Teens love celebrations, and birthday parties give them a great excuse to celebrate. They love fun, clever ways to communicate with their friends. But being cash-poor, the least expense for them, the better. With that in mind, here are some strategies for teens to make their own birthday invitations for free. Does this Spark an idea?
E-invitations
E-vites are great invitations for all teens who have Internet access (and few teens don't.) These invites don't waste paper and don't require postage. Free invitations are available at www.123greetings.com.
Its motto is "Free greetings for the planet." Click on the "Invites" tab on the menu at the top of screen and select from such cute designs as dancing penguins and swinging monkeys. After previewing the animated card, the sender can personalize it with a message and send it to the whole guest list. Recipients can even RSVP.
Evite.com is another site for sending free electronic invitations, and it allows RSVPs as well. Invitation designs are divided by the categories "Birthday for Him," Birthday for Her," and "Birthday for Kids." Keep in mind that some of the adult designs feature beer and wine and suggest drinking, so parents will need to supervise design and message selection.
Printables
Customizable invitations that teens can print and send are found on a number of craft and family websites. Some are full color, while others come in black and white to give the invitation a homey touch. About.com has a library of printable cards, including birthday invitations. See the Birthday Card and Invitation Gallery in the Family Crafts section. It includes both printable cards that can be customized as well as homemade card ideas.
The Family Fun website, a companion to the Disney magazine, contains great printable cards as well.
For more information on sites with great printable cards, see an article by Jennifer Claerr on Helium.com: http://www.helium.com/items/1492963-best-free-printable-birthday-invitations-cards-online.
The cards could be made with scrap card stock.
Clever Alternatives
These crafty invitation ideas make use of cast-off paper or items to create original invitations:
1. Print out the invitation on a sheet of paper, preferably off-white or light gold. Use a script font or calligraphy for the lettering. Then burn the edges of the paper to give it an antiquated look. Fold the invitation like a scroll and roll it, then tie it with ribbon.
2. Decorate paper bags and glue on a sheet of paper with the particulars of time and place of the party. Relate the decoration to the party theme. The guests can then use the bag to enclose their birthday gifts, saving the trouble of wrapping.
3. Use old CDs on which to write the invitation. If still usable, record a birthday party theme song on them.
The website Freekidscrafts.com has a number of clever crafts suitable for invitations, including the "squared circle" card with a photo inside: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/squared_circle_card-e746.html.
This card could be made from scrap card stock.
Tags: printable cards, Birthday Birthday, birthday invitations, card stock, could made, great printable