Happy & Healthy

CAN YOU STILL CRAFT, THEN CRAFT ALONG

This is how you make the coolest kids' invitation

Tuesday is my girl's birthday and you understand; it needs to be celebrated grandly and spectacularly. For weeks, she runs straight to the study as soon as she wakes up, where her, of course, homemade checklist calendar is waiting. Then she runs to us to tell how many nights until her birthday.

In a moment of complete insanity, I said she could invite all the girls from her class. And the neighbor girl from friend V. Because she thinks she's so sweet. I'm putting that party on hold (that's quite a thing, such a party), but we were really looking forward to the invitation.

I am of course in the fortunate position of having the crafting club on my left. Josselin and Lilian, also available as a duo under the name Studio B(r)ijl, jump right in when they hear the words ‘child’, ‘invitation’, and ‘crafting’. And you can make this too. Even without this dynamic duo.

1. Gather a few photos of your child and some festive accessories (little flag, garland, candle, hat, and something personal, for example, an image of his or her favorite animal) and make a small collage that you can also call a flat lay if you want to be trendy.

2. Make sure there are some 3D elements in the collage, as this gives your image more depth.

3. Write in a nice handwriting (or stick on fun letters) your child's name and age.

4. Photograph the flat lay and have it printed on nice, thick paper.

5. Give your invitation more weight by sticking the printed sheet onto a thicker layer of cardboard.

6. Customize the back by physically sticking something you photographed on the front onto the back. Confetti, for example.

7. You can put the invitation in a semi-transparent envelope and fill it with colored confetti.

8. It's also fun to fill a small plastic bag with confetti or a few heart-shaped candies that you staple to the top left of the card.

9. It's especially nice if you craft a special, handmade invitation every year so that everyone immediately knows that beautiful card is from your child.

10. Keep one for your archive and later for the overview exhibition.