Tags: lci designer inspiration

Do you live in an area where the winter season means snow and cold? If you're like me, you treasure each season, including winters. New England winters are my favorite season because of the beautiful blanket of snow covering the ground, the chill in air, the smell of burning wood, and most of all, the thought of skiers gliding down snow covered trails and later, warming themselves in front of a hot fire inside a warm lodge. As the weather outside LCI's Marlborough, Massachusetts offices has taken a decidedly cold turn, I am thinking of my favorite winter activities and the possibility of using our beautiful New England winter as an event theme.

On The Bride's Guide blog, Daniel Biasatti notes in his article, Inspiration: First Snow that icy blue, white, and black are great colors for winter wedding. I thought of some wonderful metallic specialty papers that when used in a winter context, could look seasonably cool.

Stardream Crystal is a metallic stock from Italian paper manufacturer Gruppo Cordenons that I knew would look just like sunlit snow when combined with a cool, icy blue paper. After comparing Aspire Petallics Juniper Berry and Gmund's Subtil Cold--both perfect for the cool blue ice look--I decided on the Cold A9 size (5 1/2" x 8 1/2") cardstock as my backing card. I printed my invitation layer on a Crystal text weight sheet that I cut to 5" x 8".

The event is an engagement party at a ski resort in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I embellished the invitation with our new Classic Silver Snowflake Metal Brad. My layered card will be mailed in LCI's Crystal A9 Envelope. The finished invitation looks just like ice and snow and invites guests to an event sure to warm their hearts and their bodies as they enjoy the sites of a beautiful ski resort and the warmth of a comfortable ski lodge.

Here's a ready to assemble kit that would be perfect for a winter event:
Snowcapped Spires Slim Wedding Invitation Kit

Are you attending a special event this winter in a cold locale? I hope this article has brought some warm fuzzies to replace the shivers you had just thinking about it. And if you're hosting a winter event, try bringing those natural winter elements into your invitation.

Joshua Birch

This vibrant pink, white and silver ensemble is a flashy combination of our Stardream Azalea pochette and frosted silver deckle stationery. The way this kit came together was happenstance: the pink Azalea pochette was sitting on my desk amidst an array of other papers, and one happened to be the silver deckle card. The chemistry between the two was obvious. The radiant white color of the card really accentuated the vibrant pink color of the pochette, and the frosted deckle complemented the pleasant shimmer of Stardream's metallic card stock. Coworkers walked by and thought it would make a nice invitation kit, and conveniently, Josh and I needed a fresh idea for a pochette how-to video that was in the works (check out the video in a separate post, How To Make LCI's Silver Azalea Pochette Video, to see how easy it is to print and assemble this invitation).

Our Hot Pink Satin Ribbon turned out to be a near perfect match to the Stardream Azalea color, so I embellished the finished pochette by tying a bow around it. It's a very simple task to print this ensemble, since the invitation card, response card and the silver lined white envelope can be easily printed on any inkjet or laser printer. The only thing to note is that the Stardream Azalea response envelope is made with metallic paper and therefore can only be printed at home using a laser printer. It is recommended that you order a sample first to test the papers on your printer before placing a full order.

We have free templates to download for use with Microsoft Word. Click the links below to download them:

• Silver Deckle Card Template
• Silver Deckle RSVP Folder Template
• Silver Lined Radiant White Square Envelope Template
• Stardream Azalea Response Envelope Template

Click the link below to order this kit. It comes without adhesive or embellishments, so consider the tape dots and ribbon if you plan to order this pochette:
Silver Azalea Wedding Pochette
Hot Pink Satin Ribon
Double Sided Tape Dots

In this article you'll find step by step instructions on how to assemble our Flowering Bronze Pocket Fold Kit. Below you'll find free Microsoft Word printing templates for the cards and envelopes.

Step One: Cut Chiyogami Paper
Using a paper cutter or scissors, cut two layers measuring 4 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches out of the chiyogami 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. You can also cut one invitation band measuring 1 1/2 x 11 inches out of the same sheet to wrap the finished pocket fold. In each package of 10 kits, you will receive 10 chiyogami sheets. Cut 5 of the sheets as shown below. Another sheet can be used to cut an additional 5 chiyogami bands. You will have some chiyogami sheets leftover - these could be used to make liners for either the invitation or response envelope (optional).

Step Two: Glue Chiyogami Layer To Pocket Fold

Adhere a chiyogami layer to the invitation panel of the pocket fold. You can glue or tape the layer using the following:

• Ordinary glue stick
• Glue Marker
• Double-sided tape

Step Three: Print & Adhere Vice Versa Invitation Card

Download the template below to print the Brilliant White Albus Card measuring 3 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches. Place your invitation wording on the template and print on an inkjet printer. This heavyweight, textured card stock may prove difficult to print on some inkjet printers, so be sure to test a sample first. When you've printed the cards, adhere them to the center of the chiyogami layer on the pocket fold.

Download Printing Template

Step Four: Print Response Card & Envelope

Use the same template above to print your response card wording on the Vice Versa Albus card measuring 3 1/2 x 4 7/8 inches. Then print on the Stardream Bronze response envelope using the template below. This envelope measures 3 5/8 x 5 1/8 inches.

