How to Make a Birthday Invitation

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of choices for birthday invitations. You can find ones tailored to age, theme and even season. Plus, you can find them anywhere--online, card, grocery and even pet stores. But sometimes, the best invitations are the handmade ones, and even then, you have many choices. Depending on your level of creativity, resources and computer know-how, you can make all levels of impressive, personalized invitations.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Photo of birthday boy or girl
• Scanner
• Photo manipulation program
• 8 ½ by 11 inch Pieces of cardstock
• Printer
• 4 1/8 by 9 ½ inch Envelopes

Simple

1. Tightly fold one piece of cardstock in half and then half again to form a 5 ½ by 4 ¼ inch card. Flatten cardstock out, making sure sections are visible. This will be your template.

2. Determine the square that will be the front page. Use a pencil to sketch the face of the birthday boy or girl on the front of the invite. Make it as realistic as possible or as silly as you want, but make sure everyone will know who it is. Perhaps putting a caption below the picture, “Ed on his 50th birthday” will help.

3. Determine the square that would be the direct inside page. Clearly write all of the invitation details: who, what, when, where and why. Use a ruler to write in straight lines.

4. Insert the rest of the cardstock into a copy machine. Place your template in the copier and make as many copies as you need.

5. Use the colored pencils to bring life to your sketch.

6. Fold cards and double crease all of the edges. Insert invitation into envelope, address and send.

Creative

7. Fold each piece of cardstock in half to create an 8 ½ by 5 ½ tented card. Place photos in copier and scale them down in order to fit on the front of the tent card. Make many copies of each photo. Choose whether to copy in color or in black and white.

8. Cut the photos out of the copy paper then cut out squares of the scrapbook paper, slightly larger than the photos. Use the adhesive to affix a photo to a piece of scrapbook paper. Paste three or four different photo/scrapbook pairs on the front of the tent. Write a descriptive caption, like “Bob through the years…” somewhere on the front.

9. Clearly write all of the invitation details on the inside of the tent: who, what, when, where and why. Use a ruler to write in straight lines. Optional: add more photos and pieces of scrapbook paper.

10. Double crease the folds and insert into envelopes. Address and send.

Digital

11. Find a picture of the birthday boy or girl that clearly shows their face. Scan the photo into your computer.

12. Open photo in a photo manipulation program, like Photoshop. Change the mode to black and white. Use the Brush tool to create graffiti-like marks on the face--a fake mustache, goatee, horns and so on. Change the color of the brush strokes to red or other bright color. Save your image.

13. Create a blank, new, 8 ½ by 11 inch page in Photoshop. Make sure it is in RGB color. Copy your graffiti photo and paste it into the top of the new page. Add a comment, like “Wanted: Bob for turning 50.”

14. Type all of the invitation details into a text box: who, what, when, where and why. Use you creativity with the placement of text, font, and filters. Save your invitation.

15. Print out as many copies as needed.

16. Fold each invitation into thirds. Insert invitations into envelopes, address and send.

[mrsrussell]

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