I know this is late in coming, but I am very proud of how these turned out, so I want to share. I knew all along that I wanted to incorporate a wood element into the programs, so I decided to use wood veneer. The problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to fashion covers out of the stuff (you can’t fold or crease it). Inspiration struck after my shower, when I received some gifts from Williams Sonoma wrapped in green twill tape ribbon. I tried it out as a binding and it worked! So I cut the covers out of wood veneer and printed them with my Gocco. Then, I used cotton twill tape to bind the covers together. I printed the insides of the program on my printer, then folded them and put them inside the covers, using ribbon to hold the sheet in place. It was a labor of love, but I was fortunate to get help from my stepmother, and I was really pleased with how they turned out. Here are the details:
Supplies: (click on the supply for the source)
Wood veneer – each program used two 4.5” x 5.75” pieces
I used raw sheets of cherry veneer like the kind carpenters use (Sorry, I can’t remember where I ordered it from!), but you could also use one of the new micro-veneers sold by Cards of Wood . I bought sheets from them for another project and was very impressed with their quality and service. Just make sure that you are getting sheets with dimensions that you can cut with as little waste as possible. Or, have them pre-cut the pieces for you!
Cotton twill tape – each program used about 9”
I bought white, lightweight , 1.5” twill tape. I ended up dyeing mine, because they only had white or natural at the time, but now it looks like they have colors, too. That would have saved a lot of work! It is important to get cotton tape or ribbon, because the synthetic varieties aren’t as pliable. If they don't have the color you want, however, you can use Rit dye like I did. I recommend cutting the ribbon *before* dyeing it so that it is more manageable.
Paper – each program used one A9 card (5.5” x 8.5”)
I used Luxe cards in Frost from Paper Source. They are the size of a half sheet of standard paper, so I didn’t have to do any cutting, and I needed to make only one fold for each sheet.
Ribbon – each program used about 24”
I purchased 5mm Mokuba cotton tape, color # 23, from JKM Ribbon. They only sell by the spool, but I used it for other projects as well, so it was worth it for me. Be aware that this ribbon needs a long lead time (six weeks, I think?). Any narrow ribbon would work, though.
Print Gocco and Supplies (1 printing unit, 2 screens, 4 bulbs, and a tube of brown ink)
If you don’t have a Gocco, you might want to consider having the covers cut and printed by Cards of Wood instead. Or you could use rubber stamps, which you can have custom made, if desired.
Paper Source PVA bookbinding paste – dries clear
Wood veneer – each program used two 4.5” x 5.75” pieces
I used raw sheets of cherry veneer like the kind carpenters use (Sorry, I can’t remember where I ordered it from!), but you could also use one of the new micro-veneers sold by Cards of Wood . I bought sheets from them for another project and was very impressed with their quality and service. Just make sure that you are getting sheets with dimensions that you can cut with as little waste as possible. Or, have them pre-cut the pieces for you!
Cotton twill tape – each program used about 9”
I bought white, lightweight , 1.5” twill tape. I ended up dyeing mine, because they only had white or natural at the time, but now it looks like they have colors, too. That would have saved a lot of work! It is important to get cotton tape or ribbon, because the synthetic varieties aren’t as pliable. If they don't have the color you want, however, you can use Rit dye like I did. I recommend cutting the ribbon *before* dyeing it so that it is more manageable.
Paper – each program used one A9 card (5.5” x 8.5”)
I used Luxe cards in Frost from Paper Source. They are the size of a half sheet of standard paper, so I didn’t have to do any cutting, and I needed to make only one fold for each sheet.
Ribbon – each program used about 24”
I purchased 5mm Mokuba cotton tape, color # 23, from JKM Ribbon. They only sell by the spool, but I used it for other projects as well, so it was worth it for me. Be aware that this ribbon needs a long lead time (six weeks, I think?). Any narrow ribbon would work, though.
Print Gocco and Supplies (1 printing unit, 2 screens, 4 bulbs, and a tube of brown ink)
If you don’t have a Gocco, you might want to consider having the covers cut and printed by Cards of Wood instead. Or you could use rubber stamps, which you can have custom made, if desired.
Paper Source PVA bookbinding paste – dries clear
Brush (for paste)
Process:
Step 1: Cut wood veneer into pieces. You can use any size you want, but make sure that they will be slightly larger than the paper inserts, so that it all looks neat when finished. You will need a metal straight-edge and a cutting tool (I started with an exacto knife, but I found that a rotary cutter worked much better). Cutting the veneer may have been the most time-consuming part of the whole process, since my sheets of veneer were not square or consistently sized. If you can get them precut, it would save a lot of time. (Helpful hint: Cut the longer edges with the grain and the shorter edges across the grain.)
Step 2: Print the covers as desired and allow them to dry thoroughly. I chose to print a small motif on the front cover and a poem read during our ceremony on the back.
Step 3: Cut your cotton tape for the bindings. You want them to be the length of the program edge, plus extra to wrap to the inside. Cut a triangular notch in each end of the pieces (like a swallow’s tail), which will make it easier to close the program after assembly.
Step 4: Using a brush, apply glue to one side of a piece of cotton tape. Then, place the covers facedown and side-by-side on the tape, making sure to leave a small space between them so you can more easily close the program later and leaving an equal amount of tape at each end. Next, fold the ends of the tape over, lining up the bottom of the notch with the space between the covers. Finally, fold the program closed and set aside to dry. (Note: If you have Gocco drying racks, they work really well!)
Step 1: Cut wood veneer into pieces. You can use any size you want, but make sure that they will be slightly larger than the paper inserts, so that it all looks neat when finished. You will need a metal straight-edge and a cutting tool (I started with an exacto knife, but I found that a rotary cutter worked much better). Cutting the veneer may have been the most time-consuming part of the whole process, since my sheets of veneer were not square or consistently sized. If you can get them precut, it would save a lot of time. (Helpful hint: Cut the longer edges with the grain and the shorter edges across the grain.)
Step 2: Print the covers as desired and allow them to dry thoroughly. I chose to print a small motif on the front cover and a poem read during our ceremony on the back.
Step 3: Cut your cotton tape for the bindings. You want them to be the length of the program edge, plus extra to wrap to the inside. Cut a triangular notch in each end of the pieces (like a swallow’s tail), which will make it easier to close the program after assembly.
Step 4: Using a brush, apply glue to one side of a piece of cotton tape. Then, place the covers facedown and side-by-side on the tape, making sure to leave a small space between them so you can more easily close the program later and leaving an equal amount of tape at each end. Next, fold the ends of the tape over, lining up the bottom of the notch with the space between the covers. Finally, fold the program closed and set aside to dry. (Note: If you have Gocco drying racks, they work really well!)
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Step 5: Print the program inserts as desired, then fold in half.
Step 6: Cut the narrow ribbon so that it is long enough to wrap around the binding and tie in a bow.
Step 7: When the cover bindings are dry, insert the program pages and secure with the narrow ribbon.
And you are done! I fully admit that this project takes some work, but if you have help, you can put them together assembly-line style.
Stay tuned for more details from the wedding!
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