Weddingbee boards

I finished these invites a few weeks early (probably will send out mid-June), and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, especially given my limited experience with designing, gocco, etc... I'd love to hear what you all think of the end result!  Please forgive my blurry/poorly lit pictures...

Bird / border motif is gocco'd in green and orange on square kraft envelopes.  Guest addresses are then printed on my Canon Pixma inkjet printer.

The return address is embossed on kraft labels using a custom rubber stamp and bronze embossing powder:

Close-up of embossed return address label:

The envelopes are lined with various printed cardstock, cut with my cricut:

The invitation "package" is a kraft CD holder, tied with twine.  Each "package" also has a tag with the guest's name (cut with my Cricut):

The cover of the CD is gocco'd with a quote that is appropriate to our relationship, as our meeting required a number of improbable events to actually occur:

When the CD case is opened up, the invitation details as well as a pocket for the enclosures are revealed.  Each of these panels is also gocco'd:

Close-up of interior panels:

Inside the CD pocket is the RSVP postcard, a wedding map that I designed, a menu card, and a card referring guests to our website for additional information.

RSVP postcard front (gocco'd):

RSVP postcard back (gocco'd):

Wedding map (designed in illustrator and printed on Canon Pixma):

Menu card to let people know we will be having a lobster bake and give them an option to let us know if they need an alternate selection (printed on Canon Pixma):

Information card referring guests to our website for additional information (printed on Canon Pixma):

Whew!  That's it!  These were a *ton* of work, but the plus side is that I had full control over the design and also was able to use the gocco on other projects (menu cards, karaoke book covers, placecard borders, and program covers are complete--I'll also use it for favors, candy buffet sacks, napkins, and probably a few more things).

These are positively gorgeous.  congrats!

Thanks so much for the positive feedback!  Since the wedding is the first time I've really done anything "crafty", my biggest fear was that my projects would turn out looking like a craft project or *too* homemade (i.e., cheap!).

@classicblue:  the CD holders are from a place called Stumptown printers.  I saw someone else's CD holder-inspired invitations, and that is where they got theirs too.  We also ordered simpler CD holders from that company to do our CD favors.  Warning though--they are a lot of work to put together.  They come flat, so you have to fold them all up, hot glue gun them, and make sure something heavy sits on them for awhile to flatten them out.

wow.. I am floor by your amazing invitations...

I have lots of Gocco questions tooo.. I'd hate to take over this post, perhaps i'll message you.

Thanks everyone!

@stefanie:  I have the PG-10 Super, which I believe is the same as the PG-11.  Even though you can make your own registration system for doing multiple colors per panel, I wanted to have the built in option to tweak the print placement.  

I wouldn't say gocco is "hard" to do...it's definitely do-able...but it is a lot of work.  And if you're doing multiple colors that need to line up on a single panel, that's definitely tougher for me.  Even when I was super-careful about lining up each image, there were still a few that were inexplicably "off".  

@ccranetobe:  I did 100 invitations, knowing I only needed 75.  I wanted to keep one for myself, and I knew I would mess a few up since each CD holder required 6 screens.

For gocco, I think everyone finds their own best method.  I had the best luck with printing the image on my Canon pixma and burning the screen with no blue filter.  I tried xerox with the blue filter, and the images weren't nearly as clear for me.  With this method, I was able to get very detailed writing with no problem (see one of my previous posts with my menu cards).  

Also, after doing my menu cards, program covers, and karaoke book covers, I learned to check my screens before I inked them up to spot areas that were clearly not burned through the screen.  That way I could scrape off the problem areas before inking up rather than deal with splotchiness.

Regardless of my best efforts, very few (if any) projects really turn out "perfectly", but I think that's okay.  I came to terms with the fact that gocco is not really a perfectionist's tool (at least not to me), but it gives a nice unique look that you can't really get many other ways.

They're beautiful. You did an amazing job! I'm sure all your guests will love them!

Thanks again for all the feedback!

@rachbac:  That was a great point.  I actually did check the size and thickness of the postcard before I printed on them.  I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get the required size and length:width proportions and still fit the card in the CD pocket, but this one just qualifies.  It's the size of cutting an 8.5x11 card in quarters and then trimming a little bit off each side, and the cardstock is 80# (just thick enough).

@Adira:  That's cool that you used the same birdy motif.  I actually saw it here originally on one of the bee invites (sorry, can't remember which one--maybe Mrs. Penguin?)  On most of my paper goods, the bird positioning is most like the positioning on the RSVP postcard cover--birds sitting on a line near the bottom with our names/date below.  However, on the invitation I wanted the birds to move closer together as you moved from meeting by chance (first panel) to announcing that we're getting married (2nd panel) to the date of the wedding (third panel).  But one of the things I loved about those birds was that you really could sit them anywhere.

So nice! I love the fonts, the birds, the layout; all of it! Great job! 

Those are absolutely gorgeous! Great job walkunafraid!

@Adira:  I bought the border a while back on istockphoto and adapted it to work with my colors and style.  I don't remember what it was called.

@ILikePink:  You're right on the screens and bulbs!  This suite took 6 screens for the CD holder itself, 2 for the envelopes, and 4 for the RSVP cards.  Amazingly (or luckily), I didn't have to redo any of them.  If I were more creative, I probably could have fit several panels (or several colors) on a single screen, but for me it wasn't worth messing the whole thing up.  I've also gone through 6 screens for placecards, menu cards, karaoke covers, and program covers, but I think I have enough left for my remaining projects.  Barely though!

@pec1216:  I actually was joking to my fiance that I might consider selling some things on etsy.  My background is a PhD in genetics and around 4 years in business consulting, but I quit my job to take a stress break, and I haven't yet figured out what I want to do when I grow up :)