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DIY Ribbon Boutonniere: For the Groom!

Mel over at The Crafty DIY Bride offered to share this fabulous DIY Ribbon Boutonniere tutorial with IW readers.

Take it away Mel!

Finished Ribbon MedallionIf you want to incorporate some DIY wedding craftiness into your intimate wedding, check out these DIY ribbon boutonnieres for the groom!  You can also use them as hair clips to add some colour to your girls’ outfits.

Supplies required for Ribbon MedallionsDIY Ribbon Boutonniere Tutorial

What you’ll need:

Ribbon
Scissors
Needle and thread
Iron
Button Covering Kit and scrap material

What to do:

1. Start by making an accordion formation with your ribbon. I made folds every inch.

Step 1 - Make Accordion FoldsStep1 - Make Accordion Folds

2. Knot one end of your thread and push the needle through one edge. Then bring each side over so that both ends of the thread meet, and knot them.

Step 2 - Sew TogetherStep 2 - Bring each side together and knot3. Now comes the fiddly part – make your folds evenly spaced and push down so that the fold is in one direction only, then iron flat.

Step 3 - Space the folds evenlyStep 3 - Iron the folds flat4. Now to add some flair to your medallion. Cut a length of ribbon and attach to the back of your medallion with glue.

Step 4 - Cut a length of ribbon and attach to the medallion5. Finally, we’ll add a patterned button to the center. You can either use a vintage button for the center, or cover one using a kit.

Step 5 - Cover a button using a kitTa-dah - your Ribbon Medallion is finished6. Glue the covered button into the center with a hot glue gun and you’re finished. How cute is that!

Finished Ribbon Medallion

DIY Boutonnieres for an Autumn Wedding

diy bouts

Want to learn how to make these striking DIY bouts for your autumn wedding? Mel from The Crafty DIY Bride made bouts for her wedding – and she’s here to show you how.  Take it away Mel!

For my wedding, one of the details I created myself was the boutonnieres for the boys. The leaves were made using gorgeous fabrics and fresh flowers topped with grosgrain ribbon.

What you’ll need:

  • Mod Podge decoupage glue
  • Wire
  • Fabric
  • floral tape
  • Wire cutters
  • Scissors
  • Paint brush
  • Leaf outline
  • Flowers (I used Chinese Lanterns)

DIY Boutonnieres for an Autumn Wedding Tutorial

1. Cut a length of wire to the length of your leaves plus a good length to wrap.
2. Cut a piece of fabric that is double the length of the leaf outline, brush with glue.
3. Fold the fabric in half with the wire inside and press flat – let dry overnight.
4. Centre the leaf outline over the dried fabric.

Leaf Boutonniere steps 1-4

5. Cut out the leaf outline using good scissors.
6. Cut some lovely fresh blooms with a good length of stem. I used Chinese lanterns in a gorgeous bright orange from my garden.
7. Wrap the stems and wire with florist tape and secure, trim the ends.
8. Finish by tying a little ribbon around the base (this also secures everything together).

Lead boutonniere steps 5-8

diy bouts

Simple and sweet, these are the perfect DIY wedding detail for your autumn wedding.

 

DIY Stamped Favor Bags

Did you have a go at IW’s Birdseed Favor Hearts? Well, these stamped muslin bags are a perfect way to package them up for your guests as DIY wedding favors. Mel from The Crafty DIY Bride made them for her wedding. Here’s how:

Stamped Muslin Bags

What you’ll need:

Stamp pad, stamps and muslin bagsStart with clean bags (you may want to wash them first). Carefully cover your stamp with ink and press lightly onto the bag to avoid the edges messing up your bags.

bag and stampstamped bagStamped bagI made these for my wedding along with the birdseed hearts about a year or so ago and they looked so gorgeous. To display your seed hearts, hang a few from a branch in a pot and the rest bagged up neatly in a basket.

Bird seed hearts

Photo credit: Darin Collison

Winter Wedding Details with Charm

Don’t skimp on charm for your winter wedding!

By Lizzie Smithson

It would be silly to tell you how much I love winter. It seems like everyone loves the holidays. Ever since I moved to the South, I have missed snow, which has always put my Christmas spirit up there with the Grinch in the aftermath of Cindy Lou Who. Winter weddings have so much potential for adorable details that I can hardly stand it.

Whether you choose to DIY some of those details, buy handmade from Etsy or check out one of many affordable favor and wedding decor shops, don’t skimp on the charm for your winter wedding.

DIY Wreath Escort Cards

DIY Wreath Escort Cards

Gingerbread Box Wedding Favors

Gingerbread Gift Box Wedding Favor

DIY Smore Favors

DIY Smore Wedding Favors for a Winter Wedding

Tree Branch Placecards

Tree Branch Placecards for a Fall or Winter Wedding

Birdseed Heart Favors

Birdseed Heart Ornament Favors

 

Photo One: Project Wedding Photo Two: LaBelle Bride Photo Three: Valley and Co Photo Four: Dream Green Weddings Photo Five: Nature Favors

Elizabeth Smithson Guest Blogger Ten Thou Bride

Lizzie Smithson is a public relations student and wedding blogger planning a $10,000 (or under) wedding with her graphic-designer fiancé.

