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".

DIY Word Banners

I made a bunting for my sisters bridal shower back in June that said "From Miss to Mrs" that we hung over the food table.

I did it using scrapbook paper, I measured and cut all of the flags by hand, and it ended up getting all crumpled and wrinkled afterwards so I cant reuse it for any of my other friends' showers coming up.

I saw this cute idea for a gift table on pinterest and decided that, when we got closer to our wedding (I didn't want this one to get crumpled because it was sitting around for a year) I would painstakingly make another banner.

Then I (surprise!) went to Hobby Lobby and found these awesome premade chipboard pennants for 50% off (aka $2 for a pack of 7) and I couldn't resist.Well... I probably could've resisted but why bother? My wallet was stuffed with Hobby Lobby gift cards (thank you Santa!).

Here are some directions on how to EASILY make your very own lettered bunting.

Things you will need:
-Premade pennants (There were burlap,cloth, and chipboard options at HL)
-Paint (both the color of the flag and the color of the lettering you want
-Paint brushes
-Wax Paper
-Computer
-Printer
-String or ribbon to hang the finished flags on

Step 1: Paint  your flags the desired color. My wedding colors will be a deep yellow, light gray, and white, so I painted my flags white. After you paint one side I suggest that you lay them on Wax paper to let them dry. That way if something dripped to the other side it won't pull up newsprint when you pick it up.

Step 2: After one side is dry repeat with the other side.

Step 3: While you're waiting on the paint to dry make the letters for your flags. I went into publisher and made a triangle template that was the exact dimensions of my flags (the dimensions were on the packaging). Then I inserted wordart in the font that I wanted so I could stretch it to be the side I needed.

Then all you need to do is copy and paste the number of letters you will need and change the letter to make the words you want. I also did the same with a piece of heart clipart for the spaces. The font I used is called KG Only*Hope if you're interested in using that one. Its fun because all of the letters are different in both lowercase and capital.

Step 4: Print out the letters and cut them out. Leave a bit of space on all sides to give you room to hold the paper down when you are tracing.

Step 5: Trace the letters onto the board using pen. If you are using a cloth or burlap pennant you will need to chalk the back and follow steps 2, 3, and 4 seen here.

Step 6: Using the paint that you want, fill in the outlines you just traced.I blew up this picture so you can see the slight indentation marks that you should have after you trace the lines out.

Step 7: After all of the letters have dried you're ready to string them up! This next part can be done lots of different ways with lots of different materials. You decide what's best for you.

If you use a thick ribbon the pennants probably won't slide around so you wont need to tie knots. I used Jute to get a rustic look so I wanted to tie knots to make sure the flags stayed spaced evenly.

I threaded mine over/under so that the knots went in the front and the jute went in the back. If you have a pretty ribbon that you want to show off you can thread it under/over and the ribbon would show in the front.

Step 8: Trim the ends and stand back and admire your work. Or in my case call for your fiance and demand that HE admire your work :)

You can do this with pretty much anything. You could even use scrapbook paper of different patterns and glue it to the front for a cute mis-matchy pattern background....  That would take longer but I think it would be really cool looking.

I made a really awesome string art project over New Years Day that I'll post about next. I didn't have enough string to finish it, but once its done I'll share!

Happy Crafting!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from my little family to yours! 

I spent all of New Years Day crafting so I've got some sweet wedding projects to post about soon! 

Make a cute engagement gift!

Everybody I know is getting engaged and married lately. My future brother in law proposed to a fabulous girl the week after Jeff and I got engaged and my fun loving bestie had a magical Disney proposal just a few days after that!

I wanted to do something fun for them both and I saw this adorable idea on Pinterest that I thought would be really easy to recreate. A ring frame!

 I was constantly misplacing  purposefully leaving my ring in strategic areas around the house. Then a good friend of mine made me (yes, I have crafty friends too!) an adorable ring dish with my future "Mrs" name on the bottom. Now I always leave my ring in the dish and it saves me from having a mini heart attack every time I wake up in the morning!

So along those lines I made my friends custom ring frames!

Things you will need:
A photo frame
Scrapbooking paper of your choice
Computer
A printer
A pin/hook/fixture to hang the ring on

Step 1: Find some super cute frames that suit your needs! Take out the cutesy pictures that come in them.

