DIY Knottie

Adorable Ring Bearer Pillow

2009-03-29T08:46:00.010-05:00

I know that lately my posts have been few and far between, but it's wedding crunch time now, so the DIY is in full force.

Yesterday I made our ring bearer pillow. The total cost was about $5. The fabric was $2.10 for half of a yard and the fiberfill was $2.99. I already had ribbon from previous projects and some miscellaneous white thread and a needle from sewing buttons. :)

Step 1: Fabric

1. Purchase half of a yard of the fabric of your choice per pillow. If you think you will mess up (which is surprisingly difficult), purchase more.
2. Cut your fabric into a rectangle. One side should be the length of your pillow plus one inch, the other side should be two times your desired length, plus half an inch. My pillow is 11" by 11", so my piece of fabric was cut to 12" by 22.5".

TIP: The extra length is to account for the hem.

3. Fold your piece of fabric in half so the inside of your pillow is facing out.

Step 2: Sew

1. Starting at one of the two folded corners of your fabric, begin sewing a straight line half an inch from the edge of your fabric.

TIP: You can do this by hand, I did! Each stitch was about a centimeter long.
TIP: Draw a line using chalk along the half inch line to ensure you are sewing straight.

2. Continue sewing half an inch from the edge of your fabric, until you are 4" from hitting the second folded corner of your fabric. This will leave a hole to stuff the fiberfill (and your hand) into.

3. Tie a knot in your thread.

(Click the photo to see the fabric zoomed in. My 4" hole is on the bottom right)

Step 3: Stuff the pillow

1. Turn your fabric right side out.

TIP: Stick your hand into the fabric to push out all of the corners. This will make the corners look better.

2. Stuff fiberfill through the hole until you've filled it to your desired size.

3. Sew the last 4" of fabric together.

TIP: Fold a little bit of the fabric into the pillow so that the edges are smooth.
TIP: I do not have a straight hand at sewing, but I honestly don't think it mattered for those last few inches.

Step 3: Ribbon for the rings

1. Near the center of your pillow, fold the fabric up and snip a small line. By folding the fabric, you double the length of your snip.

2. Snip again a centimeter away from the first snip.

3. Pull the ribbon into one snip and out the other.

4. Tie into a bow to complete your ring bearer pillow.

spruce up your invitation envelope

2009-02-22T14:56:00.005-06:00

go from plain jane...

...to fabulous!

for the cost of ink and a stamp.

Save-the-Dates Magnets & Postcards

2009-02-07T11:05:00.005-06:00

Woo hoo for budget-friendly save-the-date options! I feel like I appear to be in marketing for VistaPrint although I'm really just a civil engineer who doesn't make a lot of money yet.

Our total cost was only $15 total for 100 postcards and magnets, plus the cost of stamps and envelopes. I used a promotion for 100 free postcards and 50 free magnets from VistaPrint.

Step 1: Magnets and postcards

1. Design and purchase the magnets and postcards. VistaPrint offers exceptional templates, but you can make your own design in Photoshop, Paint, or MS Publisher. The file just needs to be in an acceptable format for VistaPrint.

TIP: Be sure to leave empty space on the postcard to apply the magnet.
TIP: Include your wedding website on the magnet and/or postcard so guests can simply look at their fridge to find information on accommodations, attractions, etc.

Step 2: Assemble

1. Apply a glue dot to the back of each magnet.
2. Adhere the magnet to empty space on the postcard.

Step 3: Mail

1. Stick your save-the-dates in an A2 envelope. The sizing is perfect for VistaPrint postcards + magnets. If you just have the postcard and magnet, you will only need one stamp.

Pretty Placecards

2009-02-07T10:39:00.007-06:00

As much as I dream of letterpressed placecards with beautiful calligraphy on them, that is not in my budget! Instead, I opted to spruce up a plain placecard to my own liking.

Step 1: Purchase placecards and stamps

1. Visit stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Jo-Ann's (where I found mine) to find a very simple and very cheap set of placecards.

2. Find a stamp you adore and some ink to match your style.

TIP: Buy different colored ink and different stamp designs to make each table at your reception a little different.

Step 2: Stamp the placecard

1. Lay newspaper or another material down on your table so nothing stains.
2. Fold the placecard. This will ensure the stamp does not affect the back side of the card.

