Double Duty Escort Cards

June 7, 2013June 17, 20131 Comment

Keeping with the theme on trying to make weddings greener and not having a lot of paper waste, I really like the idea of doing “double duty” escort cards. The concept is to combine your escort cards and favors into one takeaway. These also work well for groomsmen or bridesmaids gifts, favors at bridal showers or name cards at dinner parties. Check out the video for additional ideas and have you subscribe to the YouTube channel yet? A new video posts every Friday!

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Summer Entertaining: Multi-Uses for Kraft Paper

June 1, 2013June 17, 20131 Comment

Can you believe it’s June 1^st already? I know I say this every year but I really mean it, time is flying by! Summer is rolling in and outdoor entertaining is ramping up. To keep things simple, I wanted to share some ideas on easy ways to style your summer event with Kraft paper. The best thing about Kraft paper is that it has multiple uses, is inexpensive (I picked up my roll at the Dollar Store), easy to clean-up and recyclable. Check out the video for different uses which include wrapping wine bottles with your menus, creating custom napkin ring holders or a painted table runner.

Get more inspiration and places to purchase kraft items by checking out my Pinterest board.

Wedding DIY: Welcome Bags

May 20, 2013June 17, 20131 Comment

I can’t think of a better way to thank guests for sharing in your big day then to create a welcome bag upon their arrival. This week’s video will show you some easy ways to customize the bags based on your wedding’s theme or destination.

Tip: Include specific notes for your guests such as a weekend itinerary, area attractions, transportation details or other visitor information.

Resources:

Target – $1 section for toiletries
World Market – miniature versions of food and drinks
TomKat Studio – favor bags and twine
Michaels – colored paper bags with handles

I’m only 33 people away from my goal of 1,000 subscribers – help spread the word and SUBSCRIBE to the channel!

DIY Custom Name Hangers

March 8, 2013April 11, 20132 Comments

I’ve seen so many brides purchase these personalized hangers lately, so I decided to take a stab at creating my own. The craft is easier then you think, check out the tutorial and let me know how yours turns out. Thank you to my bride-to-be friends for letting me use their names for the hangers! Oh, don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel, the goal is to get to 1,000 subscribers!

Materials:

12 gauge floral wire (1 roll will make 2 custom hangers)
Wooden Hanger

Tools:

Wood Glue (Gorilla)
Power Drill w/ 3/16 drill bit
Ruler
Pliers
Wire Cutters
(1) 8 x 11 piece of paper
Sharpie

Total cost: $5 for each custom hanger

Time: 1 hour

Steps:

Create a template. Measure out the length of the hanger and then leave 2.0 inches of space on each end. This will act as your guide as you create the name when wrapping the wire.
Take you wire and measure out 2.5 inches on the start end.
Start to shape the letters. This wire is really flexible so you can just use your hands. If additional help is needed, then use the pliers. I suggest using lowercase script for beginners.
Drill hold bout 1 inch from each end of the hanger.
Trim access wire, add glue to hole in hanger and secure wire into place.

Tips:

Your first time trying this craft will take you about 1 hour. Once you get the hang of shaping the wire, you will cut down on your time tremendously. It’s okay if they craft has a more rustic/handmade feel, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Paint the hanger (before you start the craft) to match the wedding colors.

Other Uses:

There was wire left over so I used it to make “place cards” for the bride and groom. Leave a comment and let me know if you have any other ideas for how to use the wire to personalize your big day.

DIY Tulle Tutus

February 22, 2013April 11, 2013Leave a comment

I think this may be the cutest craft ever. I seriously can’t get enough of these tutus. Watch the tutorial and you’ll see what I mean. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel!!

Materials:

Tools:

Scissors (find a similar leopard pair of scissors here)
Tape Measure

Total cost: $12

Time: 30 minutes

Steps:

Cut elastic 2 inches shorter than flower girls waist measurements.
Use fabric glue to hold the elastic together.
Cut tulle into 2 foot long pieces.
Wrap the elastic around your leg to hold it into place.
Take one piece of tulle and hold it in half. Thread the tulle under the elastic, leading with the folded end.
Take the two ends of the tulle on top, pull them through the folded end (loop). Continue pulling down and use the index finger from your other hand to place the knot and tighten as you pull. Repeat this step until tutu is complete. Trim ends if needed.

Tips:

I also suggest doing a few cross stitches on the elastic for extra hold.
Adjust the length of the skirt but cutting longer stripes of tulle.
Perfect for flower girls, birthdays, baby showers, etc.
Tulle is available in a wide variety of colors so it is easy to match the wedding color palette. I used the glitter tulle for one of the tutus I made and I need to warn you, that the glitter gets EVERYWHERE. If you do want to use it, I suggest doing the craft outside, or avoiding using the glitter tulle altogether so that you aren’t constantly cleaning it up.

Also, if you like working with tulle check out my other tutorial on how to make a tulle headpiece.

