It's time for another invitation three ways installment. I missed posting this last week as life tends to get a little hectic toward the end of the year, I'm sure you can relate. I will endeavor to stay on schedule though. I say this every year however, and yet again, I find myself with one week left in November and the Christmas shipping deadline to Australia fast approaching with nary a box on hand to hold the presents that I am yet to think up, let alone purchase. Sorry Mum and Dad, your US parcel may be absent from under the tree once more. But back to the invitation schedule...
When Anna first showed me the matelasse design I was a little Mat-a-what. Not wanting to show my ignorance I turned to my friend Google who kindly informed me that matelasse is a weaving or stitching technique yielding a pattern that appears quilted or padded. And on top of this is pronounced mat-la-SAY, certainly not how I was pronouncing it. Now that I'm all matelasse savvy I felt I could play up the invitation three ways without doing the design a huge injustice.
Here is Anna's original design as it appears in our product catalog:
And here are three choices to show you how this design can fit your wedding theme, with varying degrees of difficulty and expense.
1. Layered Silver and Purple
My favorite design but unfortunately the most time consuming. I layered the invitation design in shades of silver and purple and added a metallic silver accent ribbon. The finished invitation is luxurious and does justice to the formality of a wedding. This is one of my favorite invitations that I've put together in this series so far. I printed the matelasse pattern in silver on thick white card stock. I also printed the oval and text on white card stock, changing the color of the border and text to purple. I used the same fonts as in our product catalog sample, Dawning of a New Day and Myriad Pro. I printed the scallop design on purple card, and hand cut out the design. This was actually easier than I first imagined, though you'd need to settle in for the night if you were planning on using this technique on 100 invitations. Better yet, cut a few each day over a couple of weeks. Your trimming doesn't need to be super precise. The trick to cutting curves is to hold your scissors still and move the card. Trimming the scallop calls for lots of repetitive cuts, so I soon got into a rhythm of cut, rotate, and reset. When I had my three pieces ready to assemble, I ran a strip of silver ribbon down the center of the matelasse card, then layered on the purple scallop and oval with text, adhering everything with double sided tape along the way. The end result is quite beautiful, if I do say so myself.
2. Shabby Chic
Matelasse my be an opulent fabric, but by printing on kraft paper I think it lends itself to shappy chic quite well. The design and text is printed in black, which makes for super cheap printing. I chose the fonts Volstead and Tamil Sangam MN. As this is a wedding invitation I had to add a little detail, which came in the form of a lace bow at the top of the scallop. Simple and pretty for your rustic nuptials. This is an easy and inexpensive invitation to put together, and in the end doesn't compromise on quality.
3. Coordinating Table Numbers
To change things up a little I wanted to show you how you can use the matelasse design in coordinating table numbers. I simply printed the design in sage on cream card stock. You would use whatever color choices being seen throughout your wedding. I inserted the card into a 5 x 7" free standing frame. The frame I had on hand is glass, but a simple acrylic frame would cut down on your costs. I then stuck a self-adhesive house number to the outside of the frame. I got this at Home Depot, and they came in silver and gold. You could use spray paint to make the numbers any color that you like. If you were using the rustic invitation on kraft paper, print the matelasse on kraft, insert in the frame, and use an off white number. Using repetitive elements throughout your wedding is one way to create a cohesive feel, and move away from the DIY look if this is your desire. The matelasse design is one element that can be carried through, from your invitations and RSVP cards, to ceremony programs, table numbers, menus, candy buffet signs, and thank you cards.
