Place Cards

We elected to assign tables, but not individual seats. This project was probably the simplest and had the best return on investment. It didn't take much time and the supplies didn't cost much, but it had major impact. And Ben got really involved in this one, too!

©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto

We started with a printable place card kit from a craft store. The cards are already perforated, there is a slight crease at the fold line, and there's an embossed square around the edge. I found a stamp that resembled the flower on the invite, and a peach chalk-based ink. After a few test runs, we were in business.

We found it was best to stamp the cards before printing them. With the chalk-based ink, we found you had to be careful in handling it or you get chalk residue on your hands.

Cake (and Topper)

That cake topper I made a while back? Here's the cake.

Table Numbers

We wanted to do something cool with table names. Something awesome, and original, and us.

We couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, we settled on actual numbers, with the words written out in French.

Why French? It's been a big part of my life. I started studying it in high school, participated in Concordia Language Village French Weekend programs, traveled to France with a group from my high school, and then went on to be a counselor in CLV's French summer camps, to major in French, and to study abroad in Paris. More recently, it's been used to pronounce wines correctly, and even more recently, taking Quebecois phone calls at work.

But that wasn't enough. That is, it wasn't enough for my own satisfaction.

Table 12; ©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto

I wanted to make them myself. Each one is unique and involves a lot of patience and glue. I would not have even attempted this without my Cricut.

The front side (pictured above) consists of individual cut-out letters and die cuts glued to an 8" x 8" sheet of scrapbook paper. That exact size doesn't really exist commercially, I had to cut them down. The backside is much simpler, just a sheet of scrapbook paper (same size) with a die cut numeral. Sandwiched between the front and back is a sheet of card stock paper (same size), for stiffness.

A visual, in case you didn't get all that

It was time-intensive, but it was something I felt compelled to do.

RSVPs

You might remember this post about the invitations. To refresh your memory, I designed our invitations in black and white, a family friend printed them, and then we painted them with water colors. 

We left the response cards unpainted, and invited guests to decorate them before dropping them in the mail. Almost half of our guests returned theirs adorned in some way – crayon, watercolor, colored pencil, glitter – so we had to make some tough choices. 

My mom had a bulletin board she wasn't using and gave me carte blanche. I painted the wooden frame silver with a metallic finish, covered the bulletin-part with peach fabric, and used a thick ribbon as trim on the top and bottom edges. I decided I needed to trim it with something because I needed to hide the naked parts of the boards the poorly-cut fabric left exposed. Oh well! 

The final product:

©Andi Stempniak, https://www.facebook.com/stempniakphoto

Our guests were eager to see if theirs had "made the cut," I only wish we had a larger space for them!

Cake Topper

I saw this cake topper on Pinterest a while back:

It's available for purchase at Etsy. While I love it, at $300 it was well outside my budget. But I just couldn't get it out of my head. I loved it so much I wouldn't settle for something else. So I made a trip to the craft store and pulled out the hot glue gun and ~6 hours later: 

This is something I will keep forever. I used several costume pieces I had "inherited" from my grandmother, a plastic teddy bear barrette from childhood, silk flowers, and lots and lots and lots of beads. Bonus points if you spot the ballerina! 

Out of respect to the original crafter, I will not post a tutorial for this project. I don't think doing so would be ethical.

No-Sew Necklace Display

I had been draping my necklaces over my earring stand (at right), but they were getting in the way. Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I made the necklace "rack" (at left) with an inexpensive poster frame, fabric, screw eyes and knuts.

Supplies:

• 1 poster frame (or other frame)
• Fabric large enough to cover frame (I used half a yard for a 12" x 18" frame)
• Appx. 30 3/4" screw eyes
• Appx. 30 8-32 finished hex nuts

Tools:

• Electric drill with 1/16" drill bit
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Iron and ironing board
• Ruler or yardstick
• Pencil
• Fabric scissors

1. Remove the plexiglass (or glass) and backing from the frame. Measure the length and height of the backing. 

2. On the back side of the backing, draw a straight, horizontal line all the way across. This line should be roughly three to four inches from the top edge. 

3. Measure and mark one-inch increments across the line. 

4. Drill a hole at each marking, skipping the first and last two marks.

5. On right-side (RS) of backing, screw the screw eyes into the holes. Secure them with a knut on the wrong-side (WS). Set aside. 