DIY Bridal Tulle Headpiece

February 15, 2013April 11, 20132 Comments

With wedding season fast approaching, many brides-to-be are looking for unique ways to customize their big day. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a Tulle Headpiece that can either be worn by the bride, flower girls or wedding party. This is a great way to call out the bride for a bachelorette party as well (especially if you aren’t into the typical bachelorette decor).

Materials:

8 inch wide tulle (12 pieces)
Headband or combs
Twine

Tools:

Scissors (find a similar leopard pair of scissors here)
Hot Glue Gun
Ruler

Total cost: Under $10

Time: 20 minutes

Steps:

Cut 12 pieces of tulle into 8 inch strips.
Cut 6 inch piece of twine and set aside.
Layer pieces of tulle on top of each other, alternating directions.
Fold tulle in half and pinch the bottom together, secure with twine.
Secure tulle to headband with a drop of hot glue and hold in place until dry.

Tips:

I prefer to use tulle with texture like the birdcage type or I mixed regular tulle with a swiss dot style in the video.
If you are going to use a comb you will only need 6-8 pieces of tulle depending on the fullness you want.
Using a straight edge/square shape tulle will give you a more avant garde look, using rounded edge/circle shape tulle will give you more of a rosette style.
Have the bride where it the Bachelorette party and/or bridal shower in order to call out the bride-to-be.
Consider making versions for the bridesmaids or flower girls, tulle comes in various colors that will match the wedding color palette.

Leave a comment and let me know if there are other tutorials you would like to see!

DIY Tissue Tassel Garland

January 16, 2013April 11, 20133 Comments

The Likehearted YouTube Channel is live! I had a blast being a content contributor and getting to share my craft ideas. I’m so grateful for the opportunity that Sitewire has given me, and the beautiful work Snapfactory did on the videos. It’s definitely nerve-racking being on camera for the first time but I’m really proud of the videos and hopefully you all enjoy them too!! More videos to come, so make sure to check out all the tutorials by subscribing to my channel: http://www.youtube.com/iamlikehearted.

Materials:

Tissue Paper
Jute twine

Tools:

Scissors
Hot glue gun

Total cost: Under $10

Time: 2 hours

Steps:

Fold one sheet of tissue paper in half width-wise, then fold it over length-wise.
With your scissors, cut strips of fringe about 1/4 inch wide along the unfolded long edge of your folded tissue, leaving about 2 inches of uncut tissue at the folded edge.
Unfold your paper and cut the tissue in the center, creating two halves. Set one aside.
You should have a sheet of tissue with fringe on either side and a solid section down the center. Using the solid center section, begin to roll the tissue paper up, being careful to keep the fringe untangled.
After the entire section is rolled, twist the center tightly. Then curl it in on itself to create a loop, and secure with a small dot of hot glue.
For a finishing touch, place a small dot of hot glue under the loop and wrap twine around the base, secure with another dot of hot glue. Trim the ends if desired, and string your tassel onto your cord.

Tips:

One sheet of tissue paper makes 2 tassels.
I suggest about 16 tassels for your average size garland = 8 sheets of paper.
To make tassels with longer fringe, during step 2 cut along the short edge of the unfolded tissue instead of the long edge.

Don’t have time to make your own? Purchase the one I made in the video on my Etsy shop.

Mimosa Jello Shots

January 11, 2013January 15, 2013Leave a comment

I made the Mimosa Jello Shots for the New Year’s Eve party I hosted and was surprised how much of a hit these were. I saw this recipe on Pinterest but decided to put my own twist on it and use Orange flavored gelatin. I will admit I did not get those perfectly cut squares that they show in their photo, instead I suggest using the clear plastic shots glasses for serving.

Ingredients:

1 package of Orange Gelatin (Jello)
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup of chilled champagne (I used Cava – Spanish Sparkling Wine)

Directions:

Combine gelatin and boiling water in a bowl. Stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let it sit and come to room temperature.
Slowly pour in the chilled champagne.
Pour into clear shot glasses until they are about 3/4 filled and set in refrigerator to chill, about 4 hours.
Sprinkle with shimmer sugar right before serving. Note, that the sugar dissolves quickly once on the jello.

Enjoying reliving the college days in a more grown up style.

Originally posted here: http://www.perpetuallyengaged.com/2011/12/champagne-jello-shots.html

DIY Bachelorette Invites

December 17, 2012February 7, 2013Leave a comment

My best friend since 3rd grade is getting married in April and I have the absolute pleasure of being her maid of honor. We are going to Austin, TX for the bachelorette party and I couldn’t be more excited. First order of business in planning the bachelorette weekend is the invitations. I wanted to do something personalize and custom to the Texas theme. I also included “next steps” on the back of the invite which I printed on white stock paper, cut down to size and secured with the Washi tape. I’m no graphic artist but I really love the way they turned out!

Materials: