2009 March | 12k Wedding Blog

March 18, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

You may have noticed we have an undercurrent of Detroit running through our wedding. From the Save the Dates to the possible favors to the location of the event, it’s definitely present.

Here’s another idea.

Use the major streets, or those that mean a lot to you as names for the tables. So for us, we might use Woodward, Grand River, Michigan, etc. Or maybe its the street you grew up on. You could take pictures of the signs and use photo clips to hold them.

Source: Jena D Events

Or, you could try to DIY some street signs. I imagine it would go something like this.

Ingredients:

Wood skewers or popsicle sticks
Pail, glass, or jar
Pebbles or sand
Corrugated cardboard from old boxes or foam board from a craft/office supply store
Green paint
White paint or letter stickers

Judging by my list, you probably know where I’m going with this.

Cut out your signs from your cardboard or foam board. Paint them green. Write on them with paint or use your sticker letters to give them their street name identity. Glue the signs to the wood sticks. Anchor the signs in the jars with the pebbles or sand or some other filler to keep the signs stable. Simple enough. And cheap.

Obviously I haven’t tried this myself yet, but if one of you is willing to take a leap of faith and DIY this yourself, let me know and I’ll post the pictures here.

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Technorati Tags: Decor, Detroit, DIY, project, Reception

Less Expensive Flowers: Carnations

March 16, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Flowers

I talked before about using baby’s breath for your flowers because their inexpensive and look nice in bunches. But I really like these carnations too. They always seem to get treated like the bad apple of of the bunch, but really they’re not bad. Just like baby’s breath, if used in deliberate ways instead of just afterthoughts, carnations can look just as nice as any other flower. And since they come in a bunch of different colors, they’re way more versatile than the baby’s breath.

Watch and observe:

Source: Weddingbee.com

Source: Jupiter Images

Source: Weddingbee.com

Source: IntimateWeddings.com

Source: Weddingbee.com

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Technorati Tags: Bouquet, Budget, Carnations, Cheap, Flowers, Inexpensive

Less Expensive Flowers: Baby’s Breath

March 11, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Flowers

Now, I don’t really know which flowers are in season, in which zones and which varieties. A florist I am not. But I’m pretty sure that in general, baby’s breath is pretty inexpensive, no matter the season or the zone or the variety.

You know baby’s breath – it’s the filler stuff the florist puts in your arrangement to make it look fuller than it actually is. It’s never been a favorite of mine, but now I’m having second thoughts.

As a bouquet or a boutonniere, where it’s execution is very deliberate, rather an a misguided afterthought, I love it.

Source: The Bride’s Cafe

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Craftstylish.com DIY Snowstorm

March 11, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

This post was taken from the pages of craftstylish.com. It’s a DIY project that I LOVE. I don’t think I have anywhere to use it right now, but I might just have to find a place for it.

The original post can be found here: http://www.craftstylish.com/item/28838/how-to-make-a-snowstorm

——————–

A friend of mine visiting from the tropics wanted, more than anything, to see snow. Unfortunately, he was visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday when snow in New York (while not impossible) is unlikely. Not wanting to disappoint him, I set to work on “approximating” the effect. As is my rule around the holidays, the project had to be simple, inexpensive, and fun.

So, this week, in contrast to last week’s chandelier post, I offer a low-skill, high-impact project sure to surprise your guests (and your family) and help put you in the spirit of the season (regardless of whether the weather is cooperating with you or not).

Simple labels (1-inch circles) and some dental floss is all you need to make a winter wonderland.

Attach the dental floss to the adhesive side of a label.

Place a second label over the top of the first, sandwiching the dental floss between the two.

Randomly space your labels along the length of dental floss to give your finished snowstorm a natural look.

Hang finished strands in front of windows using small pieces of masking tape affixed to the tops of the window frames.

The slightest breeze will cause your “snowflakes” to move, which will will subtly animate a room—especially a dining room in candlelight.

Hung in a bedroom, this snowstorm cannot fail to bring a smile of surprise to the face of any guests.

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Technorati Tags: Decor, DIY, Idea

DIY Hair Flower

March 10, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, The Bride's Stuff

Now, I’ve seen other people do this, so I figured I’d try my hand at it.

