Materials

Two types of fabric (both of which we incorporated into a variety of other DIY projects)
Satin ribbon
Cardstock Paper
24-lb Paper
Pinking Shears
Hot Glue Gun
Paper Cutter
Sewing Machine
Computer/printer

Instructions

1. We only had a limited amount of fabric, so the first decision we made was the size of the programs. They ended up measuring 5.5 x 7″. In order to incorporate two design themes we were working with, we used two types of fabric – one on top of the other on the programs. The fabrics were used on the front cover of the programs only, so we cut pieces of fabric that matched the dimensions exactly (although the “top” variety of fabric was slightly smaller and had a decorative edge).

2. Next, we wrote the content of the program and formatted it using Microsoft Word. The document size matched the program dimensions, but we made sure to leave extra space on the left margin of each page for the seam of the program. We printed the pages using my home printer, front-side only. Because the paper was too big, we cut the pages down to size (5.5 x 7″) using a paper cutter. The back cover of the program was printed on cardstock, to give it some heft. (We didn’t use cardstock under the fabric in the front because it made the program too difficult to flip through!)

3. We then collated all the individual pages together, with the fabric pieces for the front cover and the cardstock sheet for the back. To hold them together, we machine-sewed a seam down the left margin. (Note – this was a thick booklet, so it took some tinkering to get the right needle and machine settings!)

4. Finally, we tied a bunch of bows using 3/4″ satin ribbon and hot-glued one to the corner of each program.

5. Voila! All done!

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, DIY Wedding Program, Fabric Wedding Program
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Instructions

(please note, I have skipped the step about designing the art for the cover as it is totally up to you and your own design ideas)

1. Once you have your cover and inside pages designed (ours were made to fit four on a standard 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock) get them cut and printed (saving yourself lots of time and agony). **when designing keep in mind that you will need a larger gutter on the side with the seam.

2.  Assemble pages in the order you want and use a few binder clips to keep them in place.

3. Use a decorative stitch and sew the pages together. We had two pieces of cardstock and 4-5 pieces of regular weight paper and my regular sewing machine needle did just fine. I wouldn’t worry about back stitching at the beginning and the end – it should hold pretty well without.

4. Fill a small glassine envelope with dried lavender (or rice or whatever you want thrown at you). Tape closed (I used Martha Steward ribbon tape from Michael’s).

5. Use rubber cement to glue the glassine envelope to the back inside cover of your program. Design your back inside cover to have a sentence instructing guests what to do with them.

LOVE! These programs are such a sweet way to introduce your guests to the day. They are laid back, they are cozy, they are completely adorable! Oh, and I’ve already asked the bride if we can put her wedding up on SMP because the whole wedding is this pretty.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Wedding Programs
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Materials

Clear flat bottom candy bags which can be purchased in bulk from candy store

Lots of gum balls (about 10 per bag). They can be color specific to your wedding!  We purchased ours from gumballs.com

White labels to fit the width of the bag

Clear tape

Instructions

1. You can have your labels designed or you can design them yourself using a program like Microsoft Publisher or Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

2. After your labels are printed, put the labels on your candy bags.

3. Fill your bags with about 10 gum balls per bag.  Make sure you have enough gum balls to fill each bag evenly before taping the bag shut with clear tape.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Gumballs, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Whimsical Wedding Details
Post categories: Contests, DIY Projects

Materials

Mini Bird’s Nests
Jordan Almonds
4-bar Flat Cards in Butter from Paper Source
Hole Punch
Blue Ribbon
Tulle, cut in large squares
Bird Stamp and Thank You Stamp
Brown and Green Ink

Instructions

1. Buy mini bird’s nests from Beau-coup (3 sets of 12 for a total of about $35).

2. Filled them with 5 baby blue jordan almonds to look like robin’s eggs (I got the Almonds off The Knot wedding shop, with regular shipping they are a total of about $20 for two bags or about 200 almonds).

