Why Am I Drawn Into All This DIY Stuff?

Ok....so I've seen these little individual tissues done as favors for the guests during my quizillion searches through the internet for anything wedding, and thought "totally unnecessary". Nope....I'm not gonna do it. So then, I just recently saw a tutorial on BP Wedding's blog site on some that she had made, and I thought her's came out so cute that I suddenly had tissue envy. Aaaargh! Nooooo. Don't do it Belinda! It's a trap. Remember BUDGET? $3,000???? Although this project is a very inexpensive one, when you put together 20 different little projects it certainly adds up! And with a budget like $3,000....yikes.
Well, I talked myself out of it and was very proud of myself for doing so. Even though I was "watching" some glassine envelopes on my Ebay (hey, it made me feel better....like "if I wanted to I could" lol).
Then I went to Big Lots. That was the end of my fighting it. I found these eyelet confetti pouches from Martha Stewart and thought "these look like the perfect size for tissues, hmmm". And since they were right there in my grasp.....not something I would have to actually order off the internet....it made it so much easier for me to cave in. So I bought them (pkg of 20/$2). So I bought 2 pkgs. I then went to a dollar store and bought 2 three packs of Kleenex.

The first thing I had to do was empty the confetti out of the packages, so I carefully opened each one as not to destroy the eyelet sticker that sealed the bags............
.....then poured the vellum flower and punch dot confetti into a ziploc baggie.
Once that was done I got 2 of the Kleenex tissues (as Bee had done) and stuffed them (nicely) into the envelope.
Ta Da! Now we just need to dress it up a bit.
I made some labels on my computer using Picassa, as I do not have any programs like Illustrator, PhotoShop, etc. I'm just a baby when it comes to creating things on the computer...I have very little knowledge besides things that I just basically learned on my own (no computer savvy here). So don't laugh!! =p
I then got some scrapbook paper I already had (in 2 designs) and cut them into strips. I wrapped it around the envelope (around and under the flap...I just slipped it through), and there it is. Above is a pic of back and front.
I like Bee's way better, especially with her pretty ribbon and special stickers she ordered, but what can I say...I'm the "roughin' it" kinda gal.
So 40 of these I did make. I know it would have been cheaper had I bought the glassine envelopes on Ebay, but I WASN'T going to make these! Here is the breakdown:
$4/40 envelopes + $2/tissues=$6 $6/40= .12 1/2 each

Whatever! I'm still mad at myself! And I'm NOT doing Flip FlopS (even though I already ran over to Target)! I'm NOT!
I really need to stop reading blogs..........
Luv ya Bee! ;)

My UPrinting Postcards Have Arrived!

And I am very happy with them. Now, I designed these postcards to not be actual postcards, but instead more of favors for our guests.
On the front of the postcard is a picture of us, and a thank you for being able to join us.
On the back is a bit of a timeline of our relationship. So you see, if you get creative, you can do all sorts of things with these. The above are pics of the actual postcards received, and below............
.....are the designs I sent in to UPrinting. I only posted these in case you couldn't really see or read the ones of the pics I took. I think they came out great, and I'm very happy with them.
So there they are.....awesome Uprinting postcards I received for hosting a giveaway. Thank you UPrinting! You're the best!
And guess what!!?? I'll be having another giveaway for postcards from Uprinting starting this weekend! So keep an eye out, and use that imagination of yours to come up with some creative ideas on how you could use these.

2010 Mini Photo Calender Templates

This is so cool, and just in time for the holidays. You can get these templates for free....exclusively from Shutter Sisters. These are great for gift giving, save-the-date cards, or even in place of sending out Christmas cards. Favors for an upcoming wedding? They are sized to fit into a cd jewel case.....so many possibilities. So go get your free template now!

