We love to offer great tips on how to show YOU how to do things yourself! Over the next few weeks, we understand that several of you who are planning weddings may try to catch up on some DIY projects in your time off from work...and the rest of you may start dilly-dallying with ideas for your very own house parties.
Well, we thought we'd offer some of our favorite DIY tips and pics to inspire you for your holiday entertaining. Remember, the point here is not to overwhelm you but to give you a little eye candy so that even if you AREN'T getting married right now, or planning the NYE party of the year, you can take from these and embellish to make your event that much greater
whenever you do decide to have one!
1. Our favorite DIY Do-able, DESSERT BARS!
This Darling PINK Nutcracker Suite Ballet Party has SO many nuggets to tickle any girls' fancy!
Complimenting colors,an inspiration photo, and a great use of texture made this backdrop a HIT!
and this
Glam SnowGirls Holiday Dessert Party reminded us that 'girls just wanna have fun'!
Really simple touches with coconut, snowflakes (hole-punch! hint, hint), and edible confetti, make this get-up as fun for the hostess as the recipients.
and here's a
glorious spread on a healthy kick! Take a peak at her
blog: She has great tips, from start to finish on how to recreate this same tantalizing display!
It's simply amazing the difference a nice backdrop can make!
2. A close 2nd DIY Do-able, PERSONALIZED NAPKINS!
Anything personalized always resonates with us. This tip from
Twig and Thistle, reminded us how easy it is to offer a little pizazz with the tiniest detail.
Custom Napkins provided by Amy Atlas' DIY
Materials Needed:
The PicnicNapkin_DIY_Template!
Paper Napkins
1.5″ Circle Punch
Iron-on Transfers
Iron
Ink Jet Printer
Instructions:
1. Download table number’s PDF and print onto Iron-on transfer paper as directed. Depending on what transfer paper you use you made need to revers the template before you print so take special note. Trim each circle out using a 1.5″ circle punch taking extra care to line up the edges. If you don’t have a 1.5″ circle punch than a craft knife can be used instead.
2. Determine where you’d like the design to appear on your napkin and place carefully on your napkin. Follow the instructions that come with the transfer paper to adhere the art work.
3. Ta-da! Unique and custom napkins without the cost!
3. Yet another DIY Do-able, RADICAL ROSETTES & RUFFLES, oh my!
Rachel, over at
Heart of Light, came up with a simply splended way to add flair to go from simple to simply sophisticated This
ruffle accent can be used to adorn a cardigan, make a headband, wrist corsage. YOU NAME IT!
Supplies:
Quality ribbon - as wide as you’d like your belt to be. We used 1.5 inch grosgrain for our project, but you could certainly use a pretty double satin or something else entirely. Just make sure it will lay nicely on your waist.
Fabric - We used four different types/tones for this project. Rachel chose a few different silks and a tulle. Different textures and weights make for nice variation when they’re all mixed together. The remnants bin of your local fabric store is a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration.
Needle
Thread
How to:
1. Find the center point of your belt/ribbon and start there. We’d recommend cutting your belt longer than you think so you can accommodate for an off center finished product and/or for a big bow in the back.
2. For the complete tutorial, we’re going to point you towards Rachel’s detailed explanation of a similar headband on her blog. But the gist is this…
4. Lastly, our final DIY Do-able for the week, to catch all of the frolic on film, a DIY photo booth!
My Bride Story is filled to the brim with great DIY ideas, not to mention this DIY photo booth and how to pull it off on a budget.
With a little preplanning and forethought, this accent might just end up being the highlight of your evening! It's great at keeping everyone entertained in the 'in-betweenst' times.
Must-have items:
You can wish to invest in a photo printer OR you can buy poloroid films (hurry! they're gonna stop making poloroid film soon) to recreate the photo booth experience. Printers be purchased on the low-low on ebay, craigslist, or staples for under $150 dollars and the photo paper & the ink cartridege for about $30 dollars.
Now, all that's left is:
1) a fabric backdrop (you can purchase it at IKEA or Joann's and attach to PVC pipes or you can try hanging it somehow :) ***Make sure to iron the fabric or else it will be very distracting in the background if you don't. Use a simple print or solid color print.
2)props! - think feather boa, crazy hats, maybe some stick-on mustaches, wigs
3) a faithful shift of friends to be in charge of the camera and a digital photo printer. Please provide a tripod!!
Renting a booth, can be pretty pricey, depending on which ones you rent and your location. So, if it isn't in the budget, this could definitely serve as a nice plan B!
Happy DIY-ing!!
