Guests who arrive from out of town are probably not going to know that there is an amazing Italian restaurant right around the corner from their hotel, or that they can get a massage or a pedicure a few hundred meters down the street. And, you can hardly be expected to stand at reception with a megaphone, announcing tourist attractions and introducing visitors to your bridal party. But there is a way to get around that – put it all into a nifty welcome booklet. Here’s how:
Material:
– Cardstock or paper (letter size: A4 or 8.5 in x 11 in)
– Printer with ink
– Crochet thread and needle
– Paper cutter, exacto knife, or scissors, and a steady hand
– Computer with Microsoft Word (or similar)
– Glue
Estimated cost: less than $1 per booklet
Directions
Step 1: Decide which information you would like to include on your inside pages. In the sample, the pages are as follows:
- Page 1: Front cover
- Page 2: Welcome note and contents
- Page 3: Important and emergency numbers
- Page 4: Bridal party information
- Page 5: Pre-wedding event information and map
- Page 6: Tourist information
- Page 7: Hotel information and map
- Page 8: Back cover
Step 2: Create a new 2-page document in Microsoft Word (or similar), and divide the page into four:
- Select the “line” tool from the drawing toolbar and, holding down “shift”, draw a line from the top to the bottom of the page.
- Right click (or “control” click on a Mac) the line and select “format autoshape”.
- Click on the “layout” tab on the left hand side then, under “horizontal alignment,” click “center.”
- Draw another line and do as before.
- In the “Format” menu use the “alignment” tool and select “vertical alignment,” then use the “rotation” tool to turn the line 90-degrees clockwise.
- Create a text box that fits into one of the sections (don’t forget to leave space for margins), then copy and paste the text box into the other sections.
- When all text boxes are aligned you can delete the original lines.
Step 3: Assign the pages to the layout like so:
Page 1 (Front page):
- Top left corner: Tourist information
- Top right corner: Important numbers
- Bottom left corner: Front page upside-down
- Bottom right corner: Back page upside-down
Page 2 (Back page):
- Top left corner: Bridal party information
- Top right corner: Pre-wedding event information and map
- Bottom left corner: Hotel information and map upside-down
- Bottom right corner: Welcome note and contents upside-down
Step 4: Design each page as you like in Word, Paint, InDesign or a similar program – include as much information as you can.
Step 5: Print the front page onto a sheet of paper or cardstock, and then following your printer’s instructions, print the back page onto the back of the same sheet of paper or cardstock.
Step 6: Slice the printout into half width-wise, and fold each half in half.
Step 7: Place the two sheets together to make a booklet. Page four (bridal party) and five (pre-wedding event) should be in the center.
Step 8: Measure the crochet thread to be three times the length of the center of the booklet and cut to size.
Step 9: Leaving a 0.5-mm opening at the top and bottom of the center, draw dashes leading all the way to the bottom.
Step 10: Coat the last 5 mm of the crochet thread in glue and stick to the center crease of page 2 (welcome) and page 7 (hotel information). Then pierce the tip of the first pencil dash with the needle and pull the thread through.
Step 11: Careful not allow the pages to move and not to tear the paper, pierce both pages at the base of the first dash and pull it through. Repeat the other way and continue until you’ve stitched all the way down the crease.
Step 12: To finish off, only pierce through one side of booklet to the middle and pull the needle out. Trim crochet thread at 5 mm from the final stitch. Dip the end into glue, or coat with glue using a paint brush, and stick to the middle.
Step 13: Admire your work!
What kind of information would you include in your welcome booklet?
