Make a Wooden Wedding Sign!

I've been MIA.... I know. It's been such a crazy, insane year I haven't had any time and, even though I've been making a bajillion (give or take a couple) crafts for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and weddings I haven't had time to write about them.


This weekend I made some wooden signs for my wedding! We did a walk through with our planner this last week and decided our venue is pretty big so our guests might need a little guidance to figure out where to go. I have faith that our guests are smart enough to figure it out for themselves, but it gave me an excuse to break out my craft toolbox so what the hell!

I also wanted to give our guests a hashtag to tag their pictures so we can see our day through their eyes and get as many pictures as we can!

So I made two signs and it wasn't hard at all. They just took a lot of patience and a little bit of time.

Things you will need:
-Wood (I used 3x16 pieces for the Instagram sign that I glued together and I used a 4.5x24 piece for the top of my Jeff & Shaina sign)
-Wooden Arrows (I know you can buy these premade, I had my lumberjack Dad cut them for me)
-White paint (you could also do stain if you wanted to leave the wood as wood)
-A sponge brush
-A computer
-A printer
-A Pen
-Screwdriver
-Screws
-Mod Podge
-Paint OR a paint pen (color of your choice)

Step One: Get your wood together. You can buy it precut or cut it yourself, just make sure its sanded and ready to go. I decided to white wash the wood that I had, I mixed white paint with some water (you want it to be pretty runny) and rub it in the wood with a rag. About halfway through I realized that it would be a  lot less messy if I used a sponge brush, so I switched. But you can do it however you want!

Step 2: Once you've got all of the wood parts painted, get on your computer and open up Publisher. Create a new page size that matches the dimensions of the wood. (In my case I used 3x16 and 4.5x 16). Find a font you like and create what you want it to look like. I used Lavanderia Sturdy on both signs if you're looking for a good one! Its free to download from dafont.com or some other font downloading website.

Step 3: Print your pages. If it larger than a normal 8.5x11 page size you'll have to select the "tiled" page option and tape the pages together.

Step 4: For the Instagram one I printed out a large logo that I could include on my sign. I did this on photo paper because I wanted it to be good quality.

Step 5: Tape your printed pages and cut them out. Set them up how you want them on your signs. Once you have it arranged place your paper over the (now dry) wood. Use a pen and trace over the lettering. Make sure you PUSH HARD so that it creates an indentation in the wood. Its pretty tiring on your hand so make sure you take a lot of margarita breaks/ play with your adorable furry baby.

Step 6: After you've traced over all of the lettering its time to fill it in with paint! You can either use a fine tipped paint pen, or you can use paint with a brush. All I had were white paint pens so I used a brush. All that's left is to color inside the lines (some of us are better at this than others).

Step 7: Once you're done with that let the paint dry. If you're doing the Instagram sign the logo still needs to be added. Using Mod Podge cover the back of the logo and place it on the sign how you want it. After you've got it where you want, also cover the front of the logo, make sure that you go over the edges and onto the sign to get a good seal. Then let it all dry (it will dry clear).

Step 8: Once everything is dry screw a post onto the back and you're all done!

 I'll try to keep up as I do more, but no promises....Life is about to get even more crazy over the next few months. We're traveling to Guatemala and have 3 weddings, 2 bridal showers,  and 2 bachelorette/bachelor parties before our own so its going to be busy busy busy! Happy Crafting Everyone!

Lace Wrapped Mason Jars

Because we're trying to do our wedding on a budget I've been trying to come up with cute decor ideas that both fit our theme and are inexpensive.

Not the easiest feat....let me tell you. Want paper lanterns that light up? $30 each. Want a lighting company to come put some twinkle lights up over the lawn? $850 (I wish I were kidding). Want beautiful flower arrangements for your tables and ceremony? That'll be $60-150 per arrangement.

Since my life plan to win the lottery hasn't quite panned out yet.....I've been scouring the internet for cheap ways to decorate our rather plain venue while still meshing with our theme of vintage garden shabby chic (thats actually a super technical style term in wedding planning....or at least it should be.... I may have made it up).

I found these two pictures on Pinterest and I thought they were both great ideas.

Baby's breath is really inexpensive (check out Sam's Club for your wedding flowers people.... I was BLOWN away at what they offer) and I don't have to worry about it dying on me. I want to do those on shepard hooks (shown in the top picture) down the aisle and I want to do candles in mason jars as a source of light on the big lawn for the reception on shepard hooks also.

I really wanted to make them nice and fit with the rest of the wedding so I decided to wrap them with this great lace I found at Hobby Lobby.

Things you will need:
-Lace (stretchy is preferable)
-Mod Podge
-Mason Jars
-Foam Sponge Brushes

Step 1:
Pull the lace around the mason jar as a kind of crude measure and cut it to size

Step 2:
Put your cut lace strip on a piece of cardboard or newspaper... something that can get messy. Take the foam brush and smear the mod podge all over the lace. Don't make it gloppy, but make sure the whole thing is saturated.

