Category — diy

Ooh, yummy!  It’s how-to month over at Etsy.  Right now I’m most excited for stencils (July 21st), glass etching (July 25th) and paper boxes (July 31st).  Head on over to see the full schedule.

A.

We were so happy with our engagement pictures that we decided to use them for our save the date cards. A few years ago I received an invitation to a work event in a vellum envelope. I loved how the graphic on the card showed through the crisp envelope. I held on to that invite and thought it’d be fun to do something similar for our save the dates!

This is the front and back of our save the date cards.

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I, like a majority of brides, had round tables at our reception. I, unlike a majority of our brides who read this blog, was not terribly obsessed with the table decor (yes, I know this is strange. My obsession with details started after the wedding planning).

Well, for those of you who are looking for something more visually stimulating and light on the floral. Let me suggest the following:

• Vary the heights of each object on the table.
• Vary the textures of each object on the table.
• Vary the colors (everything doesn’t have to be the two colors you’ve picked). Exception: a monochromatic theme.
• Apply this to food displays, gift tables, etc. Anything you will have on display.

{Image Credits: Love Apple Farm, BV Weddings, HGTV, House Beautiful, Social Whirl}

Don’t be afraid to use fabric with floral, glass with ceramic and wood with terracotta. As always, if you need more specific ideas, don’t be afraid to email your favorite bloggers for advice!

A.

As usual, my Saturday post takes inspiration from what I’ve been doing this weekend.  Today was all about learning how to embroider.  Here is a wonderful blog post that I found with the beginning embroidery stitches and easy instructions to follow!

Clockwise: Running Stitch, Whipped Running Stitch, Back Stitch, Couching, Stem Stitch, Outline Stitch

If you’re like I am, you know the back stitch and the running stitch from your sewing.  The others were pretty simple to learn and I have been doing some fun patterns today already!  Think of what you can customize with just some simple stitching: attendant’s gifts, handkerchiefs for your mother and grandmother, or even your bouquet wrap!

Happy Saturday!
E.

Here are a few of my favorite DIY wedding projects right now….

{Image Credits (clockwise from top left): Matthew Mead, Eclectic Images, Absolutely Beautiful Things, Eclectic Images}

Treats for out of town guest or the new bride and groom: Who wouldn’t want this?
Clothespin and mason jar escort cards: Um, mason jars? Clothespins? Check and Check!
More than just floral centerpieces: Love anything that doesn’t consist of a round table with a simple centerpiece in the middle.
Garden in a box centerpieces: I’m going to have to try this at home.

Enjoy!

A.

Continuing our unofficial kickoff of summer we have a gorgeous wedding shot by Rae Leytham and designed by the girls at Bliss Event Group!  You know this wedding is bound to be fabulous with that combination at work.

These centerpieces drew me in immediately.  How inventive is this?  Single flowers in shot glasses and bud vases.  This would be incredibly easy to DIY, although Lauren and Craig had the luxury of using the fantastic Wall Flowers for their decor.

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A little tidbit of what I’ve been working on - yes, you spy gorgeous Laura Hooper calligraphy being goccoed!

{Image courtesy of the author}

Hope your Saturday is as productive as mine has been.

E.

Cooking is a favorite hobby for so many of us and because your wedding should reflect your personality, it’s easy to bring in your hobbies to your favors!

I love these recipe card favors - you could DIY with recipes for your favorite dishes or a course you are incorporating into your reception menu.

 
{Pear and Peony}

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Beautiful and easy to do yourself (thanks to Martha’s great DIY instructions found here), teacup candles make great favors for your wedding, shower, or bridesmaids’ luncheon.

Infuse them with your favorite scent and use teacups from the flea market, the antique shop, or bargain buys!

E.

Calling all Crafty and Creative Brides

I love thinking up fun and inventive ways to spruce up your wedding, make it fun for guests, and keep it affordable. I randomly had this DIY inspiration about how to handle the tricky task of assigning seats for your single guests. It’s hard enough to seat couples and family, but single friends can be trickier as you don’t want them to feel left out and you don’t want them to be seated as the lowly single among a table of parents and children. This may be a bit quirky and offbeat, but I think it would be fun and adventurous if you have open minded single friends

For this quick and easy project, purchase two birdhouses either on a stand or the kind you can hang. On a skinny roll of paper, write table numbers and seating numbers in a random order. Use one birdhouse for the guys and the other, for the ladies. Place the roll inside with a portion hanging out. Let your single friends know ahead of time that seating will be determined the wedding day and have an obvious sign to direct them. Then, let the intermingling and fun begin! That wasn’t too hard, right? After the wedding, you can use the birdhouses in your backyard and create a nice haven for the birds which ties in with the weddingregionalism theme of this week and a lasting memory of your big day. I’m all about dual purpose ideas!

Crafty project #2 will make a tree hugger out of all your guests and you and your hubby.

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