My birthday is fast approaching, and as it's my last one before I become a mother {eek!}, I've decided to go the whole hog, with a Carnival Theme. It's a style I seriously considered for our wedding, so I'm using my 34th as an excuse to use all my carnival wedding inspiration. As ever, my first obsession was styling the invitations - I think it's key to any wedding or party to build anticipation with fabulous stationery, and with the right kit, it's super easy to DIY. Take a look my Circus Bunting invitations below, complete with DIY instructions. And if you're looking for more Carnival Wedding Theme ideas, then definitely check out my Pinterest page.
Making the invitations was a two stage process. First of all I made the bunting cards, and then the carnival tickets to slip inside.
What you need
Hint: I find all my supplies via eBay to get the best prices!
* this Carnival ticket template {published with thanks to The Burk Family Blog}
* white cards 4" x 3"
* striped blue & white paper bags
* washi tape
* star squeeze punch
* A4 red card 220gsm
* white address labels 100mm x 34mm
* plain white sewing cotton
* sharp scissors
* sticky tape
* glue
* a printer with black ink
* a guillotine {or be very good at cutting straight lines}
Making the bunting cards is a fiddly business. I recommend spacing it out over a few evenings, or asking some crafty friends to help out!
1. Take your white cotton and your washi tape. I chose two colours, fitting my theme of red and blue, but you can buy washi tape in literally any design you choose. 2. Cut several one inch pieces of the tape, and line them up along the table. 3. Cut a 6 inch piece of cotton. 4. Fold each piece of washi tape in half over the cotton. If you line them up correctly they should stick to each other neatly. {Don't worry, you'll get better at lining them up!}
6. Next take your scissors and cut the rectangles into bunting-shaped triangles. Be careful not to cut the cotton too! 7. Line up the bunting on your card. You want it to have a slight sag on it, to add to the 3D effect. 8. Fasten on the other side of the card with a tiny piece of sticky tape, and cut off the remaining cotton. And you're done!
I created the tickets using a free printable template produced by Becky-Lee Burk. If you're not a graphic designer {I'm definitely not!}, then I'd hugely recommend searching Pinterest for 'free printables'. You can usually then copy and paste them onto your desktop, and edit them using free software. I find Picasa is the easiest to use, and it's a Google programme, so you know you can download it without hurting your computer. For more a more detailed DIY on how I created the Carnival Ticket invitations click here.
For the envelopes: 1. Punch out the stars using your lever punch {these are great for Christmas as well}. 2. Slip your Carnival Ticket invitations into the striped paper bag. 3. Fold over, and fasten with a strip of washi tape. 4. Stick on your star with glue, and add a white address label.
Making the invitations was a two stage process. First of all I made the bunting cards, and then the carnival tickets to slip inside.
Hint: I find all my supplies via eBay to get the best prices!
* this Carnival ticket template {published with thanks to The Burk Family Blog}
* white cards 4" x 3"
* striped blue & white paper bags
* washi tape
* star squeeze punch
* A4 red card 220gsm
* white address labels 100mm x 34mm
* plain white sewing cotton
* sharp scissors
* sticky tape
* glue
* a printer with black ink
* a guillotine {or be very good at cutting straight lines}
Making the bunting cards is a fiddly business. I recommend spacing it out over a few evenings, or asking some crafty friends to help out!
1. Take your white cotton and your washi tape. I chose two colours, fitting my theme of red and blue, but you can buy washi tape in literally any design you choose. 2. Cut several one inch pieces of the tape, and line them up along the table. 3. Cut a 6 inch piece of cotton. 4. Fold each piece of washi tape in half over the cotton. If you line them up correctly they should stick to each other neatly. {Don't worry, you'll get better at lining them up!}
6. Next take your scissors and cut the rectangles into bunting-shaped triangles. Be careful not to cut the cotton too! 7. Line up the bunting on your card. You want it to have a slight sag on it, to add to the 3D effect. 8. Fasten on the other side of the card with a tiny piece of sticky tape, and cut off the remaining cotton. And you're done!
I created the tickets using a free printable template produced by Becky-Lee Burk. If you're not a graphic designer {I'm definitely not!}, then I'd hugely recommend searching Pinterest for 'free printables'. You can usually then copy and paste them onto your desktop, and edit them using free software. I find Picasa is the easiest to use, and it's a Google programme, so you know you can download it without hurting your computer. For more a more detailed DIY on how I created the Carnival Ticket invitations click here.
♥ Want to see DIY wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding theme ideas? ♥
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