DIY Wedding

credit – garann on flickr.com

There are so many little details that make up your big day and your wedding day outfit (and all the little accessories) are a pretty important part! Luckily, those special little details don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. When you DIY (or do-it-yourself) you can save a lot of dough while still customizing your day (and look) to fit you! Making your own custom one of a kind lacy wedding garter is a great way to save some money while matching your look to your wedding theme! (Or maybe your favorite sports team, etc. The possibilities are endless – it is all about you!)

These diy frilly garters will look fantastic on any bride. You can even make them for your bridesmaids! Or if you are planning for prom you can use this tutorial to make the perfect prom dress accessory too!

It’s so easy if you follow these instructions!

You will need…

• 1.5″ Ribbon (Your choice of color!)
• Pins
• Lace
• Scissors
• A lighter
• Elastic
• Needle & Thread (To match the ribbon or a contrasting color!)
• Safety Pin
• Charm(s)

Let’s get started!

1. First, take your measuring tape and measure your thigh in the spot you want your custom garter to sit and multiply that number by 1.5. This is your “final number”.
2. Add 1″ to that final number for seam allowance and measure that length from your ribbon and cut.
3. Lightly burn the edges of your ribbon to stop fraying. Basically you want to hold it close enough to gently melt the edge to finish it. (If you are uncomfortable with the idea of using the lighter you can also use a little bit of clear nail polish to stop fraying too. Just go lightly and only at the edge as it can occasionally cause a little bit of staining!)
4. Fold the ribbon in half and then pin the ends together.
5. Using a needle and thread (or sewing machine) sew the ends of your ribbon together but only to the half way point, snipping the loose thread.
6. With the wrong side facing down, fold the seam allowances down and sew them down. The part of the garter that has the opening will be the inside of your garter.
7. Now, fold the ribbon in half the other way, sewing a seam along the fold to connect the two halves of the ribbon together.
8. Cut a piece of lace in the amount of your final number (calculated above!) plus 0.5″.
9. Starting at the inside opening sandwich and pin the lace within the two sides of your ribbon until you reach the opening again. Then overlap the lace a tad, adding your last pin.
10. Sew along your pin line and then pin the loose threads.
11. Now it’s time to cut your elastic! To determine the length of the elastic to cut, wrap it around your thigh and test to see how tight you want it to be.
12. Attach a safety pin to one side of the elastic to help you thread it through your ribbon.
13. Feed the elastic through the one open end of your ribbon (safety pin first) until it comes out the other side. Then overlap the elastic, pin and sew!
14. Tuck the elastic safely inside your ribbon and distribute the fabric evenly.
15. Find the middle of the front of your garter and sew on your charm(s)!
16. You can get creative here if you like and add anything else that may suit your personality and theme. Feathers? a little glitter? Buttons, beads or crystals? The possibilities are truly endless!
17. If you plan on throwing one garter and keeping another just repeat the process to make a matching garter.

That’s it! It is so easy and you can design it in your wedding colors with charms and little touches that reflect you and your big day. If you create your own garter be sure to send in photos. We would love to see what you come up with!

I found these awesome instructions on youtube from craft goddess Corinne from craftzine. If you find it easier to watch a video check it out below!

I was watching Martha Stewart last week (as I always do!) and she had a beautiful spring craft on that I thought would be absolutely perfect for weddings! She created stunning fabric floral bouquets and it seemed pretty simple to do too. I’m definitely tempted to add another project to my growing list of diy things for my July wedding…fabric hydrangeas!

Here are her fantastic instructions! (If you’d rather watch the video click here!)

