PINday | DIY wedding napkins

PINday is here again :) this time with DIY stencil napkins.  

i don't live under the false impression that a hoard of blog-followers stalk my every post... so i'll explain PINday for the (few) newbies who happen to stumble upon this humble little photo/DIY blog :)

PINday consists of me taking a craft i find on pintrest and actually doing it. i know, crazy right? i like to think of myself as a revolutionary thinker ;)  ya'll vote and i craft - basically i test run crafts for you. such a win.  you can VOTE on what you think i should craft next too! i'm all about audience participation (THANK YOU TO MY 2 VOTERS LAST WEEK GERTRUDE BELL  and HANNEKE VOLLBEHR - ya'll go follow these saintly woman right now)

and now, DIY STENCIL NAPKINS!

i started with some SUPER CHEAP muslin fabric = $1.99/yard (side note: i adore the texture and little flecks/details in muslin - it's quite convenient that it's so inexpensive because i plan on integrating it into every possible facet of my life as quickly as possible - starting with napkins like these)

i cut rectangles of fabric out large enough that when you lay the napkin out it covers as much lap as you deem necessary - different events require different size napkins ;) *i made these with dinner party/reception in mind, so they were a little larger... 18x20 inches

also: 'cut' is a very loose term.  i simply marked where i wanted each 'cut' to be made and then RIPPED the fabric apart.  i like the 'unfinished' look that it has - and who wants to sew up the edges anyway?! 

i folded each napkin as i would want them to lay (lie?) on the table

and then the fun began!  i got this stencil set from Michael's - jess helped me pick them out along with the colors for this project.  i liked the 'font' of the letters!

as you can see, there isn't much room between the stencil letters - be careful that you don't get paint everywhere!! if you have to, put tape over the letters you AREN'T using to make sure the napkin stays paint free in the areas you aren't intentionally stenciling 

obviously you can use whatever colors you want, but jess and i liked the way these went together AND they match some plates that i have (i purchased said plates from a THRIFT STORE for less than $1 each and they will be featured in a later blogpost, i know, i know... I'M PUMPED TOO)

first i stenciled the heart which, in this case, functions like an '&'

and then stenciled the initials!  i had to let the heart dry completely before stenciling anything else, but i did the heart on my lunch break and the initials when i got home at 5:15... so i'm not exactly sure how long it takes to dry.  the initials dried within 10 minutes though (i used less paint on those though - i had figured out the optimal paint amount by that point, which will vary with the type of paint you use)

as you can see, the pink doesn't show up as well (i think i'm going to go BACK to michael's and get a slightly darker shade, because i still love the pink and the green together)

then, because i'm an over-achiever and have an unhealthy obsession with varying textures being used together, i wrapped a 10-inch strip of burlap around the napkin and then tied it with lace to hold it together - it's going to look FABULOUS with the tablescape i'm planning on featuring next week 

i used 'J' and 'T' because two of my very good friends are getting MARRIED next year (in wisconsin!!) and i'm PHOTOGRAPHING THEIR WEDDING - i am beyond excited and i'm forever thinking about it!

be sure to VOTE on which craft i try next by liking your favorite on my PINDAY board on pintrest!

also, check out the latest MINI SESSION ANNOUNCEMENT (perfect for a mother's day gift!)

PINday | an alternative to mason jars

my friends can attest to my undying love for mason jars.

they can also attest to the fact that i have BEEN in love with them for forever.  back in college i wrote a blog called the 'mason jar monologues.'  i stored my pens/pencils on my desk in a mason jar.  it was not uncommon to see me walking to class or roll into staff meeting with a mason jar of sweet tea.  one christmas i gave my besties a 'sweet tea making kit' including two mason jars, tea bags, sugar, and a freakin adorable little poem with the foolproof steps to sweeten it just right.  i decorated my dorm room with mason jars full of colorful candy and ribbon (my undying love for ribbon is worthy of a whole separate blogpost)

it deeply saddens my heart to know that all of these bandwagoners have ruined any chance of me actually going through with the mason jar themed wedding i've been dreaming up since i was a wee little thing drinking lemonade from a mason jar on the front porch swing... 

SO for the first official installment for PINday i've prepared an alternative for mason jars :)  

PINday is a new installment on the blog - basically i have a pintrest board devoted to crafty things that YOU can 'like' and i'll try them out for you... because honestly, how many things have you pinned on pintrest that you are NEVER going to do?! that's right. a bunch.

the inspiration for this project came from this DIY yarn bottles project i found.  i mixed it up a little, to fit what resources i had readily available:

MATERIALS: bottle, yarn/twine, hot glue gun 

obviously  you can use whatever you want, and the actual pin on pintrest calls for smaller bottles and yarn, BUT 

i am forever drinking wine 

and i love me some twine, 

so i just decided to use what i had 

and make up a sweet rhyme 

:) 

golly i crack myself up 

also: if you don't already have a hot glue gun, what are you doing with your life?! using it is probably my second favorite thing ever.  drinking wine would be the first.

just a little heads up: this wine (lucky duck) is from wal-mart and it is SO CHEAP and SO GOOD.  i particularly liked this bottle, which was a sauvignon blanc from chile i believe.  they have all different types - some not as good as others, but hey, for $4 a bottle what can you expect?

seriously though: twine is so useful.  and it seems to last forever.  i've had this roll since September and i use it every chance i get: decorating, packaging prints/products for clients etc. 

starting this can be a little tricky - i found that NOT having huge globs of very warm adhesive all over the place is helpful - less is more when it comes to hot glue guns - you don't want a huge hunk of glue at the top where you start wrapping the twine around.  i took a little dab and put it just inside the top of the wine bottle, attached the twine to it, let the glue cool just a little so i knew the twine wasn't going anywhere, and then started working my way around the very top of the bottle, using very small amounts of glue to make sure the twine covered the top lip of the bottle completely  

after you clear the top of the wine bottle it's easy as pie!  just keep wrapping the twine around the bottle, stopping every once in a while to put a little dab of hot glue to make sure the twine stays put!  again, less is more.  you don't want big pockets of glue sticking through between your twine

from start to finish this project took me about 45 minutes, but i'm sure that once you did it a few times it wouldn't be as time consuming. (or if you used smaller bottles)

these would be great to just have around the house as decorations OR you could use them as centerpieces or accents in tablescapes :)  you can check out the finished product later on in the week when i feature this DIY PINday project in a special little something i thought up over the weekend!!  

check out the PINday pinboard too and vote for the next project by 'liking' whatever you want to see me craft :)  thanks ya'll!