DIY: Wedding Invitation Christmas Ornament

My brother was married this summer.  Not long after his wedding, I found this link on Pinterest for a Christmas ornament made from a wedding invitation.  I followed up with my mom who had saved her invitation and promptly claimed it for my project.  I bought a clear plastic bulb ornament, ribbon in colors matching the wedding theme, and a cute charm defining love.  The whole thing cost me less than $3.

Hot pink and apple green for brother and SIL

Supplies:
1 wedding invitation
scissors or rotary w/ cutting mat
a pen with a round barrel (not hexagonal)
1 clear Christmas bulb ornament (I used plastic)
ribbon in colors coordinating to wedding theme
charm (optional)
something to attach the charm (I used several tiny split rings)

Directions:
1. Cut invitation into strips.
~ I used a straight edge and my rotary tool to slice the invite into strips.  I lined up the straight edge to be sure all essential words would be visible and uncut.
2. Wrap the strips around the pen, creating a spiral.

~ You may need to hold each piece in place for a few seconds if the invitation is thick.  I do not recommend spiraling by using the old scissor curling technique.  It could shred your strips.
3. Put spirals into bulb.
~ I found that if I fed the spirals into the bulb, the spirals all became too loose.  But if I coiled them into a small disk before pushing the whole round piece through the hole, they were all too tight.  So, I did half of each and the mix left it feeling more diverse.
4. Replace the hook portion of bulb.
5. Attach charm. (Optional).
6. Attach ribbon for hanging and tie a nice bow.

Sometime after finishing the ornament for my brother and sister-in-law, my mom was cleaning out a box in my old room and found the invitation from my best friend's wedding.  She was married almost ten years ago!  What a great gift that would be! 

Red and gray for BFF.

If you know anyone getting married soon or having any recent invitations laying around, do this!  It was so easy and I know both my recipients loved their ornaments!