Ring and Bracelet For $1 Each???

That's right...it's true. I found this beautiful ring and bracelet for $1 each at a dollar store by my house.
The quality is great and it is glass....not plastic! This is really wonderful costume jewelry, and I just may wear these both for the wedding.
I really truly always feel as if I just found a treasure chest full of gold when I score on something like this. Just thought I'd share. Oh, and pay no attention to my ugly old hands..... =(

Yay! Another DIY Checked Off The List!

OK....so I'll have to give "Becoming His Mrs." some props for putting this idea in my head. She had gone to Michaels and found some Halloween directional signs for 1/2 off a few weeks ago and painted over them to create directional signs for her wedding. So............I also went to Michaels, but unfortunately they were not on sale at my store. Bummer. But then I thought, "Hey! Dollar Tree always has stuff like that for every season/holiday."
But before I bought any signs, I decided to head over to my reception site to see what kind/types my venue could use. I really only needed one for the gate entrance to the courtyard, as there are two different areas you can enter into. One of them being a Senior Center in which my guests could end up surrounded by seniors in yoga positions. Mmmhmmm.
So I took some more pictures of the outside of my venue and headed off to Dollar Tree. I found a very simple "spooky" sign, and bought it for a buck. Well, duh, of course! It's Dollar Tree!
Unfortunately, I did not even think of taking pictures of it for tutorial sake. My baaad. I didn't think of it until I had already spray painted with white acrylic, stenciled the design in pencil AND had started painting it in.....super my bad! Well, what's done is done. I've already forgiven myself.
So above pic is of the supplies I used......

This pic is when I realized I should have taken some pictures...........
....and this is my completed project! I am really happy about the way it came out. ESPECIALLY because I've never, as an adult, painted with brushes. Takes some getting used to! Oh, and I actually used a thin black Sharpie to write the Mr and Mrs line on the bottom, which I failed to include in my supply pic. I was NOT ABOUT to attempt doing THAT with a paint brush!
And I just thought I'd throw in the green fence where I'll be hanging my pride and joy.

( border stencil and spray paint from Walmart, letter stencil from a dollar store, brush on acrylic paints and brushes from Michaels, sign from Dollar Tree)

Another Pending Project DONE!-DIY

Project complete!
If you'll remember awhile back, I wrote about some thrift store finds that were incredible deals that were gold in color, and I needed to paint them silver to go with our decor. Well, I finally did it!
1)Here is the birdcage I was transforming into a cardbox. ($5.95)
2) I started by covering the gems that went around the cage on top and bottom with masking tape to preserve them. I then spray painted the cage with Krylon.
3) Here's after I removed the tape from the gems.
4) Ta Da! A little lavender tulle, a sign and some flowers and I've got myself a cardbox Houston!

What are you using for your cardbox? Will it be DIY?

(cage from thrift store, paint from Walmart, tulle (about 10 yards for $2.95) from thrift store)

A Place To Buy or Sell Pre-Owned Wedding Items

Just for those of you who may not have heard of this site, you should go check it out. It's the perfect place to look for that bargain dress, jewelry, grooms attire, hair accessories, ALL reception items and so much more!
Or if you're already married, make some of your money back by reselling!
BravoBride
I hope I was able to help someone out there............

My Reception Hall - Mo' Money!

OK....so I went to put the deposit on my reception venue on Monday. I had printed out the application form from their site, filled it out, and had my Mr. write out a check for me to give to them. Well, when I handed it in, Sara....the gal that was helping me.....told me that the hourly rates on the application had gone up. So instead of $90/hr, it is now $110/hr. Doesn't sound like much, but when you're a bride "Shooting For A $3,000 Wedding", an extra $100 is A LOT! OK, OK.....it's not THAT much. But it still stung when she told me that.
Oh well, what's a girl to do? Just go with the flow and make the best of it all, right? Right!

