Tag: how to’s

DIY Monogrammed Ring Box

November 17, 2016

Today Bespoke Decor is bringing a simple but elegant DIY your way. This DIY Monogrammed Ring Box is so simple, the aesthetic could fit almost any decor theme. We love the clean round shape with no latches (just a hidden magnet!) of these boxes that are the perfect size to be carried down the aisle in little ones’ hands. If you’re looking to do something a little different than a traditional ring pillow… maybe this is your answer! We chose to do a simple one letter monogram inside two clean circles, but you could totally choose to dress it up with some flourishes and garnishes. The sky is the limit!

If you’ve never tried wood burning, it can seem a bit intimidating. I mean, the thing is hot enough to burn wood, right? But we dare you to try it out! It’s actually so simple. Think of it like writing with a hot pen. A very hot pen, but just a pen. The entire handle is cool, you just need to keep your little fingers away from the hot end (just like a glue gun). And is that really so scary?

We picked up this box from Michaels, theres so many different shapes and sizes to choose from. The first thing you’ll want to do is decide on your design. Sketch it out or print out a stencil to transfer to your box. Put on your round pointed tip for your wood burner and let it warm up while you’re doing this.

We used a candle to trace around to get the circle shape. I don’t know about you but drawing a perfect circle isn’t my strength! We added a second circle inside that one before working on the ‘A’. To do a faux calligraphy letter, draw it as you normally would then add thickness to the ‘down’ strokes. That means any time your pen would be travelling towards the baseline, you should be making that stroke thicker.

You could even add in a date on the bottom as a memento.

There you have it! Easy as pie! We used some white linen to fill the box, but you could choose any material that matches your colours. What do you think of the simple raw wood look? We cant help but picture it at a winter wedding full of fresh holiday greens! But maybe that’s just the season.

If you follow this DIY we would LOVE to see photos!

Light ’em Up! Sparkler send off printables

October 28, 2016

Some of my favourite photos around Pinterest are of sparkler send offs at weddings. They’re just SO much fun and magical to be a part of. I mean… look at how great this is?!

Photo via 100 Layer Cake

Today we want to share a simple printable to make a sparkler send off easy and to dress up the actual sparklers you give out to guests (and to let them know what they’re for!). We made it a simple grey so you can match it to almost any wedding decor (and by this time, it’ll be dark anyways).

Just download these printables RIGHT HERE. They print out three to a page, and we recommend cardstock. You can see ours has some print lines SO we also recommend getting them printed at a copy shop for laser quality. Cut them out- we’d also recommend a paper cutter, especially if you’re doing enough for every guest! This little guy only cost about $12 and works like a charm.

Then, tape on your sparklers! We love this gold foil tape and it sticks even better than washi tape. We just picked it up from the craft store.

Ta-da! Instant sparkler send off.

Autumn Leaf Place Cards

September 30, 2016

I’m sure you’ve noticed, we’re diving into fall and loving every minute of it. Today we’re bringing a super simple 2 minute DIY to dress up your autumnal table. Yep, these gold lettered autumn leaves place cards. And oh, they’re even more shiny and stunning in real life.

There’s only one thing you need to make these. It’s our dear friend, Liquid Gold. Grab it at Michaels along with a round tip paint brush and get painting. We totally love how simply this transforms a matte fall leaf to a shiny textured gem of a place card.

We painted directly on the leaves BUT if you are planning to make these for a wedding and want to prepare ahead of time, the leaves won’t last too long. There is a trick to make them keep longer though! Clear sealer. Our friend Colleen shares all about how she uses it to keep leaves fresh right here.

What do you think? Would you try this out? It’s such a simple way to up your fall tablescape game. They’re perfect for wedding place cards (you know that was our first thought!) but they’d also be lovely for a Thanksgiving table.

If you try out this DIY we would LOVE to see it in action! Tag us @bespokedecor on social.

DIY Monogrammed Table Runner

August 28, 2016

We are so thrilled to bring you this DIY today. They pair so ridiculously perfectly with our Harvest Tables (you’d think they were made for one another) even though it’s shown here on a dining table. The best part? They’re darned affordable. If you’re considering burlap table runners, could we suggest this instead? The neutral colour is a little less rustic but it’s frayed edges still hold a carefree appeal.

