high x 4.25”wide.

Once you have your front and back covers, you can send them out along with your book pages to be bound.

Optional: perforated RSVP card
Since our books were also our wedding invitation, we included a perforated and stamped rsvp postcard at the end of the book, which our guests could tear out and send to us. The front of the postcard asked the usual rsvp info (name, how many guests would be attending, meal choice, etc.), and on the backside we included an area where the guests could write us a note if they wanted to.

We had our rsvp card letterpressed printed, and so our letterpress printer perforated the cards for us after they were printed. We worked with our smythe sew binder to determine what the size of the card should be, and how far away the perforation needed to be from the spine. Our rsvp cards were 4.375” wide x 5.75” high before sending them out to be smythe sewn and trimmed, and were perforated .75” away from edge of spine on the long side of the book (the 5.75” side). The cards were letterpressed on the same paper stock as our front and back book covers, using the same ink colors.

Smythe sewn book binding
If you have a really thin book you could probably try and stitch it yourself by hand or on a machine. If you have a thick book like we did, you will need to send out your book components to be professionally bound. Research book binders in your area to find a vendor who can smythe sew (stitch bind) the books. It may help to go through a printer – chances are they will have the capability to bind books in-house or will have a trusted vendor that they use. Ask the binder to see some thread samples so that you can decide which color you would like to use. They can also advise you on various details such as how far away the stitching will be from the spine, and how far apart each stitch will be. When you have all the book components ready (front covers, back covers and interior pages), you can send the components out to be Smyth sewn and trimmed. Check with your binder first to find out how they would like to receive the book components – if they have the capability to trim the books after they have been sewn, they will most likely prefer the covers and interior pages not to be trimmed to size because they will do it themselves, which will affect the size of all the book components.

Letterpressed Fabric Book Jackets
What lovely green fabric book jackets covered the books.

Supplies:

• Iron
• Exacto knife
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Large cutting mat
• Teflon bone folder
• Wax paper sheets
• Book fabric (Rainbow Ecological Fiber – we used Rainbow Brillianta 4250 Lime, which came in a 52.5” yard roll)
• Oversized text weight paper (we used 26” x 20” sheets of solid paper from Paper Source)
• Fusion 4000 acid free adhesive (comes on a 40.5″ x 30” yard roll from Talas)

Turn on your iron to the heat setting specified in the directions that came with the Fusion 4000. Using a pencil, ruler and an exacto knife, trim the book fabric and Fusion 4000 into 26” x 20” sheets to match the size of the Paper.

Next step is to iron the book fabric, Fusion 4000, and paper together; heating the Fusion 4000 activates the adhesive, which will seamlessly fuse the book fabric and paper to make your jacket. For the best results, follow the instructions that came with the Fusion 4000 and do some test runs until you get the hang of the method. If you would like to have a design letterpressed onto your book jackets, it would be a good idea to save some of your imperfect jackets so you can give the samples to your printer. They can use the jacket samples to do some test prints to make sure the printing process will produce desirable results.

The order of the layers should go (from top to bottom): 1 large sheet of wax paper, book fabric, Fusion 4000, paper. Place your iron on top of the stacked elements and quickly and thoroughly iron all areas of the sheet, moving the wax paper with you as you iron (using the sheet of wax paper will allow you to move the iron more freely over the element, while protecting the elements from being burned by the iron, or having any of the Fusion 4000 adhesive accidentally getting onto your iron).

When you are finished ironing, let the jacket cool and then use magazines or books to weight it and keep it flat – this will help prevent warping and curling.

If you are not going to have a design printed on your jacket, you can trim the jackets down to their final size with an exacto knife, ruler, and a cutting mat. Be sure to use a sharp exacto knife blade when you are trimming; using a dull blade will cause the fabric to fray as you trim. The final size of your book jacket will depend on the height width, and thickness of the finished size of your book. To determine what the (flat) length of your jacket should be, add the width of the front and back covers to the width of the spine, then add 1/8”. Try making a test jacket and fitting it on the book first to be sure it will fit before trimming down all the rest of your jackets.

