Just Call Me Sarah Stewart

DIY weddings are very much in vogue.  And budget friendly.

Unless you are like me and trek to Michael's every other day to buy more supplies.

I have decided to take on a few crafts for our wedding.  I LOVE crafts.  Too bad I suck at them.

My grandmother taught me, very patiently, the love of crafts at her wooden table on the farm.  We made monster masks out of paper bags when I was really small, then mop dolls (super cute dolls made out of colourful mop heads!), pillow-case dolls, Christmas ornaments - you name it, we made it.  She had this awesome do-dad drawer full of pipecleaners, sparkles, craft paper, glue - it was a drawer of hope.  I loved going into it and turning random objects into happy things.

Therefore, I am trying to channel my grandmother's spirit when I attempt to make ribbon wands and fascinators (or as my mother calls them:  terminators).  Unfortunately, her spirit is not coming though so much in my clumsy and impatient hands.

First:  the fascinators.

I LOVE the fascinator.  Who wouldn't?  It makes every outfit awesome.  We don't get much call to wear fascinators in Vancouver, so my wedding is the perfect excuse to make every guest don one.  Yes, that's right: make.

Fascinators are quite expensive so I thought it would be fun to try making them.  But after buying the bases, feathers, flowers, netting, sparkles, birds (YES, birds), nests, butterflies, and whatever else I thought would be fun and whimsical - I am sure I have spent the same amount I would have if I had simply bought them.

But what's the fun in that?

The problem is, I have no idea how to make them.  I watched this video:



Then I read some instructions on ehow and gathered some pictures.

And finally, made some bridesmaids come over to make them for me.

Which is exactly what they did.

Actually, it does remind me of working with my grandma:  I think I used to get her to finish everything to make the final product nicer.

We only made a few before realizing I needed more supplies.  So now I have a drawer full of fun whats-its and do-dads to make fascinators.

Anyone want to help?

Next on the agenda: ribbon wands.

I love these at weddings instead of confetti or rice.  When we say 'I do', the 'audience' waves the ribbons in the air.  Hooray!  Plus they have little bells so when they want us to kiss later they have to wave the wands.

Super cute.

Once again, I could have ordered these on Etsy, but I felt they would be so easy to make.

Blurg!

First, I have to spray paint the wands from the blah wood colour to yellow.  The results are globs of paint on the wands and spray paint all over my patio, the glass on the patio, my fingers and my Lululemons.

The fun part is really the ribbons.  I have become slightly obsessed with ribbons.

I went to M & J Trimming in New York which is like a happy mecca of ribbon wonderfulness.  I chose four colours in narrow width.

When I got home, this was not enough.  Everytime I went to Michael's for fascinator supplies, I picked up a spool of ribbon.  Then I found some ribbon on Etsy in every colour imaginable.  I started to stare late into the night at my computer screen of ribbon stores all over the world.

I can't get enough ribbon!  It's so pretty.  Now the wedding will have ribbon wands, ribbon on chairs, ribbon on my bouquet, ribbon in the air.  Ribbon everywhere.

Style Me Pretty

Style Me Pretty

Style Me Pretty

I could have a whole house of ribbon to just stare at.

I was supposed to have my ribbon wands done by now and shipped to Italy.  They are sitting in my do-dad drawer.

I think if I ply my bridesmaids with enough champagne and food, they will do it for me?

So not exactly channeling my grandmother, but on the day I know she will be there in spirit and think my crafts are perfect even in their flaws.