3. Wrap them in tulle (I bought mine at a fabric store, 3 yards at $1.99/yard).

4. Using blue ribbon, (mine was from Paper Source in “bluebell” for about $4 for 10 yards) tie the tulle together.

5. Cut your 4-bar cards into 4, then stamp them with the green birds and brown thank you.

6. Punch a hold in the corner, then tie the ribbon through. Voila!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Birds, DIY Project Instructions, Jordan Almonds, Nest, Paper Source
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Instructions

1. Choose image and/or text to be printed.
2. Make a carbon based print of image/text (xerox copy or laser printers work)
3. Place image on gocco machine – make master screen using the gocco and gocco bulbs.
4. Once the image is burned into the screen, you can ink it.  Smear ink on the image burned into the screen, insert back into the machine, then press image onto paper invitations as desired.  Re-ink as necessary.
5. Let it dry fully before printing any other sides (I let each side dry a full 24-hours).

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Gocco, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
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This lovely aisle runner was totally custom made…a great way to conceal a not-so-pretty church carpet and a wonderful keepsake for you to remember your day!

Materials

White Muslin
Iron
Stencil of your choice
Printer
Acrylic Craft Paint
Easy Hem Adhesive

Instructions

1. Purchased white muslin that measured 45” wide.  I used a bolt, but purchases as many yards to create the length you want.

2. Layout the muslin and iron flat the section you wish to do the logo.  I placed mine toward the bottom of the aisle runner.

3. I purchased the stencil from Hobby Lobby.  Arrange the stencil so that you will be able to fit two of them angled where the ends almost touch.

4. Complete the circle by rotating the stencil around four times.

5. For the initials, create your layout on the computer and print it.  Place the paper under the fabric centered in the circle.  You will be able to see the initials through the fabric.  Trace the initials with paint.  I used acrylic craft paint.  Do the same thing for the date.

6. The edges of the muslin are already serged all you have to do is serge or hem the top and bottom of the muslin.

After our wedding, I cut the logo from the aisle runner to create a wall hanging.  I left enough room at the top and bottom to create a 2” hem.  Leave the ends open so that you can stick a curtain rod through.

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Post tags: Aisle Runner, DIY Project Instructions, Hobby Lobby
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Materials:

Flat clear marbles about 1 inch round (I found some at Target)
Printer
Computer with Word or InDesign (I found InDesign worked well)
Different colored paper (if desired)
1 inch hole puncher
Decoupage glue
Poly Brush

Step 1: Format and design what you want the marbles to say or look like.  Make rows of circular templates with images or words.  My flat marbles were about 1 inch round so I made the templates a little smaller.  I chose to use different wedding related words with a nice border, but you could use your imagination for the designs. 

Step 2: Print the template on your printer at home.  I used different color paper and ink in my wedding colors.  If you are using an ink jet printer, make sure to let the ink dry for a couple of hours. 

Step 3: Use a large hole puncher to punch out each design.

Step 4: Using decoupage glue and a poly-brush (regular brushes tended to have hairs come off onto the paper) brush the printed side of the cut out designs.

Step 5: Gently but firmly press the flat side of the marble onto the glue side of the paper.  The image will show through the glass. 

Step 6: Let dry.

Step 7: Brush decoupage glue on the back of the marble (the paper side that is exposed) to seal the marbles and protect the paper. 

Step 8: Let dry.

Step 9: Repeat step 7, for a final coat. 

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Message Marbles, Wedding Favors & Gifts
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Here is a glimpse into the process involved in making these…

Material
 
2 colors of cardstock
1 patterned paper
Glue
Scalloped punch
1 3/8” circle punch
1 1/4” circle punch
X-acto knife
Round stamp
Glue
Satin Ribbon
Lip balm (mine was crafted and personalize by http://ll2b.com/ )
 
 
Instructions
 
Print this templatefor drawing instruction (The copyright for the template goes to Renne Ondrajka)
 
1)  For the Outside piece:
a)  Cut a piece of cardstock by 3 1/2” x 5 3/4”
b)  Score it at 2 1/2” and 3 1/4” (the center piece will be 3/4” wide)
 
2)  For the inside holder piece:
a) Cut a piece of cardstock by 3 1/2” x 5 3/4”
b)  Score it at 2 1/2” and 3 1/4” (the center piece will be 3/4” wide)
c)  With an x-acto knife, cut 3 different slices as we can see on the template link.  These cuts will serve to insert the lip balm inside the pocket.
 
3)  Glue the inside and outside cardstock piece making sure to not put glue on the center cuts pieces.  The pieces should open like this:  http://picasaweb.google.fr/MEDRO13/MotifDamaskDiane50Ans#5211949307577820194
 
4)  Decorate the exterior pocket as desired with a pattern paper, stamps or anything else you’d like.  A quick note…before you glue the pattern paper on the outside cardstock piece, put a piece of ribbon between the two pieces. 
 