My Latest DIY

I was very excited to start this project, especially because I knew I would be basically making this from scratch. I had seen a picture a while back, and knew immediately that this was something I would incorporate into my wedding. It's a.....card holder in the shape of a camera. Specifically, cards to give out for our photoshare site.
I started this project by eyeballing the picture I had saved to my computer....getting a feel for the approx. size, what would be involved in making it, and how I would go about it. It looked to me as if they had used 2 pieces that they then put together, so I started there. I used ordinary printing paper to make my stencils and practice folds. Once I completed my stencils, I went to the craft store and bought two 8 1/2" x 11" black, sturdy cardstock. I then traced my homemade stencils onto the black papers and cut them out.

Here's one of them.
On this piece, I retraced just the top portion of this onto white cardstock, then cut and glued it on.
Folded it into shape...........
....made sure it fit into the other piece..............
....added a little more detail.......
.....glued individual pieces into place.........
.....then glued them to each other......and.......Wah la!
I made the cards on matte white Avery business card blanks that I got from the dollar store by my house. I am very pleased on how these came out. I mean, you can totally tell this whole thing is homemade, but that's the way I wanted it. I actually WANT people to KNOW that I made this with my own two "wittle" hands...lol. And all for well under $2.00! I may just have to do a little retouch on the letters......

Will you be having photosharing cards at your wedding? And if you are, how will they be displayed?

My Very DIY Pocket Fold Envelopes

I had to create the template for this from scratch because I couldn't find a template online that would accomodate the invites that I had already bought from Michael's (50 for $17.00 with 40% off coupon). These are the standard sized invites, but all I could find online as far as pocketfold envelope templates went, was DIY sizes. Usually small square sized. So I went with trial and error using my invite and envelopes to guide me.
I then made my template, so that everything that came with the invites would fit in the envelopes, and so that I used as little paper as possible. So...it will be this pocket fold envelope that goes into the envelope that came with invites, then that will go into larger envelopes I purchased separately.
Once that was done, the rest was pretty simple. I made a belly band using scrapbook paper I already had, and this lacy paper I had found at the thrift store ( a bag full for $1.95). All were fastened by a couple of square double sided photo mounting adhesives. Then threw a white ribbon around that (also adhered with a small piece of photo mounting adhesive so it wouldn't slip off of the bellyband).
I accented the pocket with the same scrap paper as the belly band, and a small stick on rhinestone for a delicate touch (pkg. of 48 for $1.00 at Michael's).
I still have to print on the actual "invitation", but I won't be doing that until I'm a bit closer to the wedding date. After all, it's still almost a year away. The invite will then be fastened to the pocket fold envelope. But for the sake of putting up pics, I just set the unfinished invite in place without gluing or fastening.
It's a very simple design....not so fancy-shmancy.... and I didn't use the more elegant pretty paper.....but I'm very happy with the results. Gives it just a little oomph, as opposed to just sticking all the stuff in an envelope. Most of all I'm happy that I finished them! OK...almost finished them. All I have left is putting the rest of the ribbons on. It was a very time consuming project, as simple as it looks. But it was very rewarding for me.

What type of invites are you using?

One of the BEST Deals Ever!

