DIY Decor - The No Sew Burlap Table Runner!

I've been drooling over pictures of burlap table runners for months now.  But after shopping around, I found that purchasing these things could run me $20-$30 per table.  So I did a tiny bit of research (like, 5 minutes worth) and bought myself a roll of burlap, determined to a stab at making my own table runners.  

 

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First, I ran to my closet and dragged my sewing machine out prepared to take on the challenge.  Then my genius Lil' $is asked me "why don't you just use Stitch Witchery?"  And that's when the daunting task became easy enough for me.

I found this amazing tutorial Living with Lindsay and got to work!

Supplies used:

- Burlap

- Scissors/Fabric Shears

- Seam Gauge

- Ruler

- Tape Measure

- Sharpie

- Stitch Witchery

- Iron

Step 1 - Get the dimensions for your table.  I learned from the tutorial that table runners are typically about 14"-18" wide and should typically be 6"-8" longer than your table.  Now according to the tutorial I read, you should leave a two inch seam allowance but I didn't.  I went with a one inch seam allowance, which I'll explain a little later. 

Our tables are approximately 88'x 47'.

So I ended up cutting out pieces of fabric that were 20"x102".

One thing I learned about burlap is that it's very, um, "natural" and has a bit of a smell to it.  Once you cut the pieces, you'll need to wash and air dry them but I don't recommend using the heavy duty cycle because you'll shred the fabric and end up with a mess in the machine. 

Next, I grabbed the seam gauge and started folding the hem over 1"  and used pins to keep it in place.  Now, I initially started with 2" seams and planned to fold the edges twice over themselves to hide the raw edge but I quickly realized that the burlap was too bulky for this.  My solution was to fold it over once, cut it as cleanly as possible then leave the edges raw. Sadly it took me a couple minutes of disappointment to realize that it's burlap!  Raw edges are expected!  And hopefully no one at the wedding will be picking them up and checking out my handiwork.  

But if you want to hide the frayed edges of the burlap, you can use a little grosgrain ribbon and some hot glue (but careful, too much glue will seep through the fabric) to cover the fringe.

Then it was time to iron!  Set it on the highest heat and steam setting--the burlap needs the heat.  Then press your hem.  

 

Tuck your Stitch Witchery in the hem and get to work!  You'll need to place a damp cloth between the fabric and the iron.  Place your iron on top of the cloth and then hold for about ten seconds.  Lift and repeat.   

Remember when I said that burlap was very natural aka it has a smell to it?  It wasn't totally gone after I washed the fabric.  So I added about a teaspoon of Febreeze to the water in the iron. You could also use an essential oil like Lavender or Eucalyptus (just not too much!)  and that should do the trick! Just be careful not to use too much, the goal is to eliminate odor not to create another one.  

 

AND TADAAAAAA!  The no-sew burlap table runner!

On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this project a 1.5 for difficulty.  It took some practice to get the handle of making really straight edges. Some of my runners look a little wonky.  

But overall I'm thrilled!  So thrilled I set up a little tablescape for you all:  candle, books, orchid, and giant mylar kitty toy.  You know...just some stuff I had lyin' around...

So what do you think?  Have you taken on any decor DIYs?

Runner Up!

I've been thinking about table decor and I am changing my plan.  Initially, I wanted to create table runners from the pages of vintage books, but time is flying by and my to-do list is growing by the minute.    


Something had to give, so book runners are out and burlap is in!

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I love how burlap fits perfectly with modern decor and adds a subtle hint of color.  It also adds texture and visual interest to the decor, without taking too much attention away from the centerpieces. 

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And it doesn't get much more rustic than burlap, which is perfect for me, since I really want to mix traditional and rustic elements into our decor to compliment our reception site.  

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And did I mention that burlap could actually be versatile? Just by finishing the edges of the runner and screen printing text onto the fabric, the burlap blends right in with a more sophisticated setting.