5)  Insert the lip balm inside the pocket and tie the ribbon.  Voilà !

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Post tags: Bridesmaids Gifts, DIY Project Instructions, Lipstick Pockets, ll2b
Post categories: Contests, DIY Projects

Materials

Recipe for bundt cakes on allrecipes.com
bundt cake pans
Favor Boxes purchased at Michaels
Blank Labels

Instructions

1. Make Bundt Cakes

1 package of yellow cake mix
1 package of instant lemon pudding mix(3 ounces)
3/4 cup of orange juice
4 eggs

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Grease the mini bundt cake pans ( bought at my local Target store) -Stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Pour the orange juice, oil, eggs and lemon extract. Beat on low speed until blended.

Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool.

Make the glaze. Just use confectioner’s sugar and a couple tablespoon of milk or lemon extract. Brush over cakes. They can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

2. Assemble Boxes: I purchased the favor boxes at Michaels craft store and the blank labels were purchased at paper source. It was time consuming to put the favors together but in the end it only cost us a little more that $80 for 120 guests.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Michaels, Paper Source, Target, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Contests, DIY Projects, Wedding Resources

Materials

Strips of Fabric
Iron
Sewing Machine/Thread/Needle
Hot Glue Gun
Pretty Strips of Ribbon

Instructions

1. Cut a 4×18 inch strip of fabric – you may need to play with the width and length to get the look you are going for.

2. Fold the fabric hot dog style (so the long edges meet) with wrong sides together. Press with an iron.

3. Using a loose straight stitch sew the open long edges together (leaving about 1/4 inch)

4. Pull the bobbin thread to gather the material. The more you pull the more it gathers. You will have to kind of play with the fabric to make it gather evenly.

5. Once you are happy with the amount of gather begin rolling the strip up – so it looks like a spiral. So start at one end and just roll. The tighter you roll the more open your flower will be.

6. Once you are happy with your flower hand sew the bottom together (the bottom is the edge with the seam – the folded side should be the open part of the flower). Be sure you get through all the layers – don’t worry this part doesn’t have to be pretty.

7. Once your flower feels like it is secure and will not unravel use a hot glue gun to attach it to a piece of ribbon. Voila! You have a corsage.

I love these because they are so quick and easy, but so beautiful. You can also make these flowers to adorn bags or sweaters. My husband’s grandmothers LOVED that I had made special corsages just for them.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Fabric Flowers, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wrist Corsage
Post categories: Contests, DIY Projects

Materials

Small 6 x 6 piece of wood, depending on the shape you want to create
Wood Carving Tool
Spray Paint
Sand Paper

Oil Based Pen

Instructions

1. Design and cut out the desired shape out of wood. Some scrapbooking stores make pre-cut pieces of wood that make it much easier!

2. Once you have your wood shapes, sand all sides to get rid of any rough spots.

3. Spray paint in your desired color, then let dry.

4. Use a light sand paper on the edges of the piece to give an antique look.

5. Using an oil based pen write the name of the guest on every piece. Be careful there is no going back!

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Place Cards
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And here is the step-by-step!

Materials

Needle and Thread
Fabric Stuffing/cotton balls
Fabric
Pen/pencil for marking
Scissors
Glue
Ribbon / Pin / Jewel / Embellishments for the box
Glue brush (optional, but makes things easier)

Notes:
I used bookmaking glue because it dries very quickly. However Mod Podge (available at most craft stores) works just as well. Any glue that dries clear and doesn’t cause the paper to wrinkle, or add too much bulk will work.

In making the box shown, I used paper that I found in the recycling. A good way to personalize your own box is to use paper that has a story. For example, instead of a thank you card, one could use the wrapping from a bridal shower gift to cover their box. The options are endless! (however, beware of using tissue paper, as it can be too thin.)

Step 1: Cut Paper

Trace and cut out 4 pieces of paper- one for the base, one for the outside of the lid, one for the inside of the lid, and one for the sides of the box. The outside lid piece will need an inch in of slack around the actual size of the lid, and the base will need .5 inch extra (as shown). Double the width of the paper for the outside of the box, as it will also cover the inside of the box. (see step 5)

Step 2:

Glue lid and base to the middle of each paper cut out. (don’t forget, the lid gets the bigger heart cut out!) Take care to use as little glue as possible on inside of lid- it still needs to fit on the box.

