[Handy_Haunter]

I've been reading a lot of the back posts on Halloween invitations, and have found that there are so many good ideas floating around, but they are scattered between dozens of posts. So here is a thread to help conglomerate all of this information. Please post pictures, videos, or web links to your Halloween Party invitations from the past, and from the present (if your like me and have already begun working!).




All of our themes start with 'Welcome to...', such as last years was 'Welcome to Hell'. This years theme is 'Welcome to the Lair of the Eternally Undead', it's a Vampire theme, without coming flat out and saying it. The invite that I have designed is a wooden stake, similar to what a classic vampire hunter would use.

The wooden stake, is just a foot long stake that you would use in your garden. We picked up a pack of 12 from Menards for about $6.50 ($0.54 per stake). The metal eyelet on the card came in a pack of 25 from JoAnn Fabrics for roughly $3.00 ($0.12 per eyelet). The card stock for the attached card, twine, and even the stain I used were all left over from previous projects. However, if you wanted to factor in these elements to the total cost per stake, were still sitting at under $1.00. Not too shabby for a very unique invitation.


Now, if you wanted to mail a stake to someone, the postman says they can indeed be mailed (as is, with no box! Just put the address and postage on the back of the card!). The cost to mail, per stake, was quoted at $1.98 for First class mail.

Can't wait to see everyone else's invites!

-handy_haunter

 

[ylbissop]

my 07 invites where all papercraft to save money and thanks to Ray O'Bannon people still have them on display when i go to their houses. I used the deluxe coffin boxes to hold his monsters then added a rolled up discount coupon from the local spirit store and added a custom parchment on top with the party info check them out
here

if you wanna make some you can get the papercrafts here

and the parchment blank is here it is a pdf the layers are editable in photoshop cs2 or higher.

 

[yellow_moon]

I hosted my first adult only halloween party this past year and made a theme for the party of "superstitions". Because I didn't have many decorations the superstitions theme made use of things in the house i did have like umbrellas, stuffed owls, number 13 jerseys, ladders, black cats etc....my invite was a simple black cat shaped card on which i wrote in white gel pen:

Dear oh dear
I broke a mirror
walked under a ladder to boot
Our home is bewitched
and now I've started to twitch
cause and owl just now started to hoot

If you could make haste
and come for a taste
we promise not to serve you old fruit.

(inside) Your presence is requested in bring good fortune back to our home.
Please come in costume and comfy walking shoes(they were going on a neighborhood tour/scavenger hunt) and expect a night filled with devilishly good fun. Please rsvp by said date with a head count of your kin!

Even months after when i see people they still talk about how great the party was and inquire what i'm planning next year. It was a good party theme for a first year party thrower who didn't have all kinds of decorations and an unlimited budget. Amazing what a hanging a few open umbrellas inside with errrrie lighting can do!

 

[Handy_Haunter]

Thats a really cute idea YM. Never thought about that for a theme before. Way to think outside of the box!

-handy_haunter

 

[Ghostess]

Mine start here:

http://www.howloweenqueen.com/invitations.htm

 

[Frankie's Girl]

http://www.halloweenforum.com/showthread.php?t=64182

This has both the inside and further down in the thread the coffins and chattering skeletons that were packaged with the rolled up invite. There were people walking around all night at my DH's work playing with the skeletons - Dh said he could hear clacking for hours.

This was for our first ever Halloween party. I thought they turned out pretty good, but I'm going to have to come up with something really unique for this year!.

 

[Bobcats110]

This is my start for 2008. I actually started it a couple months ago, then left it alone for a while. It's too wordy, so if any English Profs are out there, please help me edit so it's readable in less than a week. It's not done, so suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

The Halloween bash has become an annual affair,
You and a friend are invited, if you dare.
One thing of which you should take and be aware,
Those attending should be ready for a frightful scare.

The evening will bring a dire situation to light,
That may cause those with weak constitutions to take flight.
Many involved will be in too deep before they learn of their plight
And will receive their deserved reward; a heart-stopping fright.

You know the time is drawing near when the jack-o-lanterns start to glow,
And the ghouls and goblins that have been resting a year are ready to go.
We are sure to enjoy the antics of those brave enough to show,
When the provided mixed libations start to flow.

 

[yellow_moon]

I don't portend to know anything but if this were mine I would offer these suggestions. My changes are bolded:

Our Halloween bash is an annual affair,
You and a friend are invited, if you dare.
A word of caution, you should take and be aware,
Those attending should be ready for a frightful scare.

The evening brings a dire situation to light,
And those with weak constitutions take flight.
Many(deleted involved) will be in too deep before they learn of their plight
And will receive their deserved reward; a heart-stopping fright.

The time is drawing near when the jack-o-lanterns glow,
And the ghouls and goblins take to the streets, all ready to go.
So come enjoy the antics of those brave enough to show,
and watch them come unglued as the libations start to flow.

