Italian Sodas -- Delizio!

Simply Sweet Blog photo of bright colored Italian Sodas

The designers and caterers at Simply Sweet suggest Italian sodas keep things fresh and fun at your wedding. Guests can choose their favorite flavor(s) and create the beverage...DELIZIO!

If you're planning on making these yourself check out the syrups at stores like Home Goods.  Or surf the web for a variety of recipes in your wedding colors.  Think how much money you'll save not serving alcohol!

DIY Aisle and Altar Flowers

Pink and Yellow Rose Petals make a unique aisle for the bride and her attendants courtesy of Martha at: DIY Aisle or Altar Flowers

Place large hurricane vases (made for floating candles) and add rose petals to the pretty floating candles and use the along the side of an aisle of multi-colored rose petals.  Be sure to fill in any small holes under the aisle area to make a smooth aisle.  Visit Martha's web site for additional ideas for DIY Aisle or Altar Flowers. 

Butterfly Wedding Theme? See This Easy DIY Centerpiece Project

Photo by Colin Cooke/design shown on Sweet Paul web site:

http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/10/decoupage-pumpkin.html

A little paper, your printer, clip art, and craft glue and Sweet Paul (a total genius!) has made these great pumpkin centerpieces that have decoupaged butterflies on them.  Perfect for a wedding with a butterfly theme!  Decoupaging on pumpkins can be used with any theme you can find great clip art on.  Just print out the clip art on thin paper and glue them to the pumpkin with regular craft glue.  Simple and sweet! And the price is right.  An easy DIY project perfect for brides on a budget.

Visit Sweet Paul's web site for ideas for centerpieces and also for great easy recipes to impress!

Marbled Marshmallows to Fit the Season

Make Your Own Marshmallows Courtesy of Kraft Trends

Whether your wedding is during the holiday season, spring, fall etc. you can personalize these marshmallows to suit.  While these have peppermint flavoring you can experiment with different flavor extracts during different times of the year.  These are also great for favors at wedding showers.  Experiment ahead of time with the depth of colors you want.  Package for your guests to take home with them or put them out on your sweet table.  (Can you tell I LOVE sweets?)  Enjoy!  Recipe on http://redhot.bettycrocker.com.

Wedding Cupcake Poppers

Photo from Moogie and Pap's blog; recipe from Betty Crocker Trends web site

Looking for a dessert table item that pops? (Do you suppose that's why they call them poppers?) Betty Crocker Trends at http://redhot.bettycrocker.com/trends gives you an easy recipe to make these poppers from their white cake mix (obviously you add some food coloring).  They also offer a recipe for a marshmallow cream frosting for the centers.  The recipe makes 60 mini-cupcakes for your dessert table.  Simple and oh so sweet! Great for wedding showers as well. 

Cherry Tomatoes - Bocconcini Lollipops

Photo and recipe from: http://moogieland.blogspot.com/

Looking for something a little different for an appetizer? Try this easy to make but attractive recipe that is based on caprese salad.  This pairing of mozzarella and tomatoes is a perfect combination for picnic weddings or appetizers anytime of year. 

Photos courtesy of Dahan Caterers Washington DC

Moogie from Moogie and Pap's web site suggests using black rice inside a tall glass to stabilize the skewers, but you could easily serve this on a base of seen above of grass, inserting the skewer into the field of green. 
Ingredients:

12 cherry tomatoes (stems removed) You can use regular cherry tomatoes or Trader Joe's sells heirloom cherry tomatoes.
12 bocconcine (baby Mozzarella)
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. With a sharp knife, remove the top 1/4 inch of each tomato.

2. Skewer the bottom of each tomato with a large wooden or bamboo skewer. For the most eye-catching presentation, stand the lollipops in tall glasses. (I put black rice inside my glass to help stabilize the lollipops)

3. In a bowl, combine the seasoning and olive oil, and parsley. Drizzle a little over each tomato before serving.

White Chocolate, Peaches, Apricots, Cake...All In A DIY Cake!

