You can go years without very much happening and then all of the sudden – pow! – you get engaged and close on your first house together in the very same week. When this happened to designer Haley Garza Hubnik, she and husband-to-be Fred decided to celebrate both life-changing events at once with one big blowout, pooling their talents to create this hand-crafted invitation.
“My husband is an architect and was the one who gave me confidence to go to school for graphic design,” says Haley. “I wanted his influence on the design. I had him draw a rough sketch of the outside of our house and incorporated that into a pattern for the inside covers.”
Printed by Abbey Printing on kraft paper, the front of the invitation boasts a large “F + H” while the back features a hand-drawn street map of where their new home is located. “I used kraft brown paper to reflect the recent move,” she explains, “and kept the design minimal to represent our shared design aesthetic. I also love making maps and this gave me a great opportunity to create one.”
Saddle stitched inside the kraft cover is the invitation itself with the relevant date and time information printed opposite an eccentric black-and-white photo of the happy couple.
“Three days after closing, he proposed in our now-bedroom,” Haley explains. “He had a camera secretly set up catching the moment. I didn’t realize until afterwards that our heads had been cut out of the shot, which was totally great with me because anyone who knows me knows that I shy far, far away from the camera.” They decided to use one of these images here “to share a bit of intimacy.”
White Neenah Royal Sundance Felt [Get Swatchbook] ended up making a fingertip-pleasing belly band (complete with die-cut heart) for the invitation and envelope labels, set off nicely by kraft envelopes.
“I think adding the lovely white paper to the kraft paper just amped up this piece,” says Haley. “I also think the black and white butcher’s twine [for the saddle stitching] helped pull the whole piece together.”
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