Bridesmaid purses

Hi there, Mother of the Bride Kate here again.

I was thinking about where the bridesmaids would put their cameras and phones, and other small items, and, of course, they could all find a small handbag or clutch to go with their dresses....but, since we ordered the silk online for the dresses and I'm making 3 and the other bridesmaids also have seamstress mothers, I had some extra material from the dresses left over. Just enough, in fact for these super cute purses!

 You will need for each purse:
2       20 inch  squares of fabric

You will also need another 20 inches to cut the flowers on the bias, but you can cut up to 6 flowers out of that amount of fabric, so you don't need it for each one.

1 package of contrasting piping (2 1/2 yards)

2 yards of 3/4 inch wide ribbon

take your 20 inch squares of fabric and fold into a 10 inch square.
Using a piece of string or a tape measure and pen, mark the open ends of the fabric at an even curve 10 inches from the folded corner and cut. When you open it up you will have a 20 inch in diameter circle.

Now measure in 2 1/4 inches from the edge of one of your two circles and make a 1 inch long button hole on two opposite sides of your circle. (this is for the ribbon to pass through). cut the button holes open.

Now, sew your circles together, right sides together, catching the piping in the seam, leaving about 5 inches open to turn them right side out

Turn right side out, press. Also press in the open seam, then top stitch or slip stitch the seam closed, catching the piping into the seam. (you will have enough piping left for the flower).

Measure 1 1/2 inches from the edge and sew a seam. Then sew a second seam about an inch further in the circle from there (this will place your button holes between the two seams) This is the casing for your ribbon pulls.
Cut two  pieces of ribbon, 1 yard each. pull a piece of ribbon from one button hole to the other, using a large safety pin to guide it through.

finish the ends of the ribbon with clear nail polish to keep them from fraying

For the flower, cut two strips on the bias of the fabric, 23 inches by 2 inches, curving the last two inches of each end to a point

sew together, right sides together, straight sides together, catching the piping into the seam. Turn and press. Then zig zag a piece of fishing line (or dental floss) 1/4 inch in from the raw edge. Pull to gather at tight as you can, then roll into a flower. (sounds hard, basically does it on it's own once gathered) Hand sew to secure in flower shape.

Attach to purse 1/2 way between the button holes on the button hole side of the fabric (this will be the outside)
Pull the ribbons and push the fabric to tighten the closure and step back to admire how dang adorable these are!

Cost for this project (since I had the fabric left over), was $2.50 for the piping and ribbon
This is Mother of the Bride, signing off for now!

Chiffon flower sash

Hello there readers! I know it's been a while so I hope you're still out there... well, it's finally here. The long awaited entry on... Chiffon flowers! I know I've been promising this for ages, so hopefully it won't disappoint. I'm going to show you the technique, which once you master can be used to make flowers of all sizes and colors, for everything from headbands to shoes to bracelets... the sky's the limit! I'll show you the sash now, and within the next few entries I'll show you some other ways to use these adorable little adornments. Without further ado...

You will need:
- Length of satin ribbon in the color of your choice (2" wode is a good width), however wide your waist is, extra if you want a bow in the back
- 1/2 yard chiffon fabric in the color of your choice (synthetic chiffon works best for this)
- 1 candle
- Scissors
- Beads, rhinestones, pearls, or other embellishment for the middle of your flowers
- Needle and thread
- Optional: fabric glue (if you're using rhinestones)

1) Cut out lots of different sized "petal" shapes from your chiffon with scissors. They do not have to be perfectly shaped at all, just make sure you have at least 3 petals in a size group, more if you want your flower to be super fluffy. The largest petals will determine the final size of your flower- you can always add more later if you want it bigger.

2) Next, light the candle (other instructions say to use a lighter, I think this way is MUCH easier) in an open area, out of the way of ceiling fans or vents (so the flame doesn't flutter around). Carefully take a petal and hold the edge of it near the flame until the edge starts to curl under and draw together, then rotate the petal so the the entire outside edge of the petal is curled. If you get too close, it will burn and turn black- if this happens, no biggie, just trim the black part off and curl what's left.

