DIY Wedding

I found this beautiful (and SO simple!) project while browsing Martha Stewart’s website and had to share! These Lacy Votive Holders would be such a beautiful addition to any wedding table setting for any season. I can picture brightly colored lacy votives scattered throughout a summer wedding held outside in a tent under the stars or crisp, intricate white lacey votive holders with some subtle glitter scattered throughout a winter wedding in a frosted ballroom. So pretty!

If you are feeling really ambitious (or you are having a small wedding) these would make really pretty custom wedding favors as well!

All you will need are…

• Tea light or votive candles
• Small Glass Votive Candle Holders (to keep the project safe!)
• Rectangular pieces of lace – 5″ wide by 14-21″ long works well but practice with one first to decide on what size works best with your glass holder. The Martha site recommends guipure lace but says any medium to heavyweight lace will work. (Lace can be found in any fabric store and it can be dyed different colors to fit the theme of your wedding or left a clean white, depending on the look you are after!)
• Balloons
• Fabric Stiffener
• Needle and thread(to match the lace)
• Optional: Fabric Dye (if you are dying the lace), Glitter

Now the instructions..

1. Cut lace into a rectangle in the desired size. Trim one of the long sides, which will be the top of the votive holder, following the lace’s motif. Sew across the bottom with a loose running stitch and connect the 2 ends. Pull the thread, gathering the bottom into a tight circle, and knot. Whipstitch the short sides together.
2. Place a balloon inside the lace, and then blow it up to fit the lace’s dimensions. Set the balloon upright in a paper cup so the lace form is upside down. Arrange the gathered lace to create an even bottom. Spray with fabric stiffener until saturated. Let dry.
3. Pop the balloon.
4. Your votive holder should be all set! Now if you like add some subtle glitter or leave it alone Just slide in your glass votive holder and it is ready to light up your wedding!

These beautiful votives will look stunning scattered throughout your wedding ceremony and/or reception. Your guests will love the attention to detail and you’ll love the cost and simplicity!

As always, please send in your photos if you create these lacy wedding candle holders for your big day. We would love to see!

Credit: MarthaStewart.com

Credit: WonderTrader on Flickr.com

Photo courtesy of: InStyleWeddings.com

If you’re looking for a beautiful, modern centerpiece that is easy on the wallet and is can be done yourself these submerged flower centerpieces  are for you! Submerged flower centerpieces have been all the rage the past year or two..and why wouldn’t they be? They look so elegant and contemporary plus you don’t need a ton of flowers to make a big impact. Tulips and orchids look stunning..but so can many other flowers (and branches too!).

Let’s get started! You will need…

• Flowers/Greenery/Branches to be submerged (Fresh or silk/latex flowers can be used..both have their own pros and cons. Fresh obviously won’t last forever so they are best put together  the night before to ensure they stay fresh for the big day. Silk will never die BUT water works as a natural magnifier so if the silk flowers have frays, loose threads and flaws they will be more obvious once submerged in water. Latex seems to be used more often when a fake flower is used for this reason! Also, when using fake flowers test them underwater first before putting them into the centerpiece. Colors may bleed and you don’t want that happening on your big day!) Some ideas for things to submerge: Tulips, Stem of Orchids, Calla Lillies, Ferns, Hydrangeas, Oriental Lillies, Cherry blossom branches, branches of hibiscus berries, gladiolas, roses.. etc! Avoid flowers with paper thin petals or flowers with a ton of pollen..and you’ll be fine!
• Pretty vase (Often tall rectangular or cylindrical ones and fish bowls are the vases of choice..but there are no rules. If you have another pretty vase you think would work well that your flowers would fit into..use it!
• Stainless steel washers and/or fishing sinkers to keep the flower submerged. (Washers and sinkers come in a multitude  of sizes and weights. Use the smallest size you can that will keep your flower(s) submerged! The more flowers you submerge or the larger the flower the more weight you’ll need.)
• Decorative rocks, gravel, stones seashells (to hide the wire/fishing line/weights)
• Floral tape (Needed if you are using multiple stems)
• Floral/fishing wire or Fishing line to attach the flowers/greenery to the weights
• Distilled water (Distilled water will stop the bubbles from forming on the flowers. If you don’t mind the bubbles then any water should be ok!)
• Optional: Floating candles, Submersible LED lights to give the vase a pretty glow

Now all there is to do is assemble!

