Easy Do It Yourself Centerpieces

Photo courtesy of Lovely Wedding Day

 

Making your own centerpieces can be as easy as floating flowers and candles in water. Secure your favorite flowers, roses, orchids, tulips. You don't have to use real flowers, silk will do, which makes your timing much easier.

 

You can make these ahead of time with less worry of dying flowers. Anchor the flowers by either gluing to the bottom of your vase or by using floral stones. Add a floating candle to the top of your design and voila! The perfect centerpiece is ready to be put on the table, just waiting for the reception to begin and candles to be lit.

 

Photo courtesy of Lovely Wedding Day

 

Be sure your vase is tempered glass so that it won't shatter when the candle has been lit for awhile. I once arrived at a wedding just in time to see all the centerpieces shatter one after the other. That's a mess you just don't need on  your wedding day. These easy centerpieces can be clustered in a group or used as a single piece. Add some votive candles on a mirror to add some depth.

 

See more DIY centerpieces at WDW (Wedding Day Weekly)Blogging For Brides.

Candles and Pearls

Photo courtesy of Kim

 

Candles and pearls make the perfect centerpiece for a wedding or wedding shower especially if you are planning a winter wonderland theme wedding. Small candles, faux pearls in a variety of colors to add depth and put them all on top of, yes, you guessed it, SUGAR! I have to admit I'd never have thought to have subbed sugar for the bottom of a candle arrangement but using it in this one makes it look so wintry and gives your centerpiece a cool look.

 

One warning though, be sure to get glass that is meant for candles. The heat of a candle burning all through your reception might be too much for glass that is not designed to withstand the heat. So be sure not to just buy dollar store glass that isn't meant for burning candles in (or at least check one of you centerpieces out before you decide if they will work for your reception or not.)

 

You have to admit, this is an EEEBCDI (Easy Enough Even Bill Can Do It). Anyone who reads my DIY blog regularly knows I test how easy a DIY project is by having my husband (who is very un-crafty) try them out. The man can fix almost anything but DIY projects are just not his thing if they have anything to do with crafts! So if my man can make them yours can too, which means you get some extra help putting them all together. Add some togetherness to the wedding DIY projects.

 

Be sure to visit the web site linked under the photo for more great winter ideas for weddings or wedding showers.

 

 

 

DIY Thrift Store Vases

 

Photos and idea courtesy of Little Gray Fox Blog

 

Thrift shops and garage sales are a great resource for decorating at your wedding reception. Why spend a fortune on vases when you can pick up some inexpensive vases at a thrift store or garage sale, add a little paint, and voila! You have a centerpiece that is pretty and will coordinate with your wedding colors.

 

Don't forget, mint and coral are big colors this year, so even if your bridesmaids are wearing a neutral color, use vases is these au courant colors and it will give you a nice pop of color without forcing them to own a dress that shouts "BRIDESMAID!" Believe me, they will thank you!

 

Be sure to spend some time reading Little Gray Fox and Little Foto Fox for more great ideas for DIY projects and more.

 

 

 

 

 

Short on Cash, Long on Love Dollar Store DIY Project

Photo: Rebecca Cooper Photography Blog

How can you take a few sheets of scrapbook paper, some skewers from your kitchen and toss them in an old glass bottle for a wedding centerpiece? Easy!

Yes, this is another Dollar Store **EEEBCDI craft for brides looking for an inexpensive DIY centerpiece or even the new apartment owner who is short on cash, long on love!

If you can draw some hearts freehand (or if you are totally non-artistic find some hearts to trace) onto some scrapbook paper and cut them out you can make this project. Choose a black, white and tan look like the one above or use hot colors or pastels to coordinate with your wedding.

Fizzy Lizzy Soda sold at Whole Foods

Use a black ink felt tip pen or cartridge pen to write an appropriately loving sentiment on one or two of the hearts a la "conversation hearts."

Tape the hearts back to back with the skewer in the center (Love double sided tape for this project) and then glue a small button in the center.

Toss a combination of hearts in a glass bottle. We went to Whole Foods and bought some bottles of Joe Tea Half and Half. (Oh and you have to be able to drink the contents of the bottle or dump it down the drain) and tie a piece of twine around the top.

You can also use any other glass bottle from soda or juice, just find one that is relatively tall. Whole Foods sells Fizzy Lizzy, these bottles are slimmer and taller than Joe Tea  bottles are, it all depends on your choice of shapes.

Joe Tea Half and Half sold at Whole Foods

How easy is that! The hardest part was choosing the scrapbook paper designs and colors and deciding which flavor of Joe Tea I wanted to drink so I'd have an empty bottle! Oh, and getting out of Whole Foods without stopping in the Bakery Department and buying some chocolate chip cookies!

**What's EEBCDI? This acronym stands for "Easy Enough Even Bill Can Do It." Bill is my patient husband who tries out a lot of my craft projects to see just how crazy they would make the basic bride who isn't long on craft skills but who wants to put some personal 'touches' into her wedding. Yes, if Bill can do it, I can do it, and you can too!