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I'm completely sold on this idea!  The DIY looks simple enough, even for me.  Famous last words?  Maybe. But we're talking about a project that may or may not require sewing.  Yes, sewing is optional! And I think I can definitely handle that right now.  

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Have you ever made a table runner? Any tips?

Please, Don't Eat The Decor

So far, the color palette for our decor is shaping up to be pretty modern and possibly lacking in, err, color.  There's lot of black and white.  And then there will be accents of gold in our mercury glass votives. But I need something to soften up the modern look, something that would take advantage of the season. We're getting married in JULY and I opted for black, white, and gold!  Festive, huh? I mean what's the fun of a Summer wedding, if you don't acknowledge the season?


And so, in that spirit, I'm letting my appetite take charge of the design,  much like the way I decorated many a dorm room, "pizza box chic," if you will(but not at all).

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We're going to include some of my favorite Summer fruit into our decor!  


Like, strawberries:

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Or some peaches, nectarines, and cherries:

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And maybe some raspberries:

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Pretty, right?  I'm not really sure what fruit we'll go with, but I have complete faith that our florist will do an amazing job.  When we sat down to talk about our centerpieces I told her that I want soft, romantic flowers, bold colors, and stone fruit.  And she loved the idea!


Now the only problem is, how do ask people to refrain from eating our centerpieces?  Quite the dilemma indeed...




How do you feel about incorporating fresh fruits or vegetables into your decor?




Right now, in the dead of Winter it almost goes without saying that I miss the Summer.  I miss the sun, I miss the warm temperatures, I miss the beach, and I miss Summer food!  And I don't mean burgers on the grill, I mean fruit (I'm not the biggest fan of burgers, shh).  Nothing says summer to me like ripe nectarines, peaches, plums and strawberries...mmm.  Hurry back Summer, I'm hungry!

Light Up The Party!

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I've been watching a ton of wedding shows lately, (shocking right?) and one thing I've started to notice, that I never would have considered before, is the lighting.  The right lighting in the room really does set a tone for the night and transforms the space.  But after watching one too many episodes of Platinum Weddings, I've realized that professional event lighting, like in the picture above, is NOT for us. 

So we're going for something a little more low tech.

(clockwise from left 1, 2, 3, 4)

And by a "little" low-tech, I mean extremely low-tech and very vintage.  I've officially jumped onto the mercury glass bandwagon and I don't want to jump off!

These tiny candles pack a big punch in decor.  I love the glow and the warm feel that candles can add to an event.  And they're more budget-friendly than professional uplighting.  The only thing is that traditional mercury glass is silver and silver isn't really part of the color palette I had in mind.  But gold is!  So I'm now looking for gold mercury glass votives!  

The next questions is do we rent these or do I add another DIY to the list?  According to the florist they cost about $2 each to rent, so I think I'm going to attempt a DIY on this one.    

What about you?  Are you going for professional lighting or something else?

Prints, Charming

All images via HistoricFootballPosters

I will admit that I wasn't immediately sold on having a military wedding, and I had absolutely no urge to have our wedding take place at West Point.  There were many reasons, but mostly, I wasn't sure that a military wedding would be a great representation of who WE were (and are) as a couple; to be fair, his career was certainly a major part of our relationship, but it didn't define our entire relationship. I was also under the impression that a formal military wedding had to be, well, formal with a capital F.  "Formal," meant that I couldn't have fun with the design, and that's something that I was really excited about.  So I determined to put together something lighthearted, whimsical, romantic, sophisticated, and still, slightly formal.  


Military or not, it was going to be OUR wedding!


Then one day it occurred to me that apart from the site of our ceremony, the location of our wedding hadn't really played into our decor.  This realization came after drooling over these musem inspired invitations, so I started poking around the internet and found these:

These vintage football program covers would look great if I could find a way to use them!  The bright colors and bold typefaces would compliment the decor while giving a playful nod to the setting.  We could frame a few, or use them as part of our signage.  At the very least they could make for some interesting conversation starters, no?

