Posts tagged Crafts

Guest Blog: Jen

SUPPLIES:

• Cute coffee mugs in your choice of color
• Pebeo porcelain paint pens

Start by cleaning your mugs and wiping them with rubbing alcohol to prep the surface. Then write GROOM or MR or whatever your heart desires…

Then of course, the BRIDE or MRS or whatever you would like…

After the first writing has dried, write your special message to your fiancé on the other side of the mug.

…and have your fiancé write a message on your mug as well!

After the paint has dried for 24 hours, place your mugs on a cookie sheet and in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 300 degrees F and bake for a total of 35 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the mugs cool down inside. After oven cured these mugs will be dishwasher safe. *Note: these are the instructions for these exact porcelain paint pens – if you purchase another brand please refer to those directions!

Super cute and just darling to drink out of on the morning of your wedding!

Perfect for photo ops as well! You could also could make these for all of your bridesmaids!!!

* DIY CREDITS // Photography: Studio 11 // DIY tutorial by: Jen | Something Turquoise // Cute black and white coffee mugs: Pier-One Imports // Pebeo Porcelaine Paint pens in white and black: Amazon

Using words and monograms is a great way to add personal touches to your wedding day. Today’s Think Outside the Box post is a collection of 14 DIY word and monogram projects! In my search for new and exciting do-it-yourself ideas for you, I’ve compiled this list of projects that weren’t necessarily designed for weddings but would be fun, custom additions to your big day!

Of course, any of the “Letter” ideas could also be made into words and vice versa. Some of the beauties below have tutorials and some are just inspiration … Let’s get started. Shall we?

1. Yarn Wrapped Letters (tutorial)

2. Map Letters (tutorial)

3. Crayon Letters (tutorial)

4. Cork Letters

5. Wood Letters with “Aged Paint” (tutorial)

6. Rolled Book Page Letters

7. Paint Stirrer Letters (tutorial)

8. Washer Letters (tutorial)

9. Photo Cut Words (tutorial)

10. Painted Glass Words (tutorial)

11. Yarn and Wire Words

12. Seashell Words

13. Thumb Tack Words

WHAT YOU NEED:

A Square piece of paper or tissue paper

1: Fold the piece of paper corner to corner.

2: Unfold.

3: Fold in the opposite direction.

4: You will be left with two lines going from corner to corner, this will help you to line up your folds.

5: Fold the top corner to the middle of the paper.

6: Fold the bottom corner to the top of the piece of paper.

7: Take the entire side of the paper and fold it upwards against the middle line.

8: Repeat for the other side.

9: You now have the basic heart shape.

10: Flip the heart over, and fold the side corner inwards.

11. Repeat on the other side.

12. Fold the top corner down.

13: Repeat on the opposite side.

14: Flip the heart over, and it is complete.

You may want to secure with a little glue or tape… place in a book to flatten. The piece of paper you use will make a difference. I used tissue paper which is prone to creasing and very delicate, a thicker type of paper may be more suited to your project.

* Photo credits: Lou at Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

(Source: zazzle.com)

These mini photo canvases are cute and easy to execute. You could produce them in bulk at a DIY crafting party with your bridesmaids + friends to give away as sweet wedding favors!

Do you know the feeling when your creative bug comes to visit? You just want to get your hands dirty and create something from scratch. But we all have those half finished creative projects laying around, that we didn’t quiet have time to finish. Today I want to share an easy creative project that looks like it took ages, but really it’s just an hour. I’m in love with these little guys, so simple and beautiful.

What you’ll need:

- A canvas (start with a 6×6 size. The small sizes are much easier and more forgiving to start out on)
- Gel Medium (I use Liquitex, but any brand will do)
- A brush
- Furniture Polish
- A Xerox copy of your photo (remember it will be mirrored once it’s on the canvas)

For this project I choose a 6×6 canvas and a 5×5 Holga film camera photo. I wanted a white border around the image, but definitely not necessary.

Step 1: Spread a layer of gel medium on the canvas. Be careful to spread it thin enough and as smooth as possible. If there are thick areas you’ll end up rubbing the photo off along with the paper. Not cool! Place the photo print side down. Don’t do what I did the first time and put the photo up… :) Smooth out the image and remove any air bubbles. You want the whole image securely sticking to the canvas. Let it dry overnight.

Step 2: Use a spray bottle or sponge to soak the canvas. Once the paper has soaked up the water you can rub gently on the paper. I’ve used paper towels and sponges, but on small canvases it works best to just use your finger. The important thing to remember is to rub gently. The ink will rub off too, so go slow.

Step 3: Once you’ve removed the majority of the paper I like to use a rough sponge to rough up the edges. Can’t have it too clean! Then let the canvas dry out for bit.

Step 4: You’ll notice that once it’s dry the photo still looks cloudy with paper residue. The easiest way to rid the canvas of fog is furniture polish! The oily kind that’s just for real wood furniture works best. Pour a little on a cloth and rub it into the canvas. It clears it right up! It took me trying about 10 different products to figure that out!

And that’s all there is to it! A small canvas like this one only takes about an hour of time sans the waiting for it to dry. It’s the perfect way to add some vintage to your photos! And so many ways you can add your own flare to it so experiment on your own! The larger the canvas the less room there is for error, but the WOW factor is totally worth it!

* Photo Credit: Rachael Grace Photography

Today I have a tutorial for transferring your photos onto wood!  This is an easy project and is a fun way to display your own photos or professional engagement pictures at your wedding!

Materials

• Wood
• Gel Medium
• Paint Brush
• Laser Printed Photo (on regular computer paper)

Step 1: Coat your surface with a thick, even layer of gel medium – make sure there are not thick clumps or bubbles in the gel.

Step 2: Place your laser printed photo face down on the gel medium and press firmly making sure the entire surface of the image is flat with no bubbles. Let dry completely.

Step 3: Spray with water or use a damp rag to saturate the paper with water.  Once the surface is wet, VERY gently start to rub the paper away.  Your photo will be revealed as the paper is removed!  Be careful not to be too rough while removing the paper as parts of the image can rub off too!  Continue until ALL of the paper is gone.  You may need to add more water as you go.

Step 4: When the entire image is paper-free, leave it to dry completely.
Step 5: Lastly, paint  another layer (or two) of the gel medium over the entire image to keep your transfer safe and sound!

Even if you don’t have photos from a professional photographer, your own images will do.  Any Instagram fans out there? This is a great way to display them! The color of the wood gives the pictures an extra vintagey look.  If you want more crisp and clear images that are true to the color of your photo, these transfers will work on painted wood too.  Simply paint a white base coat!

This same process can also be done to transfer photos onto canvas and fabric too!

*Special Thanks: Project Design & Photos: Michelle Cangemi, WeddingWindow.com

(Source: zazzle.com)