5.  Cut fabric so that it is two inches wider and two inches longer than the backing. 

6. On WS of fabric, make one inch folds along each edge and iron the creases. 

7. On RS of fabric, fold the top edge back so that the distance from the crease to the first fold is equal to the distance from the line you drew on the backing from the backing's top edge. Iron this new crease. Be careful that your fabric is oriented the same way as your backing. 

8.  On right side of fabric, measure and mark one-inch increments across the length of the newest crease. 

9. On right side of fabric, cut a small + at each mark along the crease, skipping the first and last two marks. You will be making two small cuts at each mark; one vertical and one horizontal. 

10.  Fit fabric over the backing, putting the screw eyes through the snips in the fabric. Smooth. 

11. Carefully glue the fabric in place with one line of glue above the screw eyes and another line below them. 

12. Flip the backing so the WS is facing you. Position the fabric so the 1" folded edges overlap the edges on the WS of the backing. Glue the fabric edges in place. 

13. Reassemble the frame.

Invitations

Invitations, check. I designed these myself and had them printed on paper similar to watercolor paper. My future-mother-in-law, myself and two friends spent an afternoon painting the flowers with watercolors. 

Thanks for all your help!

Letting them dry on the table...

And the finished product! We left the response cards unpainted; we are encouraging our guests to color or pain them before returning them. While my fiancé and I were at work, my mom spent the morning getting them ready to mail. Thanks, Mom!

The Cardigan From Hell, Part the Final

As promised, the photos of the completed Sweater From Hell, aka Movie Theater Cardigan. My dog was confused, as he seems to think it's his and has taken to sleeping on it. 

I put together a few hair accessories with the goods I picked up yesterday. Usually, when I start a project I have a pretty clear idea of what I want it to look like. Not this time. 

I kept going until I ran out of ideas/got bored. I may try some other things out yet, but so far I like the pink ones best.

Inspiration

Pics of the revised sweater from hell will be coming soon. I tried to take some myself using a tripod and the timer setting on my camera; the pictures didn't turn out well. I'll ask Ben to take some when he gets home, and try to get them up later tonight. 

I was in need of a little inspiration, so I went to my neighborhood LYS, Yellow Dog Knitting (Eau Claire, WI). They did not disappoint. 

I intended to get sock yarn for my first attempt at socks, I came away with a whole lot more.

This is for the socks. The bright colors will keep me interested as I go, since I intend to use a simple, basic pattern. 

This lace yarn was calling to me. It's a wool-mulberry silk blend; I love how it feels, and it has a nice luster. I had to take two pictures.

The gold one is a cotton-viscose blend that really shines. An idea is percolating, combining this yarn with this next one...

...with a creamy white mercerized cotton, and possibly some gold-ish beads I have on hand. Stay tuned. 

 Don't they play well together?















After Yellow Dog, I looked for some kind of a headpiece for my wedding. There was a fascinator that I loved, from the store where I bought my dress; I went back to look at the fascinator again, and didn't like it. Or anything else they had. So I made a trip to a craft store, and we'll see what I can come up with from these materials:

Christmas Catch Up Pt 2

I made several of these candle holders this Christmas, inspired by a few ideas I saw on Pinterest: jars painted on the inside, and jars surrounded by cinnamon sticks.

When lit, they glow. It's really pretty. 

I intended to make a photo tutorial, but I neglected to take pictures as I went along. And I didn't blog them immediately. My memory isn't perfect, but this is basically what I did:

Materials:

Clean mason jar(s)
Cinnamon sticks
Glue gun and hot glue
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Water
Steak Knife

Instructions:
1. Thin the paint slightly by adding a drop of water. Paint the inside of the jar, let dry completely. Repeat until desired opacity/transparency is achieved.
2. Cut each cinnamon stick in half lengthwise. I found the score-and-snap method easiest.
3. Glue cinnamon sticks to the outside of the jar.


These pics are from the first one that I made. I didn't quite have enough cinnamon sticks, so I cut a few into quarters lengthwise.

Glue Stuff Together

Gluing ceramic to styrofoam? Use the right glue. This to That tells you, giving three options: good, better, best. Quick, easy, painless and super-sticky.

via StumbleUpon