You will need…

• fabric (voile works nicely!)
• tray (something shallow like a clean baking sheet)
• medium paint brush
• liquid fabric stiffener
• petal and leaf craft punches (available at Michael’s and Walmart)
• micro hole punch
• floral pips (or stamens)
• contact cement
• floral wire (if making bouquet)
• wire cutters (if making bouquet)
• green floral tape (if making bouquet)
• hair comb(s) or pin(s) (if making hair combs/pins instead!)
• needle and thread and/or a strong glue (if making hair combs/pins)

Instructions

1. Begin by punching your fabric flowers: Lay a piece of fabric in a shallow tray. With a medium paintbrush, apply enough fabric stiffener to saturate, but not soak, the fabric. Let it dry, about 1 hour. Repeat with any remaining fabric.
2. Using craft punches, punch out petals and leaves as close together on the fabric as possible.
3. Using a micro hole punch, make a hole in the center of each bloom. Slip a pip through each hole, and secure it with a dab of contact cement.

For bouquets:

1. To make a stem, cut a length of floral wire, and wrap it around each pip with green floral tape.
2. For leaves, glue floral wire to each one to create veins and stems. Wrap stems with floral tape.
3. Gather blooms and leaves into a bouquet, and either tuck them in a vase or wrap the stems in more floral tape to join them.

For hair combs and pins:

1. If using a comb gently sew your flowers to it with needle and thread, reinforcing with a dab of strong glue (hot glue maybe?) if you like. If using pins place flowers where u want them at the top of the pin and glue with strong glue.

credit: Martha Stewart

There you go! with those easy instructions you can fill your ceremony and reception with your own handmade bouquets and centerpieces that will last forever! Beautiful keepsakes you will cherish. The hair pieces would also look good not only in your bridal hair..but your bridesmaids and flowergirl’s hair too!

Make sur eyou send in some pics if you create your own..we want to see!

Martha Stewart is having her yearly Valentine’s Day workshop right now so her show is full of all kinds of pretty Valentine’s themed crafts and projects! One of the projects she featured this week were small crepe paper roses that I thought would be beautiful for weddings too! While she explains how to make the roses and turn them into barrettes, you could choose to make them into something else too if you like!

For these pretty roses, you will need…

• double sided crepe paper (choose colors to match your wedding theme!)
• rose template (download here!)
• stapler
• scissors
• toothpick
• 28 gauge wire
• bamboo skewer
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• smooth-cast 327
• piece of styrofoam
• pruners
• krylon clear matte finish spray
• small scrap of green felt
• pencil
• barrette or pin backing (optional, you may choose to use them as decor instead!)

1. First, cut out three 6.5″ by 2.5″ rectangles from your doubl sided crepe paper.
2. Next, print the template! Then cut out the rectangle containing the petal shapes and stack them on top of the three paper rectangles. Staple into place.
3. Now, cut out the petals! You will end up with three tear-drop shaped petals and nine heart shaped petals.
4. To shape the petals: Cup in center; Wrap left and right top edges around a toothpick to curl.
5. Build the flower by placing the tear drop petals first, and then the heart petals around eachother, holding onto the bottoms.
6. Fasten the petals in place by wrapping wire around the base, then wrap the wire around a bamboo skewer. Secure with glue.
7. Mix Smooth-Cast 327 according to manufacturer’s directions. Dip the flower into the mix and shake off excess. Insert bamboo skewer into Styrofoam while the flower hardens. Repeat for a second coat.
8. Use pruners to snip off the “skewer stem”.
9. Finally spray both sides of the flower with the krylon matte spray and allow to dry.
10. To complete the rose, cut out the leaf shape from the template and trace it on your green felt. Cut out your leaf!
11. If you are making a barrette or pin, glue the barrette or pin backing to the back of the flower and then cover it by gluing on your green felt leaf. If you plan on using the roses simply as pretty decor, skip gluing on the barrette or pin and just attach the felt leaf!

Here’s the video if you would rather watch the roses created first hand than read the instructions

That’s it! When complete you will have a pretty crepe paper rose that is actually pretty durable since you sealed it with the smooth cast and the finish spray.

Some ideas for their use..

