DIY | sailboat baby shower invite

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Welcome to our first DIY Project! Here we are going to show you how to make your very own nautical-themed BABY SHOWER INVITATION. (We just made them for a very special friend, so now we get to share the know-how with you!)

What you'll need (for 12 invitations):

• 1 sheet of 8.5 x 11 red card stock
• 3 sheets of 8.5 x 11 white matte presentation paper
• 3 sheets of 12 x 12 brown card stock (we used Bo Bunny Chocolate Stripe)
• 6 pieces of 18 gauge floral cloth wire
• 1 pack of Therm-O-Web 3d foam squares (or any permanent foam tape)
• 1 roll of double-stick tape
• 1 roll of red ribbon (we used Celebrate It ribbon from Michaels)
• a 1.5" scalloped circle paper punch (we used a Marvy Uchida)
• a Xyron Create-a-Sticker (optional)
• a hot glue gun
• a pair of scissors
• a pair of wire cutters (optional)
• a paper trimmer (to make life easier)
• a color printer
• 1 white gel pen (we suggest a Uniball Signo - White Pigment Ink UM-153)

Instructions:

1. First, download the templates by clicking on the links below. (These are free FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.)

Sailboats and Anchors PDF
Blue Dotted Background PDF
Boat Outline PDF

2. Print the sails and anchors on the 8.5 x 11 white presentation paper. Each sheet will provide 4 blue sails and 4 red anchors. Turn your paper over and print the blue dots on the back. We suggest printing photo-quality sheets to keep the color vibrant and the lines crisp.

Next, cut out each sail with scissors. Stay as close to the outer blue line as possible and be careful to leave a wide border around the anchors.

With your white gel pen, write the details of your baby shower or event. (Alternatively, we can make you custom sheets with your info...just email us for details.)

Using the scalloped circle punch, punch out the red anchors.

3. Cut appropriately-sized flags from the red sheet of card stock. (We didn't give you a template for this one because we figured this one was pretty easy.)

4. Print the boat outlines on your 12 x 12 brown cardstock. Each sheet will provide 5 boats. Using a paper trimmer, make horizontal cuts to divide the sheet into 5 long strips. (Feel free to cut each out by hand, but this is a shortcut.) Then, fold each boat in half down the center of the strip. Keep the fold on the left-hand side. Trim the sides of the folded boat with scissors.

5. Next, cut your floral wire. (Wire cutters make this easier, but you can use a good pair of scissors if you don't have any.) Each piece of wire should be about 7.5" long. The floral wire we used was long enough to get 2 "masts" out of each piece. While you're at it, you can also cut your strips of ribbon. Each strip should be 6" long.

6. Now it's time to glue your flag and sail to the floral wire. Before you do anything permanent, try lining everything up so you can get an idea of where you need to apply the glue. After your glue is HOT, apply a thin line at the top of the floral wire. Attach your red flag. Next, apply a second thin line of glue on the back of the sail, near the top. Do the same near the bottom of the sail. Place the paper sail on top of the wire and press down quickly to make sure it sticks!

Optional: curl the top and bottom of the sail around the wire.

7. With your brown boat opened (so the side with the stripes is facing down), place the wire/sail/flag inside. Make sure everything is lined up properly. Keep the wire in place with 2 strips of double-stick tape. Add more tape around the edges of the boat.

Close up the boat neatly so the edges line up.

8. There are several ways to stick the ribbon on, but our favorite method uses the Xyron Create-a-Sticker. (We used the 1.5" mini version.) Hot glue and double-stick tape works, too. Using the Xyron, put two 6" strips of ribbon through the machine. Peel and stick along the top edge of the boat. Trim the excess ribbon.

9a. Apply one 0.5" x 0.5" foam square on the back of the punched-out anchor.

9b. Stick it on the boat. Keep it straight-up or give it a tilt...whatever you prefer.

And voila! A lovely, one-of-a-kind invite to wow your guests!

MAILING:

We mailed these out this June using 5 x 7 photo mailers. (You can find these at Staples or any other office supply store.) Each mailer required $1.08 to mail within the U.S. We also made custom wrap-around labels and business-card size inserts with the Guest of Honor's registry info.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR FIRST DIY POST!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. Our sister company, Pretty Peas Paperie, makes custom invitations just like this one. If you're not up for the project, contact us and we'll do the work for you!

For a coordinating "It's A Boy" sign, click HERE!