Disclaimer: Never mind my hair or my t-shirt. Neither were prepared for this picture.

My DIY hair flower took me about 20 minutes to make and cost less than $5.

My supplies:

One fake white rose (hold the dew drops please)
One red and brown feather accent
One button
Needle and thread

First, I deconstructed the rose. This always seems to be the first step in other tutorials so I followed suit. It came apart pretty easily just by pulling the pieces. I was left with five individual layers of petals. Now that I had the extra plastic pieces out of the way, I re-layered my petals leaving them light, fluffy and open instead of tight and closed like they were at first.

Next, I took out my handy-dandy sewing bag. Now, I’m nobody’s domestic goddess. I don’t whip up full outfits in a single day, nor do own a sewing machine. I just happened to amass a large amount of random buttons, thread and needles and they’ve all ended up in this sewing bag. Anyway I used my white thread and just sewed all the petals together. It’s not a very neat job, but it doesn’t matter much because the thread is the same color as the flower and it’s very well hidden by the fluffiness of the petals.

Also in my sewing bag, I found a couple different buttons that I liked, but opted for the rhinestone button. I was a little worried that it would flop to much because the opening for the thread is only on the back side. The other buttons had true button holes where the thread would go all the way through and the button would lay flat. But I liked the look of the rhinestone button better so I went with it.

Since I’d already sewed the petals together, I used the same thread to sew the button into the center. I just made sure to pull the thread as tight as I could so the button would flop as little as possible.

After I had the flower and button assembled, I sewed on a feather accent I got from Michael’s. There has to be a better way to describe it besides ‘accent’ but I can’t think of it right now and that’s what it says on the tag anyway.

I used the same thread and attached the feather. My flower instantly went from sweet and feminine to a little edgy and feminine.

All in all, I like how it turned out. I do have one thing I might try later though. My petals at the back of the flower are a little to loosey goosey and could easily get all tangled up if handled too much. I don’t have any on hand right now, but I think I might try some sort of fabric stiffener spray.

Who knows if I’ll actually end up wearing this flower (I’m constantly changing my mind these days) but it would nice with a birdcage veil. Just sayin’.

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Technorati Tags: DIY, feather, flower, Headpiece, veil

DIY Wedding Challenge

March 9, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Free Stuff, Discounts, Contests

Heads Up!

If you’re a DIY bride or even a wannabe like me, head over to Project Wedding where they’re hosting a DIY challenge. All you have to do is create a wiki article, which is probably much easier than actually completing the project.

I know the prizes range from $250-$500. You’ll have to check their site for all the fine print though.

After you’ve created your wiki page/entry, post a link in the comments here so the rest of us can have a look-see.

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Technorati Tags: contest, DIY, project

Easy Table Numbers

March 8, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

One of my bridesmaids sent me this over the weekend (thanks me’ me’!). It’s not only well within the budget, but is very cute and customizable. And I promise, you don’t have to be a diy queen to pull this off.

Use standard address numbers for table numbers. You can get them at your local mom and pop hardware shop or your local hardware superstore. They come in all sorts of sizes, styles and finishes. And if you find some you love but are the wrong color, you could always spray paint them.

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Technorati Tags: decorations, DIY, Reception, table numbers

Pompous Apparel Wedding Party Gifts

March 3, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Wedding Party

I know I haven’t talked much about bridesmaids or groomsmen gifts, but now I have the perfect idea.

[insert shameless plug here]

My sister recently launched her line of sweatshirts and t-shirts and I think they are pretty damn fly. The men’s line is called Pompous and the women’s line is Pretty Pompous. They’re extra special because they have a pink elephant as a mascot, Snuff.

This season’s shirts are described as Star Trek meets Do the Right Thing. My favorite women’s top and the one I happen to own says, “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.” You might have to be an old head to appreciate this – or just have an old soul like me. My favorite men’s shirt is probably the logo sweatshirt that glows in the dark.

While I know these might not be your typical flask or spa day wedding party gifts, your wedding party might appreciate something they can get some use out of a little more.

So check out her site, IAmPompous.com. You might see something you like.

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