The June monthly contest is underway and I decided to take this week to focus on the wedding theme. Whether you are planning or attending a wedding I hope you will be inspired by my projects this week.

Eight years ago I took on the task of creating my own wedding invitations. There were moments I questioned what in the world I was doing, but when it was all said and done I was so happy to have a handmade and unique wedding invitation. Over the years, my tastes have definitely changed. If I were to make my own invitations today, I think I would choose something clean and simple like these two invitations.

I love the elegant feel of the Circle Lace and Long Stem Flowers images…such a perfect fit for a wedding invitation! The flowers were colored with watercolor pencils and then blended using a paintbrush and water. I finished off the invite with a spritz of Perfect Pearls from my mini mister to give it a little shimmer. It’s a bit hard to tell in the photo, but it really does give it a pretty shine.

Created by Kelly Rasmussen. Find complete supplies and instructions here.

You could easily dress up this invitation a bit by adding some pearls, gems or ribbon. But I wanted to demonstrate how a simple stamped invitation can really be gorgeous.

I’ve made wedding invitations for several other people over the years and here are a few tips that I’ve learned along the way:

• To determine your invitation size, first start with the envelope. You don’t want to have your invitations done and then not be able to find the right size of envelope.
• Use good quality, sturdy cardstock. I like to order a sample sheet to make sure it will run through the printer I will be using.
• To save money, print only with black ink. Add color to your invitation with ink, colored pencils or markers.
• Use a stamp positioner to make sure your stamped images are straight and placed right where you want them.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I’ll be back tomorrow with more wedding inspiration.