DIY Wedding Centerpieces

I was browsing the net (and was on one of my favorite sites, Cupcakes and Cashmere) when I came across a great DIY centerpiece tutorial.  Really, doing your own flowers, or having a family member do them isn't THAT hard, it's the time component and keeping flowers cool and transporting them that are the issues. 

If you're having a small wedding, DIY flowers are definitely doable.  The secret? Scotch Tape and ti leaves.  The ti leaves take a Dollar Store vase from simple to chic.  And the 1 1/2 inch wide tape lets you divide your flowers throughout the vase by making a tape grid to keep them in place. Genius! (at least for those of us who aren't in the florist business). 

For greater detail head over to Cupcakes and Cashmere's web site and find on the blow by blow directions.  But basically put the larger flowers in first and work your way down in size.  The site also tells you exactly what you need for one centerpiece.  Just multiply by the number of tables at your wedding.  You don't have to use the same flowers shown, practice with a variety of blooms and colors until you're happy they work with your wedding theme and colors.  All photos courtesy of Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Jimmies and WHAT? You Must Be Kidding Was My First Thought!

When I first saw this picture I thought it was just someone using colored sand--and thought 'big deal, nothing new there.' But then I looked a little closer and realized I was wrong--it wasn't sand at all! It was JIMMIES! COLORED JIMMIES! Still, I was skeptical at best.  I thought jimmies and what? CANDLES? Wow, what a bizarre combination!  But The Better Decorating Bible offers the DIY'er a new way to combine candles and of all things CAKE SPRINKLES (aka Jimmies) for great decorating accents for your wedding.  I must admit I would never have thought of purchasing sprinkles in bulk and using them to surround some candles in heat tempered glass.  But WOW it sure lets you easily adjust the project to fit the colors of your wedding and adds some zing to your DIY'ing.  Be sure to anchor the candles in the bottom of the glass as well as surround them tightly with the sprinkles.  While the ones shown here are in red, white and blue you can use any color combination that works for you.  For info on how to make your own custom colored jimmies visit Wedding Cookies, one of my other blogs for step by step directions. Be sure to buy slow burning candles so they last the length of your reception.  Or use candles that run on batteries just to be safe.  I admit, I'm still shaking my head, wondering how the heck they ever thought of this one!  Just goes to show in DIY'ing no product can't be used in ways it was NEVER intended to be used!  What's next?  I almost shudder to think!

Easy DIY Rose Topiary Centerpiece

This DIY rose topiary (just click link for exact directions as well as for other great projects) is easy to make and you can keep costs down by ordering your roses in bulk. The trickiest part is taking the rectangular floral foam and shaping it into something resembling a ball (don't worry, no one gets theirs to look like a ball, more a rounded octagon! But as you add the flowers it will round out.)

The different shades of roses give the topiary extra depth. You use a candle holder with a prong at the base to hold the foam in place and tie a ribbon around the bottom for extra decoration.

My criteria for DIY projects is can I (the queen of messing up DIY projects!) manage to pull it off. The hardest part of this one is cutting the foam and anchoring it (I told you, I'm a real butterfingers!), so as you can see, that shouldn't be too hard for even the DIY challenged like me! Give it a try. You don't have to experiment with roses for your trials. Also you can put the balls and holders together well in advance so you aren't overwhelmed closer to your wedding. Add a couple of candles or votives to the side for an extra accent and a variation in height. Enjoy this fun project!

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. 

Pink and White Easy DIY Flowers

Photos and designs courtesy of: http://www.tableart.net/

Planning on using a pink and white theme for your wedding? Want DIY flowers that are fast and easy? Try this pink and white Gerber daisies in a variety of tall and shorter displays. The lower ones are clear acrylic trays with a combination of votives and Gerber daisies (you might want to use battery operated votives for this or be sure your acrylic will withstand the heat from your candles). The tall vases have black rocks in the bottom and the flowers just stack up to the top. The third photo is round 'fishbowl' vases with a floating Gerber supporting a clear acrylic tray. Trays are perfect for your buffet table, especially for your hors d'oeuvres. Fast, easy, and not too expensive! Especially if you are doing it yourself.

Photo and design courtesy of: http://www.tableart.net

Photo and design courtesy of: http://www.tableart.net

Making Your Own Centerpieces?

  Photos courtesy of http://www.abcglassware.com/

The web site http://www.abcglassware.com/ has a wide variety of candle holders, vases, and jars that will help you keep your costs per centerpiece low.

DIY Footed Candle Centerpieces

Idea and photo courtesy of BHG.com

Make this easy candle centerpiece by purchasing a footed glass vase, adding a sweet smelling cream colored candle, and wrapping the vase with a ribbon and your monogram. These make great gifts to let your guests take hom or for you to have ater the wedding.