• Pin it into your pretty wedding hair, make one for each of your bridesmaids hair..or put some in the hair of your flower girls!
• You may choose to scatter them around your cake on your cake table for decoration, or even around the center of the guest tables as an addition to your centerpieces!
• Something that may be worth trying would be threading the backs of the roses with monofilament or clear fishing line, securing with glue..Then you could have  pretty strands of raining crepe paper flowers to hang as decor! You may need to thread them before sealing them though..I’m guessing the seal may make it hard to shove a needle through! You may be able to avoid the threading all together and just glue them directly to the monofilament and hide/secure the glue job with your green felt leaf!

These are just a few ideas..If you create these pretty flowers for your big day we’d love to see!

credit: Martha Stewart

If you are having a ringbearer at your wedding (and I’d assume you probably are!), you are going to need something for him to carry the rings(or faux rings..) down the aisle. While browsing around online, I found fantastic DIY instructions for making your own ringbearer pillow from scratch on Weddingbee by Miss Spring Roll. If you have the time to make one, it’s definitely something you can create to save some money and further customize your ceremony.

Her tutorial helps you to create an elegant lacy pillow using silk fabric, chantilly lace, ribbons and fiber fill.

To see the full tutorial, complete with pictures visit Miss Spring Roll on Weddingbee!

What I love about this detailed but simple tutorial is how easy it really makes it for us to create our very own custom ringbearer pillow. You could use colored fabric or ribbon that would compliment your wedding theme colors instead of sticking to just plain white or ivory too!

Make sure you send in pics if you sew your own adorable pillow, we’d love to see!

A lot of brides have recently started a trend of buying or making their own custom hand-painted parasols for their wedding. They are a cute way to personalize your day and can be perfect for a photo-op and/or reception decor! What’s fantastic is how affordable they are to make your own and how easy they are to make too. They are generally under $10 a piece, but the more you make..the more you save!

Some brides choose to make only one or a few for their bridal party with their monogram, date, initials or even simple messages like “Love” and “Thank You”. The “Thank You” parasol in a photo would make a great thank you card for after the wedding Another idea is making a small hand painted parasol for your flower girl(s) to carry!

Other brides make smaller ones for their guests as a favor. I’d only suggest this if you are having a small intimate wedding..or if you are really dedicated and have enough time on your hands to paint a bunch of parasols. (Which I doubt..you’re planning a wedding after all!)

You’ll Need..

• Paper parasol in your choice of size – just make sure that the paper is slightly transparent to allow you to see your pattern through it, most brides go with a simple white parasol (See Paper Lantern Store or Oriental Trading (bulk purchase) to order online)
• Acrylic Paints
• Pencil
• Tape
• Fine Paint Brush (Don’t go too cheap here, you’ll want a soft fine brush able to glide along the paper and paint intricate lines…In other words, don’t use the paintbrush from a kids watercolor paint set!)
• Computer/Printer to print pattern
• Optional – Embellishments such as swarovski crystals (and glue!)

Some suggestions for designs…
Just Married
Flowergirl
Bride
Groom
Bridesmaid
Groomsman
We Did!
I Do
Thank you!
Love
Your Monogram
Your Wedding Date

Making the parasols are extremely simple! Just gather your materials and steady your hand..here we go!

1. Decide what you want on your parasol. You will want to prepare your pattern on the computer to use as a guide for painting. How you do this depends on the programs you have available on your computer, however most brides seem to use Microsoft Word to type out the words/letters they want in the font style of their choice. Enlarge the font size (or design) till you get the size you want – you’ll have to play with this (and test print) till you get the size you are looking for. If the lettering/design is small you may be able to fit a word per sheet of paper. Some designs may require one letter per sheet..and some designs (a monogram perhaps?) are so big they may require several sheets of paper taped together. When you’ve successfully printed the letter(s)/design(s) for your parasol in the size you want you are ready for the next step!
2. Take your printed sheet and some scotch tape and GENTLY tape it to the underside of your parasol where you want the design on the sheet to be. The printed design should be face up so it peeks through the see through paper of your parasol – this is why your parasol -must- be see through to some degree and not opaque! This will act as a guide for painting onto your parasol.
3. Gently trace the design with a sharp pencil using the pattern you taped underneath as a guide.
4. Next, begin painting! Take your fine paint brush and begin painting your design using the pattern you traced. guide. Don’t rush this! Be very slow and gentle to fill in the pattern you traced. Some suggest using small strokes to avoid botching the design when you paint over the parasols ridges/bumps. If you are painting with more than one color, be sure to allow the first color (and each thereafter!) to dry before starting a new color.
5. Once your painting has dried you are done! You may now choose to further embellish your design to further customize your parasol. (Some swarovski crystals glued in select areas of the design could be very pretty!)