Place the fabric side of the jacket face up, and measure the width of your book. Then, in the center of your jacket, lightly mark the width of the spine at the top and bottom of the jacket with a very sharp pencil. It may help to center the spine of your book face down in the center of the jacket and use that as a guide to place your marks. After you have marked the width of the book spine, work your way out to mark the next set of score marks, which should be the width of the book cover +1/16”. Take that measurement and mark the width on either side of your spine marks (these are the score marks that will enable the jacket to wrap around the front and back covers of the book). After you have finished making your marks, line a ruler up to the corresponding marks at the top and bottom edges; and, with the end of the Teflon folder (whichever end you feel most comfortable using) press a line into the jacket.

Optional – printing:
If you choose to have a design printed on your jackets, you will need to do a little research and find a printer (I recommend using a letterpress printer) who has the ability to print on the book fabric you would like to use. Once you find a printer, you can work with your printer to find out what size the book jacket sheets need to be before they can be printed on – sizes will vary depending on the size of their letterpress.

Layout the design for your book jacket, and include crop marks to indicate the final (flat) trim size of the book jacket. If possible, ask you printer if you can approve a print so that you can know what to expect to see in the final product,

Once you receive the printed jackets back from the printer all that will be left to do is to score, fold, and wrap them around your book.

Optional finishing touches…

Boxes, bags and padding
A nice way to protect and contain your book is to place it in an appropriate-sized fabric drawstring bag (you may want to iron the bag first to remove any wrinkles).

Supplies:

• 5” x 7” cloth drawstring bags from PackCo
• 7” x 5.5” x 1” kraft jewelry boxes from Uline
• Peat Moss, crinkle paper, or tissue paper for padding

If you are going to mail your book or give it someone as a gift, you can place the book into a lined box (such as 7” x 5.5” x 1” kraft jewelry boxes from Uline). Unless the book fits snugly in the box, you will need to use a material to pad the box to protect the book from moving around and potentially damaging the book. A few ideas for padding are: peat moss, crinkle paper, and tissue paper. Line the box with your desired material, place the book in the box and close the lid.

Tags
As a finishing touch on the bags, you can tie a personalized tag onto the end of one of the drawstrings of the bag.

Supplies:

• Iron
• Exacto knife
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Large cutting mat
• 1/8” round hole punch
• Paper to print the tags yourself, or a design file with crop marks (to indicate final tag size) to have someone else print them for you

We designed 3”high x.75”wide tags to tie onto our bags. The tags were letterpressed with our names and wedding date, using the same paper stock and ink colors as our letterpressed book covers. Personalize your tags with your desired design and then either print them yourself or have someone else print them for you. Once you have your printed tags, use a cutting mat, exacto knife and a ruler to trim them down to size (be sure to include crop marks in the print file so that you can use them as your guides).

After the tags are trimmed, use a 1/8” round hole punch to punch the tops and turn them into tags. Loop one of the drawstrings on the bag through your tag, tying a knot at the end of the string so that the tag will not fall off. Place your book inside the bag, cinch the top closed, and tie the drawstrings into a bow.

Belly Bands for your boxes
For a finished look you can apply a bellyband and a label to the box to firmly secure the lid.

Supplies:

• 26” x 20” sheets of solid text weight paper from Paper Source (www.paper-source.com)
• Exacto knife
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Large cutting mat

To create the double-banded belly bands, use two complimentary sheets of oversized text weight paper (we bought two colors of 26” x 20” sheets from Paper Source, but you can use any paper you want as long as the paper will be long enough to allow you to wrap it around your desired box with a little bit of overlap where the ends meet).

Decide which color you would like to use for the top of the bellyband, and which color you will use on the bottom. Using a ruler, exacto knife and cutting mat, trim the paper you would like top use as the bottom of the bellyband into 4.25”wide x 14”long strips. Trim your other paper stock into 3.5”wide x 14”long strips. Center the top strip on the bottom strip and use a glue stick to glue the top strip to the bottom strip to create your double-banded belly band.

