Last-minute DIY

We registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond, which means not only have we been receiving wonderfully practical kitchen items, but scads of purple ribbon. I'm such a pack rat for that sort of thing, so what better way to put it to use than lollipop stands for the kids room at the reception.

This is my quick-and-dirty unfinished version:


And Cheree Berry's gorgeous version and step-by-step tutorial from Martha Stewart weddings:


Cheree is also now selling the lollipop stands on her website starting at $125 for a small one. I guarantee you they will look 100 times more beautiful than one I could ever make, but I also spent just $3.99 for the styrofoam cone at Jo-Ann. And I get to re-use ribbon!

The invitations part I: the inside

Within the last 48 hours, we have picked up the invitations from our designer, bought $100+ worth of stamps, picked up envelopes from our calligrapher then lined them, stamped, sealed and sent the invites on their way!

The envelopes are from Paper Source (of course!) in Bluebell. I bought their envelope liner template kit ages ago and was glad to put it to good use. I started off lining the envelopes with World Map Wrapping Paper, since the invites have an airplane/map/travel theme to them. Then I found paper with vintage airlines and vintage planes at Paper Studio, which were perfect:


Next up...the outside!

DIY Done: bookmarks

I finally finished the photo booth bookmark favors hoo-ray. Since we're not getting anything printed on the photo strips themselves, I printed Paper Source khaki-colored paper and labels (I started with labels, then moved to the paper since it was easier) with info:

then wrapped them around the bookmark:

I now have a stack of 191 ready to go (nine were harmed in the making of the bookmarks):

D-I-While I still give a care, part 2: the CDs

Because I am a former mixed-tape-making geek, I want to do a CD favor for our wedding. Knowing how I tend to quit on long and involved DIY projects, however, I decided to break it down and just make them for the wedding party. That seems manageable enough...for now.

I can't remember how I found Jewelboxing (perhaps here?):
Plus I was excited to learn that they are Chicago-based so I can support my local peeps.

Initially I wanted to Photoshop the fiance and I into a cheesy 70s kind of album cover, but I couldn't find one suitably cheesy enough. So I think I'm going with Plan B to Photoshop a Chicago album cover. So this:


may become this:

Something for the Bridesmaids

I finished the Bridesmaids Guides. We've postponed the Non-Shower, so I'm going to put them in the mail at some point in the next few days (hopefully).

These RuMe bags were a "Today's Delight" on Delight.com a few weeks back, so I snagged one for each of the five bridesmaids in different colors:

I also had a custom rubber stamp made from Impress Rubber Stamps with our date and "Chicago, Illinois" (that's what the two blobs at the bottom of the heart say, I promise):

and stamped some 5x7 muslin bags to package everything up:

*with thanks/apologies to Bunny Cakes!

Duh-I-Y

We are having a photo booth at our reception, the kind where guests will leave one copy for the guest book and take the other home. I thought it'd be nice to give the guests a vinyl bookmark sleeve for their photo, and to pretty it up, put some printed paper in the sleeve.

I spent a couple of hours this weekend carefully cutting up some Martha Stewart paper:


Idiot that I am, I cut the strips the exact width of the vinyl sleeve...which I didn't get until today. Why I thought the paper would slide easily into the sleeve, I have no idea. And so tonight I spent some of my evening trimming:

Pretty trays

I've been coveting these custom decoupage trays from Ben's Garden for years:

Since I've been on a crafting kick lately (and in anticipation of my own wedding photos I'll have later this year), I thought why not make my own?  I found Behrenberg Glass online and bought a few glass trays of varying sizes, all for under $10 apiece!

Bridesmaid's Guide

I'm starting to put together treats for my five bridesmaids. I have a feeling that our time together during the wedding weekend is going to be a bit chaotic, so next month when we get together for my Non-Shower I'd like to give them a few small thank you gifts.

During a recent Paper Source shopping spree, I bought a mini accordion kit:

While I was hibernating/crafting last weekend, I finally assembled it, and it's now a prototype for a Bridemaid's Guide that I'll make for each of the ladies:

In addition to an overview of their duties (which basically consist of them showing up and having a good time), there are Bridesmaids Dos and Don'ts ("DO take time to enjoy being in Chicago", "DON'T let me eat or drink too much!") and a phone list. Most importantly the guide has a note telling the gals why they are important to us, and what it means to us to have them standing by our sides on our wedding day.

This prototype took about 20 minutes to assemble, so I'm hoping this is one DIY project I can handle without too many blunders.

Snowy Sunday

Chicago Tribune photo

Blech. Will spring ever come? It was a good weekend, though, to stay in and line some envelopes:



Don't ask me why the envelopes and cards are orange and green. I love them-- they're from Erin Condren, but we don't really have a color scheme going and highly unlikely it will include orange and green, so I don't know where those two came from. Anyhow, I used Martha Stewart scrapbook paper for the lining, which matched perfectly.

Two things to note in the picture above (three, if you count the banana that needs to get thrown out. Gross.) : my new Fiskars paper trimmer and Orla Kiely tote (with blue flowers) . This afternoon the fiance picked up both of those things for me (plus some other crafting tools) as a surprise while he was at Target. I've said before my fiance rocks, and I really mean it!

DI While I still give a care

There's about four and a half months until the big day, and since we've knocked most of the big stuff off the to-do list, I'm feeling a bit weird about having time on my hands.  I have a short list of DIY projects that I want to do, but I'm a little nervous about doing them so far ahead of time because I'm afraid I'll change my mind about what I've done and I'll probably find myself the night before the wedding throwing penny candy into Ziplocs and calling it an OOT bag.

Oh, and there's also the matter of me being not-so-great at crafting.  I could spend hours at Paper Source or online admiring the handiwork of genuinely talented people.  I have good intentions.  I even have equipment!  I bought a Xyron on eBay and I own a bone folder!  

But what usually happens is that I'll start a project, then I'll get distracted by work...or maybe Make Me a Supermodel is on.  Or else I'll get in way over my head, like I did for my sister's wedding a few years ago (Oh what?  You need me to bake, ice, bag and label 250 personalized cookies for your reception?  No problem.).

I guess the card box I just bought isn't going to decorate itself, so I should get on it. Right after 30 Rock.