All Photos courtesy of The Cilantropist at  http://cilantropist.blogspot.com

Are you salivating yet? There are two kinds of people in the world, those of us who love white chocolate and the ones who well, those other people! This cake is for the former. I posted this recipe for brides who are either making their own cakes or have someone making them for them or for anyone throwing a pre-wedding party. This is a perfect cake to use the multilayer cake stands if you want to make your own cakes and not involve the bakery. The slivered almonds on the outside hide any icing deficiencies you may have and the filling for this cake is indescribable! The filling is part apricot part peaches so for brides having a summer wedding this is a great cake choice.

All Photos courtesy of The Cilantropist at http://cilantropist.blogspot.com

For the recipe, go to http://cilantropist.blogspot.com where The Cilantropist gives you her version of this cake which is adapted from one in Bon Appetit, June 2003 via Epicurious. The Cilantropist also gives you great icing tips so your cake will look as great as these pics! So head on over to her blog to grab the recipe (guarantee you'll spend another hour at least perusing all her other posts! This is one yummy blog!)

DIY Classes In Lansdowne PA

Photo courtesy of: http://www.pendance.us/

Looking for art classes or calligraphy classes? Art Space Lansdowne at http://artspacelansdowne.com/art-classes/#art11001 offers classes in calligraphy as well as jewelry making and other crafts.  Head over to their web site and sign up now.  Deadlines are fast approaching for Art Space Lansdowne's Spring Classes and Workshops. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of these fun learning experiences. Classes are affordable, convenient, and a great experience for DIY'ers or take your bridesmaids to a jewelry making class as a thank you.

Do It Yourself Felt Bouquets and Boutonnieres

Photo by Claire Marika on Bride's Cafe

Have you ever seen do it yourself felt bouqets or boutonnieres? Are you looking to save money on your bouquet and boutonnieres? Visit The Bride's Cafe and see how to make felt floral bouquets and bouts.  This is a relatively simple DIY project although it may take some time so don't leave it until the last minute!

Or if you'd rather work with crepe paper go to the the Bride's Cafe  for ideas for a similar crepe paper bouquet seen below. And for tutorials on making paper flowers.

Make Your Own Terraium Placecard Holder

Photo and info courtesy of: http://wednesdaycustomdesign.com/

What can you make from the lid of a mason jar and a clear Christmas ornament? Your own custom terrarium place card holder.  Fill with flowers to compliment you decor and add a interesting fillip to your table setting at your wedding or shower.  For directions go to: http://wednesdaycustomdesign.com/blog/P15

DIY Doughnuts for Wedding Breakfast

Photo credits and info courtesy of: http://www.twigandthistle.com/blog/2011/01/page/4/

Planning a wedding breakfast reception? Or looking for something to serve your guests before they leave your evening reception? Try these pretty doughnuts.

I never make doughnuts because I don't want to have to deal with frying them but this easy mix from Sur La Table's web site is baked not fried. You can also find an easy recipe for these tiny bites of heaven at http://bakingbites.com/. Sur La Table also sells the pan you need to bake them in. If you are looking for a less expensive pan try http://myavon.com/cvecchione or contact your local Avon rep, it will save you a lot of money!

The doughnuts come in a variety of flavors so taste test them all (or make your fiance a very happy man and force him to taste test them (sure wouldn't take much force to get the man in my life to taste test doughnuts!). Add some pretty glaze and some custom colored sprinkles for a gourmet look. These tiny delights are only about an inch and a half wide so you'll need to make plenty for a crowd.

Fruit Tree with Blossoms DIY Wedding Invitations

Photo and download at: http://www.downloadandprint.com/

Download and Print has some new wedding invites and response cards ready for customizing and downloading to make diy'ing your invites fast and easy. Highly recommend their products. Not only beautiful but incredibally easy to execute. Additional invites available on web site.

The Glitterati of Cupcakes

Just when you thought you had seen it all, the folks at Bedazzle My Bonbons sent me an email with these photos that one of their creative clients had taken of cupcakes that she had designed using their bonbons.

Mishellle from Mishelle Handy Cakes in Oklahoma City purchased her liners from Wilton products at her local craft store and added faux stones and gems to add some more bling to the cupcakes.  She turned boring cupcakes into a bedazzled and delicious dessert.  For brides who love bling these cupcakes will match you personality to a T!

Choose the way you would like to display these at your wedding either individual or cupcake stands will give you a centerpiece that shines!