Put your bellyband face down on a flat surface, and place your box right side up and centered within the middle of the bellyband. Loosely wrap the bellyband up and around the edges of the box – the ends should meet as close as possible in the center of the top lid of the box. Once you like the placement of the bellyband, use a glue stick to apply some glue to the bottom area of the box where the bellyband will fall and press down firmly so that the bellyband and box stick together. Tightly fold the edges of the belly band up and around the top lid of the box, using a glue stick to glue the ends of the strips where they overlap (you can also use a small piece of clear tape to hold the bellyband in place). If you are applying a mailing label, apply your label to the top of the box and over the bellyband, covering up the seam where the bellyband ends meet. Press firmly to secure the label to the bellyband and the top of the box.

Mailing labels

• 8.5” x 11” label stock sheets (you can get this from almost any office supply store)
• Exacto knife
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Large cutting mat
• Rounded corner punch (you can get this from almost any fabric/craft store)

We created 5.3” x 2.625” labels to use on our bellybands and boxes, but you can create your own custom mailing labels by using 8.5”x11” label stock and trimming the labels down to your desired size. To make your own oversized labels, find some 8.5” x 11” full sheet label stock that you can run through your printer, or stock that your desired printer can print on. Determine the size you would like the labels to be, create your design (with crop marks) and then print your design onto the labels (if applicable, include name and/or mailing address if you do not want to handwrite it). Once printed, trim the labels along the crop marks using a ruler, an exacto knife and a cutting mat. You can leave the label edges square or use a rounded corner punch to round each of the corners of the label. After you are finished trimming, peel off the label backs and apply the labels to the top of the bellyband and box.

Resources
Letterpress printer:
Stacey Stern at Steracle Press in Chicago, IL or stacey[AT]steracle[DOT]com

Smyth sewn book binder:
Greden, located in (suburbs?) Chicago IL

Heat-activated adhesive sheets to fuse book fabric and paper together:
Fusion 4000 (40.5″ x 30 yard roll) from Talas

Book Fabric:
Rainbow Ecological Fibers – http://www.ecofibers.com
We used Rainbow Brillianta 4250 Lime, which came in a 52.5” yard roll

Archival paper for book pages:
8.5” x 11” sheets of pearl white Crane’s wove unwatermarked paper, ordered through Lewis Paper

Paper for belly bands and interior of book jackets:
26” x 20” sheets of solid paper from Paper Source

Boxes:
7” x 5.5” x 1” kraft jewelry boxes from Uline

Peat Moss for padding the boxes:
Can be purchased through a florist (it usually comes by the box)

Labels:
8.5” x 11” full sheet label stock (you can get this from almost any office supply store)
Rounded corner punch (you can get this from almost any fabric/craft store)

Cloth drawstring bags:
5” x 7” cloth bags from PackCo

My favorite Chicago mommy blogger Janna Devylder, sons Gus and Eli, and husband John are moving to Savannah to teach at SCAD. So I decided to make them a goodbye gift.

These handmade, bright, urban notecards and coordinating lined envelopes that depict the iconic Chicago skyline are the perfect size for keeping in touch old school style.

Supplies (for 10 cards):

• Kathy’s free Chicago Skyline 4 bar (3 1/2″ x 4 7/8″) notecard templates (Hancock Chicago Skyline Notecard Template and Sears Tower Chicago Skyline Notecard Template) with heaping thanks to iStock.com
• 15 sheets of assorted colored card stock weight paper
• 10 Envelopes (4 bar size in bright white envelopes or 4 bar size colored envelopes)
  
• Computer and printer
• Rubber cement
• Optional: Envelope liner template
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), Ruler and Self-healing cutting mat

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this templates for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Print out my free skyline templates on colored paper 5 times for 10 cards. Cut out notecards on the gray lines using your paper cutter or Xacto knife, ruler and self-healing mat.

Now here’s a tip to ensure your cards fold perfectly. Measure the center of your card and put your ruler along that imaginary line. Turn your Xacto knife upside down. Yep, upside down. Run the *back* of your knife gently down the middle along the ruler two or three times. Your goal is to just score the line, not cut through the paper, so be careful. Now you’ll be able to easily fold the card in half along a perfect seam. (Fun fact: Ironically, I learned this scoring trick from John years ago while watching him make his wedding invitations.)

