You don't always have the luxury of time when you make your own invitations. Sometimes people have to resort to making the cards themselves because the pre-ordered batch of cards are not going to arrive on time. Then again, some people simply enjoy making their own invitations at home. But no matter what, practical people like to save time when they engage in such activities. In this particular activity, you can save time by buying premade decorations to accentuate your cards.



Using premade decor when you make your own invitations comes with its own risks. Depending on the kind of affair you might be holding, premade decorations can be tacky. Or, they could be just the thing they need to spice up a boring, plain design.

Premade decor is actually widely used on invitations for affairs like weddings. Some are tasteful without going overboard, after all. Lace paper doilies are among such decorations. You can buy paper doilies that have already been cut into different designs, then cut them again to fit the surface of your card, if they are too large, or to snip them down into shapes that would better suit your invitation. If they are just the right size, you can simply glue them on. No matter what shape your doilies will take, make sure to arrange them carefully so that they won't look like they were simply thrown in together.

Some lace paper doilies come in white, which would allow you to paint them to suit a color scheme, in case your invitation happens to be following one. But if you want to save time, choose doilies that already come in colors that match your chosen theme.

Ribbons could also come pre-arranged so you don't have to fix them up yourself. Fraying the ends of gift box ribbons, then using them to decorate invitations (usually by threading them along the edges of the card) is quite an old-fashioned way to make an attention-catching piece. But this method is still a classic! Some commercial ribbons already come frayed at the ends, or cut into fancy shapes that make them resemble lace.

Christmas party invitations also make extensive use of premade decor. You could buy small Christmas tree ornaments and paste them on your invitations, to give them a fancy three-dimensional look. Round ornaments could be a hassle, though! There are flatter motifs that could be found, like gingerbread men and candy canes.

In fact, you could buy entire invitation kits, which include ribbons, lace, blank cards, and coloring materials, and then just have fun creating your own designs. One advantage to using premade decor when you make your own invitations is that you could customize the look of each card for every recipient, without having to take long with conceptualizing unique designs. Simply mix and match the materials you have at your disposal, and voila!