1. Take your vase (make sure it is nice and clean!) and your flowers/branches/greenery and plan how you would like it to look once in the vase and submerged. This is easy if you are using only a single stem of orchids or  a single tulip but if you plan on having more than one stem you may want to practice how they will look grouped before taping/wiring/tying them together.
2. If you are using fresh flowers now might be a good time to give them a fresh cut (at an angle) under running water to keep them fresher longer! If you are using fake flowers make sure you test them first to make sure the colors will not bleed once under water.
3. (If you are using a single stem skip to the next step!) If you are using more than one stem and know how you want them grouped you can now floral tape the group of stems together to hold them in place near the bottom (You are going to want to hide the tape with rocks/stones so don’t tape them too high!)
4. Now with your floral wire or fishing line tightly wrap around the stem(s) and then tie/attach the wire or line to the steel washer or fishing sinker. (Some flowers/branches may not need to be weighted at all..I cannot stress enough that practicing beforehand is key! A stem of orchids may push into a tall skinny vase and not budge..but you won’t know unless you practice first! It all depends on the type of item being submerged and the vase being used!)
5. Now you can gently slide your flowers/greenery/branches into the vase, letting the weight rest at the bottom.
6. Next, hide the ugly washer/sinker with your decorative stones, river rocks, gems, sand..whatever you decided would be a pretty!
7. Now all you have to do is fill it up! You may choose to submerge the flower completely or just half way..Both can look very pretty! Just make sure the water is distilled water if you do not want the little bubbles to form on your flowers.
8. That’s it! You may choose to leave it the way it is or you may decide to float a candle on top. Both would look very nice!

Some final thoughts..

The project itself is really simple! The biggest problem you are going to have is getting them to your venue. Some people recommend seeing if you can bring the weighted flowers, stones and distilled water to the venue the night before and set it up to avoid transportation issues. Otherwise make sure they are secure in your vehicle and not completely full of water (enough to allow the flower to drink). Finish filling them up once they are at your venue!

As always if you use our instructions to make your own centerpieces..We want to see! Please e-mail your photos to us

Photos courtesy of: theknot.com

Manzanita branch trees have been growing in popularity in the wedding scene  as both beautiful centerpieces and stunning decor (like a manzanita wish tree!).  Tree centerpieces and decor give your wedding an ethereal, whimsical beauty that can give your wedding a modern fairy tale feel or even a lush green forest!

Buying them already made can be quite costly.. So why not make them yourself? The branches aren’t exactly cheap -BUT- it is much cheaper than buying the whole tree already completed. You could also skip using manzanita branches altogether and gather branches from your backyard for an even cheaper alternative!

You will need (for one tree):

• Manzanita Branch(es) or branches you have gathered in the park/backyard (Make sure you allow them to dry out a bit before building!) Also – If you plan on hanging heavier objects from the branches (like votives) make sure the branches you have collected/purchased are strong enough to hold them without breaking. You don’t want your guests attacked by falling candles!
• Container to use as a base of the tree (A pretty wide mouth vase, a cute pail, a clean flower pot…Use your imagination! Just make sure the mouth of the container is wide enough to allow arranging of the branches.)
• Something to keep the branches in place (I have seen marbles, river rocks, floral foam, aqua beads, etc!) If you use floral foam you will want to hide the foam with marbles, rocks or moss when you have finished arranging.
• Optional: Silver/White paint(or any color you like!), Glitter paint, Glitter & Glue (If you do not want to leave the branches in their natural state!)
• Things to hang/decorate the branches – The possibilities are endless! Butterflies, silk or preserved flowers (preserved orchids would be stunning!), strands of crystal, lush amaranthus, fake petals strung on fishing line, lights and even hanging votives if the branch can handle the weight! Little squares of pretty paper would also look pretty for guests to write their wishes and advice upon to hang.

Let’s get started! It’s SO simple

1. First, if you plan on painting or glittering your branches do this first! Spray paint them in pretty metallic silver or a clean white…You may need more than one coat of paint! Then, add some glitter paint or glue on crystals/glass glitter as well if you like! (Which would be stunning for a winter wedding!) To be safe it is best to allow the branches to dry overnight before moving onto the next step. If you are leaving the branches natural skip to the next step!
2. Add your river rocks, marbles, aqua beads….(whatever you plan on using!) to the container. Add the branches and play around with them until you get them to look the way you want them to look. You may also choose to hot glue floral foam into the bottom of your container and then arrange the branches in the foam. Then just hide the foam with moss, crystals, rocks or marbles!
3. Now all that is left is to decorate them! Glue on silk flower and butterflies, drape sparkling strands of crystals or strands of flowers, hang votives..etc! So gorgeous!

That should do it! Whether you make one tree or multiple trees for centerpieces I’m sure your guests will be impressed by their beauty…and you can say you created them yourself!

For further inspiration I found this fantastic video on youtube to help you make your tree:

As always please share your photos if you create your own – we’d love to see!

