It’s her party and we’ll DIY invitations if we want to. You would DIY them too if it happened to you if you were us. After all, our wedding invites were homemade…
… so how could we phone it in for our daughter’s first birthday party? Even though much-more-talented-invitation-designers like Mrs. Limestone generously offered to lend a hand (so nice), we stubbornly set out to attempt to create our second party invitation ever on our own (well, with the help of a cute baby and a computer). I guess we just have a thing for doing it ourselves (ya think?).
So we started out with a very familiar set-up to our weekly Clara photos like these (see how we make them here)…
… which look a little something like this when they’re not all small and tiled like the ones above:
Except this time we just placed Clara in her usual white onesie on basic white fabric (a plain white bed sheet that we already had on hand):
Since Clara’s weekly photos have become somewhat of a theme for her first year of life, we decided to borrow the idea to introduce her big one year old b-day bash in the form of an invitation (her whole party will have a colorful fabric and number theme inspired by her weekly photos, so the invite really sets the tone). The main difference from other weekly pics was that this particular photo required more Photoshop work than most, because we basically created the “fabric” from scratch (since you’re not likely to find fabric with specific party details on it at your local craft store).
I’ll spare you the Photoshop play-by-play (in short: we added type, reduced the opacity so it looked more like it was printed on the fabric, rasterized it so we could erase whatever was “under” Clara, and added some asterisks for “pattern”). Here’s the final result (minus a few private details that have been blurred):
We originally intended it to be all text – just the party details by themselves as the “pattern” behind her. But it felt a bit empty, so we added the colored asterisks.
PS: How awesome is it that her actual birthday falls on a Saturday? Well planned, universe.
As for printing the invite (since you can’t put a stamp on a JPG), it actually took a bit of hunting. We didn’t want to print them at home (or a place like CVS) on photo paper because we wanted a more matte stationery effect (like a real invite as opposed to a picture dropped in the mail). And although we did print our wedding invites at home on cardstock, we worried that printing a more image heavy design like this at home might yield subpar results since they wouldn’t look as crisp and bright as a professional job. So we looked into an online service that could print them for us cheaply but better than we could at home (you’d be surprised how many of those go-to sites for invites and holiday cards don’t give you the option to print something entirely of your own design). Fortunately we stumbled upon Winkflash.
We opted for the 4.25 x 6″ postcard option (in the middle of the bottom row in the screenshot above) because we thought a postcard invite would be a fun twist, plus it would give us the chance to write a personalized message on the back of each one in scribbly kid handwriting “from Clara.” We figured that wasn’t asking for a hand cramp since we’re only sending out about a dozen invites (it’s virtually a family-only party of about 20 people total). But we ordered an even 20 invites just so we’d have some extras for posterity (and the baby book, the hallway frame wall, etc).
The best part was that by googling around for an online coupon code, we scored 60% off (!!) of our order. So the grand total with shipping came down from over 20 dollars to $10.11, which factors out to around 50 cents per invite. Not bad (and possibly cheaper than ink and paper for home printed cards would have been). As for the coupon code, we ordered them a couple of weeks ago, so we can’t guarantee that the “cards60” code is still working, but it did the trick for us.
But that savings must’ve impaired our judgment (call it “discount goggles” if you will) because we realized after receiving our order that postcards don’t always survive a trip through the mail in great shape (no offense, USPS) – especially when they’re white. And since we thought the grandparents might want to hang on to Clara’s invite without any dark smudges or folds, a jacked-up postcard just wouldn’t do.
No biggie though, we just hunted down some envelopes that would shield our postcards on their harrowing journey to nearby VA and even to NY and beyond. It was a bit tough due to the weird postcard size, but eventually we did find a set at Target that would work (for just $4). The funny thing is that the envelopes came packaged with some pre-designed party invites. The invite theme? Tools. How funny is that? Maybe we should’ve just used those in the first place. Except that we’re too DIY obsessed to use DIY themed (but not actually DIYed) invites. Go figure.
Even though our postcard was more like a traditional flat invite now, Clara (aka Sherry’s shaky left hand) still wrote some personalized messages on the back.
The invites went out a little over a week ago and have already been received by all – and they seem to be a hit. Woot. We’re psyched that we did it all for a grand total of under $20 (which includes postage, envelopes, and custom printed postcards) – which would have been what we paid for the printed postcards alone had we not found that lucky 60% off coupon code online before ordering. Thanks google.
hi-d says
LOVE THIS! I may have to borrow this idea as well, when Maximus turns one. Just curious. What are you going to do with all of the weekly photos of Clara? Are you going to dsplay them in any creative way once you have them all?
