I’m always on the lookout for a great craft supply store, so when I came across Caramelos etsy store…..I was instantly smitten. From vintage millinary flowers or their lovely baker’s twine, Caramelos has everything a bride would need to create a stunning wedding cake topper or whimiscal wedding favors.
[Via Decor8]
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time behind the scenes recently working to bring numerous projects on board in hopes of transforming Once Wed from just a listing service/blog to a premier wedding inspiration and resource site. By this fall, Once Wed will have a completely new look and a lot more features…..more to come on this later though……..
The first step towards that goal is the launch of our weekly DIY wedding feature, which will post every Thursday from this day forward(hopefully by the end of the summer we will post a different DIY project twice a week). I’ve teamed up with Laurie Cinotto of LaLaLaurie and Fine Flowers to present modern and beautiful DIY projects that not only will work within a reasonable budget, but also that the average person can actually craft for their own wedding. I can’t tell you how excited and humbled I am that Laurie is lending her incredible talents and creativity to Once Wed once a week from here on out. As someone who has absolutely no talent when it comes to craft or creating anything by hand, I literally jumped out of my seat when Laurie sent me this beautiful wreath. Laurie also does floral design for weddings and other events and recently mentioned that a lot of the time the flower girl wreath is the first item to go when working within a certain budget because fresh flowes are so expensive. So, Laurie came up with this incredible and rustic butterfly head wreath as a beautiful alternative.
When the new site launches in the fall all the DIY projects will be categorized in a gallery setting making it easier to navigate through everything too. Even though Laurie already has some pieces in the works, we would love to hear suggestions from everybody on different DIY ideas you might like to see or any type of feedback in general about this new project.
I hope everyone enjoys this new weekly feature and I want to say a big thank you and Once Wed welcome to, Laurie!
Butterfly Head Wreath
your glue gun to adhere the tail of the ribbon to the inside of the
back of the wreath. Wrap the ribbon around the wreath, leaving some
open space to expose the bark covered wire. Continue wrapping until
you reach your starting point, glue the end of your ribbon and trim
excess. (see figure 2)
one yard lengths of ribbon. Find the middle point of each ribbon,
and tie the lengths to the back of the wreath to create four "tails".
out 15 butterflies from the card stock, using your craft punch. Use
your thumbnail to make creases at the point where the wings meet the
body. and slightly bend the wings upward. (see figure 3)
the 10 butterflies on, and around the leaves and wreath, then glue tiny
bits of reindeer moss near the butterflies. You can you tweezers
to hold the butterflies and moss to prevent burning your fingers with
the hot glue. (see figure 4)
The new Martha Stewart Weddings is filled with great DIY ideas, so I thought would feature one of my favorites. I love how you can personalize this "wedding tree" to fit any reception just by choosing different ribbon and fabric to wrap the branches with. Granted, this DIY is probably a little bit more time consuming than some of her other projects, but if your a talented sewer it might be perfect for you.
Supplies and Materials
Rickrack,ribbon, or woven fabric
Artificial stamens
Milliner’s sewing needle
Thread
Floral wire and tape
Liquid seam sealant
Tacky Glue
For fabric, ope for a lightweight cotton(such as most quilting fabrics), since they can be easily torn along the fabric’s grain.
How-to Ribbon and Fabric Flowers
"For fabric flowers, tear fabric into 1-inch strips and cut to 8 inches long. For ribbon flowers, us 1/2-inch ribbon cut to 4 inches long".
1. Use thread in matching color(knot the end) to sew a running stitch lengthwise along one edge of the strip or ribbon.
2. Slide fabric along thread, drawstring style, to gather.
3. Bring ends of fabric together, right sides facing, and sew. Snip off excess seam allowance, and apply seam sealant to cut edges of fabric to prevent unraveling. Fold a few stamens in half, then slip a 10-inch floral wire through them at the fold; fold the wire in half, and twist to secure. Insert stem into center of flower so stamen heads emerge just a bit; add a dab of tacky glue to secure, and let dry. Wrap stem in floral tape. To decorate favors, glue flowers to fabric bands.
How-to Rickrack Flowers
"Count 16 points along lower edge of rickrack; snip with cut edges pointing upward."
1. Knot thread, and sew through the points along one edge.
2. Gather rickrack onto needle as you sew.
3. When entire strip is gathered onto needle, hold tightly, and pull the thread through firmly; then stitch through the first fold and pull tight.
4. Bring ends of rickrack together, with right sides facing. Sew, then trim off excess seam allowance(do not cut thread).
5. Apply seam sealant to raw edges.
6. On underside of flower, backstitch points together; anchor end of thread with tiny stitches. Fold a few stamens in half; slip floral wire through them at the fold, fold wire in half, and twist to secure. Insert stem into center of flower; dab on tacky glue to secure, and let dry. Wrap stem in floral tape.
How-to Wrapped Branch
1. For each section of branch, tie 1/2-inch seam binding to bottom of branch(secure all knots with a dab of tacky glue beneath them). Pulling slightly to keep seam binding tight, wrap it around branch, overlapping by about a third(keep ribbon tight during wrapping to ensure a snug fit).
2. When you reach the end of branch, tie a knot, and trim excess to create a "leaf". If you run out of seam binding mid-branch, tie loose end to branch and trim closely; then tie a new ribbon, trimming excess to create a leaf, and continue wrapping.
3. Glue on flowers and extra ribbon leaves where desired. Place dense floral foam into a vase and arrange branches, inserting them into the foam.
{Photos and project c/o Martha Stewart Weddings}
Last night I visited Martha Stewart’s Craft site for the first time and I feel like I’ve been living under a rock for never knowing about this site until now. What a fantastic resource to plan any event, especially a wedding. Wonderful ideas are all over the site from bouquets made out of tissue paper to lace eyelet favor boxes, but I am especially loving the hanging paper flower’s seen below. All of the items either come in kits or are already pre-made. If you havent checked out this site, you need to now.
{Photos c/o Martha Stewart Crafts}
Harvest Centerpiece
"A table arrangement of grains celebrates the bounty of fall. In addition to the wheat, which symoblizes a fruitful life, this texture displayed includes other dried grasses(available at craft stores), so it can be made weeks ahead. The final flourish? A luxurious satin bow.(Grains and grasses from Dry Nature Designs; ribbon from Masterstroke Canada)."
Supplies and Tools
Colored Floral Tape
For each centerpiece, you’ll need about hundred stalks(six bunches) of dried grass and wheat
Ribbon
Floral Pruner
How-To
1. Bundle fifteen or so stems together at a time(they’re easiest to handle if you secure bundles with floral tape about four inches below grain pods).
2. Hold between thumb and forefinger at an angle. Add bundles, in a spiral shown, until all are used.
3. Wrap with floral tape(choose a color that matches your ribbon). Trim ends with floral pruner(cut center tips shorter for a stable base). Tie a wide ribbon over tape.
{Photos and project c/o Martha Stewart}
