When writing birthday party invitations, it is important to include the name of the person having the party, where it is being held at, what time the party starts and ends, and if an RSVP is required. Make sure the writing is legible so everyone can read it. If a child writes the invitations, have an adult double check each one to make sure the information is correct and understandable.

Birthday party invitations can be written with the party person’s name on the front of the card such as “It’s A Party for Ben!” or “Millie has an announcement to make….”, or the traditional way with the name on the inside of the card.

Most party invitations are self-explanatory in stating that it is for a birthday party. If the invitation doesn’t say this then it is a good idea to include what kind of a party the person is being invited to. This is where you would include if the party is a sleepover, BYOB, Over the Hill, or a Sweet Sixteen.

Make sure to always list where the party is being held. This may be at the home of the party girl or boy, a restaurant, the local lodge, a hotel, or a roller-skating rink. Make sure to list an address and directions to the event in case some guests do not know where it is located. Not everyone knows where Uncle Bob on Swamp Road in Stump Creek lives.

The birthday invitation should always include the date and time of the party. Some invitations list a starting time but not an ending time. This is okay if you don’t mind partying all night long but if you have to be up at 6:00 AM to take Johnny to work then this may not work for you. Most children’s parties end after two or three hours.

Consider writing RSVP somewhere near the bottom of the invitation. This lets the guests know that they should respond with a yes or no if they are attending. Always make sure to list a name and a phone number with the RSVP so guests know who they are calling. A date to RSVP by is also needed. This lets the party giver know how many people to prepare for, how much food to have on hand, how many treat bags to hand out, or how many prizes if games are being played.

Are you thinking of having a party for your mom? Do you want to invite relatives and close friends to this occasion? You could use a bright printed invitation that can emphasize the celebration this magnificent event. In addition, making your own Mother’s Day invitation is a great approach to add your individual touch.
Now, in order to make these invitations, you will need
• Some card stock
• Vellum paper
• Paste
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Whole punch
The first thing that you will want to do is to select the background paper. Pick a vivid color card stock like a spring time color or your mom’s favorite color. If you would rather, a local copy center can cut your card stock 4 ¼“x 5 ½” and punch 2 holes on top of the card stock for you.

Next, you will need to come up with the wording for the invitation. One example is as follows: Happy Mother’s Day
Join us in celebrating the heart of our family
Date
Time
Location
RSVP

Once you have done this, you will have to pick out a white sheer velum paper for printing the party information on. Again, you can either do it yourself or have a local copy center cut your velum paper 4 ¼ “ x 5 ½”, print out your information, and punch 2 holes on top of the paper. However, if you decide to have a copy center help you out, then you should save the wording on a disk or USB for a clear sample copy.

Next, you will need to get a duplicate of a photograph of your mom and paste it to the card stock for an extra personal touch. For a dash of originality, trim the edges of the velum paper with craft scissors.

Finally, put your Mother’s Day invitations together with ribbon that complements your card stock. Cut the ribbon 7”, put the velum paper on top, and run the ribbon through the two holes from front to back. After that, run the ribbon back through the parallel holes from the back to the front. Conclude by vaguely tugging on the ends and clipping the ribbon.