Step 3:
Pick up the lace and put it on the middle of the jar. Wrap it around and smooth it, make sure that there aren't any edges tucked under and the seam is lying flat.

Step 4:
Go over the seam where the two edges meet with Mod Podge

Step 5:
Let Dry! The Mod Podge hardens and once it does that lace isn't going anywhere.

I'm going to tie the top with jute to hang on the hooks (pictured here) that I found here at the DOLLAR STORE in bulk. Talk about luck!

I tried the jars with some oversized tealights I got at IKEA and they look awesome in the dark! I'm going to use the jars for both the baby's breath and the lights AND I'll probably also put them to use as cute vases at the many bridal showers I've got coming up! I would say I'm going to get the $15 worth I spent on making them (to be fair my mom had about 20 mason jars around the house so I didn't have to buy those).

DIY Faux Chalkboard

Hold on to your hats ladies and gents because I am about to BLOW. YOUR. MIND. 

Well as much as wedding crafts can blow your mind….

Let me start with a little story…a friend of mine had lent my sister a large sandwich board double sided chalkboard to use for her wedding. There had been something written on it in chalk pen and, since the wedding was over 9 months away we stashed it in my sister’s guest bedroom………until TWO DAYS before her wedding. She asked me to write her cake flavors on one side and “We’re all family now, sit wherever you would like” on the other. I went to wipe off what was already on the chalkboard and it would NOT come off. I tried. I scrubbed, I used water, soap, and alcohol wipes. Most of it came off but it left a noticeable mark. I was FREAKING OUT you guys. This was supposed to go next to her cake, I didn’t know what we were going to do! SO that’s when I came up with this brilliant idea of a “faux chalkboard”.

The trend for weddings and bridal showers and really parties of any kind right now are chalkboards. Chalkboard EVERYTHING.  Its easy enough to slap a layer of chalkboard paint on the glass of a picture frame and use it as a chalkboard (done it… many times) but are you really going to need 10-15 chalkboards when the day is over? Unless you’re an art teacher my guess is no. But you can always use a nice picture frame. 

SO on that note I came up with a really awesome way to get the chalkboard look with out actually making a chalkboard.

Things you will need:

-Black poster or foam board

-White paint pen

-Exacto knife

-Picture frame

-Printer

-Computer

Step 1: Cut the black poster board to the size you need (if you’re using an 8x10 frame cut to 8x10 etc). 

Step 2: Decide what you want to put on your poster board and design it in publisher.

Step 3: Transfer the font onto the poster board by tracing over it with a ballpoint pen and then use a paint pen to trace over the guidelines. A more detailed step by step on how to transfer fonts can be found here! 

 

 

Step 4: Remove the back and glass from your frame. Put the glass in a safe storage place where it wont get cracked. Replace the photo with your posterboard and put the back in and refasten into place. 

 

You are DONE. It looks just like a chalkboard but once your event is over you can take out the poster and use the photo frame! I've done it with so many things and honestly you really cant tell.

Now we have all these awesome frames to put our wedding photos in after the big day! Bonus!

Make your own paper garland decorations!

I have been busy busy busy! Jeff and I have been meeting with different vendors trying to nail down our favorites, because our wedding is a year away! Its insane how quickly these people get booked, we tried to get the same photographer that did my sisters wedding and he was already booked a solid year in advance! I've also shopped for and found a wedding dress and we've booked a venue, caterer, photographer, and planner.... whew!

I've also been getting things together our wedding and some upcoming showers. I volunteered to throw a shower for friend of mine getting married in November. The other bridesmaids and I are thinking late June at my house so I wanted to start making things now since I have so many things on my plate over the next year.

One of the  fabulous girls from the bridal party and I have been frantically pinning and have come up with some great, easy ideas so far. She found this awesome color palate....

And I found this super cute easy to make paper garland.

Though all of the colors from the palate wont be in every element I thought this would be a good way to kind of pull it all together.

Things you will need:
-Scrapbook paper
-An adjustable size circle cutter (I got mine from Joanns for like $10 bucks with a coupon and they come in SUPER handy for all kinds of projects. There is nothing worse than a wonky circle....well there are actually a lot of things that are worse but you get my point.)
-Hot Glue
-String

 Step 1: Decide on what size paper circles you want and set your adjustable circle cutter to that size

You could also do this with a circle punch but I like these contraptions better because its not just one set size. I change my mind about things ALL. THE. TIME. so this bad boy is perfect for me.

In fact you might notice the original circles in the next few pictures look smaller than the ones in the final product....keen observation! I changed my mind about the size after I made about 9 circles of every color :(

Step 2: Make a TON of paper circles. Like a metric shit ton. Scientifically speaking of course. If you are using this contraption make sure you put something under it so you don't scratch and cut up your table.