3. Gently place the stamp on the inkpad.

2. Gently apply the stamp to the placecard in the corner of the folded card.

4. Allow the stamp ink to dry.

Step 3: Finish the design

1. You can customize your design by painting little scrolls along the edges or gluing rhinestones or pearls.
2. Write guest's names or hire a calligrapher to do so.
3. Admire the finished product.

Favor Bags

2009-02-07T10:16:00.006-06:00

Cute favor bags and tags are easy breezy lemon squeezy! We are having a candy buffet for our favor and wanted to find a cheap yet creative route for guests to take the candy home.

Step 1: Make some tags and purchase bags

1. You can design and print these yourself using a word program and your printer.
2. OR you can do what I did- order 250 "business cards" from VistaPrint for free! If you are not on their mailing list for free goodies, I strongly urge you to join.

3. Purchase your bags. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby. I bought half in the red and teal paisley design and half in the clear cellophane to save a bit of money.

Step 2: Holepunch the tags and bags

1. Punch your tags in the upper lefthand corner with a basic holepuncher.

2. Punch your bags in the upper righthand corner.

TIP: The reason the bags and tags are holepunched in those locations is to make sure the tag lays off of the bag in a less awkward way.

Step 3: Cut ribbon

1. Cut 2" or 3" long pieces of ribbon. If you would like to make an elaborate bow, you can cut your ribbon longer.

Step 4: Thread and tie the ribbon

1. Thread the ribbon through all of the bag holes and the tag hole.

2. Tie the ribbon, but not so tight as to tear the bag or tag.

Step 5: Trim to perfection

1. Trim your ribbon to your desired length
2. Voila, you have a fun favor tag that outshines a ziploc or paper bag!

Photobook Guestbook

2008-10-11T22:46:00.007-05:00

I received my Kodak Photobook in the mail a few weeks ago and simply adore it. However, the outside of it was pretty bland, so I decided to spruce it up.

Note: My book is a 9"x9" book, so you will need to adjust your ribbon measurements accordingly

Step 1: Order a photobook

1. Use a company like Kodak, Blurb, or MyPublisher to find the best prices and style for you
2. Follow their directions for arranging photos
3. Order the book

TIP: Include poems, lyrics, and phrases that are sentimental to you and your significant other

Step 2: Wrap base ribbon around the book

1. Cut 2- 12" pieces of ribbon in colors of your choice
2. Wrap the first piece of ribbon around the front of the book and bring to the inside cover
3. Adhere the ribbon to the book using glue dots

Step 3: Tie the top ribbon

1. Cut 1- 40" piece of ribbon in the color of your choice
2. Wrap the ribbon completely around the front and inside cover of the book, leaving equal lengths of ribbon (approx 16")
3. Adhere the ribbon to the inside cover of the book using glue dots/lines

4. Place a small glue dot/line onto the center of the base ribbon, wherever you would like your bow located

5. Cross the two ends of the ribbon and loop one end under like the first step in tying your shoes
6. Adhere the tied ribbon to the glue dot already in place

7. Follow these instructions for making the tidiest bow possible
8. Finish trimming the excess ribbon from the ends

9. Admire your work

Pew Bows

2008-10-10T10:44:00.007-05:00

Once again, Knottie Kinks offers up her DIY wisdom. This time the topic of interest is pew bows! One of the best things about these pew bows is that they are 100% customizable. Choose your flowers, ribbon colors, extra accessories, whatever!

Materials:

Silk flowers of your choice. The smaller the flowers, the more you'll need. I used a single blue hydrangea bloom.

Cost: $2 per hydrangea bloom (60% off at Michael's Arts & Crafts)

Organza sashes. I used white ones, about 7 inches wide and 107 inches long, sold as chair sashes by eBay seller hermila51.

Cost: $1.70 apiece for 12, plus $5 shipping.

18-foot spools of 5/8" wide ribbon – each spool gives enough ribbon for 4 pew bows if you use 4 1/2 feet of ribbon per pew marker. The ribbon I used is single-sided Offray satin ribbon in Copenhagen blue from Jo-ann Arts & Crafts.