We made these table runners with none other than dropcloth! That’s right… the stuff you use to catch paint. The neutral canvas colour is the perfect starting point for wedding decor while the price can’t be beat. After a wash and a good iron, they’re the perfect material for wedding decor projects. Just make sure to find one that is unwaxed.

For this DIY, use quality fabric scissors to cut your table runners to size. Leave a big enough overhang to accommodate your design on either side. When it’s cut to size, we gave it a good iron to get all the fold creases out. This step is SO important if you want a quality looking piece!

Next, it’s time to clean up your edges. Pull some of the threads away from the edges to leave a clean looking fray. Cut any threads that look too long or out of place.

Last- time to paint your design! We did a simple P for the couple’s last name. Our favourite paint for fabric that will be washed is Tulip Soft in Matte. It’s just SO good. And a shortcut? Don’t bother ironing it after, the bottle suggests to set the design, but we never have and they’re going strong.

What do you think! Wouldn’t these be lovely covered in greenery and brass (someone please call me and we can do this!)? If you use one a DIY from Bespoke Decor, we would LOVE to see! Shoot me an email to make my day.

DIY Watercolour Banner Cake Topper

July 15, 2016

Before we get started with all of the inspiration boards to share the trends we’ve been loving on, we thought we should sneak in a fun DIY for you! We know that watercolour is much loved and lettering is pretty popular around here too. We had our DIY’er put together this little video to show you how you can make your own topper that is perfect for that bridal shower cake, and if you practice up, a wedding cake!

Our favourite parts of this topper are the organic torn edges and the deep greeny blue watercolours! Put the brides new last name on the cake, initials, or even the word ‘love’. To add the watercolour banner to a cake, simply use skewers or coffee stir sticks and tape to the back of the banner.

If you use this DIY and make your own watercolour banner cake topper, we’d love to see the photos! Tag us on social @bespokedecor

Faux Handlettered Song Lyric Art

June 25, 2016

Who else has a wedding or shower every weekend this summer? All of our hands are up, am I right? Today I’m bringing you an easy hack to make your own faux hand lettered song lyric art. It’s the perfect customized gift for a wedding or a wedding shower- just pop the happy couples’ ‘song’ in there and you’re set to go!

We’re all about the hand lettering around here. Modern calligraphy? Swoon. Every. Time. But we get that it’s not always an option for every gift. So we wanted to introduce you to the world of hand lettered fonts. Seriously, you guys! There are SO many wonderful ones out there and we may just have a font collector around here that has almost ALL of them. So today we’re going to show you how easy it is to make your own custom art, plus give you a few suggestions on places to snag the fonts we love.

We used the lyrics from Ben Harper’s ‘Forever’, which one of our close friends walked down the aisle to. The first thing you’ll need to do is type out the lyrics into a word document. If you’d like a closer look at these screen caps, just click on it to enlarge. We used a mac program, but the same settings are available using Microsoft Word.

Next, pick your hand lettered font. This is the fun part! There are SO many to choose from. You can browse some free ones at DaFont or you can find the one we used here (Manhattan Darling) and more paid options at Creative Market (our favourite). If you sign up for their email, every Monday you’ll get a batch of free goods from them and there’s usually a beautiful font in there! If you’re thinking you want to buy a ton of fonts (we don’t blame you, they’re addicting), you can get bundles from Creative Market and also from Design Cuts. Just so you feel comfortable- we’ve used fonts from all three with success. No funny business. Each computer system is different, so if you’ve never installed a font, just google it- I promise it’s simple.

Okay, so now you’ve picked your font, size it up up up. Then take your page margins way down down down. We chose to justify the text (aligned both left and right) and take the line spacing way down (only .8 of a line). Depending which font and lyrics you choose will mean you play around with sizes and spacing.

That’s… it. Seriously! Print it out, frame it up, and you’re good to go. I love how quickly you can whip up a personalized gift. Tell me, would you display this?

DIY Crates full of flowers

April 30, 2016

So you want to fill a crate with flowers- and you don’t want to pay someone to do it for you. You want it to look heaping and full of flowers- and you don’t want it to cost a fortune. How hard can it be? Not that hard with our one tip that will help the crate look fuller with less blooms. Can you guess what it is?