YoungHouseLove says
We want to make a big photo book of them (for us and for the grandparents) and also want to use the fabrics to make a birthday banner and quilt. Might frame some of our favorite pictures too!
xo,
s
May says
I was searching around the web for ideas for my daughter’s first birthday and I thought of you guys and I figured I could be inspired by/borrow/steal whatever amazing thing you guys had done for Clara…imagine my disappointment-turned-delight when I realized that her first birthday had not passed yet BUT she and my daughter share a birthday. So…we have that in common :-) And yes, I was excited that it falls on a Saturday for her first birthday, too! Good luck with your party planning but it looks like you’re already on your way to one fabulous celebration!
YoungHouseLove says
Yay May 14th babies! It seems like such a lucky first b-day to fall on a Saturday!
xo,
s
Elisabeth@ArtsyBetsy says
Wish I had stumbled across your blog before now (well, it was about a month and a half ago actually) so we could have done a weekly photo shoot with our little guy (who is 9 months old today)! Such a wonderful, clever, and sentimental idea…and I love that you are translating that into Clara’s 1st birthday theme. Nice work lady!
Nicole says
I spotted the Clara fabric in a frame on yesterday’s wall reveal … I was waiting to see what is was about! Awesome. Can’t wait to have my own little nugget and do something similar!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, that was our little $5 sample they sent! We love it so much that we just had to frame it.
xo,
s
Janae says
My little girl’s 1st birthday party is also on Saturday, May 14th (she was born on May 13th, one day before Clara). I love the invite – it gives me inspiration for my daughter’s 2nd bday (her invites for her party are already out – dang it!)
I’m in the process of renovating our house to sell and I’ve gotten so many great ideas from your blog. You guys are wonderful!!
Happy 1st Birthday Clara!
Beth H. says
I love the personal fabric, and I think you just clued me in to a new obsession! I was wondering what you do with all those yards of fabric, once the picture has been taken? They are all so awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
We have plans to use the Clara fabric for her birthday and even make pillows or a beanbag out of it and we want to make a crazy quilt and a birthday banner with all of the other yards of fabric that we have around from her weekly photos.
xo,
s
Julie says
UGH – it kills me that I didn’t see this yesterday! I’ve always DIY’d my daughter’s invites and just had them printed as pictures. It’s worked fine, but now I DIY’d birth announcements for baby #2 because I couldn’t bring myself to pay $150ish for them. I was only bummed because I REALLY wanted them printed on matte cardstock rather than plain photo paper. I couldn’t find anyplace so finally broke down and just got them from costco. I sure wish I’d known about this website! :(
Julie says
PS – please tell me you also do your online shopping through Ebates and/or shopathome? Another way to save!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes we always try to remember to use ebates (sometimes we forget though, and it kills us too- haha).
xo,
s
Shannon says
Cute invite!! I will say BEWARE of Winkflash though. When they get your order correct they are fine, but if you have any customer service issues they are horrible. And if you have an important deadline, I wouldn’t count on them either… you can read my yelp review here for the details: http://www.yelp.com/biz/winkflash-san-leandro#hrid:Gul2OjaVAly-nWMn_nrb_g
Katherine says
I am a long-time follower of your awesome blog and love all the fantastic projects you guys come up with, especially these DIY invites! I am a Photoshop newbie (and only have the Photoshop Elements version) – do you have any recos for tutorials about Photoshop? It feels so daunting not having a clue where to start.
YoungHouseLove says
John and I both learned Photoshop in high school in college, so maybe check if a local school offers classes that you can take? Or you can try picking up those Photoshop tutorial books at Barnes & Noble (or check them out for free at the library if they have them) to learn on your own. Anyone know of a good online tutorial or site for Katherine?
Good luck!
xo,
s
jeannette says
happy birthday, baby grrrrrrl, and many happy returns of a good day. you’ve been a wiggly smiley one from week one and i’ve enjoyed watching you and your smile and your teef get bigger.
xxx
Ashley L. says
How was the print quality with WinkFlash?
YoungHouseLove says
It was great! No complaints.
xo,
s
r8chel says
Those asterisks really look like they could have been printed directly on fabric. Nice photoshop work!
