Category Archives: DIY

Baby’s Breath Floral Crown DIY

By Chandra Fredrick | May 14

Floral DIY contributor and Lovely Vendor BloomsByTheBox has a fabulous DIY tutorial for us today: a baby’s breath floral crown headpiece. This is a perfect little DIY for you to do for your flower girl or yourself, depending on your bridal style.

Baby’s breath accents are “all the rage” this wedding season, so you may be interested in learning how to make a trendy floral crown like this. You can even make this DIY headband double as a decorative wreath! Plus, baby’s breath is super affordable, and a little goes a long way. This project only uses about ¼ a bunch of baby’s breath. To get started, just grab a portion of a bunch of baby’s breath, floral scissors, floral wire, and floratape stem wrap and get cracking.

First portion small bunches of baby’s breath together by combining small sprigs using floratape stem wrap. You are going to need to make a decent amount of these small bundles to cover an entire floral head band, but once you get the hang of it, each little bundle is quickly made.

Next, double strand the wire, measure your head, and make a cut leaving an extra two inches at the ends. Use the rounded side (already looped side) of your doubled wire to create a clasp by putting the cut ends through the loop. Once you have put the ends through the loop, create a secure twist to hold the wire in a circle. Make sure the wire is not sticking out.

Start adding the sprigs of baby’s breath by overlapping them and attaching them to the wire with stem wrap. Fill in all the spaces until you only have a section of wire left uncovered where you made your clasp.

Tie lace ribbon around the remaining uncovered wire and make a bow. This can now be used as a floral headband or a baby’s breath wreath for décor. Baby’s breath is extremely affordable and you do not need much to make an impact. This wreath took about ¼ of a bunch of baby’s breath so this is a very budget friendly do-it-yourself flower project.

Don’t you LOVE? Who’s making floral crowns for their wedding? Many thanks to BloomsByTheBox for this lovely project. Check out their DIY corsage feature as well.

BloomsByTheBox is a member of our handpicked Lovely Vendor Guide. If you’d like to be considered as a Lovely Vendor, apply here.

{DIY} Washi Eggs + Easter Egg Centerpiece

By Chandra Fredrick | Mar 26

I’ve got another fun DIY for you today from Mariana from So Much Life. She’s sharing a fun washi tape Easter egg project with us today with a bonus project of making your washi eggs into a cute table centerpiece. The first project is perfect for those of you with little ones too – a no mess way to decorate eggs. Enjoy!

What you’ll need for both projects: washi tape, hardboiled eggs, egg carton box, ribbon of choice, skewers, hot glue gun, acrylic paint & paint brush

Project 1:

Step 1: Paint the half egg carton box and let it dry.

Step 2: While the paint dries, coat the eggs one by one with washi tape, and give it a patchwork look.

Step 3: Arrange the eggs in the painted box.

Project 2:

Step 1: Place a dash of hot glue on the tip of the stick and carefully enter the egg. Pour more hot glue around the egg just to fix it (with polystyrene eggs, do not use hot glue, just insert the stick into the egg).

Step 2: Coat the eggs with washi tape pieces until it is fully covered.

Step 3: Tie a ribbon at the end of the egg (where the stick starts) and tie a little bow on it!

Aren’t those so cute? I’m really loving the washi egg idea, and you could do it on plastic eggs or hardboiled (or even foam ones). If you do it on plastic eggs you could decorate each half seperately so you can still put goodies inside for the little ones.

Here’s a little roundup of other ways I love to decorate eggs for Easter:

gilded marble eggs

pantone eggs

watercolor letter eggs

handpainted pastel eggs

glittered eggs

What’s your favorite way to decorate eggs? Charlie and I will be coloring them the old fashioned way, although this tip makes it much easier for little hands. Happy decorating!

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{DIY} Cupcake Liner Garland

By Chandra Fredrick | Mar 19

Happy DIY Tuesday! Today I’ve got another DIY from new contributor Mariana from So Much Life. She’s sharing a fun cupcake garland for us that is perfect for Spring and Easter parties.