I know that Thanksgiving is a long ways off, but here are some instructions on how to make Thanksgiving invitations. First, you will need some 8 1/2″ by 11″ cardstock in any color, some colored paper to decorate the border, Fall or Thanksgiving scrapbooking paper, Thanksgiving Themed stickers, decorative border scissors, a paper punch, a glue stick, and a paper cutter.
Next, you can either use a publishing software program in order to design the wording for this invitation or you can set the text up for either a two or four page customary open and shut type of card.
Then, you will need to cut your papers. You can either cut it yourself by using a paper cutter or you can go to a print or copy shop to have them do it for you. Either way, you will need the cardstock cut into fourths in order to make 5 1/2″ by 4 1/4″ postcards. Plus, if you want to put the postcard pattern onto plain white paper to have a more creative effect, then you will need to cut this paper into fourths. After this, trim the ends about an 1/8″.
After this, you will need to pick out a decorative fall or Thanksgiving scrapbooking paper. Tear off the corners 2 inches down. Continue doing this until you have used up your paper and need to use another sheet. Then, apply a layer of glue onto the back corners via a glue stick. Glue this corner onto your postcard lined up with the top right hand corner approximately 1/4 - 1/8″ from the border.
Next, make decorative borders with some colored paper or cardstock and some ornamental edge scissors. Cut the rim of your chose paper about 1/4″ from the border of the paper. In order to make these margins as straight you can, use a ruler and pencil and draw a straight line down the boundary of the paper so that you will have a sample when cutting. After this, you will need to trim them so that you have some that are about 5 1/4″ and some different ones that are 4 1/8″.
Now, put some glue on the back of the margins and put them on the postcards so that they create a border. They ought to cover the closure where your decorative fall/thanksgiving scrapbook paper touches the cardstock. The border should also be about 1/8″ to 1/4″ from the rim of the cardstock.
Then, add stickers or trimmings. You can use scrapbooking trimmings, die-cuts, or even shapes from the paper punch. If you printed directly onto the back side of your postcards then you are done.

However, if you printed them onto plain white paper to create a more attractive postcard then you have some more work to do. You will need to put some glue on the back of one of the pieces of white paper that has the Thanksgiving postcards invitation pattern printed onto it. Connect it to the unadorned side of the cardstock postcard. Be sure to center it as much as possible. If you would like to include some extra stickers or paper punch shapes to provide this surface of the invite a little further excitement, go for it.

Are you getting bogged down with school and are just plain sick of it. Well, then there’s good news that you need to hear! It’s that time of year again—spring break! It is time to put away your books (unless you have unfortunately been swamped with homework) and get away! But don’t just stay at home or go to Grandma’s this year. Do something wild! Many people like to even take a cruise over spring break. You know—beaches, ocean, and parties on a big ship? If you are one of these kinds of people – keep reading. Hopefully, you aren’t going to take your cruise by yourself. That doesn’t sound as funs as going with a big group of people. Besides, it might not be the safest idea, anyway. So, just try talking your best buddies into coming along with you. I’m sure you have some friends who are just dying to go on a cruise and have a whale of a good time! But what’s the best way to go about doing this? How about building your own web page rather than just handing out the usual handwritten party invitations? After all, it IS the third millennium! If you keep reading, you can find out how to build a great web page fast, simply and at no cost.

Now, I’m sure that you don’t to make just a plain, boring web page. Therefore, I’d suggest that you check out Web 2.0. Web 2.0, which is a terrific and innovative tool, is offered online and is easy to use. It can help you make a remarkable web page since it has more than 60 kinds of multimedia options.

Simply include pictures of you, your buddies, the sun, the ocean, and anything else that generates the right tone for a wonderful spring break party trip. You might even want to include videos, music, and a timer that will countdown the number of days until you leave or even a survey. This way, your web page is highly interactive and will attract lots of people.

After you have constructed this page and informed people about what you’re planning, then email people to let them know where to go to see the page. After they are there they will be able to notice who else is going and will begin to intermingle with one another online. Maybe you could even figure out a way to add a chat room feature. Who knows? That way, everyone will be able to make better plans about the details concerning the trip. You never know what kind of planning could lead to. The bottom line is to be sure to have a fun and safe spring break!

Are you throwing a baby shower for a friend? Perhaps you would like to save as much money as possible. Then making your own baby shower invitations might be the best bet for you. Plus, these unique invitations will be so much more adorable than the ones you can buy in stores. You can make these invitations easily in basic colors like pink, blue, or yellow, and carry out a straightforward theme. If you’d rather, though, you can get creative and use ornamental paper to go with your baby shower theme.

In order to make these invitations, you will need 8 1/2” by 11” card stock, colored or ornamental paper, ribbon, glue, and a paper punch if you would like.