Homemade Caramel Corn: DIY Favors and Gifts

caramel corn in a tin

Now that you’ve got the best caramel corn in town from this homemade caramel corn recipe, you’ll want to share some of it. Perhaps you’d like to give some of it away as DIY favors or gifts. Okay, maybe you don’t really want to share it. Maybe you want to hoard every last delicious kernel, but just in case you are feeling generous, I’ve got a lovely way to present your scrumptious caramel corn – complete with instructions. The talented Nanette over at SweetPea Baby has generously designed some freebie labels to add to your caramel corn favors. BTW, do check out Nanette’s Etsy shop which is chock  full of beautiful printables. I love the bridal shower invites and the Christmas cards!

Kudos to my mother-in-law who came up with idea of putting the caramel corn into tins. (She also helped me make the caramel corn.) I think my mother-in-law is the most faithful reader of this blog. She’s my own personal copy editor, not to mention cheerleader! She always has words of encouragement and praise – and believe me, they go a long way on the days when I wonder what the heck I am doing! (Yes, I have those days!) She’s also great at coming up with ideas for the blog. (Stay tuned for Homemake Sponge Taffy!)

So, here it is: [Read more...]

DIY Invitations by Carrie and Nathan

careyBy Carey, IW Bride Blogger

I told Nathan early on that the invitations were probably the most important pre-wedding piece of planning a wedding. Now since he is the real creative one in this relationship, I guess that put a little undue pressure on him because ultimately we are planning a marriage! But it worked to our advantage as I LOVE love love our DIY invitations. They are different. They are us. They are handmade. They didn’t break the bank. And, I hope they created a bit of wonderment and discovery for our guests.

We knew we wanted to do them ourselves, and that we didn’t have a huge budget. I also wanted Nathan to draw something for them since he is an illustrator. Our first idea was similar but we were using too many ideas to make them – we had photos, post-it notes, writing, stickers. I loved them, but Nathan decided to do a rework one day while I was at the job. When I got home I realized I loved them even more now!

The invitation has 3 parts. The love story (we created a little book about our love story), the actual invitation, and the map. Our materials were chipboard (from Pearl art supply), paper (from Kinkos), stickers (from kinkos), the darling-est “Admit One” tickets (from Papier Valise), book binding tape (from Paper Source), rubber bands, paper clips, dried moss, and card boxes (from Papermart).

If we had planned a little better, we wouldn’t have lost some money in “trial and error” with the copy machines at Kinkos. But we made good friends with one of the copy boys, and the invitations sparked Nathan’s overall creative energy. The invitations took about 2 weeks to make.

Here ya go!

diy wedding invitations

diy invitations [Read more...]

DIY Caketoppers from Clothespins

clothespincaketoppers

Clothespin caketoppers are popping up all over the place. And now you can make your own! For $10!

I stumbled on this super helpful DIY caketoppers tutorial over at Craftster.

clothespin bride

Here’s what you’ll need:

Doll pins (you can find them at your local craft store or here)

Pencil

Craft paints

Clear gloss varnish (Delta Ceramcoat Gloss Interior Varnish was used for these)

Lace or ribbon with a width of at least 1-1/2 inches

Small buttons for bouquet

Multisurface glue (like E-6000)

Fabric glue

2-1/2-inch-diameter wooden circle

Glitter (Martha Stewart Crafts Fine Glitter in White Gold was used for these)

Hop on over to How to Make a Clothespin Caketopper for the full tutorial.

Make Wedding Candy Bar Wrappers from Comic Books

wedding candy bar wrappers

Wedding candy bar wrappers made from a vintage Fat Albert comic book ? Yes! In fact, you can make them from any vintage comic book and there’s plenty of them selling cheap on eBay.

I happen to be a huge fan of those quirky comic book ads for squirting ink pens, joy buzzers and itching powder. I recall poring over these ads as a kid when I was lucky enough to snag a Richie Rich comic book from a yard sale. When my five-year old snatched up a Fat Albert comic book at a local flea market, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it so I could read through the mail order ads. Then it hit me! This would be perfect way to wrap a gift! Better yet – let’s make wedding candy bar wrappers!

Not only do these candy bars serve as favors, but also escort cards. I used 52 g Caramilk bars for these favors, but you can also use 42 g Nestle Aero Bars – that is, if you are in Canada. In the U.S., I hear that Hershey’s Milk Chocolate 1.55oz or Nestle Crunch 1.52oz still have the foil wrapper.

BTW, most of these brands should be available in bulk at Costco.