Cost: $2.29 per spool

If your flowers have long stems with wires in them, you’ll want wire cutters, often found with jewelry-making tools

Cost: About $5

(Optional) clear monofilament (fishing line, can be found at Wal Mart or Target) and pew clips (found on eBay). These are helpful if your ceremony seating has nothing to hang the bows from, if you're using more than 2-3 silk flowers or you would like some extra assurance that the bows won't blow off the chairs at an outdoor ceremony.

Cost: $1 for fishing line and $1 per pew clip

Instructions (without pew clips):

First, make sure your silk flowers are in good shape and remove any leaves, tags or other extra pieces you don't want. The stems of the flowers should be about 1 foot long -- if they are longer, feel free to trim them (although you may need wire cutters to do this if your stems are wired). I also bent my flower stems slightly so they wouldn't look so unnaturally straight. If you are using multiple flowers, bind them together using string, twist ties, or whatever else is convenient.

Cut your ribbon into segments that are 4 1/2 feet long.

Now find the center of an organza sash and gather it together, then rest your flowers at that point. Tie a knot around the flowers.

Tie a knot on the stems of the silk flowers with ribbon, between the bloom and the organza sash knot, leaving a loop of ribbon just large enough to attach to the chair (even if you're using pew clips, you'll still want this extra ribbon). To do this, I folded the ribbon in half, then tied a simple knot that left the loop at one side and the two tails of the ribbon on the other side.

With the knot in the organza sash, tie a bow that's about 1 foot across, leaving tails about 3 feet long underneath (but don't pull it too tight yet!). Since these sashes are so large, it may take a couple of tries to get it so that the bow is symmetrical and one tail isn't longer than the other.

Now pick up the two tails from the ribbon and guide both of them through the center of the organza sash bow, each from opposite sides. This will not only help hold the organza bow up with the flowers, but will allow us to tie a bow with the ribbon on the face of the organza bow.

Using the two ribbon pieces, tie a knot around the center of the organza bow. Use this knot to tie a small bow on top of the center of the organza bow

If all your bows are straight and even, you're essentially finished! The loop of ribbon that should be behind your bows and flowers can hang from your chairbacks (as long as your chairs have some protrusion at the top that allows this).

Instructions (adding pew clips):

If you prefer to add pew clips to add some extra stability to the bows and flowers, you'll want to tie them to the ribbon loop that should be on the back of your pew bow.

Just force the ribbon through the slot on the side of the clip and wrap/tie it as tightly as you can. I found that looping the ribbon around the inside of the clip (not just around the slot on the side) is better for keeping the flower and bow in place.

To bind the stems of your flowers to the pew clip, use the monofilament fishing line to tie them to the little plastic nub that juts out fromt he bottom of the pew clip. Wrap it well and tie double or triple knots, as this line is slippery, but it's transparent.

Finished product (with pew clip):

Ribbon Memory Candles

2008-09-27T17:51:00.000-05:00

I made some memory candles to honor our deceased loved ones.

The largest, most detailed candle is for the groom's father.
The smaller, yet detailed candle is for my brother who died as a baby.
The two smaller, matching candles represent grandparents from each of our families.

To make the candles:

Step 1: Choose Ribbon

I purchased 4 types of ribbon (50% off at Michael's!) and mixed and matched the ribbons to see what combinations I liked.

Step 2: Base Ribbon

I wrapped ribbon around the circumference of the candle then used glue dots to adhere one end of the ribbon to the other.

TIP: If you try to use a hot glue gun, you cannot hot glue ribbon to the candle. It won't stick! Ribbon-to-ribbon is a great method.

Step 3: Ribbon Bow

I decided to tie a checkered bow around the candle. I attempted to tie it as I would a shoelace, but it looked very sloppy.

These are the BEST instructions for tying a neat and symmetrical bow.

TIP: To keep the edges of the ribbons from fraying, I dabbed clear nail polish on the ends. Worked like a charm!

I bought the candles 50% off as well. I still have loads of ribbon left over, so I would estimate that I spent $4 per candle. What a steal!

I DO Letters

2008-09-24T08:05:00.002-05:00

A cute way to decorate some of the miscellaneous tables of your reception site is to include wooden words or letters. One of my favorites is I DO. I've also seen LOVE, the couple's last name, the couple's first initials or MR & MRS. For our cake table, I decided on I DO.