If you decide to use card stock as the base of your baby shower invitations you will need to cut the card stock in half in order to get 2 invitations out of one piece of card stock. Otherwise, using blank cards are a good alternative. All you need do is to print the invitation wording onto the cards and spruce them up a bit. This is fast and simple.

If you choose to use blank cards, or find it hard to print onto your decorative paper, you can also print the wording on another paper, cut out your wording, and then paste it to the inside of the baby shower invitation.

In order to decorate your invitation, you just need to cut out some individual squares of decorated or attractive paper to glue to the outside of the cards. The paper should be 1/2″ smaller than your cards. If you would like to bring them to a print shop, they could do this for you. Otherwise, do it yourself. After the paper is cut small enough, glue it to the outside of the baby shower invitation. Try to make sure it is centered.

Finally, stick ribbon on the front of the invitations. First cut the piece of the ribbon just a little longer than the outside of the invitation. Next, you should put glue on the ribbon. Hold both ends of the ribbon in each hand and hold it directly over the baby shower invitation. Place it in a straight line across the card and press down hard.

At this time take a little bit of the same ribbon to make a small bow. Cut off any additional long ends. Fasten the bow with glue to the center of the ribbon already on the invitation. You might need to trim any extra pieces if they are hanging over the edge.

Note: In order to make this happen as easily as you can, you might want to have everything prepared beforehand (your papers, content to print onto the paper, ornamental papers, etc.) and bring it all to the print shop so they can copy and cut it for you. Remember, you won’t be spending money on printer ink either, which is much more costly than getting copies made.

If you would like to, you could have a little invitation manufacture party. Find some friends, have some snacks, and assign each person a task. Someone could slice the paper, another can fold the baby shower invitations, someone else could put together the paper, etc. You’ll be able to finish the baby shower invitations in a flash!

Saint Patrick converted Ireland to Christianity during the 400s. His feast day is March 17th. n the United States
The Irish brought Saint Patrick’s Day to present-day America. In 1737, the first municipal festival of Saint Patrick’s Day was held in Boston. The Charitable Irish Society of Boston planned the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade that day. Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City was first celebrated in 1756 at the Crown and Thistle Tavern, and New York’s first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was on March 17, 1762 by the Irish militia of the British Army. In 1780, George Washington, who was the general for soldiers of Irish descent, gave his troops a holiday on March 17. This event is now called The St. Patrick’s Day Encampment of 1780. Presently, both the Irish and non-Irish alike celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day throughout the United States.
Americans celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day by wearing green clothing, whether or not they are Irish. Usually, people pinch those not wearing green.
A number of cities have green parade routes. Chicago started coloring its river green in 1961 since septic tank workers used to use green dye to check for sewer emissions and came up with the idea of making the river green on St. Patrick’s Day. Indianapolis likewise colors its central channel green. In Savannah, people tint the city fountains in the business district green. The University of Missouri Rolla - St Pat’s Board Alumni smother twelve blocks of the municipality in Kelly green paint with mops before the annual parade.
As you can see, this is a day for celebration. So if you want to have your own party, why not do it with in fashion? It may be very difficult to find a St. Patrick’s Day invitation at any store, so you might have to make your own. These tips should lead to capturing people’s interest and bringing you tons of guests at your bash. So this is how you make it:
First of all, you can use any green blank cardstock; however, if you really would like to be creative, try cutting shamrocks out of green cardstock. You can even use a cookie cutter as your outline. Trace the cookie cutter and then cut out the shape. Next, write the information about your party on the front (i.e., time, place, etc.), and put in an envelope. You could also put some Chopper Stickers on some Orange Flat Paper, and write your own unique party motto and information.
Or, if you prefer, you can print out pre-made St. Patrick’s Day invitations. On example can be found here http://familycrafts.about.com/library/projects/blstprpotgcard.htm
Another idea is to order custom-made invitations. These cost more, but look professional. You can find them at this link: http://www.thestationerystudio.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/catalog.viewProduct/productID/13598/catId/1428/Customized_St._Patrick%27s_Day_Party_Invite.html
Either way, make sure that you mail or deliver your invitations two to three weeks ahead of time to guarantee that your guests can make it and will not have other conflicting plans.