Step 1: Choose a large and a small sized cupcake baking cup. Separate each cup, one by one, and display everything on the top of a table.

Step 2: Flip the smaller cupcake baking cups.

Step 3: Paste, with hot glue, the smaller cupcake baking cups inside the bigger ones.

Step 4: Merge with hot glue the two cups above the twine.

And you could use any color and pattern of liner for whatever type of party you want to have. I love the pastels but neon would be really fun too! Thanks again to Mariana from So Much Love (she’s also got another blog called So Much Life - check them both out. While they’re both in Portugese, they are FULL of pretty visual inspiration, one wedding-focused and one crafty!)

Are you loving these DIYs we’ve been having from our fabulous new contributors? If you have an inner Martha just dying to get out, email me to send your submissions my way and you could be featured too. We’ve got an Easter-themed one from Mariana coming up next week too! Until then, happy DIY’ing.

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{DIY} Wedding Favor Glitter Confetti Bags

By Chandra Fredrick | Mar 12

Today we have another DIY from Oh Lovely Day’s new DIY contributor, Courtney from A little glass box. She has a fab project in store that you are going to LOVE. Take it away, Courtney!

A big hello to all of you lovelies… I am so excited to be able to pop on over from A little glass box & share a fun DIY with you guys. I recently made some confetti bags for a party and thought it would be fun for guests at a wedding to throw instead of rice, or instead of blowing bubbles (for an indoor wedding of course). They couldn’t be any simpler to make.

Here is what I needed for this project: Scissors, confetti, liquid glue, a Q-tip for applying the glue, gold washi tape, mini treat bags (I used glassine bags), ribbon for embellishment (or anything you fancy) & gold glitter.

Step 1: I simply use the Washi tape to create a band on the bottom of the glassine bags and apply glue and glitter to it.

Step 2: After letting it dry, Fill it with some confetti (which I just made by cutting up tissue paper) but you can also purchase confetti at any local craft or party store.

Step 3: All that is left is to embellish the bag & this is where you can be as creative as you want to be. I punched out circle from a glittered piece of paper & tied it on with a ribbon. I even wrote a little message on the bag to the guests & the date of the event.

They’re quite cute & wallet friendly. I must say, I am smitten with anything that is shiny and small…so a little bag of sparkly paper goodies takes me to my happy place. Thank you so much for letting me spend my day with you guys!

Aren’t those SO cute! I’m obsessed and want a reason to make some myself. You guys have to go over and check out Courtney’s blog alittleglassbox – she has so much lovely going on over there! I can’t wait for her to share more projects with us. So, who is going to make some of these fun favor bags?

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{Real Wedding} Jolene & Justin: Modern Rustic Condor’s Nest Ranch Wedding

By Chandra Fredrick | Mar 11

Anytime Nicole from Green Ribbon Party Planning Co sends a wedding my way, I know I’m going to LOVE it. Remember this rustic red foodie wedding? Well, today’s wedding is another to love. The vibrant blues & yellows, the attention to detail, the bride’s gorgeous sleek gown – I’m loving it all! The bride’s own words about the wedding:

With our families living on the east coast and abroad, we were excited to have a “destination wedding” roughly two hours from our home in Los Angeles. Nicole, our wedding planner, suggested Condor’s Nest Ranch. We all headed down there together and with our adoration of animals, nature and all things vintage, we quickly fell in love with the charm of the ranch.

Virginie Mai, a close friend of mine, wanted to contribute her creativity to the ceremony, never mind that she lives in France and is a busy mom to two adorable boys. Virginie made the ring pillow using fabric she found at her local fabric store in Valence, including a piece of vintage yellow velvet ribbon and hand stitched our initials and wedding date. Virginie also made the crystal and raw silk ribbon necklaces for the bridesmaids and bracelet for the Maid of Honor.