(Photos from Nettleton Hollow Blog and Real Simple Magazine Article)

I found this fantastic how-to video on youtube showing step by step how to make your own wedding card box.  Wendy Dahl from Dahl Wedding Company does a beautiful job explaining and showing just how easy it is to make an adorable card box that will match your wedding theme and colors. It’s affordable too! All you need is a chip board box with a lid (she ordered hers from papersource.com), some glue, pretty wrapping paper to match your wedding, scissors, a pencil for tracing, pretty ribbon and a craft knife.

Here is her fantastic video!

Please send us your photos if you make your own..We would love to see!

I found this DIY project browsing around the web and just had to share it with all of you! It would be a beautiful diy project for autumn wedding decor like centerpieces or decorations or even in wedding bouquets! Plus, it is extremely affordable as you can get the leaves just walking around your neighborhood..for free!

Some tips before the photo tutorial…

• Choose bright, freshly fallen leaves – the more colorful the more vibrant your flowers will be! Avoid the crispy dry leaves..they will not fold and form into flowers without breaking.
• It is best to use leaves of a similar color for each flower..a group of yellow leaves make a beautiful yellow flower..etc.
• The original tutorial is not written in english but the translation mentions soaking the finished bouquets in vegetable oil for a few days to maintain color and freshness. I have not tried this though – so don’t take my word for it! Other preservation methods would be dipping the finished flowers in glycerin(1 part glycerin to 2 parts water, left in solution 2-6 days) or spraying with acrylic spray from your local craft store.
• The thread can be covered with a matching floral tape to give the flowers a more finished look.

The full original tutorial can be found on Natalia’s Site.

As always I would -love- to see photos if you create these beautiful autumn leave flowers! Make you e-mail us if you do

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

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!

My previous post I featured a project by David Monn, an event designer featured on Martha Stewart. This is another fantastic autumn project he created that would add some warm autumn colors from an unexpected place! Sure, you have autumn florals and centerpieces..but how about some fall decor cascading from the ceiling? These Cascading autumn leaves are extremely affordable and easy to create and would look stunning in a number of places on your wedding day! Hanging around doorways, above tables or maybe just above the cake table to make your autumn wedding confection pop out even more! Let’s get started!

You’ll need…

• Monofilament (a fancy word for clear fishing line!)
• Scissors
• Pressed Leaves from your yard or faux silk leaves from the craft store
• strong craft glue that dries clear

Now is to create these dandgling beauties!

1. Take your monofilament and cut it into lengths you want the cascading leaf strands to be. Make them as long or short as you wish!
2. Mark the monofilament with a pencil where you want each leaf to be spaced on the strand. Place a spot of glue in the center of a leaf, and then attach it to the monofilament strand where you made your mark.
3. Add another spot of glue on the leaf now glued to the monofilament and push another leaf on top. Double facing the leaves will hide the spots of glue used when attaching!
4. Repeat gluing 2 leaves on each premarked spot on your monofilament strand until each mark is covered.

That’s it! make as many strands as you wish and hang them at your ceremony/reception site to add rich natural warm colors of autumn from an unexpected place – the ceiling! I think they are an absolutely perfect add on to your fall wedding decor..Every little detail personalizes your big day!

Make sure you send in your pics if you use these leaf cascades at your wedding!

David Monn (a Nyc event designer) was on the Martha Stewart yesterday and he did a wonderful presentation of easy fall table decor that I thought would also work beautifully in some cases for a fall themed wedding! One of his wonderful creations was a perfect autumn centerpiece, a pumpkin filled with colorful autumn leaves. It’s an extremely easy centerpiece to assemble, and also extremely affordable this time of year – especially if you have rich autumn leaves laying all over your yard or park that can be used for free!

Here’s what you will need…

• Low, Squat Pumpkin (if you want this to be a nonperishable centerpiece, the craft pumpkins would probably work from the craft store too as long as its low and squat and can be scooped out into a bowl!)
• Fall leaves from outside, pick a rich variety of colors – reds, yellows, orange and green! (like with the pumpkin, if you want them to last you can use silk leaves from your craft store)
• Carving knife
• Floral foam (Oasis)
• Floral Wire
• 3 inch floral sticks

Now let’s start!

1. Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and carve your pumpkin into a bowl.
   
2. Cut your floral foam to fit inside your pumpkin bowl and push into your pumpkin.
   
3. Attach five leaves of different sizes to a floral stick using floral wire to form a branch.
   
4. Push your branch into your floral foam and repeat until the foam is completely covered. You will end up with a pumpkin bowl with an overflowing colorful abundance of crisp leaves.

Now just repeat as needed until you have the number of centerpieces needed for your reception! These would also look beautiful as randomly placed decor throughout your ceremony and reception. Maybe place one near the guest book, or a couple around your altar! It would bring the beautiful crisp autumn colors into your big day to compliment a wonderful fall theme.

Credit: Martha Stewart and David Monn for the idea and images!