Lesson 104- Wedding Week II

  My parents gave me a fairly small budget (compared to the *average* wedding) for our wedding.  And although they did give me some wiggle room, I had to be creative on how the money was spent.  My two biggest expenses were the venue+food and drink and the photographer.  Looking back I have no qualms about the money spent on either.  This week I’m going through some of the projects I competed to stay on budget.

Right after we got engaged, we attended my cousin’s wedding in TX.  She had an elaborate and very glamorous wedding—and a much larger budget.  But she had a box on the gift table that looked like a tiered wedding cake for people who just had cards to place in to keep them in one secure spot.

 This inspired me to create my own.  Sorry I don’t have more pics from the process, but this entry was obviously an after-thought!

Supplies:

·      Hat boxes in descending sizes

·      Exacto knife

·      Gorilla glue

·      Any decorations you choose to cover the boxes (I used a combination of scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, and paint to cover the boxes)

·      Any embellishments you choose to decorate (I chose a flower, which was a scrapbooking embellishment, our monogram made from balsa wood, letters to spell out 'cards',  and ribbon)

1.     I started by tracing the bottom of the smallest box on the lids of the larger ones that would be below.  In the lid of the top box I cut a slit for the cards to be placed in.

2.     Next I decorated each piece.  I also decorated the inside of the top box, since you could still see the cardboard color from the opening in the top.

3.     Now that each piece is all pretty, I stacked them in their order and started gluing—first the lids to the boxes and then the boxes on top of each other.  Since I was using super glue but I needed some way to open the box to get the cards out after the wedding, I first chose which layer we would break it at (I chose the bottom layer).  On the bottom layer I only put 4 dots of glue on, enough that it would stay, but also be fairly easy to break open.

4.     I let the glue set for 24 hours.  Once I felt things were dry enough, I began placing my embellishments where I though they looked best.  I secured them in place with my glue gun.

And there was my card/cake box.  It was kind of sad ripping it apart afterwards, but the lovely cards inside more than made up for it.  It was kind of like a wedding piñata hahaha!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little budget-friendly wedding projects.  I know there was nothing too unique or extraordinary about it, but it worked for us.  And more importantly we loved our wedding and the opportunity to share the day with our family and friends.

  Come back the rest of this week for more wedding DIY projects!
Wedding Stationary 


 

Lesson 103- Wedding Week I

My parents gave me a fairly small budget (compared to the average wedding) for our wedding.  And although they did give me some wiggle room, I had to be creative on how the money was spent.  My two biggest expenses were the venue+food and drink and the photographer.  Looking back I have no qualms about the money spent on either.  This week I’m going through some of the projects I competed to stay on budget.

All our stationary was DIY to some extent.  Our save-the-dates were designed on an online photo website.  Our invitations were bought from Kinko’s as just templates.  I created the format and had them printed at Staples.  We then added decorative ribbon to the top and stuffed and addressed all the envelopes ourselves.  Our thank you notes are the only thing that we had no part in the creating process.  They were purchased from Target for $9.99 for a box of 50.

 *****

I also created a brochure for all our out-of-town guests to receive upon their arrival.  In it I included our favorite restaurants, directions to key places for the weekend’s events, a brief list of things to do while in town, and contact numbers just in case someone got lost or needed the assistance of a “local”.

 *****

I placed this along with a few other visitor brochures I collected from around town in a pocket that was then hung from the doorknobs on the hotel rooms.  Martha gave me the directions for this and now I’m sharing it with you.  I figure it’s actually good for anyone expecting out of town guests.

Supplies:

·      8.5” x 11” cardstock (1 piece per pocket)

·      2” circle paper punch

·      Round label stickers

      ·      Any decorations you desire (I used a stamp with a swirly design and black embossing powder)

Print the word welcome twice across the top of a sheet of card stock.  Cut the card stock in half lengthwise; punch a hole in the bottom of each piece with a 2 1/2-inch circle punch. Then crease each card-stock strip 4 inches from the top, and fold to form a pocket. Fasten sides with round label stickers.

Now add decorations you have chosen.

 *****

I also made all our programs.  Using Microsoft Word I created the program to print horizontally on card stock.  I split the page in to two sides so that it would be double-sided when folded.  After folding all 100 programs hamburger-style, I then put double-sided tape around the inside edges, then taped a craft stick in the middle with about 3 inches sticking out the bottom.  I folded the other side over creating a fan.  Using a corner cutter, I rounded the four corners to give it a softer look.

That's my Daddy holding our program.

Come back the rest of this week for more wedding DIY projects!

Lesson 102-Hobby Lobby Workout

Me: I don't feel like going to the gym
Hubs: So don't

an hour passes

Hubs: Did you go workout?
Me: Yup...at Hobby Lobby
Hubs: :-)
Me:  But I only spent $21
Hubs:  That's good.  What did you get?
Me:  Crafty stuff
Hubs:  Thank goodness that store is in your life because I don't know what you would do without it.  It's like me and the xbox


Yeah...ok.  Hobby Lobby is way more cooler than playing video games.  Guys just don't get it.

Lesson 101-Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

One Sunday morning I woke and decided that I needed to make cupcakes.  Conveniently it was Husband's grandma's b-day, so I used that as an excuse to make cupcakes.  I chose mint chocolate cupcakes.