I love succulents and they accented the yellow and white flowers in my bouquet just perfectly. The vintage beadwork that wrapped the handle of my bouquet had previously adorned the Juliette cap worn by my grandmother on her wedding day in 1950. The locket on the bouquet held vintage photos of my parents, always near and dear to my heart.

modern rustic Condor's Nest Ranch Wedding | Green Ribbon Party Planning Co & Swoon by Katie

Aren’t these first look photos THE BEST!? The look on the groom’s face is priceless.

modern rustic Condor's Nest Ranch Wedding | Green Ribbon Party Planning Co & Swoon by Katie

My custom gown was designed by my longtime college friend, couture gown designer, Casey Cadwallader. The epitome of rustic chic, the lace on the bust and back straps added a romantic and vintage touch. The silk chiffon skirt draped perfectly, creating a very feminine silhouette and was so comfortable to wear. Most brides want to feel like a princess on their wedding day, but I was never the type to fantasize about my wedding day growing up. However, when your dear and talented friend custom designs your gown, it is impossible not to feel like you are in a fairytale!

modern rustic Condor's Nest Ranch Wedding | Green Ribbon Party Planning Co & Swoon by Katie

We wanted to highlight the many talents of our friends and family and it was important for us to find meaningful ways for our loved ones to be a part of our wedding day. One of the most meaningful aspects was having my brother, Matthew, who resides in the UK, officiate the ceremony.

My advice for those planning now: leverage your resources and delegate. My sister, who was my maid of honor, selected the dresses and shoes for the bridesmaids. She has great taste and knows my style so that was a huge help. Spend as much as you can afford on your photographer, as that is the only tangible way to capture memories you will cherish for a lifetime.

modern rustic Condor's Nest Ranch Wedding | Green Ribbon Party Planning Co & Swoon by Katie

Justin designed honey jar labels and we decorated each jar with cheesecloth and a bumble bee stamp on the lid. The sweet honey for these favors was sourced from bees kept on Justin’s parents’ ranch in Okeechobee, Florida.

I wanted to find a special way to honor my late father’s spirit on this important day and I found a sweet way to do so. My parents were high school sweethearts and would celebrate my father’s high school basketball game wins at the Sweet Shop in Hicksville, NY in the early 1970′s. Still operating today, with not much changed, I decided to forgo a traditional wedding cake and fashioned a dessert table as a re-creation of the Sweet Shop. I displayed framed menus from the original Sweet Shop and the red and white table runner was reminiscent of the red and white awning on the store front. Our friend Jessica, a talented graphic designer, created a replica of the neon Sweet Shop sign. Guests indulged in all of the traditional desserts found at a vintage ice cream shop and were invited to make their own ice cream sundaes, root beer floats and treat themselves to delicious cookies and brownies. Justin even created Sweet Shop stickers for the ice cream cups!

Don’t you love all of the personal touches and family & friend contributions to this wedding. I am seriously loving the bride’s custom gown – it is modern, sleek, and sexy without being TOO sexy, and still completely a bridal gown. Those necklaces made for the bridesmaids are pretty fab too! And the vibrant blue and yellow palette is so joyful. The bride’s nod to her late father is one of the best I’ve seen. I was also a bride whose father had passed away prior to my wedding, and I had a hard time finding a way to include my dad in my day without it being too sad or memorial in nature. This bride made it such a celebratory idea, which I love.

Congrats to Jolene & Justin and many thanks to Nicole for sending this beauty of a wedding my way! Be sure to check out the gallery for even more.

{Vendors} Venue: Condors Nest Ranch / Event Planning: The Green Ribbon Party Planning Co. / Photographer: Swoon by Katie / Makeup: Samantha Salk / Hair: Bride’s brother-in-law, a talented hair stylist at Murphy’s Hair in London / Gown: Casey Cadwallader / Bouquets and Boutonnieres: Brown Paper Design / Ring Pillow and Bridal Party Jewelry: Virginie Mai / Sweet Shop Sign: Jessica Frucht

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A Vintage Circus First Birthday Party

By Chandra Fredrick | Mar 8

Happy Friday! Another Friday means another Lovely Ever After post. Today I’m sharing my son Charlie’s 1st Birthday party, because it had lots of fun DIY to share.

