DIY details

I took on many DIY projects in the months leading up to the wedding. For any brides planning to do things yourself, I advise: Start projects as early as possible! I am a natural procrastinator and though I got some projects done ahead of time, many were completed in the two weeks before the wedding. Thankfully I had a great friend at work who talked some sense into me or I would have waited even later! Here's a peek at some of the the things I did for the wedding. If anyone would like a step-by-step tutorial for any of the projects feel free to leave a comment below!

Max's sign. SO last minute. And SO easy! 

 Painted on Saturday morning at 6 am. As in the Saturday of the wedding. 

A sweet friend helped with these... I almost forgot about them! I bought hangars on Friday and assembled for myself and all of the bridesmaids. 

Spray painted frame + chalkboard paint on the glass. The burlap votives were also handmade. 

And the moss ones. 

Very thankful for a friend who was patient enough to set up the printing for this. Assembly was tedious but a great zone-out-in-front-of-the-tv project. 

Simple. And painted on Thursday before the wedding...

Another simple project made from a plywood board painted with several coats of chalkboard paint. Moss was glued onto board with a hot glue gun. 

I can't actually take credit here... My sweet momma sewed all of the burlap runners for the wedding! This one is now being put to great use on our kitchen table. 

learning to sew.

Ever since spotting one over on Joon's blog a while back (I don't know the exact post...) I've been dreaming of burlap table runners. Complete with ruffles. 

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Then, I started wedding planning and immediately knew I wanted to incorporate burlap. I love the look of burlap layered on top of navy tablecloths. 

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So, I've decided to go with navy blue tablecloths topped with burlap runners (with ruffles!) for the guest tables. My mom and I started experimenting with burlap runners this weekend. My mom and I took off and starting sewing and gathering away. I sat right by her side and watched. I've never really used a sewing machine, though I've always wanted to learn. While my mom was at work today I decided I'd do just that. I broke out her hundred year old manual and got to figuring it out. After a couple hours and youtube tutorials later {this blog was key in my success} I came out with this little guy: 

Not too shabby, right? It's definitely rough- but also my first real sewing attempt. My mom was pretty much in disbelief when she came home. And, I officially love sewing! My mom offered to let me take her sewing machine home with me for a while. As much as I'd like to I know it would just be a distraction for me right now. I will be taking her up on her offer post completion of residency, NBCOT prep/exam, and graduation, however. 

Hers definitely turned out better: 

And our cute little baby-momma set (we're a little silly...):

I cannot wait to sew more in the future!