All Because Two People Fell In Love

by Mark Melnick

Custom wedding invitations are big business. I wanted to try creating a unique version of my own
and as I sat to design this project, I wondered from whence the tradition of “June brides” came.
I did some research and was fascinated to learn the tradition dates back to Roman times. The
Romans celebrated the festival of the deity Juno and his wife Jupiter, who was the goddess of
marriage and childbirth, on the first day of June. In Victorian times, the tradition is thought to
have continued because there were flowers available for wedding décor, and the scent of the
flowers masked body odor. Romantic, right?

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 75 minutes + drying time

Directions

Step 1

You will need two pieces of 110lb cardstock cut to 5” x 10” for the invitation itself. Take the two pieces and adhere them to each other in the middle. The extra weight in the center will not only give the invitation a professional weight and feel, but will also help it to stand on its own once unfolded.

Step 2

Select six images for use on the front and back of the invitation. Adhere 3 front images to the card stock. It is best to use a strong adhesive, like Tear It! Tape, as the folding and unfolding of the invitation will loosen the images if not secured well to the cardstock. The actual information on the front and back of the invitation can be formatted as you like when creating your version. Use a VersaMarker to draw tiny design elements on the images and heat emboss with EMBOSS clear embossing powder for added dimension and visual interest.

Step 4

Cut a piece of Vellum, preferably a 30lb + weight, into a strip of desired height measuring 5” in length to be placed on the top image of the tri-fold. Take a sentiment stamp of your choice and, using the Delicata Dark Brown Shimmer ink, stamp the vellum. Adhere the vellum to the image as you wish – I used two Copper brads.

COOL ADDED TECHNIQUE: Take some cotton swabs and cover them in the Delicata Ink color Dark Brown Shimmer. Remove the top from a mini-mister and place cotton swabs inside while rubbing the ink off on the edges. The mister should be filled with water and a drop of rubbing alcohol. Replace top of mister and shake well – you now have a matching shimmery spray for your individual pieces. Spray the Vellum and your images with Shimmer spray from a fair distance so that the mist gently falls on the paper.

Step 5

Create the main plate of the invitation on vellum. Adhere to the invitation as you desire – I used four Copper brads to match the top piece of Vellum. Since there is a set of images on the back, the brad closure will be hidden.

Step 6

Adhere the back images using same strong adhesive as the front. Add more embellishments as you wish. I had some extra information to provide so used another sheet of vellum for that.

Supplies

Imagine

• Delicata – Dark Brown Shimmer
• VersaMarker
• EMBOSS – Clear Embossing Powder
• Tear It! Tape

Other

• 110 lb cardstock
• 30 lb vellum
• Metal brads
• Mini-misting bottle
• 6 square images