That’s it! These beautiful custom painted parasols will be a gorgeous personal detail at your wedding. Make sure you send us pictures if you create your own custom parasol…we would love to see!

credit: care04 on theknot.com

credit: care04 on theknot.com

As I browse through wedding boards planning my own wedding, I’m seeing there is growing popularity among women choosing bird cage veils either as their veil all day or for a smaller reception only veil. These classic veils can be adorned with beads, jewels, flowers and feathers to further make the veil “your own”. If you love the look of these veils but do not want to spend $100-$200 dollars on one, making one is extremely affordable. (You may just need a bit of patience working with the netting to achieve the shape you like..practice with it til you love it!)

I found a fantastic tutorial online by “care04” (From theknot.com!) who created her own bird cage veil and was nice enough to share the instructions with us!

You will need…

• 1 yard of Russian Netting (9″ wide for a smaller veil like care04 created OR 18″ wide if you plan to cover your entire face)
• 2 small combs for a smaller veil to be placed at each side of your head (with optional 3rd small comb to place in center to better hold the veil in place and further shape the netting) OR 1 large comb for a full face veil which would be placed at the top/middle of your head
• invisible/white/ivory thread, depending on the color of the netting and your preference (Care04 recommended and used button thread)
• hair pins to further shape veil once finished and placed on your head
• Scissors
• Optional: String to use as a guideline when cutting the veil shape

Let’s create a bird cage veil!

1. Lay out the netting so that the longest part is parallel with your body and decide on the veil shape. (Care04 used string to get an idea of the veil shape she wanted to cut and give the scissors a guideline to follow).
2. Cut off the hard corners of one side of the veil. Cut along the string line with sharp scissors so that you have one long edge with hard corners and one long edge with a rounded edge.
3. You will start your sewing at the hard corner and sew along the edge, through the rounded corner and across the top, then back down the opposite rounded corner, and finish at the hard edge opposite to the first hard edge. (This will pull the edges of the veil up so that it is a more rounded shape around your face.)
4. Using your thread (Care04 used button thread because of its strength), loop it once through a “diamond” of the netting at the first hard corner and make a very small knot so that the thread will hold. Use a running stitch through the open weaves of the netting. (Make sure to thread in between the diamonds that are complete – when you cut your netting, some of the “diamonds” will be cut, so if you thread through those broken holes the thread won’t stay!)
5. As you pull your thread for the running stitch, bunch up the fabric on the thread (it will be sort of like a drawstring) to your desired width. (Care04 used a 3.5 inch comb, so she gathered it to 3.5 inches – gather to the width of your comb(s)!) When you have gathered to the width you need, finish with a small tight knot.
6. Next, using your thread sew the bunched edge of the veil to the comb using a looping stitch, through the material and around the top/head of the comb and in between the teeth).
7. If using 2 small combs and wrapping, repeat step to attach the second comb to the other side of the veil.
8. Lastly, add embellishments! Scatter pearls or crystals as you see fit, attach feathers or even a flower (a silk gardenia would be pretty!). Be creative! (Note: You may also choose to make smaller embellishments on the veil itself, and then save the bigger ones like feathers and flowers for a separate comb to use along with your bird cage veil. This would allow you to place the larger flower/feather pin to hide pins or combs and also the ability to remove the bird cage veil after ceremony and wear only the flower/feather clip at the reception!)

