Welcome the The Wedding Crafter’s tips and techniques section.
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Place Settings - traditional tent-fold place cards
July 23rd, 2008 by WeddingCrafter - No Comments so far
For a traditional wedding reception it is important to have a seating plan with the guests name on a placecard at their seat.
A tent-fold place card is the classic way to do this - in this article we will show you some ideas for creating these. In a future article we will look at some alternative ideas such as favours with name tags.
How to write the names onto your cards
If you are lucky enough to have great handwriting, then you can write the names directly onto your place cards.
However, most of us will need to use a printer! You will probably find that pre-scored place cards are too small to go through your printer so you can either
- print directly onto A4 card then cut and fold this to form your place cards - see below for instructions and template, or
- print the names onto paper, card or vellum, cut out and stick onto pre-scored cards
Decorating your cards
Its best to keep it simple with place cards - there isn’t much space and you probably have lots of other things to do!
Remember that the backs of the cards are also on display so it is worthwhile carrying your design onto the reverse of the card if possible.
Our suggestions:
Cover the back and top with decorative paper and tie a narrow ribbon over the join
Place a strip of printed vellum down one side
Add a tiny calla lily, curving the stem across the bottom
Printing onto A4 card
Here is a template for creating 8 place cards from a sheet of A4 card using Microsoft Word.
You should cut along the solid grey borders and crease along the perforated borders. For the best results (i) use a paper trimmer or guillotine to cut out your cards and (ii) score along the crease line with a bone folder if you have one, or use a non-serrated blunt knife, like a palette knife.
If you want larger size cards, then increase the size of the rows and/or columns within the table.
Using Ribbon Buckles
June 19th, 2008 by WeddingCrafter - No Comments so far
Ribbon buckles make a lovely sophisticated embellishment for your stationery - especially if they are made with top quality sparkly rhinestones.
They can be quite heavy so you should attach them firmly to your card.
If you are using 15mm satin ribbon, this is straightforward: Place a line of double sided sticky tape or adhesive tape pen where you want the ribbon to be. Thread your buckle onto the ribbon and place the buckle in the correct position (you can attach a glue dot behind the buckle for extra strength). Carefully press down the ribbon onto the adhesive making sure it is straight. Tuck the ends behind the card, neaten the edges and stick down with sticky tape as before.
If you are using narrow or organza ribbon then you will not be able to stick down the ribbon itself on the front of your card. Use a glue dot or PVA glue to attach the threaded buckle firmly in position. The take the ends of the ribbon round to the back of your card and use a thin line of PVA glue to secure it.
Another option is to mount your ribbon and buckle onto a separate piece of card and then mount this using double sided sticky tape onto the main card. Using this method, you can secure the ribbon on the back of the piece of card and the ends will be hidden.
How do I stop ribbon from fraying?
May 19th, 2008 by Rhiannon - No Comments so far
Firstly, and perhaps most simply, try cutting the end of your ribbon on a diagonal or trimming a v shape into it. This will reduce most fraying to the minimum and is perfect for when the ribbon will not be handled.
Alternatively, you can also treat the cut edge to stop any future fraying. Using a brush or cotton bud, take a small amount of craft glue and carefully apply sparingly to the whole of the cut edge. You can also try this with clear nail polish. Both of these will dry clear and seal the fibres, but make sure you test the ribbon you are using first, as some glues show up more on certain types of ribbon. You can also try products such as Fray Check and Fray Block which work in a similar way.
Another option, when using synthetic ribbons, is to heat the end in a flame. This should only be done with the utmost care and with good ventilation. Using a candle pass the ribbon end near to the side of the flame. It will take practice to apply enough heat to melt the edge without burning the delicate material. Try this near a sink full of water so if the ribbon does catch fire you can put it out quickly!
Creative Inserts
May 7th, 2008 by Rhiannon - No Comments so far
The insert of an invitation is often seen as only the functional part of the card where information is communicated, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that inserts can be beautiful whilst remaining practical. Thoughtfully added design touches in the inside of your card will give your invitations added professional flair and can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. We will look at different ways you can embellish your inserts and how to achieve an expert, elegant result.
Inserts do not have to be the same colour as the card itself, contrasting colours and speciality papers can be used very effectively. Vellum or pearl papers can add a little extra glamour to a simple design. Creative text techniques can also be used inside your invitation.
Edit your templates and experiment with the placing of the words, leaving gaps in the text where you can place an embellishment. Try this with peel-offs, bows, crystals or any other non bulky embellishment. Avoid using three-dimensional paper flowers inside a folded card and keep them for the design on the front instead.
Punches are a useful tool for decorating inserts. Try shaping corners and adding punched shapes in rows, pairs or singly. Experiment with punching pearl or mulberry paper shapes in a colour that matches or complements your design. You could also punch a hole through your insert paper and place an embellishment onto the card behind so it sits in a small window; this would look particularly effective with matching shapes. Try punching a heart and adding a heart gem to the card behind the aperture for instance, or a circle with a flat flower behind, the combinations and options are endless.
For flat or gatefold invitations layering unfolded flat inserts is very effective. This is a great way of including lots of information in the invitation whilst keeping a streamlined design. Print inserts for accommodation, directions, menu, gift list, and any extra information, varying the lengths of each page if you wish. If you wish to decorate the inserts when creating a design like this make sure you use only the flattest of embellishments to avoid bulk. Secure the layers to the card at the top or side with brads or by punching holes and tying with decorative cord or ribbon.
However you choose to embellish your inserts, make sure that the design has an element of continuity inside and out and your guests are sure to be wowed by your creativity when they receive your unique invitations.
I’ve downloaded a font to use on my invitations, how do I get the font to appear in Word?
April 16th, 2008 by Rhiannon - No Comments so far
There are loads of free fonts on the internet and to use them you need to install them on your pc. Some websites compress their font files so they download more quickly, in which case once you have your font you may need to unzip it. Think of it a bit like opening an envelope so you can read the letter inside. There are several free Unzipping programs that can do this, try www.download.com or a google search and follow the instructions that come with the program. Once your font is unzipped, save it on your desktop and you are ready to install.
Go to the Start Menu and open the Control Panel, then the Fonts folder. Drag and drop the font from your desktop into the Fonts folder to install it. When you reopen Word you will find the new font available to use alongside all the ones you had previously.