Charlie turned 1 on 11/11/11, and I wanted to somehow incorporate that into the party theme. So I went with vintage circus and included on the invites to “step right up to see the boy who turns 1 on 11/11/11.” Sort of a play on that old school circus freak idea… I mostly decorated with vintage toys that already decorated Charlie’s room. Costumes were optional, and I provided clown noses as favors so everyone could participate. Charlie was a strongman. His “muscles” were a little saggy (just rubber balls put under his shirt sleeves), which he wasn’t happy about. I also made his barbell in the photo on the right by using black duct tape to cover a dowel rod, and tape black balloons to each end. Super easy!

Keep in mind we live in an apartment in LA, so space was limited. It also rained (one of the three days a year it does in LA!) so we were mostly inside. But I think you can do a fun party in small spaces. I made the fabric bunting by collecting fabrics I liked for a couple months, and followed this tutorial. You can find triangle templates (and a slightly different version of this DIY) here. I used pinking shears to cut out my fabric triangles, iron on adhesive (just follow the directions on the adhesive), and red 5/8″ red grosgrain ribbon. I loved how it turned out, and to be honest, it stayed up until we decorated for Christmas!

I also wanted to have a little photobooth, so I somehow convinced my husband to freestyle draw circus style props on construction paper, which I glued to skewers and put in a mason jar next to a sign and a camera. They would have been better if supported with some card stock, but this was a last minute project and were sort of “over” the DIY by this point. I got the cute straws, napkins, plates, extra big balloons, and cupcake liners from Shop Sweet Lulu and Hey YoYo. And I just put everything in my collection of mason jars. I made the signs and cupcake toppers myself, by using these digital papers, designing them in Photoshop, and printing them on cardstock. I then glued the cupcake toppers onto toothpicks.

I found the plastic popcorn tubs in the Target $1 bin a couple of months before, and I put old school candy, unshelled peanuts, popcorn, animal crackers, and other circus concessions in them. We also served corn dogs and soft pretzels (a circus party has the easiest food to serve!), and bottles of soda and Izze in our party colors (which were super yum!). I also made a ring of fire, which was a big hit with the kiddos. I was inspired by Hello! Lucky and one of their son’s circus birthday party, and they provide a tutorial here. My husband drew & cut out the “fire” from yellow and orange felt and I glued it on to a small hula hoop.

I loved Charlie’s birthday party invitations, which were custom designed by Samantha of Papermints. She now sells them in her etsy shop and you can find them here, along with what the front of it looked like. I bought matching envelopes and address labels at Paper Source, and printed more of those digital papers above onto regular paper and cut them into envelope liners. Here is a photo of the back of the invite, which I displayed on the cake/cupcake table.

The last DIY to share were the party hats. And I’m going to warn you, they were a pain in the youknowwhat! They turned out cute, but I made one for every guest (kid and adult) and most didn’t get worn. In fact, I have about 20 of them perfectly intact. And they took a lot of time and work. If I did it over again I would only make a few, but they were cute and made for some cute photos. You can find the tutorial I used to make them on Oh Happy Day, along with a template. I only used it for the template and decorated mine differently. I also used a hole punch instead of an exacto knife to put the ribbon in to tie them on. Again, I used the digital papers I linked to above and printed them on card stock.

I also baked Charlie’s giant cupcake birthday cake (using this pan, in case you are interested). Biggest lesson learned: red velvet was a HUGE mistake. Charlie looked like he lost a fight with a circus animal. And I was cleaning up red cake from my floor, rug, bathtub, etc. for days!

But all in all a great time was had by all and the party was a success! If I could offer any advice to you mommas who are getting super excited to plan their baby’s first birthday, it would be this (which is the same thing I tell my bride readers): don’t over DIY! Pick a couple of projects, or just one if you aren’t really a DIY’er. I did a little too much, got a bit stressed about finishing them, and in the end scrapped making caramel apples and circus cut-out sugar cookies. I was also still dealing with postpartum depression (that’s going to be another post) and I think I was trying to compensate for that but didn’t do myself any favors by adding to my stress. Remember that the day is about celebrating how you survived that delivery a year ago and what a hard and fun time that first year was, and how your baby is already 1 year old! Everything else will fall into place and everyone will have fun, even you!