DIY cake topper

So, remember the cake topper that I was in love with?  Well, I decided that I should at least try to make one myself before ordering one online.  The materials are so cheap (or you can buy a kit here from Goose Grease), and it's not a very time consuming project.  And I found a great tutorial here which helped seal the deal.

So I headed to Michael's to buy my little wooden people, some paints, and paintbrushes.  All in all I think it cost me about $10!  The wood figures come in packs of two, so I bought a pack of boy figures and girl figures.  Then I had extra in case I messed up!  I bought a couple paints--brown for our hair, cream, beige--and I got lucky because my mom already had black, and I already had a little pot of silver paint. Oh, and I got some clear varnish to seal it all up.

Here is the how-to:

Step 1 - draw the outline of the hair and clothing on with pencil.  I thought about adding faces, but I think that would have been too challenging for me.

Step 2 - paint!  I started with the black tux because the was the paint I had at the time, and it was basically the whole boy figure.  Remember to leave bare spaces for hands!

 

Step 3 - varnish.

Step 4 - make base for the little guys to stand on.  (This is the step that I am at now.)

Step 5 - glue the dudes on the base.

Step 6 - admire. (I have skipped ahead to this step a few times already!)

Top this!

Truth: I would love to have some cute, unique cake toppers at my wedding.  I have seen some great ones on Etsy (of course), but I recently came across this post by Never the Bride.  Some of the commenters suggested that creating the cake toppers could be a game at a bridal shower.  What do you think?  I actually think that would be pretty funny.  And fun. :)

For some inspiration, check these out:

(source: naked peggies)

(source: the enchanted cupboard)

(source: grace fallen)

(source: red light studio)

Can't stop thinking about invitations!

Well, the workshop at Paper Source has made me invitation crazy!  It was a great class!  We were able to assemble four different invitations and learn techniques like heat embossing (everyone's fave), stamping, how to use an exacto knife, and how to use eyelets.  It made the idea of diy invites much more enticing, especially since plain cardstock is so cheap!  I mean, four is much, much less than 100, don't get me wrong.  But as some of my lovely friends have already offered to help, I think this could really work!


So now I'm obsessed.  I don't know exactly what style I want, so I'm going to rely on one of my editor friends to help with that.  But I really want to do the heat embossing!  So now I'm scouring Etsy for rubber stamps.  Here are some of my faves:

(all three images above from Cupcake Tree's Etsy shop)

(source: lovetocreatestamps Etsy shop)

Guest book alternative

I just found this while browsing on Etsy and I love it! 

Lovli Day created this family tree to use instead of a guest book!  It's so personal and unique.  I love the thumbprints!  It would also look nice if you used fall colors for the "leaves."

Indie Wed

I just bought my ticket to Indie Wed!

Here is the description from the website:

On January 30th 2010, Chicago will be the location for a unique wedding event. The event, called Indie Wed will be the first of its kind in the Midwest, bringing together local vendors with a twist. Indie Wed caters to unconventional couples who are taking a more modern, edgy, or eco-friendly approach to their special day as well as the more conservative couples who simply want to add some special touches.

The event will highlight the work of local independent designers specializing in various wedding related fields including stationery, cakes & pastries, fashion, catering, floral design and photography.

What also makes this event unique is that it is both a wedding show as well as a market where vendors will be selling their wedding related wares on the spot.

I'm really excited!  My friend Lauren, who is getting married in July 2010, has agreed to go with me.  We're both big etsy fans, so I think we'll find a lot of things that we like there.  I haven't been to a bridal show, and I wasn't really planning on going to one, but this one looks so cool! 

Stamp it up!

I first found custom stamps on Etsy during one of my long nights of "putzing," as Joe likes to call it.  But then tonight, in another night of putzing on wedding blogs, I found a giveaway for one of these BEAUTIFUL custom stamps from Barbara Kua Calligraphy!

Imagine how much time this would save, plus how fantastic the invites/thank yous/save the dates/etc would look!  To enter the giveaway head to Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bridezilla before November 8!!!