Hannah says
We recently made our own postcard invitations too! Technically, they were save-the-dates for our wedding. We’re so very proud of our postcards! :)
http://figuringoutlifeblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/save-dates.html
mcgrathinnola says
I think the invite is so adorable but I have a dilema with baby photos on party invitations. Recieved the first one from a friend of mine for her grandchild but when it came time to clear out my monthly mail I had so much conclict…how do I throw away a cute picture of a baby (unlike other party invitations received)? If this catches on, what is a gal to do with the multitude of “photo” party invitations!!??
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I have the same problem! Which is why we have a pile of every birth announcement and holiday card and b-day part invite from all of Clara’s adorable baby friends. Haha.
xo,
s
Carmen says
Love your blog and happy soon to be birthday Clara! I was wondering if you like the song Lemon tree by fools garden (thought about it cause your wedding invites had lemons : )
YoungHouseLove says
Never heard it! Off to google it…
xo,
s
Camberley, Fancy House Road says
Shut the front door! She’s already turing one? Where did the last year go? {Talk about depressing.}
Off to eat chocolate,
C
Michelle F. says
so totally inspiring and adorable! I absolutely LOVE the way Clara’s fabric turned out. I cannot wait to create my own for a special occasion :)
Thresha says
These invitations are sooooo cute!
Natalia says
love it! So cute! We are having our son’s first birthday party that same day! Hoping for good weather on the east coast!
Lauren says
omg! My cousin just sent out those tool belt invitations for her son’s 2nd birthday party! He’s very big into Home Depot and wears his tool belt around his waist 24/7…in addition to a mini orange Home Depot apron. I see some DIY projects in his future..
LOVE the invitations for Clara’s birthday AND the fabric!! Too cute!!
Lori and Ethne at wom-mom.com says
The weekly photos are in the works for my next child…and that fabric is GREAT! What a fun birthday idea!
http://www.wom-mom.com
Lori
Wendy says
May 14th is an awesome day for a party! My son will be 3 that day as well! Hope you and Clara have a fantastic day.
I loved the DIY invites! They are so perfect for a 1st birthday. The most I’m doing this year is his cake. I’m finding as he gets older, his opinions come more into play, so I have to do what I can so I can put my own spin on all the commercial stuff.
Logan says
We just celebrated our son’s first birthday too! and it actually fell on a Saturday as well, April 16th. I thought it was lucky! We DIYed all of the decorations and the invites! Love doing this kind of stuff!
http://ffffractionsoflove.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-party.html
Can’t wait to see what you do for sweet Clara. When we have a girl, I definitely want to do the fabric weekly photos.
Good luck!
Robyn in Chicago says
This post could not be more timely. I have spent a lot of time in the last week trying to find a place where you can print your own design on an invite – this is perfect…THANK YOU GUYS!
Morgan says
Little known fact: When card shops send back all the cards that didn’t sell for a given holiday they do not send the envelopes back. The result, hundreds of envelopes, often very similar in size and color, that need a good home!
I used to work at a card/gift shop and discovered this little known fact. I’m a teacher, so I regularly go back to the shop and pick up a box of free envelopes and use them in many ways in my classroom. You’ll probably have better luck calling up an independently owned shop (not something like Hallmark or Papyrus), but next time you are in an envelope pinch look into it!
P.S. The invitation and fabric turned out so cute!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Such a great idea!
xo,
s
JH says
Just used the cards60 and it still worked! I ordered postcards so that we could announce our little bean to our extended family and friends.
Thanks for the website AND for posting your promocode!
Oh, and of course Clara is as cute as can be! Love the fabric and her invitations.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it’s still working!
xo,
s
Mallory says
This is a great online envelope company, in case you have any envelope needs in the future! I ordered envelopes for my wedding save the dates from here and they are great! :)
http://www.envelopemall.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! We’ll have to check them out!
xo,
s
Carly says
Thanks so much for the Winkflash tip! I’ve been working on a project for Mother’s Day for my almost sister-in-laws and I’ve been considering my printing options. Your timing for the post was perfect! I checked out Winkflash and loved it. I placed the order and got the prints in 3 days, and I was able to Google and find a coupon code. Most importantly, the prints turned out great! :)
Heather S. says
You guys are AWESOME!! I love the invitation, its perfect, and the fabric, what a great idea. Look forward to seeing all the pix from her bday! ( mine is the day after) :)
Sarah says
Do you have Walgreens? You can order matte prints on their website.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup I think we do. Thanks for the tip.
xo,
s
Beth says
Love love love it! I’m working on my daughter’s invite in photoshop. Did you have to purchase the font Otari? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we got that free from fontsquirrel.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s