Step 1: Prepare your supplies

1. Visit your local craft store or online store and purchase the following:

Wood letters
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
Decorative touches like ribbons, beads, buttons, etc.
Glue dots or lines

2. Put newspaper or a trash bag down to avoid messy cleanup
3. Grab a cup of water for your paintbrushes, a palette or paper plate for mixing colors, and a pencil and ruler for tracing designs

Step 2: Paint your letters

1. Lightly sand the letters if you so desire (I did not)
2. Paint your letters
3. If painting more than one color, use a light pencil and ruler to draw the designs on your letters
4. Allow the paint to dry

TIP: Applying multiple coats of paint will make your letters darker and bolder, with much less white showing through. It also hides any obvious paint lines.

Step 3: Decorate your letters

1. Make sure your letters are dry.
2. Apply glue dots or lines to ribbon, beads, etc.

3. Decorate however you want!

TIP: Eyeballing is fine if your designs are not very intricate, but measuring with a ruler is your best bet for straight lines and even spacing.

Step 4: Admire your work :)

Total cost: $1.49 per letter (on sale at Michael's) + $2.00 for ribbon + $5 for paint supplies (estimate, I had my own) = $11.47 total

Favor Boxes

2008-09-23T16:00:00.007-05:00

There are so many favor options out there and these days that are many options for packaging your favors.

If you want to personalize your packaging, check out this super easy and cheap (30 cents per box!!) option.

Knottie Kinks is the brainiac behind these instructions. Take a look at her BIO for more of her snazzy springy inspirations!

For starters, here are some of the beautiful little things Kinks is doing for her wedding. It's all in the details, and Kinks is all over that. I can't wait to see what else her delicious "orange sherbet" and "dusty blue" color palette is cooking up...

Muchas gracias to Kinks for putting these instructions together for everyone. Here you go:

Materials:

Foldable favor boxes (I used 2" square boxes from Favor Workshop on eBay). But this can easily work with boxes of other dimensions, although not with the boxes that have separate lids.

Cost: $17 for 100, for 17 cents per favor.

Flat, double-sided ribbon that's 3/8" wide. You'll need at least 18" of ribbon per favor. I used satin, but I think organza would look pretty also. (I purchased mine from seller dreampartycreations on eBay).

Cost: $7.00+$3 shipping for enough for 100 favors, which works out to about 10 cents per favor

Printable labels, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (square, sharp corners) or 1 5/8" x 1 1/4" (rectangle, rounded corners) from www.labelsbythesheet.com (most places only sell by the box, but this site lets you save money by buying by the sheet. Plus they come with a template for your printer). Do order an extra page or two to practice printing your first labels. We used the rectangular ones because I prefer the rounded edges and it's less obvious if the sticker is not totally centered on the box.

Cost: 64 cents per page of labels, which worked out to about 3 cents per favor.

A color printer
Microsoft Word or another program that can use .doc files
Your favors -- in this case, we're using candy.

After you have these materials assembled...

Creating your labels

First, you'll want to make the labels that you'll put on front of the favor box. These can be as simple as just saying "thank you," or could also include your names, a wedding monogram or design that connects to the theme of your wedding. I used a monogram (which I designed with help from knottie Jillers' DIY blog) and a message to thank our guests. If you are using an image like this, make sure it is good quality (at least 150 dpi) or else the printing will look bad.
Using the Word document template provided by labelsbythesheet.com (templates can be downloaded here), place your monogram image or text into one of the squares on the template.
If you're using the rectangular labels and want them to be wide rather than tall on your favor boxes, you may need to turn your image on its side. We'll need to adjust some settings in the steps below to make your image easier to move around the page.
Do this by adding a text wrap to your image. After putting your image in one of the squares of the label template, right click on it and choose "Format Picture" from the menu. Choose the option that says "tight."

Now a green "handle" should appear above your image when you click on it. Hover your mouse over the green dot until a circular arrow appears, then hold your mouse key down and rotate your picture until it's in the desired position. You may need to resize your picture to make it fit (just hold down the shift key and drag your mouse from the corner of the image so it resizes proportionately).

Once you have everything where you want it in one square, do a test run through the printer. Most home printers are not perfectly aligned, and you may have to tweak your page margins or printer settings to get your image to print where you want it on every square, every time. For instance, my printer kept trying to print on the margins of the page before it even got to the labels, so I had to check my printer's settings to tell it to handle label sheets and also tell it my paper is a little longer than it actually was. Eventually, they started coming out correctly (well, almost -- this batch was nudged a little to the right):

When you have them printing correctly, copy your image/text and paste it into each square on the page so you can print a whole sheet of labels.