Step 3: Once you have all of your circles you'll need to decide what kind of spacing you want to use. I cut a small piece of yarn to the size of spacing I wanted in between each of my circles so I would have a quick reference and could move quickly. You might decide you want no space between circles... you might want more than what I chose to do. Its whatever works best for you.

Step 4: Put a line of hot glue right down the middle of the circle and on both sides. Lay the string in the glue.

 Step 5: Quickly make a paper dot/glue sandwich and slap another one of those bad boys on top!

Step 6: Use your string measure and repeat this step over until you have the length of garland you want.

Step 7: Repeat. Make a whole bunch of garlands.

Step 8: You can use another string or something rod-like depending on your preference for this next step. I used string

Tie each garland onto the string (or a rod of some kind if you prefer) spaced evenly apart. Keep going until you have the width that you want.

Step back and admire your work!

I tried so hard to get a good photo of my final product, but I just couldn't do it. Don't judge me... I'm a crafter not a photographer

Our DIY Engagement Photos

Jeff and I are trying to do things low budget so we decided to have a good friend (one of Jeff's groomsmen in fact) photograph us with his super duper nice spanking new camera in pre-pinned poses.

God I love Pinterest! I just went on and found a ton of cute poses to try, I made lots of props, we met up with our friend at a great location (where Jeff proposed) and SHAZAM we got some awesome engagement pictures.

I would like to say though..... our friend has a lot of experience taking professional photos for his job (he's a journalist and is responsible for a lot of his own photography). Its not like you can stick just anyone behind a nice camera and magically have great photos...I've tried and I'm a disaster behind the lens. Get someone who has some knowledge about photography (self taught or otherwise).

I think this worked out really well for us because we were both really comfortable around our photographer (often to the point of complete ridiculousness) and it made us relax and just be ourselves. He brought his fiance who just happens to be my best friend so it was really fun and not forced at all. I'm not super into PDA so I can't imagine locking lips with Jeff as much as I did in front of a complete stranger.

I'm so glad we got some of these great shots.

DIY Wedding Decor: The Road You've Tread to Watch Us Wed

I saw this really adorable idea on one of my favorite DIY blogs. It was a map that displays where everyone has traveled from in order to attend the wedding.

In the same blog I saw a really cute idea for state string art here. I've actually made these before as Christmas gifts a couple of years ago, so I already knew I could make them and that they really do turn out awesome.

I decided to combine the two into a really cool nail string art map to acknowledge the people traveling from near and far to watch Jeff and I get married.

Things you will need:
-Piece of wood (I used precut pine from Home Depot)
-Nails
-Hammer
-Paint
-Brushes
-Embroidery Floss in the color of your choice
-Scissors
-Computer
-Printer

Step 1: Cut the wood down to the size you want if its not already precut. I happen to have a father who knows his way around a table saw so he did it for me. If you aren't as lucky I think they'll do it for you at Home Depot.

Step 2: Prime and paint the wood. If there are knots in the wood you will need to use "Stain Resistant" primer so the knots don't bleed through. Allow the primer to dry for at least 3 hours. Paint the wood the color of your choice. I used spray paint but you can use whatever kind you like.

Step 3: Print out the words you would like to have on your wood slab. Since I'm super original I used the same wording as the picture above "The road you've tread to watch us wed." Put the lettering print out on the wood and use a ballpoint pen to really push down hard so that you get an indentation. Paint over the indentation.

This part takes a while. My suggestion is to sit down in front of all those episodes of Dance Moms some very intellectual news program you have recorded and knock em out! (Ok so I may have some trashy TV watching tendencies when I craft).

Step 4: Now you need to find a map that you want to use. I decided to use both one of the US and one of Florida because we will have so many people coming from around the state as well as from all over the country. You can use a map from an atlas or print an outline from Google Images. I did Google Images. I also put a heart over Sarasota on the map. This is where all the pins that go in for each location will end up connecting to.

Step 5: Place your templates on the wood and now its time to get nailed! (Bahahaha.....No? No one?) Use a hammer and nail around the outline of the maps. This is going to take a WHILE and will probably hurt your wrists after a while so take some wine breaks and then keep going! The last picture is the outline of the maps when I finished.

Step 6: Tie the embroidery floss around a nail and then loop around another nail. Keep doing this over and over and over and over again. You'll run out of string and need to tie the end off and then start a new one. There really is no strategy or patten to it, I think it looks better being totally random.

Step 7: Rinse and repeat over and over again until the map looks full.

Step 8: Once I have the RSVPs in I will put a large nail in at each location and tie a big pink string connecting the location to Sarasota. I'll add an update once its finally done. I think I'm also going to add our wedding date at the top in the big blank space. We'll see.


In other news.... You can try to make your fiance help you take pictures of your work but you can't make him stop watching "the game".