Wedding Decor

   This week has been yet another crazy and busy one! After I got back from my Wisconsin trip I immediately dove into the wedding planning. I emailed vendors, set up appointments, and started some of the DIY projects that I wanted to incorporate in the wedding! Of course I still have a lot left, but at least things are started!

   This Friday I leave to go to Des Moines, IA for my second bridal shower and bachelorette party! I cannot believe it is already August! Where is the summer going? I am not ready for the wedding or for fall! Shouldn't it still be May? I am excited, though! I have so many great friends and family that are going to be supporting me yet again this coming weekend! I feel so blessed to have so many people that want to celebrate this next chapter of my life! However, my bridal shower is not the only thing going on this weekend. First, I have another baby shower to attend Saturday afternoon! I'm excited for yet another one of my friends/family to be having a baby! It has been the year for it, though. I believe this is the 6th baby shower I am attending this year. So tonight I was putting together my gifts and getting ready to finish some baby mini-albums and homemade cards. If I get a chance, I'll post some pictures on here later!

   Tonight, though, I wanted to share some of the projects I have been working on for the wedding. Nothing too crazy, but fun and cute! 

Supplies for wedding projects

   I started by collecting the supplies I needed:  bucket of soapy water, glass cleaner, paper towels, spray paint, frosted glass paint, steel wool (both fine and course grades), adhesive remover, cotton balls, consignment frames, and tea-light holders.

   This first project started after I found these awesome frames at the Bridal Consignment store in Burnsville, MN. It's an awesome place to find gently used wedding decor, dresses, ideas, etc. I have bought quite I few things here already!

Sanded frame on the left and untouched one on the right

   These awesome frames were a great deal, but I was not sure the spray paint would stick. The person before had painted them bright red and with a very shiny finish. First, I removed the cardboard backs off the frames. Those can easily be reattached with hot glue. Then I used course grade steel wood to take the top coat of shine off the frame. After I finished that, I used fine grade steel wool to go over the intricate details of the frame. I blew the excess steel wool pieces off as I went, but the real trick to getting all those pesky pieces of steel off your project is a heavy duty magnet. I simply ran one over the frame and it picked any excess steel pieces right up!

   Next, I cleaned the frames with soap and water to remove any dust or dirty that was lingering. Then I spray painted them this fun yellow color to match the wedding decor! I put 3-4 coats of paint on allowing 1-2 minutes of drying time between coats.

Fun new color!

    I let the frames dry for 24 hours before handling them. I ended up flipping them over and putting another coat on the underside because the grooves on the sides did not pick up the paint as easily from the angle I was originally spraying.

   While the frames were drying, I started my second big project. I bought these tea lights from JoAnne Fabrics. They came 12 per box and have a flare design to them. I did not want them to be clear, though, because we are using battery operated tea lights for an extra glow (and because the reception is in a historic building with lots of fire regulations!).

   I removed the adhesive stickers and cleaned all of the glass first. Then lined them up to paint them with a frosted glass paint.

Tealight holders fipped over and ready for frosted paint!

After two coats of frosted glass paint!

   I decided to put two coats of the frosted glass on these, but I don't know if it would have made much difference. I just wanted to make sure I had all the spots covered with paint.

   The last project I worked on was to paint some chipboard letters. I want to adhere these "M's" to the outside of the centerpieces that I am making for each table. I need about 30 of them, so I bought a couple packs of chipboard alphabets and used just the sheets of "M's" and "W's". Who is going to know the difference between the M and the W anyway? There are all different fonts and sizes of letters, so table will be slightly different.

Spray painted chipboard letters with the same yellow paint as the frames

   I found that leaving the letters in the sheet was easier to spray paint than if you punched them out first. The paint was more evenly coated with the entire sheet. I think I ended up doing 2-3 coats per sheet of chipboard.


   Well that's it! Just getting started on all the projects I have left to finish for the wedding, but I am happy with the results so far! The frames turned out perfectly! Way better than I originally thought! I will try and post more projects as I get to them, but my time is becoming more and more limited! Until next time:

Here's to life, love, and creativity!