DIY Bridesmaid and Bride Shirts

A great DIY project for bridesmaids! It's quick, easy, and WAY cheaper than ordering from online stores.

I found the custom monogram template from weddingchicks.com- an DIYers dream website with printable templates and beautiful wedding inspiration.

Items needed:

• Avery Light T Shirt Transfers- 1 sheet per shirt, pack of 6 sheets were $12.
• White T Shirt or Tank Top- I got my shirts at Old Navy for $6 each.
• Iron with NO water and steam set to OFF
• Pillow Case to protect ironing surface

Let's get started!

Customize your monogram and bride images. I used deep ocean and the date line for "Bridesmaid". When the image opens, right click and save the file to your desktop.

Flip the image horizontally before printing. The words should look backwards when you print them so when you place them face down on the shirt it will be correct. Print a test on regular paper to make sure the image prints correctly. -------->

Put the Avery transfer in your printer (make sure it's facing the right way) and print your image.

Cut out the image.

Heat up the iron and lay your pillow case on a hard surface (not an ironing board). When the iron is nice and hot iron all the wrinkles out of the pillow case.

Use a lint roller to remove any fuzz or threads from the front of your shirt. Iron the shirt and make it all nice and smooth, then lay your cut out image face down on your shirt.

You're ready to start the transfer magic! With even and consistent pressure, press the iron onto the back of the avery transfer and shirt for 3 minutes.

Allow the shirt to cool down for 5 minutes.

Peel off the back of the transfer and viola! You have a beautiful custom shirt!

* wedding wednesday: DIY passport save the date cards

This week Steve and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary :) xoxo. We were married June 27, 2009 on the beach in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

After choosing the Turks and Caicos for our destination wedding, we knew a save the date packed with excitement and travel information was necessary. What better than a mock passport!

I don't remember where I initially got the idea, but after some internet research I found this great post for a passport save the date on craftster.org. I even found the same paper! It was tricky because you wouldn't know it, but this paper design is from a winter collection! The other side is a winter snowflake wonderland. For the front of the passport I used the Turks and Caicos coat of arms (it just so happens I love flamingos!).

I didn't have a template or steps to follow, this was truly a labor of love. In my spare time it took me about a month to design, write, and print out all the pages, and then another month to assemble and finish all 50 passports. It was so worth it!

Inside the passports I gave some general information about the Turks and Caicos, contact information for the travel agent familiar with our specific trip, and some funny "rules" to get everyone ready for the trip. I got the URL for our wedding website after I had printed everything, so I just stuck in a little note at the end.

Everyone really seemed to love these. I wish I had a template or more step by step instructions to offer, but the trial and error steps I took to get these together were very unorganized.

 I hope my creations can inspire you to think out of the box and get creative when you or someone you love is planning their dream wedding. If you have any questions about specific elements from my save the dates, please contact me!

* crafty gifts: Easy DIY Monogrammed Wine Glasses

I love to give and receive handmade gifts. A few years ago I was given a set of wine glasses that were frosted with my initials on them, I couldn't believe my friend had actually MADE them. Immediately I knew I wanted to try it out for myself. The magic is in the etching cream. Once it's applied to the glass a chemical reaction frosts the glass and within 10 minutes the job is done! (Thanks for the tips Schmidt ladies!!) I've now etched quite a few wine glasses and can honestly say it is a great craft for all levels of craftyness. It was my friend Chrisanne's birthday last week and to celebrate I broke out the etching cream from my craft drawer to make her some wine glasses.

Click to read more ...

* a picture perfect family tree

my creations!

I'm a crafter and I love decorating; when I saw the DIY ornaments using old family photo's from Sweet Paul Magazine I was inspired! A recent family tree project had been tabled and I already had pictures and labels perfect for this project. I will be using these as Christmas ornaments but I don't have a tree yet, check back for an update in a week with the finished tree. This project is not just for the holidays, keep reading for creative ways to use these family pictures in your everyday decor! 

This is an easy, inexpensive project! Materials:

• Printed pictures of your family (any size/shape!)
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks
• Pipe cleaners
• Card stock (any color/weight)
• Glue Stick

mark the top of the photo!I wouldn't recommend using original photo's for this project, all you need to do is scan your images and then have some way of getting them printed. The pictures I had readily available were 2x3 inches but I think using pictures of all different sizes and shapes would add a unique touch. When you've learned a lesson, before I started gluing anything I marked the back of each photo with a light up arrow so I wouldn't glue the pipe cleaner on upside down! Once the glue gun is fired up simply cross the pipe cleaner in half and twist the bottom JUST ENOUGH so it stays, try to keep the knot as small and flat as you can. 

finished back with cardstock and label

 Just put a little glue on the pipe cleaner and stick it on the back. Believe it or not you could be done at this point! But I already had the labels printed up with names and dates so I hot glued a square of red card stock on the back covering the bottom of the pipe cleaner and used a glue stick to attach the label. Bonus! The hot glue and card stock gave the pictures weight and stability.

These pictures could be used in many ways:

• Stencil or apply a tree applique directly to your wall, put some nails on the branches and hang the pictures for a unique 3d family tree
• Get a shadow box frame and hang the pictures inside for a flexible decorative piece
• Buy a metal rod or any sort of contraption to hang the pictures in a minimalist way

Example- I have a metal shelving unit from IKEA used for pots and pans, I cleared some space and hung the pictures with the ornament hooks. I love how this looks!