Changed Our Bubbles-DIY

So I decided to change up the way I decorated my original idea for my Dollar Tree bubbles.
I had bought a stamper with the letter "C" on it from Michael's for a buck and was anxious to use it on something. I had some paper I had bought quite awhile ago...just because it was purple....from Big Lots for a dollar also (50 sheets), and decided to cut little pieces of it to use as a wrap around my bubbles. I probably only used about 6 sheets TOPS for my 84 bubbles. So I got my new little stamper and stamped my little cut out pieces of orchid colored printer paper and used photo mounting squares to attach the ends together.
Oh, I also added little silver rings which I found at a dollar store (50 per pkg) and strung them onto the ribbon (from Michaels-2 for $1) which I changed from purple to alternating colors of white and lavender.
This was probably the most boring project thus far....well as far as sitting there and putting them together. I did a little at a time whilst watching TV. I'm just glad it's all over with!

basket from thrift store-earlier post)

More DIY Favor and Centerpiece Ideas

A mason jar filled with cookie mix, hot cocoa, cappuccino mix..........or
.......... filled with lemonade or limeade mix...... I love it!
Can you believe it? Jello centerpieces? What a unique idea. If you like this idea, here are directions on how to make it. I got this picture and directions from Wedding Obsession, but I guess it originally came from Rachel Ray.

- Combine six boxes of Jell-O powder in half the amount of water specified (to get a more vibrant color).
- Chill the mix in your choice of vase for approximately 30 minutes.
- Push the flowers into the semi-firm gelatin.
Handmade fortune cookie favors. I really truly love this idea....(brainstorming)
What you will need:

• a 5 inch square of cotton fabric for the outside of your cookie
• a 5 inch square of felt for the inside
• a circle to trace, one with a diameter of about 4.5 inches (I use an old paint can)
  
• pinking shears
• a slip of paper, about .5" by 2.5" for your fortune

For full instructions from Lady Harvatine click here.


Various cans for flower vases.
This is one I've never seen before.....so lovely.

Another Of My Very Inexpensive Favors

I bought these boxes at Oriental Trading Co. $3.99 per 50. So I basically paid $8 for 100 boxes. In this picture, I filled it with some candy almonds I had handy, but for the reception I plan on buying wrapped butter creams from Oriental Trading at $5.99 per 120, so I will buy 2 bags and put 2 butter creams in each box (that's all that will fit). They have really cute wedding butter creams.
So bottom line is I will have spent $20 total ($8 for boxes +$12 for candy). Divide that by 100 favors= .20 each complete favor.
I also threw my own sticker on it with a thank you from us. These could also double as escort cards by putting guests names on them.
So there it is....our own personalized favors with candy for .20 each!

Help! Please! I Need Cake Advice

I think I've decided that I will make these for our wedding. They are so cute, and so inexpensive to make. I found them on the Martha Stewart site. The only thing is, we will be having the pretty round cake displayed for all to see, and sheet cake in the kitchen to serve to the guests. So how can I make this work? The pieces from the sheet cake will be square, right?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want to make these cute lil boxes!

An Old Sample Picture

This is a sample of my tables that I did back in April. This was before I got my square purple place mats to put under the centerpieces. It's just a rough draft. There will also be rose petals or potpourri scattered on the table just surrounding the charger.
I'm using "like linen" type tablecloths, although I would have loved to have had real linen. But paying over $100 to rent tablecloths is a bit out of our budget. Even if it were just a little under $100, it would be out of our budget. The same goes for napkins. They will also be paper. BUT.....if when the time comes for the wedding....we've saved up more than we needed, I will DEFINITELY, at the very least, get real linens for the tables.
You will see in the picture that only one of the bubble favors is decorated with a bow. I pretty much took this pic for myself...just to get an idea of what it would look like.

One Of My Wedding Favors at 14 Cents A Piece!

O.K., so this is one of the wedding favors I will be using for my wedding. As I've said before, we are on a very strict budget and I bought these plain bubbles from Dollar Tree. They were 12 to a box for $1.00. So I bought 7 boxes. ($7)
The ribbon was .50 for a 6 yard roll on sale from Michael's. I cut the ribbon every 12", so each roll made 18 ribbons. So that would be about 5 rolls ($2.50) to complete 84 bubbles. Then I made little thank you tags on my computer. I bought plain white cardstock (75 pages for $2) at Big Lots which is way more than enough paper!
So let's see what that comes out to for 84 decorated and personalized bottles each.
$7 + $2.50 + $2 = $11.50 Now, we divide 84 bottles into $11.50, and that gives us.....drum roll please........
.14 each bottle! Fully complete!
Now that's a favor I can afford! This will not be the only favor I have on my tables, but I will share the other(s) with you later when I take some better pics. The ones I have on my computer are a bit blurry.
I'm not 100% on the guest list yet either, but I may have to buy one more box of bubbles. But at this kind of pricing, I don't think it will break me.