Weddingbee Blog

No matter how simple a DIY project seems before I begin, it seems to always end up anything but. Seriously, I was thinking before I started this project how I would blog about what an easy craft project it was. But no, nothing, as they say, is easy.

First, I should mention that I totally hoard craft supplies. Wrapping ribbon from a recently received Macy’s gift? I take it, roll it up and put it in my ribbon drawer. Good, heavy-duty wrapping paper from Williams-Sonoma? Fold it up and put it in the paper drawer. You get the point.

This project came about because I bought some cardstock from the recently opened Michaels in Manhattan for a Halloween project (I was a mail-order bride! Haha!) and the package I bought (for a grand total of .99 cents) had these sheets of pale blue and yellow, which just happen to be… our wedding colors. Score.

Also, don’t ask me why I tend to do the silly, random crafts first and leave the major things (centerpieces, table numbers, programs, hello?!?!) until closer to the wedding, but that seems to be the way I am operating lately. And so, without further ado, I present my DIY bride and groom chair signs.

First, I downloaded Scriptina font from Dafont.com. Wait a second, back up there… first I attempted 3 different times to download the Scriptina font. After being completely unsuccessful times 3, I finally gave in and watched this tutorial and then finally managed to get it to show up in my Word document. Excellent.

First, I typed out ’bride’ and ’groom’, using size 100 font (the downloaded fonts seem to all be significantly smaller than the normal fonts on Word). Then I used my handy dandy paper cutter to eyeball an approximately “sign appropriate” size. By the way, cheap paper cutters are superbly annoying. Don’t go cheap on this one if you want your paper products to look nice. And have straight lines, dang it!

After I had cut out the bride and groom printings, I added the decorative touches. Part of my hoarding habit had scored me a little flower garnish from a present from Bloomingdale’s, which went on the ’bride’ sign. I traced a little top hat onto a piece of black tissue paper and that got glued onto the ’groom’ sign. See exhibit B below.

I then glued these blue papers onto a slightly larger piece of yellow paper. I will confess, I eyeballed everything and although they came out the eeensiest bit crooked, but I’m not super picky about these things (hence the cheap paper cutter).

Here’s where my country roots start to show. When I realized I didn’t have a hole puncher, which I wanted to use in order for the ribbon to be attached to the sign, I turned to the next best thing. A kitchen knife. Yes, ladies, that is me boring a hole into my sign (and my coffee table… oops!) using… a knife.

Hey, the holes weren’t too shabby for being done with a knife!

I had some grosgrain ribbon leftover from another engagement present we received, so I cut a length of that and poked it through my knife-cut hole, tying a knot in the back.

Here’s a shot of the finished signs, hanging on a hook in the kitchen (those dried roses are the ones Mr Trail Mix proposed with!). Que sweet, no?

Since I had a bit of DIY crafty energy left after completing the signs, I printed out a few pieces of blue cardstock with the word ’reserved’ on them, to put on our parents’ chairs at both the ceremony and reception. I matted those bad boys onto some yellow cardstock, just like our signs. Finally, I added some ribbon by simply boring two holes in the center of the sign and tied the ribbon in the front.

Voila! Finished chair signs for the bride and groom, as well as 4 reserved signs for the parents. Sweet sweet mother of victory in the craft world.

OK, I know it’s totally silly of me to be doing these types of minor detail crafts 7 months out until the wedding but I’m pleased with how they look, so I guess I will count it!

Does anyone else focus on minor minor fun projects in lieu of tackling the big stuff?