DIY Easter Lily Backdrop

Easter Lily Backdrop courtesy of http://ruffledblog.com/diy-easter-lily-ceremony-backdrop and from Veronica at My Hands Made it, http://myhandsmadeit.com/
Looking for a way to turn a plain room into a beautiful backdrop for your wedding ceremony? This Easter Lily backdrop(credited originally to Martha) can be found on http://ruffledblog.com/ on a post from Veronica at My Hands Made It http://myhandsmadeit.com/.

While this would be expensive to make with fresh flowers the directions on the Ruffled blog are for artificial lilies (easier to keep looking fresh for those of us without floral refrigerators too!)

Combine with a spray of lilies for the bride and it will knock them dead!

DIY Wedding Flags

Photo courtesy of http://www.saraspartyperfect.com

Having your wedding in a park or somewhere the signage is poor? Why not make one of these great signs? Perfect to let your guests know they are on the right track.  Use some canvas and paint and pick up a flag pole at your local hardware or gift store.  Makes finding your wedding site easy for your guests with an easy DIY project.  For other great party and event projects visit http://www.saraspartyperfect.com/.

Ribbon Wands At Your Wedding

Photo courtesy of http://www.lovetheshultzes.com/

Want an option to rice or birdseed?  Tired of the ubiquitous bubbles? Why not make your guests some ribbon wands?  Just get some dowels, spray them with cream or white spray paint, add some light weight ribbon to the end (use about three feet of ribbon per wand) and glue the ribbon to the dowel.  Use pinking sheers in a v-shape at the end to avoid fraying.  After glue sets roll up the ribbon around the wand and decorate a couple of pretty containers to put near the exit of the church.  It is a great photo op as you and your new spouse exit surrounded by soft and pretty ribbons.  Use two colors if you like to compliment your wedding colors. 

DIY Rose Frosted Mini-Cupcake Centerpieces

Photo and Credit from The Frugal Girls 

Frosted roses as cupcake centerpieces? Who would have thought? But if you are looking for an inexpensive but unique wedding centerpiece visit The Frugal Girls web site and see the step by step directions on making these great mini rose frosted cupcakes centerpieces. A nice change from a tower of cupcakes as a centerpiece on a table.

Find some interesting containers either at garage sales or Goodwill and fill them with roses for everyone at the table. Be sure you have a container large enough for the number of people at the table.

If you are looking for some inexpensive containers similar to the ones shown, I was in Home Goods on April 1, 2011 and they had some there...easy shopping and a great way to save money!

DIY Ice Scuptures

Ice Sculpture-Heart by Carlisle Photo Courtesy of http://www.galasource.com/

Looking for an easy DIY way to decorate your buffet table or appetizer table? Why not pick up a DIY ice sculpture? Carlisle offers ice sculpture molds in a variety of designs, one sure to suit any bride. They're a one time use only so you might want to pick one up ahead of time to test it out. They are on sale on the GalaSource web site so head over and take a look.

String Chandeliers

Photo courtesy of Wednesday Custom Design Events & Paperwork

Jessica at Wednesday Custom Design Events & Paperwork (http://wednesdaycustomdesign.com/events) tells you how to make these great string balls that you can use for either centerpieces or as chandeliers to hang from the trees outside.  The bright white accented with flowers in your wedding colors adds a custom look at a DIY price.  These are so easy you could rope in your flower girl to help make them!  Wednesday Custom Design also has lots of other great ideas to make your wedding day pop!  So head on over to their web site and blog and enjoy a feast for you DIY eyes!

Highlight Your Food Choices by Using Colorful and Unique Vegetables

Photo courtesy of: TheBearFootShaman

As an Etsy addict and a DIY bride, when I came across an Etsy store, TheBearFootShaman I saw a way to marry my love of gardening with gorgeous food presentation for a wedding or shower. At TheBearFootShaman they have heirloom seeds for sale for absolutely gorgeous vegetables! Take the time to browse the store for vegetables to brighten your wedding day food selections. Even if you aren't serving the food cooked, some of these would make a great part of a crudite or chesse display.

My favorite is the Five Colors Swiss Chard. These colorful plants are almost impossible not to grow! They will grow in places where there isn't enough sun or too much sun as well as where the soil grade is poor. You can cook them like spinach for a colorful side, after all, why serve ho-hum green beans with almond when you can highlight your plates with this gorgeous vegetable?