  

I should probably admit that I got ahead of myself and went out and bought my favorite program off EBay:

Not a reproduction but an actual vintage program.  I wanted to use it as a guest book, though the pages were a tad delicate. Since our wedding was taking place over Fourth of July weekend, it could have been nice to have a patriotic acknowledgment of the holiday.  Because nothing says "Independence Day" like our color palette of white, raspberry, deep rose, and black.  Am I right?

Are you using the site of your wedding as inspiration for your decor?

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She Said Yes!

Our reception site coordinator, Adrienne, that is.  We stopped by HCC after our visit to the chapel, and I was able to get another look at the space.  It felt good to walk through and see everything again "the photobooth will go here, the card table should be here, cocktails out there..." You get the idea.    


And then, I mustered up the courage to tell our coordinator that I wanted to create some panels for the space.  I tried to describe what I was thinking of, but I got a little flustered.  Finally, I decided it was best to just send her my inspiration pics.  

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Yesterday, I hit send on the email and crossed my fingers, half expecting a "that's nice, but it's not feasible" email reply. 

And what I got was a YES!  She thought it was cool--not crazy at all!  

Now I only need to figure out where to hang them and how to hang them.  There are sconces on the walls between the windows so I might have to think of something else.  Either way, this project is now officially on my DIY list! 

Did you have to clear any of your DIY projects with your venue?  Were any ideas shot down?

A Modern Twist on Traditional Decor

Have you seen this wedding from the newest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings?

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I originally came across this wedding via Flowerwild Design's site.  And I am officially obsessed with the decor.  

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My current wedding inspiration is from a shoot that featured work by Flowerwild Events.  And this pushes the envelope just a little step further.  Guess I am officially a fan of their work, just look at these gorgeous florals!

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I was having trouble deciding between gold or black urns--but not anymore!  Brass it is!

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This centerpiece is just perfect, it's a little sweet and a little bold. Love the combination! 

I'd love to design something similar to this menu card, I like how the modern type pops.  

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And this picture? Just wanted to share it.  Wishing I could splurge for calligraphy right now...

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Here's a better look at the tablescape.

I was getting worried that the color palette I'm leaning towards isn't really "Summer appropriate" and I was having trouble convincing myself that I could pull off something that was a traditional and a little modern.  Well, I was wrong. But it took the professionals to show me that it's all about the execution.  I'm so, so happy I found this!

Have you found any inspiration that helped you improve your original design?

Decor - Inspiration Strikes!

This picture from Snippet & Ink has been a sore spot in my inspiration folder.

Image via Snippet&Ink / Photo by Bonnie Tsang / Styling By Summer Watkins

It's completely lovely, no doubt. But it's completely different than anything else I've tucked away for inspiration. So now what?  Take the inspiration and run with it, right?  

We're certainly incorporating text into our wedding, that's for sure.  But I don't think the subway signs will work for us, I'm looking for something a little brighter.  Then I forgot about this image until I saw this wedding on Green Wedding Shoes:

Wow.  Whoa.  HOLD ON. 

Images via GreenWeddingShoes / Photos by Clayton Austin / Event Design by Kara Melwood

They are absolutely perfect!  I love the idea of introducing text into the room in a big way.  Of course, I have no idea if this is feasible with our venue (I will get to the venue soon, promise).  But if we get the thumbs up, I will happily buy some canvas, grab a paintbrush, and get to work.  

What do you think?  Too much?  Too much work??

The One Where We Make A Flower Ball Thing...

We're into the homestretch of Cuz's wedding, so now is the time to cross things off her list.  We took a ride to our local Michaels to see what we could find there.  And as we walked through the aisles, Cuz mentioned that she was still undecided about what her flower girl would be carrying down the aisle.  She learned that fresh flower petals were not allowed, but she could throw fake petals.  But walking on faux petals didn't really appeal to her.  The florist also suggested a pomander, or as Cuz called it "a flower-ball thing," but it was a little expensive for a ball that would inevitably be thrown around after the ceremony.  

