Hobbies: Perfect paper invitations for summer party

Summer is here at last and that means heading outdoors for pool parties and barbecues. If you’re planning any type of party this summer you’re going to need an invitation. And if you want to encourage really good attendance, skip the Evites and emails and return to a good old-fashioned, paper, invitation.

You can prepare the most amazing food and transform the yard into a Hawaiian paradise but it won’t mean a thing if no one shows up. So before you plan the menu or hang the party streamers, focus your attention on the invitation.

The thing is, you need to send these invitations to multiple people so they need to be quick and easy to make as well as good looking. Consider a gate-folded card that opens from the middle with butterfly handles. Each card requires two matching butterflies, so simply cut out a butterfly shape, add details with a black pen and photocopy it onto colored paper. Cut out the pair of colored butterflies, fold them in half and glue the inside of each one to the inside of each card cover. Leave the other half of each butterfly loose and the two halves will appear to be one butterfly when the card is closed.

Print out the party information on the computer, attach the print out to the inside of the card and add a little color with themed stickers to complete the invitation.

It’s easy to continue the butterfly theme with a dimensional place card for each guest cut from colored card stock, again in pairs. Mark the center of each butterfly with a pencil line and cut half way down from the top on one and cut half way up from the bottom on the other one. Interlock the pair by sliding the two butterflies together along the cut lines and the butterflies become dimensional. Label each completed place card with sticker letters or handwrite the name of each guest for a place card that is as special as the invitation.

In a digital age of text messages and electronic invitations, you will be surprised at the impact your paper invitation will have. So if you’re planning any kind of summer soiree, set the mood and ensure good attendance with a hand made invite that arrives at each house the old-fashioned way — via snail mail.

Contact Sandi Genovese and find free video demonstrations of more photo projects at sandigenovese.com.