Yep- mason jars. Or if it’s a taller crate, vases. Here’s why. If you just filled the crate with flowers that would be A LOT of flowers to fill the thing. But when you add mason jars, not only is it easier to water your pretty blooms, but it gives them something to lean against that is smaller than the edges of the crate. Take a vase with a wide opening. It takes a lot of flowers to fill that sucker. But if that vase has a flare at the top (meaning the top is just as big, but there’s a smaller neck), less flowers are necessary to make the bouquet look just as full. Does this make sense? Think of the mason gars as the ‘smaller neck’.

So to fill a crate this size, by using mason jars, you only need to use about half of the blooms as you would without. And that’s a promise. 😉 And you can even space the mason jars out a bit so you use less… it won’t even look like there’s less flowers. So snip some blooms from your garden or order from your florist and get arranging! Use longer stems at the ends to help them spill over and cut them shorter in the middle. Fluff as necessary and always use greens (leave some leaves on the stems) to help fill it out.

Ta-Da! That’s a simple one for your Saturday.

Free Printable Bookmark Favors with Tassels

March 30, 2016

Today we’re bringing you some fun free printable bookmarks that are all about love. We used a watercolour background in some springy colours for these sweet little bookmarks. With DIY tassels, they’re perfectly darling. We think they make an awesome wedding or shower favor. Ready to see how they’re made?

To get started, download and print the free file (grab it here) on cardstock and cut them to size. When you have that done, it’s time to make your tassels! I’d like you to know that we’ve found the easiest way to make tassels in a hurry. So if you’re making a bunch- we’ve got you covered. You can get packs of embroidery thread from the dollar store (it’s not the same texture as regular embroidery thread but it’s perfect for tassels. Cut them in half and tie the folded end… see!? SO quick. No wrapping for eeeever.

Then, take a piece of thread and a darning needle (those are the ones that are super thick- for wool and such) and punch it through your bookmarks to tie off.

That’s it, that’s all. One bookmark at each place setting would make a pretty colourful tablescape, or stack them neatly in a basket for guests to pick on their way out.

DIY Heart Garland with Vintage Sheet Music

February 26, 2016

February is the month for hearts so before it’s officially over, I thought I’d sneak in one more heartful post! This DIY Hearts garland with Vintage Sheet Music is really simple to pull off but I love the charm it gives to a simple vintage set. This garland would be perfect for the couple that love music, play music, or even met at a concert. It’s one of those decor pieces that can tell a story without words.

To make your own, you’ll need:

A book of vintage sheet music
Heart punch, cutting machine, or scissors and patience
Sewing machine set with white thread

Before you get started, you’ll need to pick out your sheet music. Thrift and antique stores generally have these tucked away with books and post cards. I found this fun show boat collection at an antique store, but you could also get individual sheets (they generally are on thicker stock). If you aren’t having luck tracking down sheet music- or want a specific song on your garland, you can make your own. Just print the sheet music (easily found online) with a laser printer (so the ink doesn’t run), then age it using coffee and grounds on a baking sheet.

When you have your sheet music, it’s time to get cutting! We used a cutting machine (Cricut Explore), but a heart punch would have been just as easy. You could also cut your hearts by hand, but you’d need a Netflix marathon and glass of wine 😉 When your hearts are all cut, thread up your sewing machine and sew them together! Choose a longer straight stitch to speed things up and hold the heart that comes out of the foot to make sure the tension doesn’t pull them tight together.

That’s it! Tack it up on your wall, hang it from the ceiling (over a ceremony!?), or drape it down the aisle. There’s so many ways this sweet garland could make an appearance in a wedding, shower, or even your home- it’s just so sweet!

DIY Gilded Place Cards

January 29, 2016

‘Cause if you’re not really there
Then I don’t wanna be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold’

Every time I see black paired with gold details, this song runs through my head. Am I the only one? I’m actually kind of addicted to the Katy Perry re-make of it. But Adele rocks it too. Either way… the colour combo is dynamite. It instantly classes up any event. These simple place cards are SO affordable even though they look fantastic. And if you do the lettering yourself (we played around doing it ourselves), they are a bargain. Want to know the trick?

Liquid gold. Seriously… the stuff is literally liquid gold, we love it so much. All that you need to do for this simple-tastic DIY is:

Cut some black cardstock (you can get packs from Michaels) into place card size. You could even cut and fold tented place cards if you’d prefer. Next, dip your brush in the liquid gold and working from a corner or end, brush it towards the centre, until you have a random brush stroke pattern you’re happy with. When it’s dry, bring them to your calligrapher or get busy lettering your own place cards.