Download Printing Template

Step Five: Secure Chiyogami Band Around Pocket Fold

Secure the 1 1/2 x 11 inch chiyogami band around the center of the folded pocket fold. Secure the band behind the pocket fold using glue stick or double-sided tape. You can optionally tie chiffon ribbon around the band and tie a bow in the front, as shown (not included with the kit).

Step Six: Print Invitation Envelope

Download the template below to print the Brilliant White Albus Envelope measuring 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches. Place your finished pocket fold inside the envelope and you're ready to mail your invitations!

Download Printing Template

If you encounter any problems with our templates, please contact us at helpdesk@lcipaper.com.

This is a pocket fold invitation I designed for Volume 1, Issue 2 of LCI's Creative Invitation Guide print newsletter. As I browsed for a chiyogami (yuzen) paper to start with, the pattern called Red Swirl Flower Tree caught my eye. This paper has a rich pattern of dark golds and reds accented with bright white and fuschia blossoms, and these colors went really well with our new Stardream Bronze Pocket Fold. I took an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of the chiyogami paper and used a simple home paper cutter to cut out a layer that measured 6 7/8 x 4 7/8 inches, the perfect size to glue to the pocket fold invitation panel. The bright white flowers in the pattern contrasted nicely with the dark, shimmering bronze, so without further ado I picked out a bright white Vice Versa card to go on top of this layer. I picked the smallest card I could find to print the invitation wording, because I wanted to reveal as much of the chiyogami pattern as possible. This was an A4 size response card, and I used this same card to print the response card that you see in the pocket.

To finish the look of this invitation, I used the remaining part of the chiyogami sheet to cut a 2-inch wide strip to use as a band around the folded pocket fold. I secured the band on the back with double-sided tape dots, and then finished it up with white chiffon ribbon tied in a bow on the front.

One thing I like about this invitation is the rich color dynamic between the chiyogami paper, the bronze pocket fold, and the bright white invitation card. I asked Barry, our resident printer and coincidentally LCI's Sales/Marketing Manager, to print the card on his Canon inkjet printer in chocolate brown ink. I thought the ink color worked well to really tie the whole ensemble together.

The fine textures and finishes of the stationery also make this invitation stand out. The metallic pocket fold shimmers with the authentic look of burnished bronze, and the chiyogami paper is a perfect complement with a background of gold paint. Vice Versa Albus is a brilliant white and exquisitely textured card stock that is imported from Germany. In the picture below you can see the thick horizontal lines that are embossed on the Albus envelope.

You can easily make this invitation at home. The only real work involved is cutting the chiyogami layer and band, and gluing or taping the layers onto the pocket fold. You can use either glue stick or LCI's tape dots (see components below). The Vice Versa stock is compatible with some inkjet printers. Be sure to order a sample of this paper first to test it on your printer.

This sophisticated-looking invitation is surprisingly easy to make! With the link below you can order the kit at LCIPaper.com. Also see my step-by-step instruction page with printing templates.

Order the Flowering Bronze Pocket Fold Kit
How To Print & Assemble Our Flowering Bronze Pocket Fold Invitation

Components:

• 113lb Stardream Bronze Pocket Fold 5 x 7
• Chiyogami Red Swirl Flower Tree 8 /12 x 11
• Vice Versa Albus White Card 3 1/2 x 4 7/8
• Stardream Bronze Response Envelope 3 5/8 x 5 1/8
• Vice Versa Albus White Envelopes 5 1/4 x 7 1/4
• White Chiffon Ribbon
• Double Sided Tape Dots

LCI's Creative Invitation Guide is a glossy brochure that is currently included in every order that we ship. The front cover showcases invitation ensembles that our in house designers created to inspire our customers to choose from the blank invitations, pochettes, pocket folds, response cards, envelopes, and accessories on our web site and create their own unique invitations. Although we do not sell the finished ensembles featured on the front page of the Creative Invitation Guide, we do sell all the components used to make each. In this article, you'll read about the invitation that I created specifically for that page of the Creative Invitation Guide.

I created my '80s & '90s Dance Party Invitation with the following LCI products:

6 1/4 Black Square Invitation Card
6 x 6 Clematis Square Chiyogami
8 1/2 x 11 Translucent Vellum Violet sheet
6 1/2 Black Square Envelope

I used the 6 1/4 black square invitation card as the backing for my invitation. To it, I affixed the 6 x 6 chiyogami with our double sided tape dots. I cut the violet vellum sheet down to 5 x 5 and then printed my invitation wording on it. Again, I used double sided tape dots to affix the cut vellum to the chiyogami. The finished invitation fit perfectly into the 6 1/2 black square envelope.

This purple and black invitation was inspired by my memories of my junior and senior high school years and my college years when I went out to dance clubs and was a DJ at house parties. I chose to call my fantasy event an '80s & '90s Dance Party with music including some of my favorite English bands that crossed the boundaries of rock, pop, and dance music: New Order, Erasure, Depeche Mode, the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and the KLF. Maybe someday I'll actually host an event like this! Would you attend?

Recommended Links:
Creative Invitation Guide
Double Sided Tape Dots

Joshua Birch
josh@lcipaper.com