Ingredients:
* 2 cups self-raising flour
* 4 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
* 4 eggs
* 1 tsp. mint extract
* 3/4 cup chocolate chips
 For the Icing:
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tsp. mint extract
* green food coloring
* 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the over to 325*F.  Place baking cups in to muffin tin.  In a medium bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.  Set aside.  Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flour mixture gradually, stirring until well combined.  Stir in the mint extract and chocolate chips.  Spoon the mixture into the cups.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.  To make icing, beat the butter and icing sugar in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.  Stir in the mint extract and just enough food coloring to turn the icing a mint green.  Ice the cupcakes and decorate with chocolate chips. 

The amount of butter in this recipe would make Paula Deen proud.  They were yummy, but not my favorite.  If I were to do this recipe again I would only add mint to the frosting and not the batter.

And Grandma J loved em!

Lesson 100-It Was Accidentally on Purpose

Confession: I'm a present snooper.  But he makes me do it!!!

Our One-Year-Aversary is later this month.  I had been thinking about what to get Husband as a gift for some time, trying to get something that falls in the tradition of a 'paper' gift for the first year.  I casually mentioned it to Husband one afternoon, but I didn't have any suggestions for a present for myself.  I guess it wasn't really a productive conversation at all.

Anyways...over Labor Day weekend, Husband told me he had bought my anniversary gift.  My immediate response was "What is it?".  Come on, why even bring it up if we're not going to have a conversation about it?!?!  Then later that same week he told me that we would be getting a UPS package soon and when we do, don't open it.  Why does he do this to me?!?!  Had he said nothing, I never would have thought twice about a package being delivered to the house in his name.  But warning me, taunting me, torturing me like that.  I can't handle it!!!!

That same afternoon as I was pulling into the garage I see it--a UPS envelope sitting in front of the door.  I picked it up and brought it inside.  I set it on the counter in the kitchen.  All the while the darn envelope was taunting me.  So I took a peek at the return address.  It was a website.  Websites can be Googled.  Google loves me.  I love Google.  But I have to be sly about it.  Google from my Blackberry.  That way there is no trace on the computer of my snooping.  Ah ha!!!  Found it!

It's a REALLY good gift.  I'm quite impressed.  And I have the best Husband.  Hands down.  And it even fits in the tradition of a 'paper gift'.  But the bummer is, it makes all my gift ideas beyond lame.  So now I have no idea what to get him!  And it's all Husband's fault for making me snoop.

Friends: if you have any suggestions, please help me out.  The Wife isn't supposed to be the one with the lame anniversary gifts!  And someday I'll tell you how he tortured me with Christmas presents.  Oh, and I'll share with you what he got me...after the One-Year-Aversary.  Hey, somebody's got to be surprised, right?

Lesson 99-Luggage Tags

Remember I mentioned that Husband recently got an awesome promotion?  Well said promotion involves a lot of traveling.  I wanted to get him a little congratulatory gift that was travel related.  I thought it would be cool to make him some personalized luggage tags.  Which is actually more difficult than I thought it would be.  There are packages you can purchase online.  But the cons were: 1)  I didn't want to wait for them to be shipped; 2) They only came in packages of 10 or more, I only needed 2.  Office supply stores had nothing of the sort.  So I improvised.

1.  I made the text in a Word document and printed on regular printer paper.  One side was going to have Husband's favorite football team's logo.  The other side has all the important info.

2.  Using the insert for a luggage tag we already had as a stencil I traced around each side on the paper and then cut each out.  I then glued each side to a piece of cardstock, same size and shape.  In retrospect, this was probably not necassary.  The lady at the office supply store told me it was a little thick for lamination.  Which brings me to...
3.  I took each piece to the local office supply store to be laminated.  They fit inside a business card pouch which only cost .99 for each one.
4.  After I got home with the laminated pieces, I punched a whole on the end wide enough to fit the straps through.  I just took the straps from luggage tags we already had.

5.  I made a little envelope with some left-over card stock and put the tags in there with a little message.

They are now residing in my dresser until we go to our congratulatory dinner tomorrow night.  I hope he likes 'em!

Happy Friday!  Hope your weekend is filled with all things fun!

Lesson 98-Sad, But True

Earlier this when I was planning for our Superbowl party I came across this

Ok, technically this isn't what I found.  I can't find what I found anymore.  But it's close enough!

I really liked it.  Cause it's true.  It sums up my marriage.  I wanted one for my house.  So I made one.

I started with a plain tray from Hobby Lobby, green, yellow stickers, white paper, yellow paper, and Mod Podge.

I painted two coats of green paint on the tray.  

Once in was dry I used Mod Podge to glue white cardstock strips resembling a football field (5 vertical and 2 horizontal).  

While it dried I stenciled letters on to  yellow cardstock to spell our "We interrupt this marriage to bring you football season".  This is the part where all you cool kids with a Cricut (or the like) will end up with cooler versions than mine.  The little letters ended up doing my head in, so I used yellow letter stickers instead.

Once my 'football field' and letters were in place, I covered the whole thing in a layer of Mod Podge.  On the outside of the tray I put some football stickers, cause I had 'em and they fit.  

 It now resides on our coffee table.  

 I like it.  But I'll be glad when I'm the coolest thing about Sunday afternoons again!  And if you're one of the cool kids that uses a Cricut, I'd love to see how it turns out!!!