DIY Airplane Save The Date {Or Invitation}

February 24, 2011 by 15 Comments
 

by contributor Kristi Delfino

Hello my dears!  Do I have a special treat for you today - A Luna and Chloe original design!  Hopefully by the end of this post you will be flying high…he he.  Okay, so I was talking to a friend recently about destination weddings, and it got me thinking…if I was having a destination wedding how would I do my Save the Date announcements.  And in just a matter of seconds it hit me.  I might be dating myself here (eek), but do you remember the balsa wood airplanes, or jet gliders that you would get from the store for $.50 or so?  You would assemble them in seconds, and having them take flight all over the house or yard. 

My brother and I used to fly them down the staircase growing up when we lived in an old victorian home.  However, me being the younger one, I usually was the one that had to go down and get them and bring them back up!  Typical, no?
Anyhow, I put the two together (a destination wedding and jet gliders) and this is what I came up with…
Airplane-STD-6
I am OVER THE MOON about how they turned out! I purchased the jet glider for $1.00 at Michaels.  And while it has writing on each side of the pieces, I just flipped them over and used the undersides. There was a small stamp on the underside that said where it was made, but with a little sandpaper it came right off. Ooh, and the sandpaper is fabulous for fixing a mistake if made. Just wait for the ink to dry before you sand off, and don’t rub too hard. Now, I know exactly where to get the jet gliders without anything on them (granted they are shaped a little differently), but I couldn’t justify spending over $30 and receiving over 30 of them, when I only need 4 for this project.
Here are the supplies that are needed for making a Save The Date plane:
  1. Jet Glider
  2. Fine sandpaper (optional)
  3. Letter and Number stamps
  4. Stamp pad
I included some other items in the picture below that I used.  However, you only need the four items above to actual make them.
Airplane-STD-Supplies
All you really have to do is stamp…
Airplane-STD-Process
I made a custom envelope for them, added a piece of chipboard to protect the plane from breaking in the mail, and then added some little details…
Airplane-STD-Step-by-Step
And voila!  They are ready for take off…
Airplane-STD
Yet, don’t think I stopped there…oh no!  I tried to think of another, possibly eaiser way to use too.  And here’s is another option for you that I came up with…
Airplane-STD-Banner-2
For the banner you could either print it up (the easy way), or stamp it (a little more time consuming).  Since I started with stamps, I figured I would continue with them! 
Airplane-STD-Banner
I glued the twine and a very thin piece of chipboard that I cut to the back of the banner.  I didn’t want the paper to bend or fold, so this gives it some stability.  Also, I glued one piece of twine to the top of the back of the plane and one piece to the bottom to attempt to keep the banner straight when flying through the air. 
In talking with my sister the other day about my idea, which I knew she would love, she was ecstatic to say the least!  She has a little boy (Baby Riley is what I call him, with the most fabulous red hair EVER) that is turning one soon.  Well…guess what?  Oh yes, these are perfect for a boy’s birthday party…or a girl’s too. 
And even if you aren’t having a destination wedding you can still use these if you love to travel, are a pilot, or just for the fun of them! 
There are so many ways to customize them too, and you could always use a colored stamp pad instead of black. 
 ~ Ciao

…concept, design, styling & photography all by luna and chloe weddings 

*** Both the airplane save the date and the stitched key tags are my ORIGINAL designs. PLEASE do not copy, and pass it off as your own! I am sharing with you how to make the airplane save the dates out of kindness, return the favor. Thank you bunches!
Filed Under: Birthday-Boy, DIY, invitations, wedding Tagged With: ,
About Chris

Chris Nease is a party stylist and home entertaining expert with over 15 years of experience. In addition to her work as founding editor of Celebrations At Home, Chris is an editorial stylist and contributor to Celebrations.com, HomeMade Simple, & Tablespoon.com. Most recently her work has been published in Woman's World, Yum Food & Fun for Kids, and Cottages & Bungalows.

Comments

  1. 1
    HiLLjO says:
    February 24, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    That is really quite nifty!!!

    Reply
  2. 2
    Sandi says:
    February 24, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    so cute! What a great idea.

    Reply
  3. 3
    Susan Crabtree says:
    February 24, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    such a cute invite idea!

    Reply
  4. 4
    Stephanie says:
    February 24, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    I love this idea. So fun and unique.

    Reply
  5. 5
    postcards and pretties says:
    February 24, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    omg! Kristi did it again! I seriously want to live in your head. Your creativity is unstoppable! Can't wait for your etsy shop!!

    Reply
  6. 6
    Fancy House Road says:
    February 24, 2011 at 5:11 pm

    Shut the front door! These save the date airplanes are so cute! I've never seen this spin on a "save the date". It would be cute for a little boy's birthday party invitation too.

    -Camberley

    Reply
  7. 7
    Kate/MagnoliaRouge says:
    February 24, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    Awesome idea for a destination wedding!! Great work Kristi!

    Reply
  8. 8
    Diana says:
    February 24, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Oh my goodness I love this! I just saw some airmail and paper airplane idea on another blog, cant remember! But this is just so smart and creative! Love the banner! I would love getting this in the mail and putting it together! <3

    Reply
  9. 9
    diyingtobedomestic says:
    February 25, 2011 at 3:22 am

    I love this idea! I threw an airplane party and knew I wanted to incorporate wood model planes but only did them as favors. Invites is so much more creative! Two thumbs up!

    Mine is here: http://diyingtobedomestic.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/airplane-birthday-party/

    Reply
  10. 10
    LilBuckarooDesigns says:
    February 25, 2011 at 7:45 am

    Love!!!! LOVE!!! Your vision and end result is awesome!! Love the presentation of them too and the envelope! Very clever!!!

    Reply
  11. 11
    PartyMom says:
    February 25, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Very cute!

    Reply
  12. 12
    capclassique says:
    February 27, 2011 at 7:38 am

    You blow me away yet again! I LOVE these – and not just the concept, but the way you packaged them is completely adorable!

    Reply
  13. 13
    Jessica says:
    February 4, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    Hi, Kristi!

    Any idea how much postage was on these? Thanks!

    Reply

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