Next make your lined envelopes. If you buy your envelopes from Paper Source then you can also buy their envelope liner template and just trace and cut. However, this time I had another brand of cards so I just winged it (just trace a bit smaller than the width/height of your envelope, creating a point just below the adhesive strip, and cut …easy). Slip the liner inside the envelope just under the adhesive strip.

Turn your envelope over and place on your mat. Bend the envelope flap backwards to reveal the back of the liner. Put rubber cement on the liner, then bend the envelope back to stick.

I hope the Devylders enjoy these notecards in their new home. I’ve known John and Janna for about eight years ago and hired Janna not one but two times. Chicago won’t be the same without them!

My downstairs neighbor Susan gave us a beautifully wrapped wedding gift in thick, shiny silver and pearl-like white wrapping paper. Channeling my mom, I decided to fold up the shiny white and silver paper and store it until I found some use for it.

Today I recycled the wrapping paper into a wedding card sewn with shiny metallic silver thread and coordinating lined shiny silver envelope.

Supplies:

• Salvaged wrapping paper
• Shiny silver metallic thread
• Folded blank card (your choice of size)
  
• Shiny silver envelopes (same size as card)
• Optional: Envelope liner template
• Rubber cement (love this stuff)
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), Ruler and Self-healing cutting mat
• Sewing machine

Place your envelope liner template onto the wrapping paper. Use your Xacto knife to cut the paper. If you’re using thin paper, cut slowly to avoid tearing.

Slip the cut liner into the envelope and position just below the adhesive. Carefully flip it over, bend back the envelope flap, and brush rubber cement onto the back of the liner. Turn over and smooth.

Using your blank card as a template, cut a rectangle the same size as the front of the card using your Xacto knife and ruler. Brush rubber cement on the back and affix to the front of the card. Let it dry for a bit. Using a double zigzag stitch, sew metallic silver thread around the card front.

I used a light blue Sharpie to address and write the card. Something blue…

Leave it to Heather Crosby to come up with an invitation concept that I’ve never seen before.

Heather’s beloved brother Chad and his lovely bride-to-be Shayda met way back in high school. A chance meet up a decade later while Chad was home visiting family led to a cross-country romance and recent engagement. Big sis Heather is throwing a school-themed, backyard barbecue to help celebrate the sassy couple.

Supplies:

• Lined notebook filler paper
• Pack of colored markers or pens
• Color photo copier
• Envelopes
• Custom photo stamps from PhotoStamps.com (Your Picture on Real US Postage) – optional but recommended

Write your invitation using colored markers peppered with 80′s high school phrases and acronyms like T.T.L., P.P.S., K.I.T., Write Back, 4 Eva, Don’t Ever Change, and others. Be sure to cross out misspellings and use lots of exclamation points. Load your color photo copier with notebook paper and make your number of needed invites. Now follow these handy folding instructions to fold your invitations into secret passed note squares. Voila! Very Sam in Sixteen Candles.

In this electronic day and age, it’s so much more fun for guests to receive a tactile, throwback invite like this in the mail. I checked the box, “yes”!

We customized the envelopes for our wedding invitations using a couple of easy tricks: Sewing our return address on the back of our envelopes and adding custom photo stamps from PhotoStamps.com.

Supplies:

• A7 size (5 1/4″x 7 1/4″) chocolate envelopes
• 8 1/2 x 11 luxe cream 210g text paper (or other heavy paper)
• Yellow thread
• Digital camera and computer
• Rotary Paper Trimmer -12” (30cm)

First I designed the return address text in Illustrator using the Copperplate font. I ordered a plate from Owosso Graphics and my friend John Devylder letterpressed them when he printed our invitations. Of course you can print them yourself too.

Cut the return addresses into rectangles. Invest in a rotary paper trimmer; it will save you loads of time. Sew the rectangle onto the back envelope flap. Backstitch a few stitches to secure or tie the ends together and cut.

Now for the custom photo stamps. I put the cut-out fabric flower that I used on the invitations onto the cream luxe paper and snapped a photo. Then I uploaded it to PhotoStamps.com and they did the rest.

One great thing about PhotoStamps.com is that you can create one stamp to cover any extra postage. Be sure to weigh your invitations at the post office before you place your order so you know which denomination to buy. PhotoStamps.com is also fun for save the date announcements and thank you notes.