That’s it! It may take a bit of patience playing around with it on your head to get the look you are going for. Be sure to further shape the veil to your hair with hair pins to complete the look you have in your head!

As always, we’d love to see your finished products..so if you make your own bird cage veil using these instructions send them in to us! We want to see your beautiful creations

credit: nelley from theknot.com

credit: Mrs. Kennedy from theknot.com

I found this diy video on Youtube and I had to share with you crafty brides! The video describes in depth how to create these dainty pearl earrings. They would look gorgeous on any bride and you can tell everyone you made them yourself! They don’t require a lot of materials, so they are also inexpensive, especially if you compare them to all the overpriced jewelry you’ll see in every bridal shop.

You will need: Earring findings, Jump Rings, Coin Pearls, eye pins, head pins and rice pearls

If you haven’t made jewelry before you may also need some tools..although most people probably have some of them in their garage or toolbox! For tools you will need: 2 pairs of chain nose pliers, round nose pliers and nipper pliers.

Watch the video for the step-by-step instructions!

Know of any other DIY jewelry projects that would be perfect for a bride or her bridesmaids? Please share with us! Also, as always, be sure to send in pictures if you create your own classy pearl earrings for your big day.

credit: Rebecca Margaret on flickr.com

To beautifully accompany the previous post’s craft – a flower girl ribbon streamer, I thought following up with how to make some whimsical handmade fairy wings for your flower girl would be perfect! These do it yourself wings are very easy to make and are very customizable. They can be painted in any way you like, made any size you wish and can be shaped any way your heart desires. They can be made as simple or as detailed as you see fit for your big day.

To begin, you will need…

• 14-18 gauge steel wire (easy to bend, but not so easy that it will lose shape!)
• Wire Cutters
• Duct Tape
• Pantyhose, Colored tights or sheer material (sheer material will probably require sewing though!)
• Clear Elastic
• Sewing Materials – Needle and thread
• Black or Colored Tape (optional, for wrapping wire)
• Things for decorating! For wing color, fabric paints or halloween colored hairspray work great! Additional decorative details may include ribbons, gems and more..use your imagination!

To create your wings..

1. You will start off with shaping your wings. You can make them in the shape of anything you wish! Some ideas may be butterfly wings or dragonfly wings. There are some sites online that are great for ideas and inspiration. Search fairy wings or flower fairy on any search engine I’m sure you’ll find some great ones. If you decide you want to wrap the wire with black or colored tape, do so now, before shaping. Next, shape your wings! Bend the wire in any way you see fit. You can make large loops of wire and then attach them with duct tape or you can twist the wire between loops (sort of like twisting a figure eight). The amount of loops and where connections are will depend on what style wing you choose to create. It’s all pretty straight forward though! Just follow the image you liked for inspiration and do your best to shape that with your wire. For example, if you are doing a butterfly with only one large wing on each side you will need 2 large shaped loops either attached with duct tape or twisted in center of the back. If you are doing a more elaborate style like a dragonfly, you will probably end up making four large loops. Let your creative mind be your guide!
2. Once you have shaped your wings and closed/attached the loops with duct tape you will be ready to cover your wings. If you are using pantyhose or tights, cut a leg off and carefully stretch it over your first shaped loop. Pull taut and either knot tightly or sew the fabric securely to the wire structure. If you are using sheer fabric you will need to trim the fabric in the shape of the wing or loop, leaving 1/4″ excess fabric around the edge. Then simply wrap the material over the wire and hand stitch the fabric onto the structure. If you wish, you can now sew fabric over the center/spine area to hide any wire and make the wings more uniform visually.
3. Next, add some straps for wearing! You will need 2 feet of clear elastic, one foot for each side. Sew each end to the center/spine area of the wings (If you are being creative with your wings and they are oddly shaped, eyeball it! You may want the straps higher or lower..depending on what shape you are using.) If you used pantyhose or tights ad knotted the fabric in the center, you can sew the elastic straps to the knots.
4. Lastly, decorate your wings! If you are painting your wings, use the fabric paint or halloween hairspray to color your wings as you see fit. Then, glue and adorn your wings with any gems, ribbons and doodads you wish to make your handmade wings unique and customized.

