Kimberly Kennedy's Invitations
This season, the CBS reality show "Wickedly Perfect" brought 12 strangers to a mansion in Connecticut. While they weren't forced to eat bugs or jump off a cliff, they had to show off their skills with a kitchen torch, sewing needles, and glue guns.
In a special two-hour Saturday night finale, America's newest domestic goddess was chosen: Kimberly Kennedy of Atlanta, Ga. Part of her prize is a series of six appearances on The Early Show, and she joined co-anchor Hannah Storm Monday to talk about creative invitations.
(In addition to her appearances on The Early Show, Kennedy gets a development deal for a lifestyle-oriented television show and a publishing deal with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.)
Kennedy says it's easy to print fun invitations using your computer, pretty paper and a printer.
For each basic invitation, you will need:
cardstocks, metallic papers, or those with a raised texture.
When typing your invitation, choose a fun font that goes with the theme of the party you are having and center your text on the page. Experiment with different font sizes.
For example, if you are having a wedding shower in honor of friends, try making the names of the friends several points larger than the rest of the information. Once you have typed your information, print a sample test on
a plain sheet of paper. If everything is correct, you are ready to print.
Select a printer-friendly paper in the color of your choice and run it through the printer. Once the printing is complete, use a paper cutter to trim your printed page to the desired size. Consider making this printed page slightly smaller than the desired size.
Next, cut your coordinating paper to a slightly larger size than the printed piece. Finally, cut the cardstock to a size slightly larger than the second piece so that it "frames" the entire thing. The cardstock will serve as the structure to your invitation, giving it weight and a nicer feel.
Using the spray adhesive, or double stick tape, attach the printed piece to the paper and then the paper to the cardstock. If you desire, you can punch two small holes in the top of your invitation and run a ribbon through them. You can also get creative by adding other embellishments along with your ribbon. Don't be afraid to add something festive to make it truly unique!
For each apron invitation, you will need:
You will first need to create a pattern for your apron out of paper. The pattern for Kennedy's apron was essentially an 8-inch-by-10-inch rectangle, with cut-outs around the arms. You will use this pattern to cut out two pieces of fabric per invitation. You will also use this same pattern to cut out one piece of standard-weight cardboard.
When using your pattern to cut out the fabric, cut the fabric slightly larger than the pattern, allowing for a 3/8 inch seam. Cut a small 4-1/2-inch-by-5-1/2-inch rectangle out of the coordinating fabric for the pocket.
Sew this pocket to the good side of one of your apron cutouts. Place the good sides of the fabric together, and stitch around the top and sides of your apron, leaving the bottom open. Turn your sewn apron inside out and press with an iron.
Slide the cardboard insert into your apron and fold under the bottom seam. You can either sew this seam closed, or use a glue gun. Next, hot glue a 6-inch piece of ribbon on each side of the invitation for the apron ties. Finally, hot glue a 6-inch piece to the top for the neck loop. If you would like, hot glue a decorative piece of trim at the top of the pocket.
Create the "recipe" invitation using the basic instructions. For Kennedy's invitation, she wrote the information for the party in a recipe format, incorporating measurements, cooking terms, and baking times. The recipe was a fun way to keep with the theme and added some humor.
When the aprons were all done, she put a small whisk in the pocket just for fun.
For each diaper invitation, you will need:
First, type your party information on your computer. Once you have formatted it to your liking, flip the text using your software program. This is very important because if you do not flip your design, the text will be backwards when ironed.
If you do not know how to flip your text, check your program's help file to find out how to flip images. Key search words include: mirror text, flip, or T-shirt transfer. Once you have done this, print a sample sheet on a plain piece of paper. If everything is correct, you are ready to print.
When you are ready to iron your diaper, make sure you follow the paper manufacturer's instructions to get the best results.
Holding the diaper vertically, iron the invitation on the top of the diaper with the text starting about three inches from the top.
If you would like to add something on the front of the diaper, such as "It's
a Girl," iron this part about five inches from the top of the other end. The two separate pieces of text will be facing opposite directions. Once the diaper is folded, however, they will both be right side up.
For assembly, fold in the sides and then fold the diaper as you would on a child. Secure the corners with pins. Add ribbons or other embellishment to the ends of the pins if you like.
More About Kimberly Kennedy:
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Age: 32
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Homemaker
Hobbies: Cooking, paper crafts and sailing
Favorite Dinner Party Conversation Topic: When I'm with good friends, I like to talk about things that are usually taboo, such as religion and politics. I like to hear their different viewpoints. Nothing is off limits.
Favorite Foods: Philly cheese steaks, fruit, chicken salad, waffles, Mexican and Torrone (Italian nougat candy)
Handmade Object That You Are Most Proud Of: The cabinets in our bar area. They look like they're 200 years old and gorgeous!