Gift Favor Bags with Butterfly Theme

Martha Stewart once again comes through with a DIY project that wows!  These butterfly bags can be filled with soap, stationary, cookies, or almost any favor you can think of or they could be used as bags for your out of town guests.  These pretty bags are made with a green gift bag, an off-white lunch bag, double-sided tape, hot glue, a mini clothespin, a fabric butterfly and name tags.  For specific directions and more photos visit Martha's web site.  I think you'll agree Martha and her staff have once again given us great ideas that are easy to execute.

DIY Combination Wedding Favors and Place Cards

Are you a chocolate-loving bride? Looking for some inexpensive DIY favors that also act as place cards? This project does both. Smarty Had A Party posted this incredible idea for the DIY bride who wants her DIY projects to be EASY and tasteful.  Some DIY projects look, well, embarrassing!  No bride wants to waste her time or money on a project like that.  This awesome project combines the best type of wedding favors (chocolate, of course) with a simple placecard.  Make a simple circle design on your computer and cut it out using a large circle punch (check craft store sales or EBay for good deals, don't forget to look for coupons) to punch out circles (about 15/page (the circles should be about 1 1/2 – 2 inches in diameter).  Using some double stick tape, put the circle on the toothpick (buying high quality toothpicks will make your job much easier and the cost is minimal!)

Shop for the chocolates on sale after holidays or check your local warehouse store or commissary.  Not the best thing to buy online since chocolate may melt during shipping especially during the summer.  Also chocolates are not the best favor for a summer wedding, again, melting becomes a problem.  Estimates for the total costs: as low as 50 cents/favor.  And your place cards are done as well.  The DIY bride strikes again! (links: Budget Dream Weddings, Ten Thousand Only blog, Knot bride pbell and photographer Teness Herman.

Rosemary Sea Salt Favors

Photo and idea courtesy of Marth Stewart Weddings

Rosemary is the herb of love and remembrance.  Rosemary sea salt favors are perfect for your beach wedding.  Your guests can take it home and use it to make focaccia or to sprinkle over potatoes.  Prepare it using the recipe below, label the container and add an initial sticker and wedding date. 

Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe

Makes 8 cups

This herb-infused salt is fragrant and can be substituted for unseasoned salt in any savory recipe.

Tools and Materials

1 three-pound box kosher salt (about 8 cups)
Bunches fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish

Rosemary Sea Salt How-To

1. In a large, high-sided saute pan, combine salt and rosemary. Place over medium heat, and warm through, about 10 minutes. Transfer salt and rosemary mixture to a container. Let cool 5 minutes, uncovered; then cover with an airtight lid. Let stand at least overnight.

2. When ready to fill containers, discard old rosemary. Fill desired containers with salt, and garnish top and sides with a fresh sprigs of rosemary; seal containers.

The DIY Centerpieces That You Can't Break

Tired of centerpieces or gifts that you have to worry about breaking?  Try using rocks.  Yes rocks.  Sets of rocks are available that you can write on.  You can put the date one, the word 'Love' or other appropriate 'wedding type word'.  You can stack them or use stones are part of a Zen design with some pillar candles.

You can purchase these rocks at http://www.stonedecorative.com/.   Photos courtesy of stonedecorative.com.

Lazertran Waterslide Decals Can Turn Any Object Into a Work of Art

(Photo Courtesy of Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

Want to make a personal favor for your wedding?  Look for projects using Lazertran Waterslide Decals.  You can use these great decals to put your artwork or photos almost anywhere.  You can transfer photos or artwork (art can be scanned or digitally produced).  Make coasters, candles, bowls, vases, glasses anything you can think of! 

This revolutionary new product lets you transfer any design to almost any surface with incredible results.  You can use Lazertran by inkjet or photocopying your color images onto Lazertran paper, then just heat set or seal the toner or ink, cut it to the correct size, soak and slide onto your project.  Smooth out air bubbles and let dry for a day. 

If you want to transfer the image to a fabric just iron on the decal, let it cool off, and then soak it until the paper falls away. 

Lazertran make three types of waterslide decals. The original Lazertran was designed to work with dry toner color and the decals are applied to hard surfaces. If you don’t have a laser printer, this means having color copies made at your local copy center or finding a friend with a laser printer. Take the package instructions with you in case the copy center personnel object to printing on your Lazertran paper.
Because most transfer papers are heat-activated at fairly low temperatures and the glues can melt and jam the copier some copy centers may not want to do the job. However, Original Lazertran, is specially designed to be used with color copiers. The film and glue won't melt when run through the hot copier.

For hard surfaces, the company has introduced Lazertran Inkjet; now you can make decals using your desktop inkjet printer. Lazertran Inkjet has some special qualities or quirks. There are some trade-offs for the convenience of being able to print decals on your inkjet printer in the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Lazertran Silk was made for closely woven fabrics. Like the Original Lazertran, Lazertran Silk is designed to work with dry toners.

