I went to the local scrapbooking and paper store, just to check out what they had… and ended up coming home with $100 worth of invitation supplies, which were of course, all ON SALE! You could definitely spend less, but I just *had* to have the fancy Hambly paper. If you insist on not spending a lot on invitations (custom ones would cost well over $200!) but don’t mind doing several hours of work and also want them to look amazing and not cookie-cutter, then this is the project for you.

What you will need for 100 invitations:
-a cutting mat
-a paper cutter (mine was cheap and available in most craft stores)
-35 sheets of 12′x12′ scrapbook paper (I used Hambly’s vintage circle, highly recommended!)
get 35 instead of 33 so you have a little room for error.
-1 package (100 sheets) of coordinating 8.5′x11′ 81 lb. text paper (I used stardream, which has an incredible shimmer).
-2 50 ct. packs of A-2 (or 4.25′x5.75′) envelopes
-36 yds. of copper foil tape, or 1/4 inch decorative tape (copper foil tape is sold in glass working supplies)
-archival glue stick

To Begin:
Cut the 12′x12′ scrapbook paper into six pieces, each 4′x5.5′:

Next, cut out a semi-circle (along the egde of the vintage circle paper) from the MIDDLE TWO 4×5.5 pieces, plus ONE more 4×5.5 piece, leaving the other 3 to be made into outer sleeves:

If you did not use this paper and want to cut out another shape, go for it- work *with* the design! The left side is going to be glued on the half sheet as a header, the right side is going to be an attached insert with additional info. You will get three of each of these per page, though one will not have the same design running through it- I like this though, it adds a unique touch to each one. Separate them into piles of headers and inserts.

At this point, if you will be printing the text yourself you will want to cut one piece of the 8.5×11′ paper in half, and attach the header. My husband did this part- he scanned the half sheet with the header and used it to used it to build text boxes in a design program. You can use this as a test sheet.

Next, you will be cutting the outer sleeves. Take the remaining 3 4×5.5′ pieces, and cut along the circle (or any other cut you choose). The idea here is that you will attach a small piece to the back of the bigger piece to make a pocket to slide the invitation into:

Flip the small piece onto the back of the bigger piece. Slide it over so you can attach the decorative tape on the outer edges:

Cut the tape, then fold the tape in half and attach it to the back of the bigger piece. Flip both pieces over, and secure tape to the front:

Do this for both edges of the small piece. Continue this sequence with the rest of the sheets of 12′x12′ paper- you should get 3 headers, 3 inserts, and 3 sleeves from each sheet. Separate them into piles as you work. This is definitely the most time consuming part.

After the cutting and taping is finished, you’ll want to print out all your text on the 8.5×11 sheets of paper, AND all of the inserts (RSVP info, accommodations, gift registry, etc). You can do this at home with a scanner, printer, and program like Photoshop or GIMP. Just make sure you leave room for the header and do 2 per sheet on the 8.5×11 paper. For the inserts, use a 3×5 envelope setting. You can also go to a print/copy shop, but this will cost more.

Once your sheets are all printed, use the paper cutter to cut each one in half. Next, glue the header on with a glue stick. Now, fold each half sheet in half and use more copper tape to attach the inserts.

Make sure you tape them so the text is on the inside of the invitation, so when you fold it out, you can read it:

Fold the invitation and slide the sleeve over the top left edge. This may take a little effort- the corners may be a little tight. Slide the invitation into the envelope with the copper foil at the top. This will make it easier to pull out. Now they are ready to send!

I was very happy with the way these turned out, and loved the paper so much I saved a few sheets of the 12′x12′ paper to make some sort of scrapbook with. But best of all was getting compliments on how great they looked!