DIY Project: How to make a Wrapping Paper Table Runner

Looking for the tutorial on making a wrapping paper table runner?  It (and the whole blog) have moved over to Tikkido.com--join us!

DIY Project: How to Make an Easy Circle Garland

Looking for the simple glittery circle garland tutorial?  Check it out in all its glory at its new home on the Tikkido.com blog!

Pretty Pretty Papel Picado--Mexican Paper Banners

Looking for the Papel Picado post and details?  It's moved over to Tikkido.com.

How to Make Paper Flower Topiaries

Looking for the paper flower topiary tutorial?  It's available at its new home on Tikkido.com

Inexpensive DIY Personalized Napkins

I've always loved embossers.  The sense of history, the tone on tone look, the feel of the raised paper under your fingertips...I love it all.  An embossed monogram is an incredibly classic touch on the flap of an envelope, but that's not all you can do with them.  How about this simple idea for making your own customized napkins:

No need to pay for personalized napkins to set out at the bar and at the cocktail hour when it's so easy to make your own elegant version.

Using a monogram for a married couple?  The proper order is woman's first name initial, shared last name initial (usually larger), man's first name initial.

Did you design a custom logo for your wedding?  No problem--many companies like Made to Order Stamp and Seal are happy to make embossers out of your custom artwork.  How neat and classy would that be?

How to Line an Envelope

One of my favorite ways to customize an invitation is with a lined envelope.  Sure, you can pay the invitation company extra money to provide you with lined envelopes, but it's a fun and easy DIY project, and you have infinite possibilities for creating exactly the look you want.

Materials for making a DIY Lined Envelope:

• Envelope of your choosing
• Pencil
• Paper for creating template
• Pretty paper for lining the envelope
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Instructions for Lining an Envelope

1)  Use a pencil to trace the shape of the envelope on a piece of scrap paper and cut out the shape.  

Trim 1/4 inch off of the left side, and 1/4 inch off of the right side of the template.  Trim 1/2 inch off the bottom of the template.  Leave the pointed top edge of the template exactly as it is.

2)  Use the template to trace and cut the shape on a piece of pretty paper.  Scrapbook paper works well for this, but can get expensive.  High quality wrapping papers are excellent for this job, and come in a huge array of colors and designs.  Art and paper shops often have large sheets of stunning papers available for a more economical price as well.  

3)  Slip the liner in the envelope.  Use a glue stick to glue only the top (pointy) portion of the liner paper to the envelope.  Do not glue lower than the fold!  When gluing, be sure not to cover the adhesive on the envelope itself.  Trimming the 1/2 from the bottom of the template should take care of this, but it's still important to be conscious of placement when gluing the liner in place.  

That's it!  It's an incredibly simple project, but really adds such a visual difference.  I love pretty little details like these that set the tone for the event to come.  

Other Ideas for Lined Envelopes

• Having a character-themed birthday party?  Look for licensed scrapbook or wrapping paper and use that for the envelope liner.   So much more fun and interesting than a plain birthday invitation!
• Don't limit yourself to paper.  Imagine using lace, or a calico print fabric for an event with a shabby chic or vintage vibe.  
• How about this amazing idea using photos printed on paper from Martha Stewart Weddings:

Get creative!  That's the point of DIY projects like this--make your invitation yours.  

Fabulous Product: A Sweet and Customized Return Address Stamp

Sitting down to address all of your wedding invitations is a daunting task.  I put it off until I absolutely couldn't any longer, and ended up with the most clawed, cramped hand by the end of the evening.  I can't get behind how some people print out sticker labels for their wedding invitations--that's just a little too mass-mailer-advertisement for me.  But I can completely get behind these darling return address stamps from Note Trunk Stamps + Paper to ease the burden of writing everything by hand.

So sweet, but somehow elegant at the same time.  I love these designs!  And this is an item that you'll be able to use for years to come (at least as long as you're still living at the same location), unlike most items bought for a wedding.  

Some purists insist on everything on the envelope being hand-written.  But with custom stamps that look this good?  I say stamp away.

How to Make Cupcake Wrappers

Looking for the cupcake wrappers tutorial?  It's at its new home at Tikkido.com.

Fabulous Product: Printable Customized Wine Bottle Labels

I love love love weddings where even the smallest details have been thought through.  Details like replacing the wine bottle labels with custom labels.  I never even conceived of such a thing back when I got married, but brilliant designers like Print Your Party did, and made it an incredibly easy DIY project for brides.

First, all you need to do is remove the existing labels from the wine bottle.  A little soaking and a little scraping will usually do the trick.  If there are any stubborn sticky bits, pull out the can of WD-40.  Really.  Spray it on, and you'll be able to scrape off the remaining sticky residue with ease.  That stuff is magical.  I once fixed my KitchenAid mixer with only a can of WD-40 and a rubber mallet.  It's a good idea always to have a can around.

Then print out your custom design and glue it on.  It's even easier if you print it out on label paper.  How incredibly simple is that, for such a great effect?

While you're visiting the Print Your Party shop, be sure to look at all the other customized printables to coordinate with your wine bottles.  This is the kind of product that makes putting together an amazingly well coordinated wedding possible--or dare I even say, easy.  

  

DIY Project: How to Make A Storybook Invitation

Looking for the storybook invitation tutorial?  It's moved to its new home at Tikkido.com.

Fairy Party: Part 1, The Invitation

Looking for Part 1 of the Cornish Fairy Party (all about the invitation)?  It's moved to its new home at Tikkido.com.

Fabulous Product: Elegant Paper Napkin Rings

I'm on a napkin ring kick!  Check out these beauties from Paper Acorn.

I'm a sucker for any kind of paper craft, but these are just gorgeous!  You could write names on the napkin rings and they'd double as table cards, too.

Fabulous Products: Tissue Paper Pom Napkin Rings

We've all seen the tissue paper poms that Martha Stewart made popular several years ago.

Ceiling decor at The Canterbury Place reception site in Utah:

Poms are a fabulous way to add high impact, colorful decor without breaking the budget.

But that's not all tissue poms can do.  

How about this absolutely delightful idea from Etsy seller melodywei?  Tissue pom napkin rings!

These would add such beauty and elegance to even the most simple place settings.  You could even add a simple paper leaf, write your guests' names on the leaf, and they'd double as gorgeous place cards, too!

Fabulous Product: Chic Invitations Printed the Old Fashioned Way

One look at my brief bio and it's pretty clear that I'm a big geek.  I love archaic and obscure knowledge.  I love learning for learning's sake.  I love dead languages and ancient technologies.   (I built a wood fired oven in my backyard!  By myself!  While I was pregnant!  I can get seriously obsessed with these projects.)

I think the women who run Starshaped Press might get me.  They create the most amazing wedding invitations and other printed paper products I've seen in a very long time.

It's not just that the designers at Starshaped Press are remarkable artists.  It's that they use a real, classic press.  Not just any new-computerized-digitized-make-a-single-plate press (ok, those are kind of cool, too, but not as cool as this).  An honest to goodness, set each letter by hand, use antique metal and wood type, set in a typecase, PRESS.

Just a bit of the marvelous machinery at Starshaped Press.

 That kind of dedication to the art, that kind of passion for the craft, is a sure sign of quality.  And just look at a few of their gorgeous designs.

Swoon.  Now please excuse me, I'm feeling a need to go re-read The Mysterious Stranger now.