omething Specia
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
e
en it came
time to plan her
daughter
Danielle's bat
mitzvah last
year, Wendy
Brickner of
Commerce
Township knew
she wanted
everything to be
special — including her invitations. So she
decided to make them herself.
"I wanted something special and different,
made with love," Brickner said. "I didn't
know how to do it; I learned by trial and
error. They came out better than I thought
they would."
Brickner is one of the growing ranks of do-
it-yourselfers who make their own invita-
tions for everything from b'nai mitzvah to
weddings, showers and anniversary and din-
ner parties. All you need is time, some cre-
ativity and a good printer hooked up to your
computer.
"If they are computer-savvy, they can
print from Microsoft Word on an inkjet or
laser printer," said Susie Graham, owner of
Greetings From ...,
a stationery store in West Bloomfield. "The
whole world is set up for being able to use
paper that is inkjet compatible - especially
now, with the ability to print your own pho-
tos, too.
"Customers have done some really neat
things. We're seeing more and more people
doing their own and we purchase imprinta-
bles with that in mind."
At Graham's store, everything you can
purchase can be printed at honie. She also
provides in-store inkjet printing as well as
invitations that can be
ordered from albums and
done with raised printing.
lmprintable invitations
also can be taken to a
printer for raised printing.
Graham does have
some words of caution for
do-it-yourselfers:
"It can be a nightmare,"
she said. "They buy paper,
cut it and make the invi-
tation very personal, a
labor of love; then they
need an envelope, but it
might not come in the
color or right size. It can
be a nightmare if you
Howard, Danielle, 13, and Wendy Brickner of Commerce Township
don't think everything
through..
"And when you're doing
150-200 invitations, you
"It helped to make a sample and play
probably would be better off ordering from a
around, and to make changes before star-
book, where the invitations are discounted.
ing the big project," Brickner said. "I did
In the long run, you might not spend less
most of them. It was fun, but it took longer
doing it yourself.
than I expected. But I had started far
"I would never discourage anybody - I
enough in advance."
would kind of like to do it myself. I'm just
Brickner estimates that about one-third of
saying they should consider all the options."
the many invitations Danielle received dur-
Brickner found that Danielle's 130 invita-
ing her bat mitzvah year were homemade.
tions cost about $175; if she had ordered
Many families in her class at Congregation
them, she would have paid about $400
B'nai Moshe in West Bloomfield were among
more, she said.
the do-it-yourselfers.
Once she and Danielle settled on a design,
"Friends liked my invitation," said Danielle,
Brickner purchased some materials from a
13. "Some knew we made it ourselves and
local Xpedex paper wholesaler and others
some didn't. I didn't care about having the
from the Scrapbook Zone in Farmington
fanciest. I knew we were saving money doing
Hills. Imprintable invitations also can be pur-
it this way, and I loved my invitation."
chased online or in kits at places like Target
And, when it comes down to it, that's
or Michael's, but the quality of the paper
what's important.
may be a mystery until you get it home and
"They were different and made with love,"
unwrapped.
Wendy Brickner said. "Danielle appreciated
Be sure to allow plenty of time for printing
it. She said they were 'the most special invi-
and assembly, both Graham and Brickner
tations there ever were." ■
warned.
Something Special continued on page 8
6
CELEBRATE • 2006
• ed
14/
0 Ol
DO-IT-YOURSELF INVITATIONS
ALLOW THE LOVE TO SHOW.