Now, off to the assembly line...

With the labels done, the hard part is over! Next, cut 18" segments of ribbon from your spool.
Then fold up your favor boxes and put the candy or whatever favors you're using inside them.

Now, tie the ribbon around the box, with the ribbon running from top to bottom on the front and back sides of the box.

Tie a bow on top of the box. All your guests have to do to open the favor is untie this ribbon -- not fight with any sticky seals or rip open the box.

Finally, put a label on the center of the front side of the box, on top of the ribbon.

The finished product (excuse where I messed up the corner of the label with my fingernail -- this is the first one, so the others should be better!):

Total cost per favor before candy: 30 cents!

Initial Hangers

2008-09-21T22:10:00.004-05:00

More DIY inspiration courtesy of Spanishbeauty! These are her initial hangers.

Step 1: Find a font to use

1. Go here for instructions on downloading a font

I started by researching fonts that I liked that I would be able to recreate. I did mine by hand, but you could print one out and make a template if that works better for you.

Step 2: Make your letters

1. Use a permanent marker to trace each letter on to a styrofoam board about 2 ft wide x 1 ft tall x 1/2 inch thick.

I was able to fit both letters onto one board. Each letter is about 1 foot high and roughly 6-12 inches across.

TIP: I would recommend buying 2 sheets of styrofoam board in case of mess ups.

Step 3: Cut out your letters

1. Cut out the letters using scissors.
2. Reshape any areas you are unhappy with before proceeding with the beads.

Step 4: Select your pearls or beads

1. Check out local supply stores to find the right beads for you.
2. Try to find different colors and sizes to ensure the beads fit nicely together.

I bought three different color pearls (white, ivory, and iridescent) as well as 3-5 different sizes.

TIP: I have been unable to find enough variety in size of beads at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. JoAnn’s had a much better size range.

Step 5: Glue your beads

1. Empty all bead packages into a bowl. This will ensure the most random pattern possible.
2. Put a dab of hot glue over the string hole of the bead.
3. Glue it down to the styrofoam.
4. Do this until the entire front is covered and there are no more spaces between beads.

TIP: Don’t worry about the pattern of the beads. I would choose the beads randomly and place them randomly on the styrofoam.

TIP: Be sure to fill in holes with smaller beads and don’t be afraid to glue one on top of two others, they don’t all have to sit flush.

Step 6: Even out the edges

1. Cut 1/2 inch ribbon long enough to go around the perimeter of the letters.
2. Hot glue the ribbon to the edges to even out any rough edges from cutting.

Step 7: Attach a hanger

1. Glue a 2 ft piece of ribbon to the back of the letters for hanging.

Lovely Labels

2008-09-20T08:07:00.008-05:00

Sticking your programs in a frumpy little basket?
Spruce it up!

Taping a little "Reserved" sign to the pews for your family?
Make it classy!

Serving an assortment of drinks at your reception?
Differentiate between them!

Knottie Spanishbeauty is doing all of these things by creating her own labels to personalize her wedding.

First, a bit about Spanishbeauty's wedding. Click HERE to visit her bio. She is getting married at the most beautiful venue, and the architecture really compliments her theme with a bit of a Spanish flair to it. Here is her inspiration board:

Wow, is that not going to be a stunning wedding?

Anyways, onto the DIY part. Here are some instructions, courtesy of Spanishbeauty, for creating your own labels.

Step 1: Choose your cardstock

1. Choose 2-3 different colors or styles of card stock and/or scrapbook paper.
2. Decide which paper you will use for your large and medium background papers, plus the paper for the print.

I chose Brown cardstock for the largest piece, green patterned scrapbook paper for medium piece, and then an ivory cardstock for the print.

TIP: I also recommend using a cardstock as the back piece for stability.

Step 2: Find a font to use

1. Go here for instructions on downloading a font

I used Zapfino, which came with Microsoft Word. You can also use dafont.com for a much wider selection.

TIP: Some of my favorites from dafont.com are Windsong, Scriptina, and Avalon.