It’s that time of year again. No, not just Valentine’s Day, but Mardi Gras is on its way. Did you know that Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday? This is the day before Ash Wednesday. Back in the Middle Ages in Europe, people began celebrating Mardi Gras as an unofficial feast. However, we don’t have a written record as to how that actually changed into the existing Mardi Gras we know now. We do know, thought, that the start of the Mardi Gras we celebrate these days, with Kings, Mardi Gras colors, and brass bands can be traced to New Orleans.

Mardi Gras arrived in New Orleans through the French explorers in 1699. Early voyagers celebrated this French festival on the shores of the Mississippi River. During these years, the people of New Orleans have created krewes (organizations) which host parades and dances. Carnival rapidly became a thrilling celebration for both kids and adults.
Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” so obviously it is celebrated on that day of the week. It used to be a tradition not to eat meat or milk products during lent, so this was the last day people would use them. The date of Mardi Gras can happen at any time between February 3 and March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar. It always comes 47 days before Easter Sunday.
The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. The colors represent the following: purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold stands for power.
I’m sure you have heard of these parties still happening down in New Orleans. Oh wait, you say, you don’t live in New Orleans? Well, with the use of the Internet, you could throw your own Mardi Gras bash! Now, I won’t give you all the details for a party here, but I will tell you how to make your own invitations for the big day. Just keep reading to find out more.
First, use masks for your Mardi Gras invitations. All you have to do is write the information on the back side (who, what, where, why, RSVP #, etc). Make sure you remind your guests to wear their own masks. Now, once it is ready to go, just pop it in an envelope and mail it. Or, you could make your own masks by using gold, deep purple, and deep green poster board or construction paper. Make sure that you use a white gel pen on the darker paper. If you really want to have them stick out, you may decide to embellish them with gold glitter.
Or, if you would rather use the computer and have flat decorations for your Mardi Gras invitations, there are many sites that offer Mardi Gras clip art. One of them can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/3385/one.htm
Also, if you type in Mardi Gras images in the Yahoo search engine you will find pictures you can save and import into a Word document.

No matter how you make your Mardi Gras invitations, make sure you follow up by doing research to host a great party!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Do you have any plans yet? How about hosting a party? In that case, you might want to send out invitations to guests. And to save you money, try to make your own. How should you do it?

First, you will need 8 ½ by 11” card stock, decorative paper or colored paper, white paper, scrapbooking paper for the background, scissors, a heart-shaped paper punch, and glue or a glue stick. Next, you might want to search on the Internet for a heart or valentine’s image. You can also find one by searching through the clip art. Then, you need to copy and paste the image into your desktop publishing program file. You will also need to have a section in your document for the inside text. After this, you will need to print both sections onto 20 or 25 lb. paper. For large quantities of invitations, consider having your invitations printed at a copy and print center.
You are now ready to begin cutting your paper. You now have three pages to cut. Begin by cutting the card stock in half. They should all measure 8 ½ by 5 ½” at this point. Then, you need to cut out the heart decorations with the text using your scissors. You can either cut inside or outside of the border. Afterwards, cut your text into very small squares—small enough that you do not see them through the heart cut-outs or the front of the card. Finally, cut your scrapbooking paper into quarters.

Next, you need to take your hole punch and punch four holes along the bottom of the card, by punching the ends first. Make sure you keep the punch-outs so that you can glue them to another part of the card later. Or use felt for the hearts that you will put on top of the card (see the rest of the article first to get a better idea of what I mean).

It is now time to fold the card. The best way to do this is by scoring the paper (or running a ruler across the fold) so that you will end up with an even fold. You can often find scoring tools at craft or office supply stores. Finally, you will need to glue the pieces of the invitation together. First, glue the scrapbooking paper to the bottom part of the inside of the card. You will need to follow this by gluing the inside text to the scrapbooking paper (by making sure it is centered). Make sure that you cannot see this part through the heart-shaped cut-outs on the front portion of the invitation. Finally, you can glue the rest of the heart-shaped punch-outs around the rest of the card. If you would like, you can also use ribbon decorations to dress it up a bit.