Purple Cauliflower from Sicily Photo courtesy of TheBearFootShaman

This gorgeous purple cauliflower is a great accent vegetable or perfect for hors d'oeuvres. Use it as a dip bowl by hollowing it out. Surround it with cheeses. The options are endless. And not to be a killjoy but it's also good for you!

TheBearFootShaman offers additional seeds from other heirloom varieties, so head on over. Even if you aren't planning a wedding the seed choices will jazz up dinner any night of the week. Visit the site at Etsy.com for lots of other choices like pear shaped tomatoes, chocolate color peppers and more!

DIY Flower Baskets From Save On Crafts

Photo Courtesy of http://www.saveoncrafts.com/

You too can make this designer-look birdsnest bouquet.  Just go to http://saveoncrafts.com/ under the heading: Weddung DIY Decorations for directions as well as the products you need to purchase to make these for your bridal party.  It's simple, you can order everything you need from them (except fresh flowers), and you can put everything together ahead of time just adding the flowers on the day of your wedding.  I highly recomment this craft site for both your wedding DIY projects and any other projects, they're prices are great and the service in phenomonal.  Have fun! 

Envelope Template If You Are Making Your Own Invitations

Photo courtesy of http://www.spoonsisters.com

If you are creative or crafty you're probably making your own invitations. But you still need envelopes. This template, available for only $16.95 from http://www.spoonsisters.com/ makes envelopes simple and easy. It allows you to create envelopes that measure: 4.5 inches W x 6.4 inches W; the template measures 7.8 inches W x 11 inches H, W x 0.1 inches thickness. It is an International Standard Size, Format: C6 and suitable for content format: A6 (or A4 folded in half twice). If you invitation is an different size you should be able to adapt the template fairly easily. Because it's made of wood it will last so you can use it for other projects after your wedding (maybe some creative thank you notes?).

NIRVANA! Try These Nuggets of Bliss!

All photos and linked recipe courtesy of Colette at My Computer is My Canvas on Blogspot.com

These look soooo good right? And hidden inside these chocolate nuggets of goodness is raw chocolate chip cookie dough! My personal idea of HEAVEN! I can't take credit for these, but found them while I was looking for a project for my daughter's nursery school class.

Colette of "My Computer is My Canvas," on Blogspot.com has taste tested the best of all the Raw Cookie Dough recipes she could find with her sister, Lisa of Lisa's Recipe Cards (also on Blogspot), and the results are on Collette's blog at http://mycomputerismycanvas.blogspot.com/.  Just look under the heading recipes for the exact recipe. She has found a recipe that tastes great even without the eggs so you can enjoy these to your hearts content with no worries (other than the pounds you could put on your hips!)

Not only that, she has ingeniously dipped them in chocolate turning them into a treat for the most discriminating of guests. For your wedding, think of adding some icing flowers in colors to accent you color scheme or make them into cookie dough pops if you are feeling extra crafty! For any bride who is a DIY'r her blog is full of great projects that could be adapted for use in your wedding. I guess you could say I'm a fan, with a capital 'F'! Head over to her blog for further ideas for these wonderful melt in mouth wonders and more ideas for your wedding.

Mini Glass Flower Pots

Photo and design courtesy of: http://www.favorsandflowers.com/mini-glass-flower-pots.htm

Fill these mini glass flower pots with water a freshly cut flowers, they can also be used as votive holders. Each clear glass pot measures 2.5" tall. Top diameter is 2.75” and bottom diameter measures 1.75". Holds up to 4 oz. Fits votive and tea light candles. The perfect holder for any votive candle. Pots are $1.30/each. 


Photo courtesy of: http://www.favorsandflowers.com/mini-glass-flower-pots.htm



Do It Yourself Fortune Cookies -- Recipe Included

Photo courtesy of: http://www.favorideas.com/

Not interested in paying a wedding favor company for fortune cookies, or just want to control the fortunes in the cookies? Why not make your own? The reciple below makes a dozen great fortune cookies that you can either serve plain or with some sherbret. Cookies can also be dipped in chocoloate! Or the dough can be dyed an assortment of colors. Yum!

