Gryphon's 7th Birthday Party Invitations.

Finished Gryphon's 7th birthday party invitations the other day and got them sent out to the kiddos.  I got the wording and some of the ideas from someone on pinterest. I spent about .30 cents (minus postage) on each one. Here's a picture of the final product. I did have an owl on the envelope, but I took it out because it had a kids address on it, and I didn't want to share that with the known world.  Sorry it's a bit fuzzy, my camera is going on the fritz again.

I got yellowed document paper with the border design at the Current factory outlet in Colorado Springs. I love it there. Great place to get stationary, gifts, cards, etc. I also got the envelopes there. I bought a pack of 25 for 2 bucks. I ran the envelopes through my printer, and used the "Magic" font I downloaded from some site when I googled "harry potter fonts".

I typed the letter up, and scanned the signature from the book for Prof. McGonnagal's signature. Here's what the letter says.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Dear Mr./Ms. (Kid's last name)

We are pleased to inform you, that you have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where we will be having a special birthday celebration for Gryphon Miller. 

Term begins August 18, 2012, promptly at 2 p.m.  Please meet us at the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley located at (Location).  There you will gather your magical items, and board the Hogwarts Express which will take you to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Upon arrival, prepare to be sorted into your houses before enjoying the magnificent feast of sweets prepared just for you.

We await your owl post response by no later than August 13, 2012.  If you are having trouble acquiring an owl, you may respond by Muggle telephone at (phone number)or Muggle email at (email address).

Sincerely,

Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.

After I printed out each individualized invitation, I folded them, and got my glue gun, an ice pack, red glue sticks, red ink, and my really cool metal dragon stamp I purchased at the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, CO. a few years back.

Stamping with hot glue is a bit tricky. You don't want your glue to stick to your metal stamp, or it will get embedded into the grooves.  What I did was I set the stamp on the ice pack and let it get really cold. I put the glue down on the paper, and blew on it til it was tacky. Then I put the metal stamp on the ink pad to wet it a little, then pressed it into the hot glue and left it there for about 20 seconds. The stamp rapidly cooled the hot glue, and left a perfect impression every time, and the metal stamp would just pop right off.

I sent out 20 invitations, so we will see how many kids RSVP. I also added a little paper for the parents. I needed all parents to RSVP to this event so I knew how many robes to sew, crafts to make, and how much food to prepare.  In the letter to the parents, I also asked to borrow Halloween or Harry Potter themed decorations if anybody had them.  Also, I invited the parents to stay and mingle in the "great hall" while the kids were busy making crafts downstairs.  We will have snacks and other treats available for them before the kids arrive to be sorted.

As it stands right now, I still have a TON of stuff to do. Crafts to pre-prepare, food to make, decorations to assemble, and a lot to buy! Hopefully in the next two weeks I will have it done and I'm not scrambling at the last minute like I usually do.

Anywho, here's the invites. I will be posting more about the party once I get my ducks in a row.