Step 2: Choose a font that looks right for your frames. Make a square that matches the size of your frame (note these frames were 2 different sizes, hence the difference in size on my publisher document below).

Step 3: The next step you can do one of two ways. You can simply print the square onto your scrapbook paper, or you can transfer the font onto your scrapbook using this technique and then paint or draw the font on for a more handmade look. I did one of each.

Step 4: Cut out the paper and put it in the frame.

Step 5: Get together the stuff you are using to act as the "hook". I used little spools that I painted and hot glued onto the glass of the frame.

You could also use a hook like the one in the picture above and screw it into the frame back directly (obviously you would need to be sans glass) or use a push pin like in the Pinterest inspiration photo. Its up to you! I did it this way because I used paper with writing on it and I didn't want it to bleed if it got water on it, so I wanted glass to go over the paper.

Step 6: Affix your "hook" and you're all done!

 

 My sister had her wedding this past weekend so I'm officially on to working on my own wedding projects! I'm so excited to get started!

Update!

I made one for myself with a push pin and it took me 5 minutes total! I love it!

 

Will you be my bridesmaid? DIY

The day after Jeff proposed I had my bridal party picked out and I wanted to do something special to ask them. There are so many cute ideas on Pinterest so I spent a little while looking and I found something I really liked (pictured below). It was a wine bottle with a personalized label saying "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I liked the idea but I wanted to make the label more "me" so I changed it up a little bit and also made some little wine glasses too because, whats a bottle of bridesmaid wine without an awesome personalized bridesmaid glass to drink it in?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mdp7

Things you will need:
- Avery labels number 22826, you can get the on Amazon (Prime!) right here.
-Avery label 22826 template, can be downloaded free online from the Avery website, click this link to get there.
-However many bottles of wine you will need
-Alcohol (sadly not of the fun variety....the rubbing kind, though a good glass of Moscato does make crafting more fun)
-A printer
-Microsoft publisher
-Wine glasses to paint
-Enamel paints click here to see the kind I buy (one of these kits will last you quite a while... I've had mine for over a year and I do a LOT of glass painting)
-Ribbon

Step 1: Download the Avery template and copy and paste it onto a Microsoft Publisher document. You want to make sure it takes up the whole page exactly, there is nothing more annoying than printing out your project on a label sheet only to find it doesn't match up because you were a little bit off.

Step 2: Find something you like and design your label within the outline of the template. I searched "Will you be my bridesmaid" on Etsy and found some wording that I liked and used different fonts to make it my own. You're going to want to copy and paste your inspiration onto the document so you can look at it as you go along.

As you can see I played around with colors and fonts until I found something I liked. You should do the same, make it your own style!

Step 3: Once you're finished designing your label print them out! I also decided to do a back label for mine, with a photo of me and each girl and the "Established Since" date (the year I met each one). This was pretty easy I just copied the photo and fit it to the template.

Step 4: Take the wine that you got and carefully pull of the labels. I found that its better to take the time to try and get the whole thing off in one pull, it leaves less sticky residue to get off. Once you've got the labels off use the alcohol (the rubbing kind not the drinking kind) to wipe off excess stickiness.

Step 5: Lay your labels on your wine bottle, I would suggest starting at the left or right and working your way over, rather than going from top to bottom. The curve of the bottle makes it easier to do it that way.

Step 6: Jazz it up however you want! My wedding colors are going to be light gray and yellow with chevron touches so I found this perfect yellow chevron ribbon to tie to the top.

The front

My "Established Since" back with the picture

Step 7: Make your own hand painted wine glasses. I won't include directions on how to do that here... you can check out the link to a past DIY on how to do it. This is how mine turned out:

Step 8: Package them up and give them out to your girls! I included a note with mine for each girl.

The finished product on display at one of my bridesmaids' houses.

Have fun and make it  your own. Speaking from experience being asked to be a bridesmaid/maid of honor is very special, but its also a lot of work, so I think its really nice to ask in a special way.

I have some other posts to do soon about DIY engagement gifts (I feel like everyone I know is getting engaged/married so I've had lots of practice!) coming soon!

I feel like it might be weird that the Hobby Lobby manager totally knows me and greets me with "back already?!?" every time I walk in the store?