First DIY - Invites

     I don't know how many pictures I have saved on my computer of invitations that I liked, but none of the were IT.  I spent many a night on google searching for something I was totally in love with.  Then it hit me, it would be my first DIY project. I was going to design my invitations... 
     I found a lot of inspiration from the Road to the Aisle Blog... that one pops up many times on my google searches.. It first popped up when I was going to make my own pocket folds.. I didn't want to have to do all of those, so I opted to buy them on paper and more for a fairly cheap price and a fantastic quality... I purchased them in Aqua Lagoon.. 

     And then on the inside of the invite would have about 1/4 of an inch of the pocket fold showing.. then a piece of orange cardstock, then the text would be on an ivory piece of paper.. I just made a quick mock up in paint to show you...

     The design was the first thing I made.  I made the design in Illustrator.  Photoshop is my favorite program, but I had already used my 30 day trial. So, I decided to try Illustrator.  I have only worked with Illustrator a little bit in college, but I didn't use it all the time like I did photoshop.  I got a little familiar with it and I do love the program now.  (And decided that I needed to buy the Adobe Creative Suite, so I don't have to deal with trials anymore!) So, I decide that since I was going to customize it I really wanted to make us a monogram. R&R are perfect letters, right? Agreed.  So, I fell in love with the font Zapafino.  It's such a gorgeous font.  I wanted a belly band around the invites, so I was going to make a piece of card stock to put on the ribbon to hide the two ends of the ribbon meeting. Of course it would land on the front of the pocketfold... Here is what I came up with... (the R's are Zapafino, the "And" is Papyrus)

     I tweaked and tweaked the actual inside of the invitation many times, but like when I found Mr. Bloom, you just know when you have IT.  Each time something wasn't right I knew.  I knew it just wasn't it.  Moving this here, and this there and all that kind of stuff just to get it perfect.  I felt when I first begin the project I had no idea what I was doing.  How was I going to make it look like it wasn't made by a 5 year old? haha.  I mean, It's the first invitation I have ever designed. I didn't know if I could make exactly what I wanted.. I haven't exactly finalized the wording, but I finished the design and couldn't be happier with it..  It's my first "baby." haha.. The first of many DIY's and there is nothing that I would change about it... ( I have of course edited out the names)(The wording font is BlairMdITC)

      I want everything to be consistent.  So, the swirls is going to be a definite theme.. The next time you will see them will be in my Save The Dates... In my next post. : ) .