There's something about Michaels that makes me feel like an amazing DIY ninja-pirate.  As I stroll the aisle, I become more and more convinced that I can make anything--what do you need? Just grab me a hot glue gun and some ribbon, and I'll make it!  So before I knew what I was saying, I'd convinced Cuz that we could make a flower-ball thing for less than half what her florist quoted, using silk flowers. 

We grabbed three stems of red silk hydrangea, a Styrofoam ball (medium sized), 1.5 inch gold ribbon, and a wooden dowel, and headed home.  Our moms thought we were a little nuts, but they couldn't resist helping us. 

 
I pulled the flower bunches off the "stem" and my mom cut them into the individual flowers.

While my mom was on a roll, I put a hole through the center of the Styrofoam ball.  I tried to make it using the dowel but I gave up and used a ballpoint pen instead.  Then I pushed the ribbon through the hole, to create a handle.  


Just then, the Bear called and I jumped on Skype, so I handed the reigns to Cuz (love love technology).  She got started gluing the flowers to the Styrofoam ball.  We figured it was easier to make a hole first using a wooden skewer (or a souvlaki stick, as we call it in our family), add a little hot glue to the end of the flower, and then attach it to the ball.  


In no time we went from this:

To this:

After that was done, we went back and made sure that there wasn't any green Styrofoam peeking through.  When we were sure that we hadn't missed a spot, we adjusted the ribbon handle, hot glued it into place, made a knot in the bottom and trimmed the remaining ribbon to size.  

So in less than an hour, we created a pomander that could withstand the toughest punishment from the five year old flower girl (and maybe the ring-bearer, who knows)and still look lovely. 

And the icing on the cake?  This baby cost around $15.  How about that for crossing things off the list?

An Inspiration Shoot & A Game Changer

That's what this beautiful shoot is for me, a major game changer.  I came across this via Snippet & Ink, and then Grey Likes Weddings.  Each time I look at it, I am floored by the gorgeous images, and the elements that make them up.


I was set on the overall look and feel of our decor--I wanted a clean and crisp look made up of white and sea glass.  This is not it:

And what is it with me and stone fruit all of a sudden?  Cherries?  Brilliant!  Now I'm into nectarines and plums?  


I want a cake like this.  Nothing too fussy.  Nothing that contains fondant, or gum paste, or supports made of "crispy rice treats."  I want a cake that just looks delicious and doesn't require a pastry chef to cut it.  Just like this:

Then there's the added element of print thrown into the party, adding a bold touch.  Didn't I say I wanted to add sheet music and books into our decor?  Yes I did.  And then the lovely stylists took that a step further.  Touché.  

The panels could certainly be used to serve another purpose--maybe a new spin on a guestbook?  Or table assignments?

I didn't mention that they not only managed to incorporate red, but they added lavender and a brightly colored cocktail.  Now the wheels are turning.

The bouquet is perfect--like all the florals featured in the shoot, the flowers are loosely arranged.  Nothing too architectural or forced.  I could be very happy with a bouquet like this since it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get my hands on some lily of the valley. I'd probably ask for a little less purple.  

I'm still working on our reception site.  But where ever it is, I hope to have a moment like that with the Bear, to make a toast to the day (hopefully around a bonfire).

Yes, this is me and I'm clearly living in a fantasy world.  This amazing shoot took me from "we're not doing flowers" to "oh my goodness, how do I get romantic and lush arrangements like those" in the blink of an eye (or a couple clicks of a mouse, as the case were).  

This has to be another symptom of bridal-itis.  Symptoms include: acute inability to make decisions,  insatiable appetite for items that are over budget and out of reach, and repetitive list-making that is a direct correlate to the neglect of said lists.  

Please, please, let this thing only last until the wedding.  Or tomorrow. I'll be bookmarking these pages while I wait for it to pass.