Like this theme? Then try our sewn poppy fabric invitations, table numbers, guest towels, ring bearer pillow, place cards, sewn zigzagged programs, menu, reserved signs, whimsical flower garland “altar” and bridesmaid’s handbags.

Don’t feel like making them yourself? Contact me and I’ll help.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Here are our wedding invitations that were featured in the The Knot’s 2007-2008 Fall/Winter National Magazine and “Amazing Wedding Cakes” on WeTV. After searching fabric stores, websites and even ebay, the poppy fabric I found inspired everything.

We received so many compliments from guests who said they were one of the most unique, creative, intimate invitations they had ever received. Of course they’re our family and closest friends. But I felt really proud about the handmade, personal, organic feeling that I created for me and Shane.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s sewn invitation text template in Adobe Illustrator CS3 (429K, uses Copperplate Gothic Bold and Spoleto from Novel Fonts, not Monotype. If you can’t find this version of Spoleto you could substitute Machiarge or Fenway Park)
• A6 size (4 1/2″x 6 1/4″) flat luxe cream cards OR 8 1/2 x 11 luxe cream 210g text paper (also available in bulk) or other heavy paper
  
• A7 size (5” x 7”) flat chocolate cards
• Flowers and leaves cut out of fabric (edges should be raw)
• (optional) 4.75” x 6.75” fabric squares for invitation backs (edges should be raw)
• Fusible interfacing (craft, medium or heavyweight)
• Orange and yellow thread
• A7 size (5 1/4″x 7 1/4″) chocolate envelopes
• Rotary Paper Trimmer OR Xacto knife (this is my kit) and metal edge ruler if you’re printing yourself and cutting 8 1/2 x 11 paper
• Gridded self-healing rotary mat, clear fabric ruler and rotary fabric cutter for cutting fabric squares (you will thank me)
• Good fabric scissors
• Glue stick and/or spray mount
• Sewing machine

First design the text in Illustrator using my template or your own design. I ordered a plate from Owosso Graphics and my friend John Devylder letterpressed them in his garage. You can also print them on your computer or at Kinko’s. (Note: Buying A6 and A7 flat cards will save you a lot of time because they’re already the right size. However, if you decide to print them on your own computer and your printer can’t handle odd sizes, buy sheets of paper instead of A6, print 2 per page and cut to size.)

Next, flowers and leaves. Press your fabric flat. Iron on interfacing behind areas of flowers and leaves to stiffen and add weight. Cut out flowers and leaves, making sure to cut slightly *outside* the lines. Remember not every invitation needs to be exactly the same. I cut two different flower and leaf styles and mixed them. For an alternate look you could use decorative paper instead of fabric.

So this is an optional step: I put fabric on the invitation backs. You can see it in the top photo; there are actually two invitations there, one front, one back. I personally liked the detail and repeated the fabric theme in the ring pillow, guest towels, table numbers, wedding cake and escort cards / placecards. Iron craft weight interfacing onto fabric (if using thick fabric you can skip the interfacing). Using your rotary cutter and a metal ruler cut 4.75” x 6.75” squares. Lightly spray mount or glue stick fabric squares on the back of the brown card just to hold it while you sew. Remember all fabric edges are intentionally left raw and unfinished.

Place one A6 cream printed page on top of the A7 flat brown card with fabric back. Sew the cream card onto the brown in 1/8th of an inch from the sides in orange thread; you can either backstitch or tie it off (here’s a time saver: backstitch under where the leaf is going to go).

Next, put one cut flower on the upper right corner and sew around the middle circle in yellow. The flower edges will be raw and loose. Put one cut leaf on the lower left corner flush with the brown edge covering the corner organically, and sew it down near the middle stem. Leaf edges will be raw and loose. You will see the stitching on the back of the invitation; again, this is intentional to add to the texture and handmade feel. Voila!

Like this theme? Then try our sewn return address envelopes with custom stamps, table numbers, guest towels, ring bearer pillow, place cards, sewn zigzagged programs, menu, reserved signs, whimsical flower garland “altar” and bridesmaid’s handbags.

Don’t feel like making them yourself? Contact me and I’ll help.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!