Archive for 'Techniques' Category
Place Settings - traditional tent-fold place cards
23 July 2008For a traditional wedding reception it is important to have a seating plan with the guests name on a placecard at their seat.
A tent-fold place card is the classic way to do this - in this article we will show you some ideas for creating these. In a future article we will look at some alternative ideas such as favours with name tags.
How to write the names onto your cards
If you are lucky enough to have great handwriting, then you can write the names directly onto your place cards.
However, most of us will need to use a printer! You will probably find that pre-scored place cards are too small to go through your printer so you can either
- print directly onto A4 card then cut and fold this to form your place cards - see below for instructions and template, or
- print the names onto paper, card or vellum, cut out and stick onto pre-scored cards
Decorating your cards
Its best to keep it simple with place cards - there isn’t much space and you probably have lots of other things to do!
Remember that the backs of the cards are also on display so it is worthwhile carrying your design onto the reverse of the card if possible.
Our suggestions:
Cover the back and top with decorative paper and tie a narrow ribbon over the join
Place a strip of printed vellum down one side
Add a tiny calla lily, curving the stem across the bottom
Printing onto A4 card
Here is a template for creating 8 place cards from a sheet of A4 card using Microsoft Word.
You should cut along the solid grey borders and crease along the perforated borders. For the best results (i) use a paper trimmer or guillotine to cut out your cards and (ii) score along the crease line with a bone folder if you have one, or use a non-serrated blunt knife, like a palette knife.
If you want larger size cards, then increase the size of the rows and/or columns within the table.
Using Ribbon Buckles
19 June 2008Ribbon buckles make a lovely sophisticated embellishment for your stationery - especially if they are made with top quality sparkly rhinestones.
They can be quite heavy so you should attach them firmly to your card.
If you are using 15mm satin ribbon, this is straightforward: Place a line of double sided sticky tape or adhesive tape pen where you want the ribbon to be. Thread your buckle onto the ribbon and place the buckle in the correct position (you can attach a glue dot behind the buckle for extra strength). Carefully press down the ribbon onto the adhesive making sure it is straight. Tuck the ends behind the card, neaten the edges and stick down with sticky tape as before.
If you are using narrow or organza ribbon then you will not be able to stick down the ribbon itself on the front of your card. Use a glue dot or PVA glue to attach the threaded buckle firmly in position. The take the ends of the ribbon round to the back of your card and use a thin line of PVA glue to secure it.
Another option is to mount your ribbon and buckle onto a separate piece of card and then mount this using double sided sticky tape onto the main card. Using this method, you can secure the ribbon on the back of the piece of card and the ends will be hidden.
Bead Magic
16 April 2008You can create fabulous beaded embellishments like this with triple packs of bead and glitter.
Firstly cut or punch out the shape you want from Magic Sheets - double sided adhesive sheets. Remove the backing paper and stick to your card or favour box. For the next step you will need a shallow box like a shoe box lid to catch the excess beads and glitter.
Remove the protective layer from the magic sheet shape and start with the larger beads. Shake onto the sticky shape and press onto the adhesive. Once you have added the large beads to all your shapes, clear the excess out of the box and repeat with the micro beads. These will nearly fill the gaps.
Finally, repeat with the glitter which will ensure you have completely covered the adhesive and have a gorgeous sparkly beaded embellishment. Each pack will cover lots of shapes, so it is really cost-effective.
Magic sheets and glitter packs can be found in the Craft Essentials section of our shop.
Using Text Creatively
19 March 2008Text is an important part of making your own wedding invitations. Whether you decide to use your names or invitation wording on the front, there are a number of ways you can do this creatively using your computer.
The first step to creating any printing template is to set the size of the card you are printing on using the measurements of the closed card. In Microsoft Word go to File > Page Setup > Paper and either select one of the size options or add in the measurements manually. Next, in the same instructions box go to Margins > Pages and from the drop down menu select ‘2 pages per sheet’
Close this box and return to your document, press the enter key over and over until a second page appears. This is the card opened up with the front area to print on the right hand size. Check it against your chosen card size and change the Portrait/ Landscape option (File > Page Setup > Paper), if necessary so the screen mirrors your card. Add text as desired.
Creating Text in a Circle
Firstly you need to make sure your Word Art toolbar is visible, set this in View > Toolbars, and tick the Wordart option. Working on the second page of your document, click on the in the Wordart icon (a shadowed A) in the Wordart toolbar, select the second option available. In the text box that opens add the wording for the front of your card in the font and size you want. Once you click ok you will have a band of text across your page.
To change the shape of this text into a circle, click on the band of text once so the square bounding box appears. Now go to your Word Art toolbar and click on the abc icon Click on the diagram that looks like a hollow circle. Your text should now be in a circle and you can drag the corners to resize it. Play with how many times you repeat the text until you get an effect you are pleased with. This style of creative text works well with simple embellishing inside the circle of text.
Creating Square Border of Text
Creating a square border in Word is done differently but looks just as effective. This method will not auto space as with the circle but with a bit of persistence you can get stunning effects. On the second page of your document go to Table > Insert > Table and add a table three columns wide by three rows. Right click on the Table and go to Table Properties > Table > Borders & Shading. Change the table outline colour to white so it will not print. Align your table left right or centre then close this box. Using the cursor drag the lines of the table so that you have a large middle square, four small squares on the corners four and long, thin rectangles across each side. Type your text into the top and bottom rectangles as normal. Place the cursor in the side rectangles and type your text. Now change the text direction by going to Format > Text Direction and select the desired option. The text size will need to be adjusted manually so that it fits along the side of your square. This same method can make a rectangular template, just stretch it to fit.
Before printing any template do a test run on some copy paper cut to the size of your cards, this way if adjustments are needed you won’t have wasted any card blanks.
How to make a belly band
21 January 2008A belly band is a strip of card or paper wrapped round the middle of a card like a belt. It is made slightly loose round the card so it can be slid off to read the text beneath.
To make a belly band firstly you need to decide how wide you want your band to be. The easiest way to do this is to try it out experimenting with scrap or printer paper. Cut a strip anywhere between three and ten centimetres wide, wrap this round your base card then trim it to the right length leaving an overlap of a couple of centimetres. Make several belly bands in this way so you can decide what width suits your invitation size and design best. Once you have settled on a size you use it as a template for your chosen decorative paper or card.
Attaching the two ends of the same strip of paper together is what creates your belly band. To adhere these ends use double sided tape or a tape runner and place the adhesive as close to the edge as possible of one end of the strip. Remove the backing if necessary and wrap round your base card, attaching the two ends at the back. Ensure the band is not sealed too snugly, that any extra overlap is trimmed and that the band is attached only to itself and not the base card.
What if my band isn’t long enough?
You may find a strip cut from the long side of an A4 sheet is not long enough to wrap round your card. In this case you will need to attach two or more strips together. Firstly cut the strips of paper making sure they are exactly the same width. Place your adhesive over the end of the strip ensuring it is very close to the edges and attach the end of the second strip onto the sticky area. If there is a pattern, make sure both patterns face the same way. Once your strip is long enough to wrap round, form it into your band as above and trim any excess if necessary. If you are making a belly band to wrap an A4 card landscape you will need three strips cut from the longest side of your paper to make one strip long enough. Pay particular attention to the joins if you are using this size as they will be on the front of the card as well as the back.
Decorating your band
Now all that remains is to embellish your belly band as you wish. They can be left plain but a simple flower, heart or a few gems can really add to the design. Remember to keep the off cuts of any paper or card that are left over, you can use larger pieces later to decorate menus and tiny strips will finish your place cards and coordinate perfectly.