

I decided to keep the ball rolling on my mom’s wonderful DIY projects. Since I’ve neglected to create anything truly fabulous for the wedding that I can share with all of you, I’m hoping my mom’s contributions will suffice
Today’s project is my mom’s shimmery gold votives. We got the inspiration for this idea from the super talented and creative Mrs. Emerald. She created some truly beautiful votives for her wedding. My mom decided to follow Mrs. Emerald’s example and create votives for my wedding– and we loved the results!
First, we purchased plain glass votives off Ebay for a great price. Then my mom created a paper template using Mrs. Emerald’s great instructions.

I’ve mentioned before how awesomely crafty my mom is. When I was younger, she made all my Halloween costumes, which were always so cool.

I wish I had the photo of me in my Princess Jasmine costume!

I bought a bonefolder about a year ago, misused it a few times, and forgot that I had it. I couldn’t really figure out how it worked, and I kept making these shiny creases in my paper, so I gave up on using it.
What is a bonefolder?
A bonefolder helps you create perfect creases on cards and helps smooth out paper. Notice when you try to fold something by hand you get kind of a “jagged” crinkly crease? Bonefolders will create a professional looking fold at home.

image: paper-source.com
After searching around the internet for cheap cone shaped coffee filters for the paper roses project, I found the best deal at Amazon.com. I decided to go with the “natural” colored filters. I thought the white would be too much white and I also did not want to have to paint all of the roses like Martha did. There was no mention of what size filters were needed so I bought size #6. This is a plus in two ways 1) they are the largest available and 2) they are the type of filters my coffee pot uses just in case this project ends up being a bust.
My mom is my absolute best friend in the world. Not only does she actually think I’m prettier than Halle Berry (the very definition of “blinded by love”), but we have the best conversations and laughs. It’s hard living so far away from her, but we talk on the phone multiple times a day to make up for it!
The ceremony is probably one of the most romantic events of the whole wedding day. I don’t want it to pass by too quickly, yet I don’t want it to be too long where guests are bored and drying up from the sun. I’m also super huge on the whole feel of the event, but in the most cost effective way of course. 
A long time ago I found inspiration from SGWeddingBlog’s blog when she posted the photo below from photog, Amy Squires’ blog, and I just thought GENIUS!
A few readers were inquiring about how to tie a proper bow in my Gocco Invites Part II post.
If I haven’t convinced you to buy a Cuttlebug yet, maybe this next tutorial will sway you.
I’ve shown you how to emboss using Cuttlebug embossing folders and today I will show you how to use Cuttlebug dies. What is a die? A die is a metal form or stencil that is used to punch or cut out shapes. Below is a picture of the Cuttlebug die called Flowers:

The front of the die has a picture of what the finished cuts will look like.
I finally finished sending out “thank you” cards to all of our wedding guests… all except for my bridesmaids. Five months have passed since the wedding and I haven’t officially thanked them! That’s awful, isn’t it? I had my heart set on making each of them personalized cards, and I just didn’t have the chance to get around to it until recently.
I made another “thank you” card for one of my bridesmaids last night. Since a few of you liked my little entry on the Cuttlebug, I have more Cuttlebug fun for you today. ![]()
One of the first things that I do when I make a card is choose a color combination. For this thank you card, I pulled out sheets of colored paper and mixed and matched until I found a combination that I was satisfied with.

I love choosing neutral colors with one bright color in the mix.
After my wedding passed, I needed a way to fill the void that wedding planning had once occupied. What was I to do with my lonely craft-deprived hands? Well, I recently discovered the wonderful world of stamping and paper crafting.
I’ve always been a scrapbooker, but I have developed a new love for stamping and card making. Along with this new hobby, I picked up a horrendous amount of new craft tools and supplies.
Meet my new baby, the Cuttlebug:

What is a Cuttlebug? It’s a die-cutting and embossing tool. The side plates fold up and it takes up no more room on a desk than a portable photo printer. I’ll show you what this little guy can do. ![]()