Fortune Cookie Recipe
Makes one dozen cookies.
Ingredients

1 egg white

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.
Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.
Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do.
Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.
Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm. (Recipe courtesy of: Allrecipes.com)


Photo courtesy of: http://www.favorideas.com/



All You Need is LOVE! Cookie Cutters That Is

LOVE Cookie Cutter from FancyFlours.com

This tin cookie cutter with sturdy tin handle comes with a colorful recipe card. Each card includes a recipe for cookies and frosting. The cookie cutter is S 4"H and shaped in beautiful, durable solid tin.

Get this and other unique cookie cutters at FancyFlours.com. Fancy Flours is a unique, retail on-line baking supply business that specializes in high quality, difficult to find ingredients and delightful, edible sugar decorations and cookie cutters.

Fancy Flours offers over 800 collector's copper and easy-to-use tin cookie cutters, 100 different types of hard-to-find oils, extracts and flavorings, premium vanillas, muffin cups in every color you could ever dream of, more then 500 sugar whimsies, stunning cake jewels, intricate wafer paper designs and much, much more! Fancyflours.com will bring out your aristic, whimsical, imaginative, and even magical side.

Browse their selction of chocolate transfer sheets and culinary stencils, the perfect touch to party treats and desserts. Need to add a bit of color to your cupcakes? Try one of our brilliantly colored food sprays or icing writers, a darling cupcake pick, or shimmering edible pearls.

Fancyflours.com also provides you with mouthwatering recipes, valuable tips and how-to's, as well as a current blog featuring the latest in baking trends.

So no matter what baking project you are planning on attempting, Fancy Flours is your one stop shop for everything you need to produce professional looking and tasting projects.

DIY Kid Friendly Favors

Photo and Idea from Offbeatbride.com DIY section

If you're having children in your wedding or as guests at your wedding, you might want to provide kid-friendly favors. These DIY favors are courtesy of http://offbeatbride.com/. Gwenab on The Offbeatbride's site gives you the specific directions as well as links to the sites she learned how to make these from under the DIY section of the site. Lego actually has a ice cube mold (go to http://shop.lego.com/). You can use this to make crayons in the shapes of lego men! Kudos to you Gwen! Great idea and execution! Other suggestions included stars and other fun shapes.

Photo and product from http://shop.lego.com/

Flower Duet Offers A DVD to Learn How to Create a European Wrap Bouquet

Photo courtesy of: http://flowerduetblog.blogspot.com/

If you know a bride who wants to learn how to make her own wedding bouquet, consider ordering a copy of  "How to Create A European Wrap Bouquet".  This DVD is a great gift for the newly engaged bride.  Having the DVD will take the mystery (and terror) out of designing your own wrap bouquet.  You can see a preview of the flower arranging DVD on their homepage or just go ahead and order it from the order page.

Designs for the DIY Bride

Photo from Doverpublications.com

Dover Publications designs books filled with monograms and designs perfect for the DIY bride. Also if you sign up at their web site they will send you freebies that you can use to design wedding accessories or for other DIY projects. Many of their books come complete with a CD-ROM filled with designs. You can either purchase their books online or at Borders Books.   Try the Amazon.com search function provided on this site to see what Amazon has in stock!

Jones Soda With Personalized Labels

Photo courtesy of Jones Soda at http://myjones.com/

Jones Soda will personalize bottles of their fabulous soda for you, but the only problem is it's almost thirty dollars for twelve, a pretty pricey wedding favor. Instead purchase cases of their soda at less than half that price and make your own labels. Choose your favorite soda or a combination of flavors so guests have an option. Be sure to ask for discounts if you are buying this in bulk. Most stores will offer you a discount for large bulk purchases. If the first place you try won't do it, just keep trying. Even a 10% discount when you're planning a wedding adds up in a hurry.

Candles -- Easy DIY Centerpieces

Photos and ideas courtesy of: http://www.surroundings.com/

Surroundings.com offers you a large selection of floating candle kits and craft items needed to make DIY centerpieces for your wedding.  Candles offer an inexspensive alternative to large floral arrangements and add to the ambiance of your day.  This is a go to place for candle kits, accessories, and centerpiece ideas for you wedding day.