I can't believe this streak of luck I've been having lately! And believe me, I am not the lucky type at all.
What are these you ask? Well, let me start from the beginning. Last week I was looking on Craigslist for any super duper deal I could find on wedding stuff ( I do this daily). I had BEEN looking for some linen napkins, as my reception venue is a city community hall which provides only table, chairs and kitchen. I already bought my linen table cloths, and was originally planning on "like linen" napkins because of my budget. I mean, just to RENT napkins is about .75 a piece! For a hundred people that's $75! I don't know about you, but $75 for just something to wipe your mouth on???
Well, anyways....since I ended up buying my table cloths for a really great deal, I figured I would keep my eye out for linen napkins, and if I found some at a great price, score! If I didn't...c'est la vi.
OK...well as I was saying.....I saw this ad in Craigslist for linen napkins to BUY for .15 each! This was a rental company making room for their new stuff. I immediately called them and asked what colors they had. The called me back later that day with her list of colors. No purples....bummer. No white, no silver. Nothing that would match my theme. I was very sad. This was on Thursday. The weekend went by in which this company was having their last "customer" day, where customers could actually come by and physically see all the inventory. Saturday only from 8 am-1 pm. Then came Monday. I was still really bummed about my loss, and thought, "what do I have to lose by calling again to find out what colors they have left?". So I called. She said she would have to get back to me. Then when she did, the first color she said was Amethyst! I was like.....what? Amethyst? Really? How many do you have left? 100? I'll take them! Woo-hoo!
It's Wednesday and I have them in my hot little hands.....and guess what? They charged me .10 a piece! My total to BUY...yes BUY.....100 linen napkins.... was $16.85.....and that's with shipping already included. Now that's what I call a SCORE! And they are in PERFECT condition. Washed, packaged in groups of ten and ready to go.
And I know I can make all my money back after the wedding, and probably even some extra. But the bottom line is, when all is said and done, these napkins will have been free!
That's my fabulous happy ending story.

My Alternating Centerpieces

I previously posted my glass heart floating centerpieces, but now I will show you the alternating (every other table) centerpieces. I got these from Martha Stewart (she's so awesome!).

I've gotten my supplies, but haven't actually made one yet. I will post a picture of one actually made by me once I make it. But aren't these heavenly? And really easy to make. You can get the frames from Dollar Tree (which is what I did). And I got mine in silver so I wouldn't have to paint them. Yay...even cheaper!
Here are the directions for anyone who's interested (courtesy of Martha Stewart):

Photo Centerpiece How-To
Disassemble three like-sized frames, setting aside their fronts and discarding their backings. Paint or stain wooden frames desired color; let dry. Upload or scan photographs into a computer. With editing software, make the images black and white, and resize them to fit your frames. Print them onto vellum paper with an ink-jet printer. Slip the images into the frames. Using cloth tape, hinge frames together to form a triangle. Stand frames around a candle in a protective glass holder.

Straight From The Knot - 30 Ways To Save Money On Your Wedding

Reception

1. Cut the guest list. This will slash your catering costs and save on invitations and even the number of centerpieces.

2. Think off-peak season and save thousands!

3. Hold your ceremony and reception in one spot -- it will cut travel time for vendors you pay by the hour.

4. Skip the Saturday wedding.

5. Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.

6. Shop the off-season for extra decor -- get modern black vases on sale after Halloween and pretty pink ones after Valentine's Day.

Flowers

7. Use more greenery than flowers.

8. Swap out costly flowers -- did you know peonies can be five times more expensive than roses?

9. Stick to just one or two kinds of flowers.

10. Buy flowers that are in season.

11. Include non-florals, like lanterns.

Food & Drink

12. Serve entree duets.

13. Skip the main course -- apps and drinks are fine too.

14. Offer beer, wine, and a signature cocktail instead of a full bar.

15. Serve comfort foods like barbecue chicken, mac and cheese, and corn. It's fun and often cheaper.

16. Skip the champagne toast.

Cakes

17. Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).

18. Keep the add-ons simple.

19. Use fresh flowers, not sugar ones.

20. Reuse ceremony flowers for the cake table.

21. Skip exotic fillings like guava and mango.

Stationery & Favors

22. Get single-page invites to save on postage.

23. Give out one favor per couple.

24. Make your cake the favors.

25. Have favors double as escort cards.

26. Email your save-the-dates.

27. Make your own menu cards, escort cards, and wedding favor packaging.

Photo, Video & Music

28. Have a photographer you love but can't afford the prices? Ask them if they have an associate shooter who will do your wedding for less.

29. Opt for a smaller band.

30. Hire a band or DJ who can do both the ceremony and the reception.

-- Meredith Bodgas