Invitation templates / Christening invitations
Painted Tiles: a christening invitation template
A wall of hand-painted blue-and-white tiles: the panel is set tile by tile, the name goes in last, and guests turn crooked tiles, fire the glaze and repaint the frieze.
The design
The whole invitation is one tiled wall, every part of it on a real grid of square tiles with the grout running unbroken from top to bottom, the words painted straight onto white tin glaze in a single oxide. It opens on a bare bed of mortar: the tiles of the first panel are set one by one, spiralling inward, and the tiles that carry the child's name are pressed in last. Between the parts run rows of patterned tiles, a rosette carpet made of one design set four ways and a scrolling frieze; on a wide screen the painted panel is set into a whole wall of pattern. The guest takes part: turns the few tiles that went in the wrong way round until every rosette closes; touches each godparent's little Delft picture tile, where the painter brushes over the pounced charcoal dots; rubs the birth panel, still in raw grey oxide, and it fires to colour wherever the finger goes; touches a glaze test tile and the frieze is repainted in that colour, tile by tile; and taps the photograph printed across the tiles to have it re-set with the next one. Scrolling assembles the verse's figurative panel, a dove in a glory, from tiles scattered off their places. A reply sets the last four tiles, a medallion with the child's initial, into the gap left for them.
Colours and type
Painted Tiles comes in 3 colourways: Cobalt on tin glaze, Manganese rose and Ochre & umber, with 2 type pairings: Painter's roman and Delft lettering. The colours and type change in the editor at any time; the layout stays its own.
Who it suits
Made for christening / baptism, baby dedication and naming day, in the Cultural style.
What is included
An invitation website with the church and the celebration after, the godparents, your photos, a song if you want one, and the RSVP with the number of adults and children coming. You write your own words and add your photos in the live editor, send every guest a personal link by email or any messaging app, and follow the replies as they come in. Free for up to 20 guests, with the full design.
More christening templates
- Christening Bells: Two polished brass handbells tied with satin ribbon on white linen: tap one to ring it and the name appears, then polish the tarnish off the brass to reveal the engraving.
- The Christening Cake: A three-tier christening cake in white fondant and sugar roses on a porcelain stand: turn it with a finger, watch the name piped onto a sugar plaque, and cut a slice at the close.
- Written by Hand: A calligrapher's desk: the child's name is written live in pointed-pen copperplate, and the guest changes the nib, blots the ink, tests the colours and tries the pen.
- The Certificate: An engraved baptismal certificate on a leather writing desk: press the brass stamp into the molten wax to seal it, and watch the godparents sign in ink.
- Blind Dove: A thick white cotton card with a dove pressed in without ink: the light rakes across as you scroll, and the dove rises out of the white.
- The Favour Table: The bomboniere table on the christening morning, seen from above: one satin ribbon unspools down the table as you read, threading every favour and tag of the day, and ends tied to your own.
- Fresco Under Plaster: An old chapel wall: a fresco of a May sky and olive trees comes out from under the whitewash, patch by patch, with the child's name painted in the band beneath.
- The Garden Gate: A garden painted in oils as your guests walk in: the white gate swings open onto lunch under the willow, the blossom drops its petals over the godparents' bench, a robin splashes in the bird bath, and the little tree planted for your child takes everyone's ribbon.
All christening invitation templates