How many times has your child received the same pre-made birthday party announcements that you’ve seen over and over again? These packs of invitations are often rather inexpensive, but they are also very forgettable. With a glance at the message, do you know if the party is for Katie, or Billy, or Jessie, or Donovan? Probably not! How about trying some homemade birthday party invitations for your next party?
Stuck for ideas? Read on to find several ways to make unique invitations that just require a little creativity and not as much money as you might expect.
Helping design and make invites can be a great way to get your child involved with the party planning process. The more the youngster is involved, the more it becomes his (or her) party and not just another “thing” but something very special. The birthday child will feel like a star and that the guests are coming to see him. Ask your child about themes and ideas that appeal to them, and then either let them help you choose the invites or get them to help make them.
Sort through your photo files until you find that perfect recent picture of your child. Use a photo editing program (many can be found free of charge- Canva.com is great) and add a personal message. Then print it off to send to your guests. Choose black and white to save money on printer ink if you wish; it can be quite artsy and unique that way, too. Or print in sepia tones for another nostalgic look.
Now, when your guests stick your invitation onto the refrigerator door, there will be no doubt whose party the invite is for. A bonus is you have now created a keepsake for friends and family to cherish.
Another idea is to write a cute poem about your child or the fun party you are planning. Print the poem on the invitations. If you cannot think up your poem, there are online sources where you can get quoted poetry verses that are free to use without copyright infringement. You can insert your youngster’s name and party specifics.
On-line quotes are another way to create excitement about your child’s birthday party. Use a quote that gives a hint of what fun expected at the party. You could even use a different line from a poem on each invitation, and when everybody gets together the invites turn into a treasure hunt. The completed verse leads to a particular prize or event, which can help build the fun.
Depending on how many people you are planning to invite, you might want to entertain the idea of hand-crafted invitations. These don’t have to be the upscale cards you see in the scrapbooking and card-making aisles of the craft shop. You can simply spend an afternoon with your child and a pile of cardboard, construction paper, ribbons, glue, scissors, googly eyes, markers, glitter glue, foam sheets, pom-poms, stencils, and stickers.
Simple cut-outs from old magazines, coloring books, or anything that interests your child will make a great invitation when arranged artfully on a card and put in an envelope. It is not only fun, but it’s frugal, too.
When creating a hand delivered or mailed invitation simply isn’t possible, you can always find websites to send a free email. Pick from the templates available and upload your youngster’s photo. Then you can choose a pre-written note or write your text and enter the email addresses of those you would like to send the invitations to.
You can request an RSVP via a phone call or an email response. In fact, I would always advise asking parents to RSVP by text so that you have a ready-made contact list in your cell phone.
For working folks who spend more time on their computer than at their mailbox, this could be a good way to connect and get your invitation out there quickly and timely.
So, you can see from the ideas above you can still make a great impression with invites without costing a fortune. With the ideas presented here you won’t need to cut out creativity or fun!
I hope these ideas will help you make your child’s birthday party exciting and enjoyable. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts and ideas. Comments are always welcome