Unlike Original Lazertran, Silk does not have a thin film that carries the color to its new home, so it’s not technically a decal. Rather Lazertran Silk is ironed onto the silk or other closely woven fabric. The iron’s heat melts the toners and deposits them onto the fabric. Since there is no decal film and no gooey glue, the original hand and softness of the fabric are preserved.

There is no glue to gum up the copier’s works. Still a good idea to take the package instructions with you to the copy center, in case there are any questions. Lazertran Silk decorated fabric is washable if the fabric itself is.

(Photo Courtesy of Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

 

(Information on using Lazertran from http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/ and Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

How to Paint Edible Springerle Cookies

Springerle cookies make great wedding cookies, but adding some paint to them gives them an added elegance. I personally love the white heart below. It's easier because it's monochromatic and you don't have to worry about outlining or only highlighting specific areas.

How do you paint Springerle cookies? Paint cookies after drying overnight but BEFORE baking. Use paste food colors available in cake decorating shops. Mix 1 egg yolk with 1/4 teaspoon of cold water and Mix well with a fork. Divide this into as many small containers or "puddles" as you wish to have colors. To these containers (or "puddles" on aluminum foil) add some paste food colors and mix with toothpicks.  (see easy monochromatic look below)

Keep in mind that the yolk is yellow and will change the hue of the paste colors. The colors also change slightly as the cookies bake. Use narrow artist's paintbrushes that are new or are only used for working with food.

Rub 'n Buff® is another option for deocrating your springerle. Rub 'n Buff® is a wax-based, metallic finish and is not recommended for children.  This method works best with a sponge brush (Spouncer™) or a piece of foam (you may use your fingertip). With very little Rub 'n Buff®, you can create a unique patina finish depending on the color of the base coat. For faux finishes, we recommend a dark gray base coat for silver, green for copper and brass, and dark brown for bronze. 1. Apply base coat, and let dry. 2. Dab a small amount of Rub 'n Buff® from the tube onto your brush. Replace the cap immediately (Rub 'n Buff® dries very quickly). Dab nto the raised edgs of the design and let dry.3. Buff with a soft cloth. Note: Rub 'n Buff® also comes in a variety of colors

Fortune Cookies for Your Italian Wedding?

OK, OK! I know, fortune cookies are Chinese not Italian. But I ran across some great Italian proverbs that would be a kick to insert in fortune cookies. You could dip the cookies in chocolate and decorate them with jimmies to make them more 'wedding-like.' The recipe is from allrecipes.com. Try printing the Italian proverb on one side of the fortune and in English on the back. If you don't want to make you own try this web site:
http://www.kbbakery.com/. They make the fruit flavored beauties at the top left, and the sprinkle adorned assortment at the right. If you want to go another route go to http://cannolibymail.com/  where you can buy cannoli fortune favors, complete with fortune and tied with a ribbon, but they also sell the shells to add your own fortunes to.  If you want to make your own fortune cookies or cannoli try http://www.allrecipes.com/. 

Italian Proverbs about Marriage

"Ne di Venere Ne di Marte non si sposa ne si parte!"
Neither marry nor depart on the day of Venus or of Mars!

"Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata"
A wet bride is a lucky bride (referring to rain on the wedding day)

"La buona moglie fa il buon marito"
A good wife makes a good husband.

"La moglie e' la chiave di casa"
The wife is the key of the house.

"Tra moglie e marito ... non mettere il dito."
Don't put a finger between wife and husband.

"Moglie e buoi ...dei paesi tuoi."
Wife and bull ...from your home-town.

"La prima e' Matrimonio, la seconda comagnia, la terza un'eresia."
The first wife is marriage, the second company, the thrid heresy.

"Meglio il marito senz'amore, che con gelosia."
Better to have a husband without love than with jealousy.

"Chi ha moglie ha doglie"
Who has a wife has strife.

"Chi non ha moglie non ha padrone."
Who has no wife has no master.

"Casa senza fimmina ‘mpuvirisci"
(Sicillian proverb) A house without a woman is poor

"Matrimoni e viscuvati, di lu celu su mannati"
(Sicillian proverb) Weddings and bishops are heavensent

Make Your Own Silhouette Cookies

Victor Trading Company will make a custom cookie cutter silhouette of you and your groom that you can then turn into silhouette cookie favors for your guests. Choose a recipe that has a good stiff dough and a flavor that lends itself to icing. Add a ribbon to coordinate with your wedding colors and it's a perfect wedding favor for your guests.

DIY Cookie Favors

William Sonoma has a product that will let you make favors yourself. It's a cookie cutter with a place to insert a message like "I love you" or "the perfect pair." The kit comes with three different shape cookies cutters, a heart (this authors favorite), a star, and a rectangle. You can add the alphabet letters (you get three sets) and it has some common sentiments already spelled out for you. Add a little decoration and you have high impact favors for your guests. The recipe for the cookies comes on the package. Check it out at The Wedding Queen at  http://theweddingqueen.blogspot.com/ and purchase the kit at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/message-in-a-cookie-cutter-set/?cm_src=oldlink&pkey=gripv.