DIY Wedding on the Farm and in a Barn...Rustic Chic

It has been over one year...one WHOLE year since my last blog post and to say that I'm shocked and disappointed would be an understatement. I'm not sure where the time is going but I wish we could find a way to slow it down.

While I was out...here's what you missed...

I got MARRIED! In October of 2011 I married the love of my life (no not my dog, my now husband). The Mr. and I had a fabulous wedding on a ranch in Northern Minnesota. I was determined from the start to have a DIY wedding as funds were tight and I had some spare time to work on things. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

The Basics:  The ceremony and reception happened on the same piece of property. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding so the problem was where?!? Did we want to go the cookie cutter route and get married in the Rose Garden or maybe on the shores of Lake Superior...mmmmm not really. So I opened the phone book and started calling every business I could find that I thought would have a barn (that's a true story). Countryside Rides was the first one we scoped out and ended up being the one we chose! She had never had a wedding on the property before but it was perfect. She had trails that she used for sleigh/hay rides and a giant open field off of one of those trails.

It was then we knew how it would work...The guests would arrive at the barn and be ushered to a wagon loading area. There, they would load on to horse drawn wagons and be brought out to the ceremony site (about a 5 minute ride). Once at the ceremony site, they would be helped off the wagon and escorted to the hay bale seating. We would keep refreshments and activities nearby to keep them entertained while more wagon loads picked up people.

The wedding party would take the last wagon out and unload and my dad and I would take the white carriage to the site.

We wanted a quick and fun ceremony (and with the help of our wonderful officiant it was) and then the guests would be loaded back on wagons and head back to the barn for a reception they wouldn't forget. While the guests were being brought back to the barn for "cocktail hour" we would be snapping photos in the field. I knew that I didn't want to make my guests wait for hours while the wedding party disappeared like most weddings.

Once everyone headed back to the barn, the party would start. Complete with free refreshments and a pig roast!

With the help of my oh-so-wonderful Mr. and my fabulous Mother and Maid of Honor, we saved so much money and threw an amazing party!

Here are some of the DIY pieces and photos (photos courtesy of George Hausler, our fabulous wedding photographer)...

Burlap Table Runners: I purchased the burlap from a wholesale factory online and it was an awful experience. We needed 60 yards and for the price they offered it at, I should have known it was too good to be true. I was assured the burlap was one continuous piece that I could cut to size, it wasn't. In fact, pieces were ductaped together. There were also holes EVERYWHERE. Some of them were in spots where we could place a centerpiece over and no one would know, but talk about frustrating!

Centerpieces: I spent all spring and summer of 2011 collecting mason jars. When everything was said and done, I had close to 200. All different brands, sizes and colors. I was able to collect enough of the aqua to use as the floral centerpieces. All of the flowers used on the tables were from Michaels Craft Store and arranged by yours truly (and my MOH). We also used large 1/2 gallon, clear mason jars on each table and stuffed them with spanish moss and battery operated white christmas lights for a "twinkle effect."  Because our reception was in a barn...a working barn with hay everywhere...we didn't want to risk using candles/open flames.

Card box, Signs, Guest Book, Activity Books: I spent a lot of time contemplating what our card box should look like, when it dawned on me...make it match the signage that I made throughout the wedding. I had my hubby fashion up a rather large rectangular box using left over plywood from other projects and then I painted it to match. We had signs used throughout the wedding painted in a barn red with cream lettering and sanded down to look rustic. The signs read: DRINKS, ALISSON & KEVIN, WAGON LOADING, WEDDING, REMEMBER WHEN and then the card box that read {CARDS}.

I had my wonderfully artistic aunt sketch a large tree on sketch paper for our guest book. I went to Michaels again (I spent a lot of time there last summer) and purchased a bunch of stamping ink in maroon, orange, green and yellow. I then made a sign that explained to people that they were to make a fingerprint to represent a leaf on the tree and then sign their name. It was so much fun and now, instead of our guest book tucked away in a box, we have it framed on our living room wall and can remember, on a daily basis the people that shared our day with us.

Kids are inevitable at weddings. Whether you want them there or not, give them something to do!! I had this great idea to make a wedding activity book. Because we had a farm/ranch/barn style wedding I carried this theme throughout the books. They were a hit!! It kept the kids and some adults busy during down times. They were so popular that I've chosen to sell them in my Etsy store. They come as a complete set...activity/coloring pages on card stock hole punched with a binder ring and crayons in a re-sealable bag. Everything you need in one spot! (See right side of page for my Etsy store link).