When you're done, you should have a petal that's three-dimensional- curled around the edge so it makes a "cup" shape.

3) The hard part is over. You've learned how to make a petal... and the tedious part starts. Repeat this step with all your petals! As you go, stack your petals on the threaded needle so you can see the shape of the flower and judge how many petals you want to add, and what size. Again, this is not at all an exact process- don't worry! It'll look great!

Sorry this one's so blurry... you get the idea. 

4) So when you're done singeing and stacking petals and you have the flower size you want, pass the needle and thread through the whole stack several times, binding them all together at the center. You will now have something that looks more or less like this!

5) Now it's fun time again. Either glue or sew your embellishments into the middle of the flower. I used 1 big rhinestone and a cluster of silver glass beads around it for the big flower, and a smaller cluster of beads and rhinestones for the two smaller flowers on the sash. 

6) Lastly, attach the flowers to the sash by either sewing or gluing them into place!

This is a great craft that can be used for so many things- especially if you need perfect color coordinated accessories! Try adding them to a clutch for your bridesmaids, on a special hairpiece with some feathers, or putting them on your flower girl's basket. Since it's rather time consuming I don't recommend it for a huge project like wrapping your favors or something, but it's great for making things fun and personal. 

More projects soon... until next time, keep crafting! 38 days til the wedding! Auuuuggghhhh!

Alicia

Table Name Tent Cards :-)

Hello there Readers,

Thanks for being patient- it's been a very busy few weeks as the big day draws closer, but I've been working on lots of projects to share with you! Today Adam and I visited the ceremony site again to pace out chairs, figure out decorations, etc. and it definitely put my mind at ease. It's all happening so fast and getting so close! We started writing our ceremony last week, and we should be finished with that soon. Good. Now only 1,001 more things to do... But for now, let's focus on our project of the day: table cards!

So, as I explained to those of you who read my table chart entry, Adam and I decided to do table names instead of table numbers. I will copy and paste the reasons for that which I listed in that entry:

Instead of the same-old same-old table number game, some couples choose names for the different tables to keep it interesting. These are often based on a theme of their wedding- different types of flowers for a garden wedding, tropical fish for a beach wedding, or famous movie couples for a vintage Hollywood theme. This can obviously be incorporated into the table decorations as well. Adam and I had a lot of people coming from out of town, who haven't spent a lot (or any) time with us as a couple, so we decided to name our tables after cities and places that were important to us and our lives, most of which we had traveled to together. On one side will be a picture of one or both of us in that place with the name of the place on top. On the other side of the card we will have a short explanation of the significance of the place to us and our relationship. That way, everyone learns a little more about us (and no one has to feel they are insignificant if they are placed at "Table 15")!


So there you have it. And now you'll get what you're about to see! The same principle can be applied to any table name theme, as long as you have a picture, and an information blurb. If you just have a picture, leave the other side blank!


You will need (makes 20 table cards):
- 20 sheets of cardstock in the color of your choice (I used leftover cardstock from my menu project)
- 20 5x7" photo prints (I like to do mine online at Ritzpix and then pick up in the store- always good quality and you can get it printed with a white border... I did)
- Alphabet stickers in the color of your choice, a little less than 1" high
- 10 sheets plain white paper
- 20 6" pieces of thin ribbon (I used leftovers from my menu project- reuse as much as you can!)
- Double stick tape
- Regular clear tape
- Scissors
- Printer


1) Get prints of your photos! Ours are all pictures of us together in the special place, or one of us there as a kid if we haven't been there together. 

2) Cut the pieces of cardstock in half "Hamburger style" with scissors or a paper cutter

3) Put double stick tape on the back of the photo and affix it onto the first piece of cardstock, leaving room for the title at the top. 

Me and my sister, ages 1 and 3... aren't we cute?