Here’s the tutorial for Wedding Candy Bar Wrappers Made from a Vintage Comic Book

You will need:

A vintage comic book with mail order ads

Caramilk or Aero candy bars if you are in Canada:

Ribbon

Buttons (optional)

White glue for adhering buttons

Double sided tape

Glue stick

Hole punch

A color printer

Paper for printing guests’ names

Cardstock for ‘Thank-You’ tag

Making the Wedding Candy Bar Wrapper

Leaf through your comic book and find a page with mail order ads.

vintage comic book mail order ads

Scan the page, and size it to fit your chocolate bar. (Caramilk wrappers are 4″ x 5.5″). Print. I used regular printer paper and an inkjet printer.

Remove outer wrapping from your candy bar.

diy candy bar wrappers

Wrap comic book page around the candy bar. I used double sided table to adhere the wrapper.

candy bar wrappers

Type your guests’ names, and table numbers in a font that you like and print. Cut with pinking shears to fit the width of chocolate bar. Adhere with glue stick.

wedding candy bar wrappers

Cut cardstock with pinking shears for ‘Thank-You’ tags. My tags were 2″ x 3″. Print another comic book page, and cut out an ad to adhere to your gift tag.

candy bar wrappers

Glue ad to tag with glue stick. Fold and use a hole punch to make a hole. In your best handwriting, write ‘Thank You’ inside the gift tag. Include your names and wedding date.

wedding candy bar wrappers

Put ribbon through hole and tie to candy bar. Glue buttons to candy bar. (This is entirely optional, but I think the buttons dress it up a bit.)

wedding candy bar wrappers

Display your candy bars at reception entrance. Watch guests oohh and ahh over your clever DIY wedding favors:)

wedding candy bar wrappers

Wedding Table Numbers with Illuminated Numbers and Monogram: DIY Wedding Reception Ideas

diy table numbers

The ultra-creative Tuppence from Momfetti has generously agreed to share her wonderful wedding table numbers tutorial here at IntimateWeddings.com. She made these for her castle wedding in the Netherlands this year.

“Construction-wise they are incredibly simple, but the finished item looks so much more complicated than it is. The final impact is incredible!” says Tuppence.

Tuppence came up with the idea for them by melding two Wedding Table Numbers styles.

She says she loved the look of velum wrapped votives, but thought they were too small.  She also liked the tri-fold table numbers from Martha Stewart Weddingsbut thought they were a bit too “crafty.” Wanting something more decadent, Tuppence combined the two ideas and created a prototype.

“I spent about 4 minutes making the prototype. I liked it, he liked it, and I ran with it,” she says.

Tuppence says the wedding table numbers got rave reviews from her guests, who thought they add a warm, ‘romantic’ glow to the reception space.

“A few guests asked if they could keep them. To me, that is the most prized compliment I could ever receive,” she says.

They were also practical. The brightness of the numbers made them easy to see.

“Literally, each guest was able to make a beeline for the correct one right from the door,” says Tuppence.

diy table numbers

[Read more...]

Free Save-the-Date Templates

free printable save the datesfree printable save the datesfree printable save the dates

Check out these free save-the-date templates from Printablities. Actually, they are intended for use as calling cards, but I think they make lovely save-the-dates! There are eight different patterns which allow you to simply input your text and print. (There is also a two-line version.) Click here to get busy making your free STDS!

Looking for more free save-the-date templates? Check out The Giving Tree STD.

DIY Wedding Programs Galore!

diy wedding programs

If you are looking for ideas for DIY wedding programs, check out this gem on Better Homes and Gardens. It has photos for 18-Easy-to-Make-Wedding-Programs.

If you don’t see any that catch your fancy, check out this tutorial for DIY wedding fan programs, or this free wedding template for a DIY wedding fan program. There are also scroll programs, stitched programs and 25 wedding program ideas from Martha Stewart.

Still need wedding program ideas? Stay tuned for upcoming posts.

Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

Paper Wedding Flowers: DIY Wedding Centerpieces and Bouquets

wedding paper flowers

Michelle did not have real flowers at her wedding. Instead, she opted for paper wedding flowers.  Hundreds of them.

A week after Michelle got engaged she bought origami paper. (Most of it came from kimscrane.com.) Her mom used a lily origami pattern that came from a calendar featuring origami designs to make the paper wedding flowers.

lilycouple“I’ve never really cared for cut flowers, but my mother and I have always been crafty,” says Michelle, whose mom folded every origami lower.

Michelle points out that it was her mother’s first attempt at origami.

“When she gets into a project like that she just doesn’t stop. I think that’s why we had so many extra flowers to decorate other places,” says Michelle.

paper flowers weddingThe paper wedding flowers were used for centerpieces, as well as bridal bouquets and even boutonneires. And guests got to take them home as keepsakes.

“I am really glad we made them instead of getting real flowers. They were more personal, customizable, and durable,” she says, adding that she and her hubby recently celebrated their first annivesary and the flowers are still thriving all over the country (with a few in Japan).

Want to learn how to make origami paper lilies? Check out this step by step tutorial. Or watch the video on how to make origami lilies.

Looking for more paper flower ideas? Check out this tutorial on DIY wedding centerpieces made from egg cartons.

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