Flowers, Bouquets and Boutonnieres: I spent all summer going to Michaels, looking for deals on fall colored flowers. I managed to purchase all of the flowers (bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres) for $115 TOTAL! I was so excited. With the help of my MOH, the week before the wedding we put together all of the centerpieces and additional flower arrangements to be used in various spots. We also took to the hot glue gun! I had arranged put together the bouquets prior to her flight into town so all that was left was to cut strips of burlap and twist them up the stems. Easier said then done. My poor MOH lost a lot of skin on that project. For the boutonnieres, we cut out leaves from burlap and hot glued them to a skewer stick, then arranged a flower and some additional pieces of straw and berries and then folded the burlap in and wrapped the bottom of the leaf and down the skewer stick with twine. Again...a lot of skin was missing after this! The flowers that lined the aisle of the ceremony were fresh flowers from Sam's Club. My Mom picked them up the day before the wedding and she put the arrangements together the morning of, along with the help of one of our groomsmen and the groom himself. What troopers!

Some other odds and ends...My dad constructed the platform we were married on and my MOH and I stained it in one night (another messy project). The Sand Ceremony during the wedding used sand from each of our ends of town. My husband grew up on the West end while I grew up on the East end. Our guests sat on hay bales for the ceremony. I spent the month leading up to the wedding coffee staining and washing white bed sheets that we draped over the bales to keep them from poking the guests bottom and legs. Our wedding favors were drink koozies that read..."To have and to hold and keep your beer cold. Alisson & Kevin 2011" We had those made online, I couldn't take that task on. We had a DJ (who was awful by the way but I've been asked by the company to no longer name names...ugh) but for the ceremony and the father daughter dance, we had a wonderful family friend play guitar and sing. He also entertained the guests on the hay wagons with some music.

I'm sure there is a lot of stuff I'm leaving out but there were so many wonderful things to talk about, it's hard to remember them all!

We received word last week that our wedding was actually published in an online wedding blog. We were so thrilled that all of the hard work and sleepless nights paid off. You can see the feature here: http://rusticweddingchic.com/minnesota-diy-farm-wedding

I'm sure I will added more as it comes to mind but for now...I should keep working on Etsy orders. Happy Wednesday!

Love,
Ali

Wood Signs Hand Painted To Look Vintage/Weathered

I love, love, love to paint signs! I think they are a great way to show off your personality. However, I'm not about to pay what stores want for a cute sign that I know is marked WAY up! About a year ago, I decided to start painting my own to display in my home. Yes, it takes time BUT if I can save a couple bucks, or in this instance, $40...I'm going to give it a go.

I started out painting just solid colored signs and stenciling on sayings and words. After awhile, this can get pretty boring so last week I decided to experiment and I have to say...I LOVE the results. Who knew that combining two completely different colors would look so cool!

So...here is how I did it for those of you DIY'ers out there!

I started out with just a plain board. I buy them in the 12 foot lengths and cut them to size. You can get a board at your hardware store for about $3.00. Luckily, my fiance has a longbox truck so I can load it up!

After I cut them to length, I sand them down. Sometimes you get some splintered edges and it can be a paint to try and paint and then sand afterwards. After sanding, I wipe the board down with a rag to get all of the sawdust off. Then...I pick my colors!

My favorite combination of colors is brick red and pool green. I do 2 coats of brick red as the undercoat. It looks best to do the darker color as the undercoat. For this how-to I used terra cotta for the undercoat and spanish olive for the top coat.

After the undercoat has dried, you're ready for the top coat. You do NOT need to apply this like you do the undercoat. The neat thing is, you don't have to cover the entire board. The thinner the coat, the less sanding you need to do. I like to leave some streaks on the edges of the boards. And each one looks different! Have fun with it.

After the top coat has dried, I stencil on my phrase or wording. I use my Cricut for this. Most people use the letters/shapes that they cut out for their projects but I use the negative and the center of the letters to stencil. I spray a light adhesive on the back side so that it sticks to the board and paint doesn't get between the stencil and the board but it also doesn't peel the paint off of the board.

