How to Create Fruit Table Centerpieces

These simple centerpieces can be a perfect (and inexpensive) way to spice up the other floral centerpieces you may already have. Add them to your head tables or even the buffet or dessert tables for an extra splash of color, or nestle smaller flowers throughout the centerpiece (like in the middle photo).

All you'll need are some large glass vases or bowls and plenty of citrus (limes and lemons work best). When you're picking your fruit, make sure the skins look bright and unblemished. Wash them lightly to remove any small pieces of dirt, but don't scrub too hard or you'll remove the wax. That wax coating can help give them more of a sheen in the vase and will keep them looking brighter longer.

For an added twist, incorporate that lush citrus scent by zesting a few of the pieces on the sides that won't face outward. You'll need to do this pretty last minute, as that citrus scent won't last more than a few hours. You can also sprinkle the zest over the finished centerpiece for an added fresh smell.

 

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Fabulous Glitter Monogram Cake Topper

What you’ll need:
- Hot glue gun
- spray adhesive
- small scissors
- glitter
- three pieces of cut wire in identical lengths
- (it needs to be thick enough gauge to stand up straight when placed in your cake)
- this template for your monogram letters printed on heavy card stock

Step 1: Print out your initials using this template
Step 2: Cut out the letters
Step 3: Spray your adhesive onto the letter
Step 4: Quickly sprinkle your glitter over the letter before the glue dries. Tap off any excess.
Step 5: Hot glue your wire to the back of your letter

When you are done, they are ready to stick into your cake. The beauty of the curly style font is that as you are cutting, it naturally creates dimension because of the tight curves.

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HOMEMADE WEDDING BOOKS
  
Gift these sweet homemade blank books to your weddings guests as mementos of the fun day. Total cost per book is less than .25 cents and they are super easy to make! Three cheers go out to Chelsea Fuss for assembling this innovative idea.

You will need:

 Scissors

A sewing machine

A paper cutter

Muslin fabric

Graph paper

Parchment paper

A computer or typewriter

Fabric stiffener (iron on or spray works great and is available at most fabric stores)

Directions: 

1. Iron or spray on the fabric stiffener to the muslin.

2. Cut out pieces 3″ tall and 5″ long.

3. Use a paper cutter to cut pieces of graph paper 3″ tall and 4.5″ long.

4. Cut a piece of parchment paper 3″ tall and 4.5″ long.

5. Type on a computer (in a typewriter font) or use a typewriter to type a thank you message to your guests.

6. Piece the book together: muslin, parchment paper, title page (with message), and graph paper pages.

7. Fold in half and press with an iron.

8. Sew down the center.

9. Display in a wooden box with a message.

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DIY Cozy Votive Yarn Candles

Try these modern but cozy votive holders for a winter wedding. They look beautiful and sculputural when  illuminated.

Cost: approximately 50 cents a piece.

Supplies:

simple glass votive holders

votive candles

yarn (we used cashmere which was just $2 for a roll at Michael’s)

double stick tape

scissors

 

1. Wrap double stick tape around votive holders. We used about 2 -3 rows per votive and spaced them out.

2. Stick the yarn vertically across the tape and then start wrapping it horizontally around the candle, leaving the long strand visible.

3. Keep wrapping yarn around the candle until it’s covered almost all the glass. The yarn shouldn’t be in rows, just wrap it haphazardly around the votive holder.

4. When you are done wrapping the yarn, take the end and tie it to the first piece. Trim the ends off and tuck the knot.

 

Tips/Mistakes:
Don’t make the rows of yarn too symmetrical or perfect it looks best when it’s a little messy!

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How to Emboss Elegant Wedding Invitations/Stationery

Do you want to make your ceremony programs more unique? Would you like to make all of your thank you notes? Are you having a small budgeted wedding and would like to make your wedding invitations, but still have them look elegant and expensive?


Embossing is a great way to do any of the above. What embossing does is use colors, stamps, and patterns to raise the surface of your invitations, programs, or thank you notes, making them look more professional.