Step 3: Customize your fonts

1. Open up your word processor and play around with font styles, sizes, and spacing.

TIP: I recommend printing on computer paper first to test out spacing.

Step 4: Make a cardboard template

1. "Eyeball" your sizes or cut them into specific sizes using a paper cutter.
2. Trace the edges of the labels onto a piece of cardboard. Do this for EACH size.

Step 5: Cut your labels

1. Use the cardboard template you just created to cut out rectangles in each color and size needed using an exacto knife.

TIP: I tried to use a paper cutter contraption…but quickly realized I could not fit the larger scrapbook paper across the cutter.

Step 6: Adhere the labels together

1. Glue all three pieces to each other using a hot glue gun.

TIP: You may use any method you wish for this, I would recommend thin double stick tape or glue dots.

Step 7: Find your decorative touch

1. Go to Hobby Lobby, or any other craft store, and find one of the clear "flourishes" stamp collections.
2. Buy ink that matches one your colors.
3. Stamp different patterns on each card until you find a few of your favorites.

As simple as that, this is what you have created:

Thanks again to Spanishbeauty for providing the photos, instructions, and creativity for making classy labels.

Supply List

2008-08-27T20:03:00.001-05:00

I am in the process of writing a blog about my first DIY invitation, but school has started once again, so time is minimal. I want to make sure I have photographs of each step before I post. The invitation can be seen below:

For now, a short post on what should be on every DIY Bride's supply list, including everything I used to make the above invitation. Some links are to websites, others are to photos of a product.

1. Paper Trimmer
Personal favorite: Fiskars 12" Desktop Rotary Trimmer
Also check out: Fiskars 12" Personal Portable Trimmer, Cricut brand trimmers
Tip: Michael's has 40% coupons all the time, use them for a big purchase like this!

2. Paper
Personal favorite: Anchor Paper
Also check out: Paper and More, local scrapbooking, office, or party supply stores

3. Computer + Design Program
Personal favorite: Adobe Photoshop
Also check out: Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft PowerPoint
Tip: If you are a student, check out what software you can receive at a discount

4. Printer
Personal favorite: Laser printers
Also check out: Inkjet printers, Staples Copy & Print Center
Tip: The ink from laser printers dries faster than inkjet

5. Great fonts
Personal favorite: Dafont
Also check out: Dingbat Depot, Urban Fonts

6. Ribbon
Personal favorite: JKM Ribbon
Also check out: M & J Trimming, The Ribbon Retreat Wholesale, Nashville Wraps, local scrapbooking, office, or party supply stores
Tip: I have consistently found that Michael's carries a better ribbon selection than Hobby Lobby

7. Adhesives
Personal favorite: Glue dots
Also check out: Zots, double-sided tape, gluestick

8. Miscellaneous tools
Ruler or tape measure
Hole puncher
Scorer
Stencils
Pencils/pens

If you can think of anything important that I forgot, please comment and I'll add it!

Find Your Style Through an Inspiration Board

2008-08-21T11:33:00.001-05:00

Inspiration boards are a really neat way to sum up your ideas for the wedding. You can post them on a wedding website, in a Knot bio, send them to family as teasers, etc. Better yet, they can help define the style of your wedding.

They are very easy to make and customize too. This was my first inspiration board:

Step 1: Gather your favorite photos

1. Search near and far for your favorite ideas
2. Save the photos of anything and everything you like into a folder on your computer
3. Do not limit yourself to what you plan to use. Use designer inspiration!

TIP: My favorite websites to find inspiration are:
The Knot
Style Me Pretty
The Bride's Cafe
Elizabeth Anne Designs
Wedding Paper Divas

TIP: Search photos by wedding color on the Knot.

Step 2: Find your style

You'll begin to discover your style as you see similarities in the photos you've chosen.