For pictures and further ideas, see http://www.do-it-yourself-invitations.com/make-valentines.html. Also, a Valentine’s Day card that is already to print can be found here http://www.do-it-yourself-invitations.com/free-printable-valentines-day-cards.html.

Are you getting married soon? Maybe this summer? Perhaps you would like to save some money, especially in this tight economy. Well, then I think I might have an idea for you! Have you ever considered making your own wedding invitations? I’m serious! If you think you have an ounce of creativity in you, you should really consider this proposal!!
So, how do you go about doing that, you ask. Well, first, you need to make sure you have plenty of time allotted for this project. Next, you will need to agree upon whether to make scrapbook invitations or make them on the computer.
Scrapbook invitations are good for small weddings (50 guests or less), but they require lots of time. The best way to start with these is to gather your mom, fiancé, and bridal party to get lots of idea flowing. You will need to decide upon the shape, size, color, decorations, and wording (including the arrangement). Don’t worry—you can always change things as you go. It is truly amazing how little scraps of paper can come in handy for borders, etc. Vellum layovers are another good idea to place on top of the invitation. Vellum comes in different prints. This way, you will have even more creative options. To make the vellum adhere to the invitations, simply use vellum tape, corner eyelets, brads, staples, a hole-punch with ribbon, or sew the vellum directly onto your invitation.
If you are stretched for time or help, consider using the computer instead of the scrapbook method. Computer-made invitations are cheaper, easier and faster to make. In fact, you can purchase wedding invitation software or find wedding clipart. You will also need thicker, better quality paper for printing. Next, consider what your wedding theme will be. If you like flowers, rainbows, etc., then these can and should be on the invitation. There are even books out there that can be useful guides in doing this project.
No matter how you decide to make your invitations, consider purchasing The Artful Bride: Wedding Invitations: A Stylish Bride’s Guide to Simple, Handmade Wedding Correspondence or Easy Invitations: Use Your Home Computer to Create Stylish Stationery for Weddings, Birthdays and Other Occasions. Maybe you could find these or similar books at your local library, which will save you even more money! At any rate, making your own wedding invitations truly allows you to show your personality and saves you money in the end. So, what are you waiting for?

A few months ago, I decided to throw a 21^st surprise birthday party for my best friend. With this economy, however, my funds were tight. After all, I needed liquor (a must-have at this age), balloons, cake, ice cream, and a present. But what about birthday invitations? I wanted to find a way to have access to free invitations. After some careful thinking, I remembered that I had a computer. In this day and age, printable invitations are just the thing to help save money. But wait, I was not creative! Then I thought, “Have no fear, invitation templates are here.” So I decided to just Google something like “make your own invitations” and “design your own invitations” and whala! I found templates for just about everything—not just birthdays, but wedding invitations, bbq invitations, baby showers, pool parties, family reunions, luaus, etc.

Now since I wanted free invitations, I merely combined some of this ideas and went for the “make-your-own” version. Ok, so I DID send a little bit purchasing cardstock—but that was it! (I didn’t want to make them look cheap, so I figured this was a must-have.) Then I opened up my print shop application, imported some cool photos (wine, birthday clip-art, etc.) and went for a pretty fancy font with wild colors! I thought that this would catch people’s attention, and that college-age kids love bold colors. It was a great success. I had so many friends show up, and by the time my best friend arrived, she was absolutely stunned!!! I will admit, though, that the hardest part was keeping the party a secret from her. I’m terrible at this. Anyway, the party was a blast! Everyone had a good time. The drinks were to die for and the food was delicious. Don’t worry, my other friends brought some snacks to help out with the cost. Although we were quite happy at the end, we did limit ourselves and all remained sober.