Heartfelt Thanks

Remember these envelopes?
Here are their contents.
I made the cards with my Craft Robo. I finally took it out of the box and set it up . For those that don't know, a Craft Robo is a personal cutter. It works in a fashion similar to that of a printer. Instead of printing on a piece of paper, it cuts out shapes that you designate. I didn't know such things existed. Paola introduced me to this machine last year and I've been pining away for one ever since. I still can't believe that my very generous friends gave me one for my birthday.

I really wanted to show them how much I appreciated the gift. I decided that custom cut thank you cards would be the best route. The cards are a bit simple, but my knowledge of the machine is still fairly basic. Just give me some time. Once I get the hang of that machine, my designs are really going to be elaborate.

Here's a really horrible video of my handy dandy machine in action.
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Craft Robo in Action from Anne K. Rodriguez on Vimeo.

The video is of my original thank you card idea. I ended up scrapping it for something more personal. My favorite part of the video is Dottie running away. She is not too fond of the noise that the Craft Robo makes while it is cutting. I need to stop torturing my dog with my craft projects.

Playing catch up

Disclaimer: I actually started this post last week. I didn't get around to posting this because of a family emergency. Don't worry. All is well now.

If idle hands are the devil's instruments, than I should be very close to God right now. I have been toiling on this particular invite suite for over a week. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive projects I've taken on. The order was for 200 invites - designed, printed, assembled and addressed.

Jenny and Kenny - photo by Ellice Schwartz

I met Jenny a few months ago at one of our monthly dinners. Shortly thereafter, she found this blog and asked me to design her wedding invites. She said that she wanted something classic, elegant, and formal. Her colors were gold, ivory and champagne. Her brother had created a monogram for them. Lastly, she didn't want any graphics and minimal color. [Sound of record skipping.] What?! This project was going to be really easy or really difficult.

I treated this design like one of my design projects from Art School. I focused on using classic well-known typefaces. To create visual interest without relying on color or graphics, I decided to use texture as a design element. I used a Stardream paper, handmade paper, and classic linen cardstock.

Here is my finished product.

Invitation Pocketfold

Close-up of belly band and seal featuring monogram designed by Jenny's brother

Overview of Invite Suite

RSVP Card with matching envelope

Custom Map