DIY Round Up!

I love DIY. It makes it your own and saves you money (sometimes). I try not to get too excited about certain projects because while they may look cool and easy, many times they aren’t (Hello, Martha? I’m talking to you!). Some may require certain tools and the investment in those tools may outweigh simply purchasing whatever you’re trying to make (unless you have REAL PLANS to reuse those tools).

The projects below appear to have the need for limited tools, time and effort, with the first project being the most difficult.

I think these I’ve found would be fun for weddings or just everyday things! Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Wine Bottle Centerpieces

Check out this video by Dan Rojas. The dude is a little bizarre and the video is slightly longer than it needs to be (love his reaction to his cat), but with a $45 tool investment and a little time you can create this look. I do recommend goggles and gloves, which Dan decides to forgo.

Paper Fortune Cookies

DIY fortune cookies? These would make an ADORABLE favors, using your own color scheme and adding special/personalized fortunes inside! Check out the instructions here. All you need is paper and adhesive. For reals.

Ring Bowl

Don’t want to pay $50-$60 for a ring bearer’s bowl from Paloma’s Nest? You can make your own! This DIY tutorial is in German, but it’s so self explanatory, you can just follow the pictures on this tutorial. The supplies you need:

1. Nudelholz = rolling pin

2. Efaplast = Efaplast, modeling clay you can buy right here for cheap.

3. Pinsel = small paint brush

4. Häkeldeckchen = doily

5. Acryl = acrylic paint

6. Schmirgelpapier = sandpaper

7. Schälchen = bowl

The one step that I wanted clarity on? I figured it out by cutting and pasting the phrase using Google translate. Easy peasy! And you could totally personalize these! So cool. They might even make fun favors, if you've got the time and inclination.

Bird & Branch Centerpieces

It doesn’t get easier than this. Find some branches in the woods, from your parent’s yard – wherever you can find them (but don’t cut them off of living trees, please). Spray paint them any ol’ color with any ol’ spray paint. Get little fake birds (or butterflies or raw cotton bulbs or paper flowers or…you get the picture.) and glue them on. Hot glue will work, but I don’t trust it on paint. I prefer Fabri-Tac (available like, everywhere). Birds can be found at Hobby Lobby or JoAnn’s or Michael’s – any crafting supply shop has them. You can find a whole crap load of them here in pretty colors for  good prices. What’s fun about this is that it’s fast, easy and you can use it for dinner parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas and yes, weddings. Imagine an all white table setting with white branches with white birds with little tiny tealight glowing throughout? Um, yes please.

So just a few cutie-pie things for you to get creative with. Do not fear the DIY. It’s (sometimes) easier than you think.

Comments

[Kristine]

The wine bottles are already on my DIY list! My fiance's stepmother has already offered to make them for us actually! I found a picture in a magazine somewhere with initials etched onto the side, with a square around them, and my mom suggested etching paint to recreate that bit- I have a crappy picture taken with my phone of the magazine page, if you want to see it, let me know. But we're so excited about these as centerpieces! Plus, we'll be able to keep them forever and use them around the house, and give them as gifts to anyone who wants them!

[Becca]

Great roundup!

[Sharon]

Great! Add 2 more items to my list of "crap I want to make"

[GEW]

Put a bird on it! (have you seen that Portlandia skit?)