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint
2. Delete any default boxes currently on the slide
3. Go to Insert --> Picture --> From File
4. Browse until you find the folder where all of your photos are saved
5. Select Insert
5. Add about a dozen photos to your slide (It's going to look kind of crazy)

6. Look through the images and keep the photos that are your favorite, best portray your wedding, and/or look the most cohesive. Delete any that you feel don't belong

Step 3: Format the photos

1. Right click next to "Help"
2. Make sure "Formatting" is checked. You want to see this toolbar:

3. Use the formatting functions, especially "crop", to format photos to enhance the images
4. To reach photos that are hidden behind others, right-click the photo --> Order --> Bring to Front

TIP: Press Ctrl + Z to undo something you have just done.
Press Ctrl + Y to redo something you have just undone

Step 4: Outline the photos

1. Press Ctrl while you click on all of the photos in your slide.
2. Right-click --> Format Picture

3. Go to the tab Colors and Lines
4. Customize your line with something like Color: White, Weight: 6 pt
5. Mess with the line function until you find an outline you prefer

Step 5: Organize the photos

1. Start moving your photos around the slide until you find an arrangement you like
2. Continue formatting the photos as you go along

TIP: To nudge a photo slightly, right-click the photo and use the up, down, left, and right arrows

Step 6: Save your file

1. File --> Save As
2. Title your file
3. Choose "Save as type: JPEG File Interchange Format"

Here is the inspiration board I made as I followed the above instructions:

Monogram How-To

2008-07-01T21:22:00.002-05:00

MoMonograms are increasing in popularity with weddings and many people are hiring graphic designers to do monograms for them. But why, when you can do it yourself without any special software!?

Monograms can add a neat, personalized element to almost any wedding-related item. Invitations, Save-the-Dates, cake, napkins...you name it!

This is the monogram I designed a few months ago:

I want to share just how easy it is for anyone to make their own monogram simply using Microsoft PowerPoint!

Step 1: Find your flourish or icon

You should find some sort of flourish or embellishment that speaks to you and your style. My favorite place to find flourishes and icons is www.dafont.com

1. Go to: www.dafont.com
2. Under the Dingbats genre, pick a category
3. Browse through the fonts to find one you like

TIP: I had the best luck on dafont in the "Shapes" and "Nature" categories.

4. Click "Download PC/Mac OS X"
5. Save your item to disk
6. Open .ZIP file from where you saved it
7. Extract to your font folder
- For Windows, generally your font folder is: C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
8. After a couple of minutes, open PowerPoint and in your font drop-down box, your new font will appear
9. In a text box, type out the alphabet (ABC...123, try lower case and caps both) in your font types to see all of your options
10. Repeat the download/browse steps as many times as necessary
11. Pick one!

Step 2: Customize your flourish

For instance, I'm going to choose a cute flower from the "Hibiscus" font collection. The letter is F

1. Open Microsoft Powerpoint
2. Go to Insert --> Text Box
3. Click anywhere on the page
4. Type your flourish in a text box.
5. Right click next to "Help"
6. Make sure "Formatting" is checked
7. Click on the border of your text box to make sure it is selected
8. Use the Formatting toolbar to change font size, colors, shadow, etc.

TIP: Customize your colors by clicking the down arrow next to the "A" and selecting "More colors

Step 3: Add Text

1. Browse and download your favorite fonts from www.dafont.com using the process listed in Step 1 above
2. Insert a text box as in Step 2 above
3. Use different text boxes for different items like names, wedding date, etc.
4. Customize using same formatting techniques as in Step 2
5. Move your text boxes around until they are aligned as you like over your flourish

Step 4: Make it One Item

1. Select your flourish
2. Hold down the "Ctrl" key and select each of your other text boxes
3. Right-click on the edge of one of your boxes (IMPORTANT: clicking the edge keeps everything selected)
4. Choose "Save as Picture..."

5. Title your file
6. Choose "Save as type: JPEG File Interchange Format"

7. Press "Save"

Step 4: Make Sure it Worked :)

1. Go to Insert --> Picture --> From File...
2. Find the location of your file
3. Select it and press "Insert"
4. VOILA! You now have confirmation that your monogram is its own file for your use anyway you would like

TIP: If your JPEG has a colored background when you insert it into PowerPoint, make sure your "Fill" is selected to be white.

Here is the completed monogram I just designed following those steps exactly.

*Please let me know if you come across any complications or if you have any input on these instructions! They would be MUCH appreciated!

First Post

2008-06-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

Day 1 of my wedding planning blog! I'm so excited. :) I've already started some DIY projects and I'm hoping to get some opinions here. Maybe this will give me some sanity in setting and reaching goals...Maybe I can inspire other DIY brides...

Who knows!

For now I just wanted to set this bad boy up and perhaps it will help motivate me to get a move on with the planning. Time for bed now, goodnight!