After the stenciling has dried, I sanded the entire board down. I am really into the weathered look right now so I go to town with the hand sander! But it's entirely to your preference. After sanding the board, I wipe it down again with a rag. The last step is sealing the boards. Acrylic paint scuffs easily so I find sealing them takes this risk out of the equation. I use Minwax Clear Coat Satin Sealer in an aerosol can. It's the easiest to control when deciding how thick of a coat you would like.

Taa-Daa! A super cute and inexpensive sign. Made by you which makes it 100x better! Here are some that I've done in the day or so. Enjoy and Happy Wednesday!



A New Spin On A Corkboard!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday weekend. I know the weather in Minnesota was sunny and well above average for heat and humidity. After spending most of the weekend outside and no end in sight for the hot weather, I figured today would be the perfect day to do some crafting in the basement. We have an air conditioner, but it's just a window unit so the top floor is very comfortable and the main floor is less than desirable.

On today's to-do list...a new corkboard! I'm so sick of the yuck brown corkboards. I especially wanted to make a new one for my kitchen which I've recently updated. I have a stack of open backed picture frames that I've been collecting from rummage sales and Goodwill. So, I decided to put a couple to work for me.

Here's what I needed for the project:
Open back picture frame
Foam poster board
Paint and Brush
Hobby Knife
Fabric
Hot glue gun
Picture hanger, Hammer and Nails

I started by cleaning, measuring and then painting the frame. Normally I would just use some craft paint but I wanted this frame to match the cabinets in my kitchen so I dug through all of my cans of paint until I found the leftovers (I should organize all of those paint cans one of these days). It only took 2 coats and dried faster than I thought it would. I have high expectations because craft paint dries so quickly!

While the frame was drying, I made the backing. Before I painted the frame, I took measurements of the inside portion from the backside of the frame. I took those measurements and drew it out on the foam posterboard. I then took my hobby knife, scored one side, bent the foam board on the score line and cut through the other side.

Before I worked with the fabric, I did a dry run with the foam board and frame to make sure the size was accurate. I didn't want to get all done and then have problems putting it together. My motto growing up was measure once, cut twice...shhhh...don't tell my carpenter father that!

Next, I measured out a piece of fabric so there was an extra inch on each side to wrap around. Before attaching it, I ironed out the wrinkles. I have piles of fabric that sit in a container so wrinkles are a staple.

Admist doing this, I put another coat on the frame and remembered to warm up the hot glue gun. It's a good day! After the glue gun was warm, I was ready to attach the fabric to the foam board. At the corners, I cut a diagonal line so that when I fold up each of the sides, I don't have excess fabric folded over causing a bulge.

You can use tape to attach the fabric but I'm a hot glue gun kind of gal. It took awhile, but I think I've mastered it. After each side is attached (I put a line of glue down the entire side to ensure it's attached), you're ready to attach the back to the frame.

Make sure your frame is dry first or you will have a gooey mess, trust me on this one. To attach the backing I put a large dallop of hot glue in each of the four corners and then insert the backing and hold. Viola!

I had to put a picture hanger on the back of this frame as I had taken the original one off, oops. It's no big deal and they are relatively cheap ($1.05 for a package of 12 with nails at Menards).

I liked the way this one turned out so much that I make another, larger cork board for my office. I painted the frame a dark brown but used the same fabric. I love how simple and functional they are.

 

Happy Tuesday!

No-Sew Napkins!

I'm not sure about any of you, but I don't mesh well with sewing machines. In fact, my last run in with one ended with me literally throwing it across the room into the closet door. True story.

So, when I decided that I wanted to MAKE, yes make, all of my napkins for my wedding in October, my skin was crawling at the idea of having to sew 250 napkins. I had originally purchased some polyester blend napkins but thought they were too plain. I've decided to buy 4 different prints in the same color palette to add some color to the white and burlap covered tables.

I haven't chosen the colors that I want yet, that's still a work in progress. Before I do that, I had to make sure that this was a do-able task. So far, so good!

Here's what you'll need:
~ Rotary Cutter (optional)
~ Cutting Grid (optional)
~ Pinking Shears with a decorative edge
~ Fabric

What I did was bought a few fat quarters from the local fabric store. This way, I could test this project out without having a ton of leftover fabric. Before starting, I washed, dried and ironed the fabric. So, I decided what size I wanted my napkins, roughly 17 inches square.