4) Spell out your title in stickers across the top, making sure you place the center letter of the word or phrase in the middle (Example: "Lake Tahoe" has 10 characters including the space, so letters 5 and 6 ("space" and "T" should split the middle). If you're using a light colored cardstock, you could also print the title on the stock before you cut it in half and omit the stickers.

5) Open a document in MS Word or similar, change the orientation to "Landscape" and draw two 5x7" text boxes on the page, using the rulers as your guide. don't worry about the size being perfect, just approximate. Make sure the border is the same color as your text- the style, color and thickness is up to you. Type out the title of one place (or flower, or fish, or whatever you're using) and the description in each box, so you can print two per page. Print, cut out, and attach to the other piece of cardstock with double-stick tape, centering it horizontally and vertically. 

6) Flip the two pieces of cardstock over and line them up so that the sides with stuff on them are facing down, and the tops of each one are closest to each other. Place a piece of tape along the two edges, binding them together. Now flip it back over and you're almost done!

7) Take the 6" piece of ribbon and tape it to the inside bottom of one piece of cardstock, with the long end hanging out. then tape the hanging end to the inside bottom of the opposite piece (making the third leg of the "triangle"- the table tent!). 

8) Voila! You're done! Now just rinse and repeat. A great way to personalize your day, and keep your guests interested. And it dosn't cost much- how bout that :-)

Front

Side

Back

That's all for now, more soon!

Alicia

Quick and Customizable Menus

Hello Readers :-)

So, I'm sorry there haven't been many posts lately, as Adam (husband-to-be) and I went on vacation to see my Dad in Texas and show Adam around the "Big D..." But now we're back, and there will be more posts soon! I know I keep promising those chiffon flowers, but I guess they're going to hit you as a surprise when they finally show up- keep reading!

Today, we're going to do a fast and easy craft for your wedding table- menus. Like much of the stationery I'm doing for the wedding, the cost of getting the menus printed is not only above my budget, but nerve-wracking to order since at this point (2 months out) I'm not sure exactly how many I will need. Since we're DIY-ing these, you can not only make beautiful menus that are affordable, but since the cost is so low you can make a few extra for just a few cents, and you can print more at the last minute if you need to. I also like these because if you have a dark accent color (like our chocolate brown) you can use it on the menus without paying to have white text printed on a dark color- it's so simple!

You will need (makes 100 menus):
- 50 sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock in the color of your choice (If you're using a light color you can probably find it in an office or craft store. If it's a dark color that you don't put in the printer you may have to get it online. I got mine at paperandmore.com )
- 50 sheets of white or cream translucent vellum paper (I got this style at paperandmore.com)
- 17 yards ribbon of your choice ( 6 inches per menu- I used the same "Spool o'Ribbon" from Michael's that I used for my programs, 10 yards for 50 cents!)
- Printer
-Hole punch
-Scissors or paper cutter

1) Cut the cardstock in half "hamburger style" so you get 2 rectangles that are 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" - you can use scissors if you want but using a paper cutter is MUCH faster and easier... do it!

2) Open up MS Word or similar, and format a document that has two columns. Type your menu in one column, leaving about 1 1/4" above the text at the top of the document, and making sure the font is small enough so the text is no longer than 7 1/2 inches from the top of the page. I used the same fonts from my programs- "Edwardian ITC" for the title and the name of each course, and "Minion Pro" for the meal description, since it's easier to read. Copy the first column and paste it into the second column, so you have two identical columns. Change the font to the color of your cardstock if desired (I made mine chocolate brown). Print on the vellum paper.

3) Trim the bottom of the vellum to just below the text, then cut the paper in half "hotdog style," so you have two separate menus. Then, place a vellum cutout on top of a piece of cardstock so the border is equal on all sides, and punch two holes above the title, punching through the cardstock and the vellum.

4) Last, cut a 6 inch piece of ribbon and thread it through the holes both ends are behind the menu, then thread each piece through the opposite hole towards the front and tie a knot in the front. Trim and you're done!

There you have it- an elegant, expensive looking menu that is customizable, budget-friendly, and able to be made whenever you like!

Until next time... keep crafting!

Alicia