Hummingbird Wedding Invitations
This tutorial is based on a Save the Date card we created earlier, so if you missed it and want to give these invitations a try, just hop on over to that post and put that card together first.
As always, if you get stuck, see if you can find help in my Illustrator tips or by doing a quick review of the Illustrator toolbar.
Turning your Hummingbird Save the Date card into a wedding invitation is so easy! This is how I did it:
1. Open the Save the Date card you created earlier.
2. Go to File – Save As and save it as Hummingbird Invite (or whatever you want to call it).
3. In your Hummingbird Invite document, go to File – Document Setup and in the dimension windows, put 5 for width and 7 for height (if you want to go the traditional route).
4. Unlock the bottom layer, click on your 5×5 background color square and in your Transform palette, put in 5 for the width and 7 for the height. If you don’t see the Transform palette, just go to Window – Transform and it will pop right up. Align your box with your document. Lock this layer.
5. I happened to like both where the illustration ended up by chance and the size of it on the invite, but you can obviously resize it and move it any way you want. If you want to do it my way, just leave it where it is and make sure that layer is locked too.
6. Go to your text layer and change your text.
That’s it!
If you want to keep the invite square, that’s obviously even easier. All I would do then is just make the illustration a little bit smaller and change the text. You may have to space it a little bit differently than I did on the 5×7 invite to make it fit, or change the wording slightly. Be creative and play around with the layout until it looks good to you.
Filed under Design, Illustrator, Tutorial, Unique Invitations, Wedding Invitation | Comments (2)5 Ways To Get Inspiration For Your Printable Wedding Invitations
Printing your own invites is a great way to add personality to your wedding, but sometimes we all get stuck and need some new, good ideas. Here are a few ways to get your creative juices flowing:
1. Look (online, unless you happen to be traveling) at what they are doing in other countries. “Wedding invitation” is called “huwelijks uitnodiging” in Dutch, “invitation de marriage” in French, “hochzeitseinladung” in German, “invito di cerimonia nuziale” in Italian, “convite do casamento” in Portugese, “invitación de la boda” in Spanish and “brollopsinbjudan” in Swedish. And don’t forget to look in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and other countries where English is the main language, or widely spoken (it does make it easier!).
2. Look at the websites of creative artists. They don’t necessarily have to be wedding-related – just looking at the art by a photographer, graphic designer, painter, interior decorator, or DIY blogger may trigger ideas.
3. Look in magazines. Any magazine, not just wedding ones. I especially like Creating Keepsakes and Martha Stewart Crafts online, and Real Simple and Domino in print. Look at the layouts and even the ads. See what you like and what might translate nicely to an invitation. Remember, there is no rule saying your invite has to look like everyone else’s.
4. Brainstorm with a bunch of friends. This one is sort of a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget that great ideas sometimes come from a fun evening with friends. Open a few bottles of wine, order pizza or put out some cheese and crackers and let the ideas flow. I always get my best ides when I’m not trying too hard.
5. Take a creative class at a local shop or adult education facility. Anything that sounds interesting to you – rubber stamping, embossing, jewelry making, die-cutting, decoupage, scrapbooking, using various craft tools – all will jumpstart your creativity.
Filed under Inspiration | Comment (1)