I used the rotary blade cutter to cut my fabric to size, leaving an extra 1/4" inch for the decorative edge. If you can cut in a straight line, by all means, skip this step! I however, cannot cut in a straight line to save my life. I tried doing this without the rotary cutter and grid but I ended up with trapezoid looking napkins, no bueno!

After trimming all of the sides to size, I used the pinking shears along the edges to give it a nice decorative edge and to keep the napkin from fraying! I found that it's easiest to fold the fabric in half so that you have the same cuts on each side but it's a personal preference.

Only 250 to go...I think I can handle this...maybe! ha-ha I hope everyone has a great day!

A Little Shameless Etsy Promoting.... :)

Hello my blog followers (all 3 of you, myself not included) and welcome to anyone viewing for the first time. With the recent death of someone very near and dear to my fiance and myself, I haven't had the time to get my craft on like I would like.

In lieu of a craft post, I would like to offer you all a coupon code for my Etsy store. If you like what you see, please feel free to click on my link in the right hand column and see what I have for sale in my store, AliHCreations.

For a limited time I'm offering a 10% discount to all shoppers that follow me on Facebook or that follow my Blog. All you need to do is enter the code, 10PERCENTOFF during checkout for a new, updated total.

Thanks so much and I hope you all hug and kiss your loved ones. Cherish every moment you have because we truly don't know when it will be our last. xoxo

Baby Shower Invites

If you're like me...you currently have at least 10 friends that are pregnant right now. They seem to go in spurts, it will be quiet for awhile and then out of nowhere, you'd swear everyone you know is expecting. It's so exciting but I can only imagine how overwhelmed they are all feeling.

In the spirit of many of my girl friends expecting, I spent a few hours today crafting Baby Shower Invitations. I think they turned out super cute, although I will admit, I am a bit biased! For a tutorial, please see my previous days post. This is in addition to that post, just some more varieties to what I did with my Groom's Dinner Invitation. And now, they are all available on my Etsy Shop...AliHCreations.

Baby Boy Invitation

Baby Girl Invitation

Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend!

Something Blue...Groom's Dinner Invites

I'm not afraid to admit that I am a bit of a procrastinator, ok a REALLY big one! I realized this morning while wiping down the dry erase board for the new month that we are a mere 4 months from the wedding. To be honest, October still seems like years away but if I've learned anything as  I grow older it's that time flies!

So, I've decided to tackle my groom's dinner invitations. I'm still waiting on the pocket folds from CardsandPockets.com to do my actual wedding invites so I will make do with what I have for now.

There are some things you should know about our wedding. Firstly, it will in no way, shape, or form be traditional. We are getting married at a ranch on the outskirts of the city limits. All of our guests will be brought to the ceremony site being held in the woods via horse drawn sleighs. Instead of chairs for the ceremony, there will be covered hay bales. Our dog, Dozer, is the ring bearer and I will be wearing my cowboy boots with my dress.

We are NOT doing the traditional 1 or 2 color options, instead we are using a pallet of autumn colors. Deep burnt oranges, mustardy yellows, Merlot reds and olive greens. Because of this choice, I have decided that the grooms dinner invites as well as the bachelor party invites need not follow a color scheme either. For them, I've chosen a mix between Kraft brown and cream and then also, oasis blue. I've completed a mock-up and extremely excited at how they turned out!

The hardest part was figuring out how to word the invitations because, in keeping with the non-traditional theme, my parents are hosting the grooms dinner, not his. After I tackled this mountain, the rest came pretty easily.

Originally, I wanted to do a different shape for the first layer but after some Internet searching and about 10 minutes cutting the shape one time with scissors, I passed and went for a simpler, "tag" look for the first layer. On the back side of the tag, I created a pocket for the RSVP information. In order for the guests to send it back as a post card it needs to be at least 3 1/2" x 5" so I chose to include the information that I would like from them as well as my email address on this insert. I wouldn't dream of having people RSVP for the actual wedding but I think I can get away with it since most people don't even send a formal invite for the grooms dinner.

I attached the event information to the oasis blue card stock cut to approx 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" and attached it all together with a matching ribbon. Simple, informational and in my opinion...adorable!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, I know I did. Nothing like family time to help you remember what's truly important in life...quiet time alone (ha ha, I'm only kidding)!

Time to make more invites. I would love feedback on them as I'm trying to decide whether or not to make a template and load them into my Etsy store.