That’s it! Just following these 4 easy steps you can create beautiful whimsy wings for the flower girl(s) in your wedding. They are an adorable addition to your wedding day, allowing you to customize your flower girl attire more to fit your theme or color scheme.

Be sure to send any pictures our way if you create some wings for your flower girls. We want to see!

credit: bob fox photographer on flickr.com

credit: nidaIM on flickr.com

credit: Tosawyer on flickr.com

Ribbon wands (or ribbon streamers) are an adorable flower girl accessory for any wedding. They are extremely affordable to make, beautifully customizable, and do not require much work or effort on your part! Plus, your flower girls will -love- them! They will entertain themselves swirling and twirling their little ribbon fairy wands about..making great photo opportunities! They are however only recommended for flower girls ages 5 and up! Best to be safe than sorry.

Materials You’ll Need…

• Ribbon in your desired length, Silk & lame work nicely! Take the size of your flower girl into mind – 6 foot ribbons look absolutely beautiful and are ideal, but if your flower girl is tiny, this may be way too long. Shorten as necessary! 3-4 feet of ribbon works well for a smaller child. Ribbon width is just a matter of preference, 1.5″ seems to be a general size though.
• Wooden Dowel Rod (for handle)
• Hammer
• Snap Swivel Hardware (this is actually fishing gear, check the sports/fishing area of your local Walmart, target or Dick’s to name a few! Click here for an example of what they look like)
• Small Flathead Nail (NOT finishing nail!)
• Sandpaper
• Optional: Paint, Charms for Embellishing

The steps to creating your wands are pretty simple! Here we go!

1. Gently sand your craft dowel until smooth. You don’t want your little flower cutie to get any splinters! If you plan on painting your dowel to further customize the wand to your wedding theme..do so here! Acrylic paints are extremely cheap (around $1.00 or less) and come in a large variety of colors..so they would work wonderfully! If you do decide to paint the dowel, allow proper time to dry before continuing on to the next step.
2. Next, get your hammer, small flathead nail and swivel snap. Nail the swivel snap to the top of your dowel rod. (You are nailing the smaller circular end to the rod. The larger snap area is where your ribbon will be threaded!) Make sure you nail directly in the center of the dowel rod to ensure fluid ribbon movement, and that the nail is very secure.
3. Finally, thread your pre-measured/precut ribbon through the larger snap circle of the swivel snap and make a secure knot. Trim the ribbon as you see fit visually. If you like, you can add another ribbon in the same fashion, in another color. For instance if your wedding colors are black and pink..a black and pink ribbon wand could look adorable! You may, however, want to shorten the ribbons a bit to make up for the additional ribbon weight (for easy whirling and twirling!). If you’d rather stick to one ribbon, but still want to incorporate two wedding colors, have one color for the ribbon and paint the wooden dowel in the second color! It’s all up to you!
4. Lastly, if you should decide to further embellish your wand to match your wedding, you can do so here! Jewelry charms attach very easily to the swivel snap hardware you tied the ribbon to! Snowflake charms, butterfly charms..even seashell charms would add an additional adorable detail to the ribbon streamer.

Please Note: If the use of a hammer, nail and swivel snap hardware sound like to much for you, you can bypass that and just glue one end of the ribbon to the tip of your wooden dowel rod with a very strong super glue. This will, however, not look as finished and is much more likely to fall apart than if you did it the way above! Just a warning/tip!

That’s it! It’s an extremely easy DIY craft for your big day, and your flower girls will love their whimsical accessory! Please be sure to send pictures our way if you make your own custom flower girl ribbon wands using our instructions..we would -love- to see them!