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Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

By Pam Winters

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Party Invitations: Halloween Bunco

Custom Halloween party invitations I designed, illustrated and assembled by hand. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitations for a Fun Group of Friends

This project is by far one of my all-time favorites: a design for custom party invitations, which included original watercolor illustrations I made special to convey a spooky, but still cute, theme for a Halloween Bunco party (Bunco is a popular social dice game). Every year, Padie (my mom), along with the other women in her Bunco group, each host a Bunco party during one particular month. Padie selected October and asked me early in the year if I would work with her to come up with custom party invitations that would not only portray the spooky fun to be had at her Halloween Bunco party and inspire her friends to attend in costume, but also, give everyone a story to remember as part of the custom party invitations experience.

We started brainstorming ideas, and it was clear right away that furry and feathered woodland creatures would need to be front and center in the design. Armed with the notes from our meetings, I started sketching characters and researching animals I could work into my drawings. After coming up with several rough pencil sketches of various woodland animals in Halloween costumes and the like, I settled on the cast of characters featured here: a squirrel, a rabbit, a deer and an owl. The final pencil drawings complete, I then got to work painting each character in watercolor shades that fit the fall theme. I painted a nighttime background, too, so that our woodland trick-or-treaters would appear on the invitation as part of a finished Halloween scene. After everything was scanned and printed, I printed out another copy of the three main characters, carefully cutting and affixing them by hand to the printed background (using foam squares). This pop-up technique makes these custom party invitations stand WAY out!

Filed Under: Creative Projects Pam Winters Studio, Illustration Projects Pam Winters Studio, Uncategorized Tagged With: characters, custom, design, drawings, halloween, handmade, Illustration, invitation, Invitations, party, project, sketch, Special Event, Special Events, watercolor

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

By Pam Winters

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Pencil sketches and digital illustrations of a peach and tassels for the custom birthday party invitation. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

A digital custom birthday party invitation featuring original illustrations. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

The finished custom birthday garland spelled out “She’s a Peach!” (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Each letter was cut out and assembled by hand before being strung on satin ribbon to spell out “She’s a Peach!” (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Paper letters and peach art strung on satin ribbon for the custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Close-up of paper letter and peach art strung on satin ribbon for the custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

Paper letters and peach art hang on a satin ribbon for the custom birthday garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland: Peach Birthday Party

A digital mock-up I created before assembling the handmade custom garland. (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)

Custom Invitation and Garland for a Sweet Birthday Girl

Projects where I get to draw original illustrations are some of my very favorite, and this one for a custom invitation and garland is no exception! One of my previous clients, the mother of a sweet little girl nearing her first birthday, contacted me for custom invitation and garland designs centered on a peach theme. Being a fan of tassels and peach hues, Angie brought me her inspiration and ideas for Lucia’s birthday party and we met to discuss them and the items she wanted me to make. Custom illustrations of a peach and tassels were the first things I did, and were placed front and center on the digital invitation design sent out to the birthday party guests. Then I got to work on the handmade garland, which was to spell out “She’s a Peach!” and incorporate the colors and font Angie had chosen. I also made sure to work in a highlight of the custom invitation: my peach illustration.

I printed the peach illustration at a couple of different sizes and also cut out each individual peach by hand. Additionally, I used a Silhouette CAMEO to cut the letters out from gold shimmer paper and then I mounted each letter onto two layers of card stock paper sized and arranged to show a slight border when I adhered them together using my favorite tape runner, the Xyron Mega Runner. I then glued two paper circles at the top of each garland piece (for reinforcement where ribbon would be strung through) and punched holes in the center of each circle by hand using a special tool. Satin ribbon matching one of the card stock papers, in a light peach color, was carefully strung through the punched holes and the garland was complete.

At Lucia’s birthday party, the handmade custom garland served as a festive and decorative centerpiece above the dessert table, celebrating the guest of honor and welcoming family and friends to a very joyous and special event!

Filed Under: Creative Projects Pam Winters Studio, Illustration Projects Pam Winters Studio, Uncategorized Tagged With: birthday, custom, decoration, decorations, garland, garlands, handmade, party, peach, project, projects, Special Event, Special Events, tassel, tassels

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Phone: 760-761-4933
Email: pam@pamwinters.com

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