Em's Baby Shower Invitations

When I was planning Emily's baby shower, I searched high and low for cute invitations, but ended up not finding anything I really liked that was easily available in Germany. I also wanted to send them out in two languages, depending on the recipient, which ruled out most of the pretty printable ones I found.

So, I did what any crafty lady would do and decided to channel my inner artist and create my own invitations that would set the tone for the party. And I couldn't have been happier with the result!

I really liked the look of this woodgrain stationery I saw on Etsy, so decided to do something similar with watercolors.

First, I picked up pretty card stock at this adorable little paper shop, R.S.V.P., in Mitte. Then I wrote up and designed the text (I chose this font for the cursive) and printed the cards at home. And let me tell you, it was way trickier than I thought it would be to figure out how to align the paper in the printer so that it would print on the right sides in the right direction. I'm so glad I had the brains to do a few test runs on scrap paper first...

Then I got to work watercoloring all eighteen invitations, making sure to put a magazine page under the cover while painting so the paint wouldn't bleed onto the inside (another last-minute stroke of genius).

The final touch was to stamp a few leaves and the cute little baby birdie (all from the DaWanda shop Klein Aber Fein) on the front, and tada!

Well, almost...

I packaged them up in craft paper envelopes (also from a DaWanda seller, La Papeterie) that I printed at home too, added a little note on the inside telling everyone to bring a baby picture of themselves to the party, and off to the post office I went!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I only do crazy things like this for Emily (well, obviously for sister, too). And in the future, most certainly for Em's little man as well!