I like what you wrote, it's quite good.

 

[MHooch]

Very nice editing yellow_moon! Much more concise.

 

[yellow_moon]

This is my invite for 2008. I plan on creating an old looking letter in photoshop and then emailing them to everyone invited. This year's theme is British Mummy Unwrapping. I read about these at a museum... in the 1800s British people would go on "holiday" to egypt and if they were fortunate enough to either find a mummy or buy one, they would ship it home and hold a party where they would gather with friends to "unroll" the mummy. Most of the time they had to use scissors and devices to get through the harded resin coating used to embalm the body and the mummy wasn't actually "unrolled". I find it all grotesque that people were basically grave robbing these ancient people and then examining them like they weren't even human!
The grossest thing I've read said that the likes of Francis Bacon and the French Monarch of Francis I never went anywhere without a pouch of mummy mixed with ground rhubarb to take if he ever felt ill! What were they thinking!?! The mummiya, as it was called in apothecary shops all over Europe, actually caused violent nausea (not surprised!) and presumably took the patient's mind off of his original aliment!

Yeah, I plan on offering my party guests pulverized mummiya!

Here's my invite:

Nobility and Gentry, Visitors and Inhabitants,
County of ----- and its vacinity...
are respectfully informed that an Egyptian mummy in
the highest state of preservation has been acquired by means of
the celebrated traveller, Mr. Belzoni of Bath!

The spectacle will begin by unrolling the mummy to
look upon the face which has been shrouded in
secrecy after a lapse of some 4 thousand years!
The mummy was found entombed among personal relics
and a rare find indeed; a mummy of the ibis, the sacred bird of
egypt now extint!

Please join us on the evening of
Oct. ----, 2008 commencing at --- p.m.
Address
Admittance One Shilling or at no cost in costume of choice!

~Wood and Co., Printers of the Bath Gazette, UNION-STREET Bath, 1842~

 

[hallorenescene]

wow! it's a wonder they didn't die! but what a neat idea for a party. does that make us kinda weird as well? love your invites

 

[MHooch]

Now, yellow_moon, THAT"S WHAT I"M TALKIN' BOUT'!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the wording the idea, everything. How original. Let us see lots of pics of the "unveiling"!!

 

[Madame Turlock]

This is a great thread. Thanks for posting. I'm always looking for creative ideas...

 

[ylbissop]

awesome invite yellow moon.
did you find any pictures of the famous "A Mummy From Thebes to be unrolled at half-past Two" invite? I heard it has an illustration of a sarcophagus on it but always wondered what it looked like. The 20th century was a hoot wasn't it? Christies just sold a mummy last year, none this year but you can get a empty kids sarcophagus. Better get to the atm for the $20,000 yellow moon it sells june 4th.

 

[Ryadread]

Hello my fellow Halloween Enthusiasts! It's been a while, we're getting a bit of a late start on our Halloween Party this year.

Here are the Invites we used for our Vampire Masquerade themed party last year. We went for simple invites last year since we spent so much more money on everything else. Everyone raved about the invites however, so just goes to show...simple can be equally effective! We are still working on a theme for this year, but we are finally in our own house!! Muwahahahaha.....

We rolled them up and tied them with our red & black theme colored ribbons and mailed them in the standard mailing tubes.

I can't wait to see some more invite ideas! This is definitely one of my most favorite parts.

 

[hallorenescene]

you may say simple, but i find them very inviting. nice invitations

 

[BadTableManor]

I agree. These are something I would keep forever. Very sexy.

 

[yellow_moon]

awesome invite yellow moon.
did you find any pictures of the famous "A Mummy From Thebes to be unrolled at half-past Two" invite? I heard it has an illustration of a sarcophagus on it but always wondered what it looked likea empty kids sarcophagus. Better get to the atm for the $20,000 yellow moon it sells june 4th.

I haven't located any pictures online of this invite...though it is mentioned in several UK articles. Thanks for all the compliments everyone...as I get things rolling I'll post my wares...

 

[ylbissop]

Here are the Invites we used for our Vampire Masquerade themed party last year.

very nice!
did you singe the edges all with a lighter by hand? what paper did you use?

 

[Ryadread]

very nice!
did you singe the edges all with a lighter by hand? what paper did you use?

Thanks! Yes that was the fun part. We just sat on our front porch with a long candle lighter, rolled each invitation long way (letters facing out) and gently burned the ends (Top and bottom). Then unrolled and re-rolled the short way to do the sides. We found by doing this we were able to see where we were burning so as not to burn any letters off. lol It also helped to not get any ashes on the invitation itself. We used parchment paper to get that old feel and let me tell you a single sheet of parchment will burn out of hand very quickly if you let it.