Watercolor Crush: Watercolor Invitations

A few weeks ago I first told you of my watercolor crush.  Last week I shared my DIY ombre watercolor art.  This week I'm sharing my DIY watercolor invitations.  A few years ago when I got engaged I couldn't find any invitations that I liked, in my budget, so I decided to make my own.  It was a really good decision.  Yes, it was a lot of work, but I got exactly what I wanted.  That process is what first got me interested in creating stationery.  I'll be sharing more about my wedding invitations in a series on my wedding in June.  There are so many great tools available to make your own stationary on the internet.  I got the fonts I used for free and bought some clip art from an Etsy seller.  In a few weeks I'll be hosting a Mother's Day Tea at my house for some family members.  I was excited to design my own invitations for another event.  I wanted the invitations to look light and springy, so I decided to incorporate my new-found love of all things watercolor!

I used Microsoft Word to make my invites.  The first thing you'll have to do is decide how big you want your invitations to be.  I decided this by first finding envelopes.  I bought envelopes from an office supply store that are big enough for greeting cards.  Then I created a text box in a word document that is about two tenths of an inch smaller than the envelope.  I gave my text box a dashed, light grey line so that I knew where to cut.  Since I was making a small number of invitations, I cut them with scissors.

I used some free fonts that I found at dafont.com.  "You're Invited" is one of my favorite fonts, "Windsong."  I wanted a typewriter script for the main body.  I like the contrast between the caligraphy and the rough type.  I chose "Traveling Typewriter."

In this picture you can see the light dotted line that I used as a guide.

I used 110 lb. cardstock to print the cards.  You can purchase watercolor paper at an art supply store.  I'm not sure if you can print on that type of paper from a standard printer.  I might try it next time.  It would probably give you a nicer effect from the watercolor paints.  Since this paper is not meant for watercolor, the paper did curl a bit when it got wet.  I fixed this by putting the finished, dry invitations under a stack of heavy books for a few days.

Before I started painting on the invitations, I practiced.  It's always a good idea to practice before trying something new.  I used an invitation that I found online as inspiration.

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At first I tried to copy this design, but I found that if I just did what felt right, it went much better.  I think the thing that gives the invitations a finished look is a little tap of the brush.  Dip your brush in whatever color you want, and then in the water, and then tap it over the paper.  You'll get a spray of color.

Another tip is to add the lighter colors first.  You can always go back and add more saturation, but it's difficult to make a color lighter.  If you get a little too much color, you can dip your brush in water and try to dilute the color quickly before it dries.

Yes, our home has an official name!  Kepner Memorial Parsonage, Kensington Palace, it's kind of the same thing.

Next week I'll be finishing up my Watercolor Crush series with a look at my other new set of curtains.  I hope you'll stop by to check it out!