Here is what you will need:


Embossing Heat Tool (approx. $35 at craft store).
Embossing Powder in theme colors (aprrox. $5/bottle)
Embossing Ink Pad (approx. $5)
Stamps ($5.00-$10.00 per stamp)

 The stamp is the image that you are going to emboss onto your paper, so choose one or two that you feel fit in with the theme of your wedding or weddings in general. For example, I have a friend who used 2 hearts entwined on her invitations, program, and thank you notes. I have another friend who used a tulip design on her program alone. Both were very elegant and impressive.


The embossing powder will go a long way, so try to stick to one or two colors. Especially, if you want to keep your costs down and stick to your budget, don't choose too many colors or too many stamps.


The largest expense, of course, is the embossing heat tool. But, if you are planning on getting into scrapbooking, or embossing in the future, I think this cost will be worth it. (And, Michelle has written me to let me know that you can also use an iron. Just hold the iron close to the powder and it will melt. But, be very careful! Irons are a lot more bulky and difficult to maneuver - and can get quite hot!)


So, how to emboss? It is so easy! Just stamp the ink pad, then the paper. Then, sprinkle some powder onto the stamped area. Make sure to tap off extra powder (You can save the powder by tapping it into the middle of a folded piece of paper to be funneled back into the container) Next, using the heat tool, apply heat to the stamped area for a few seconds until you see the powder melt into your stamped image. Voila! You have embossed!


You can continue doing this with different colors or stamps. It is a lot of fun, so easy, and extremely cost-effective when you compare to buying your wedding invitations, thank you notes, or ceremony programs from a printer for a small wedding.


As always, have fun with it, be creative, and experiment with how you want it to look! And, good luck to you in all your plans!

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 Cute Intial and Heart; heart embosser at MyJean M.com

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON WEDDING FAVORS

Here are some cunning ways I've found to source cheap gifts for your loved ones without resorting to taffeta bags of almonds...

How to find cheap wedding favors for your guests:

Look into stores that are going out of business and ask for a discount price on the last of all of one stock. I recently found ninety mini plaques with inspiring quotes on them for $1.50 each - down from $10 a piece!

Buy in bulk from a wholesaler. Look for retail wholesale suppliers for bulk candy or chocolate and hotel suppliers for mini soaps etc. You may be able to place a one-off order or find a friend who owns a cafe, restaurant or motel who can arrange the order for you.

Look on eBay/TradeMe or Etsy for bulk deals and end-of-lines from wholesalers and retailers. Be wary of trying to match colours you see on a computer screen to your fabric samples though- it seldom works! (spray paint does though...)

Head out after Christmas and look for sales. Look for discounted "gourmet" cookies. You can either use the cookies as-is on your table or pull them apart and repackage the presents. Last year I got twelve packs of Christmas crackers worth $35 for under $5 — that's less than fifty cents per favor. Or look for cheap chocolates (check they don't expire before the wedding date), candy and fudges.

The super cunning can also buy cheap marked down christmas cake to have handy if you don't quite have enough slices of wedding cake to go around. A large iced Christmas cake bought in Januray sets me back about $5, lasts for another six to eight months and can save paying an extra $100 for another tier on the wedding cake. I'm keeping an iced fruit cake handy for fussy purists who wont like my awesome chocolate cake.

Gift baskets are often on sale after January too. Look at the contents and see if you can pull the basket apart and repackage the gifts — mismatched favors wrapped in complementary wrapping paper (or wallpaper) make for a unique centrepiece too.

Cheap jewelry stores often have bargain bins full of out-of-season jewelry. Take to them with a set of pliers and you have some fabulous embellishments for centrepieces or favors.

Consider buying a whole roll of cellophane from a florist to wrap up your favors. It's far cheaper than buying single sheets and you can use the cellophane for future Christmas and birthday presents too.

Instead of fancy handmade boxes, pick up some white paper sweet bags from your local dairy or sweet shop and decorate them with stamps or preprinted stickers. You can seal them with a sticker, sealing wax or ribbon and they can double as name place tags too.

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