Step 3:

Cut several slits in the surrounding paper edges. As you fold and glue the paper around the edges and corners of the box, this will compensate for the curves (of course, no cutting is needed if you’re using a square or rectangle shaped box.)

Step 4:

Glue the last paper strip to outside of the box, cutting the excess in the same manner as in step 4. Fold and glue the strips to the inside of the box. This excess paper should cover much of the box on the inside. Set pieces aside to dry.

Step 5:

Trace the box shape onto the fabric, leaving about .5 inch excess on all sides.

Step 6:

Turning Fabric inside out, sew the two pieces together in a simple stitch, leaving a small opening unsewn.

Step 7: Turn fabric pillow inside out, and stuff with cotton balls / fabric stuffing (or even toilet paper!)

Step 8: Pillow should fit nicely inside box.

Step 9: Turning lid face down, glue ribbon to inside of the the lid. (as before, take care to use as little glue as possible- the lid will need to fit on the box)

Step 10: Wrap Ribbon around lid and back to the inside, gluing securely. 

Step 11: Glue last lid template inside lid to hide ribbon ends.

Step 12: Glue desired embellishments desired to box.

You can use any shape of box you please! The box can be used for many things: gifts, favors, carrying the rings, flower petals.. you name it!

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Jewelry Box, Wedding Favors & Gifts
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Materials

8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock (1 sheet per 3 placecards, or 1 sheet for each sign)
12″x12″ brocade-design paper (1 sheet)
standard white bond paper
gluestick
white gel pen
ribbon
 
Equipment

computer with Word or Excel software
printer
copier
paper-cutter
holepunch
 
Directions:

1. Print the guests’ names on the cardstock, three placecards to each 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock (I used Excel, a font I got for free from www.dafont.com, and a standard laser printer).

2. Using the gluestick, glue one 3″ strip of the black-and-white brocade-design paper onto each sheet of cardstock. (I had bought one 12″x12″ sheet of the brocade paper from Papersource, and then Xeroxed it as I needed it, which is a fabulous thing about using a black and white pattern. I reduced it slightly so that the pattern would be centered on the center of each placecard.)

3. Print the small text for the band (I also did this using Excel, another font I got for free from www.dafont.com, and a standard laser printer). 

4. Xerox the band using the “negative image” function on the copier so that the text becomes white and the background becomes black. (I had formatted it so that I could cut it in strips – three bands to a strip – and glue one strip on each sheet of cardstock.)

5. Using the gluestick, glue one band onto each sheet of cardstock so that it covers the edge of the black-and-white brocade-design paper.

6. Using the gel pen, highlight the black text of the names.

7. Using the papercutter, cut each sheet of cardstock into three placecards.

8. Using the holepunch, punch holes in each of the two upper corners of each card and thread in the ribbon.

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Post tags: Brocade, Dafont.com, DIY Project Instructions, Papersource, Placecards
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Materials

Heavy Card Stock
X-Acto Knife
Ruler
Corner Punch Tool
Sparklers
Glassine Bags

Instructions

1. Print pattern / image onto a heavy weight card stock (this helps keep the sparklers flat).

2. Trim each one out using an x-acto knife and ruler. Cut out small rectangles for the sparklers to slide through. Round the edges with a corner punch tool.

3. Weave sparklers through holes.

4. Slide card into glassine bag for a polished look.

Sparklers: www.onlinefireworks.com
Glassine bags: www.loopcreations.com

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Materials

Matchbooks, 1 for every guest
Sticker Paper
Xyron Sticker Machine
X-acto knife
Ruler

Instructions

1. To save money we purchased matchbooks from the grocery store. Just break the glue seal and unfold matchbook.

2. Print design onto sticker paper or using a Xyron Sticker machine (www.paper-source.com) make any paper into a sticker. Trim each sticker out using an x-acto knife and ruler to size.

3.Adhere sticker to unfolded matchbook, being careful to get close to but not cover up the striker strip.

5. Using double-sided tape, fold box back up and seal shut. Put matches back in the box.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Matchbook, Xyron
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