How to Make Custom Kraft Bags for your Wedding Candy Buffet

How to Customize Bags for your Candy Buffet!

While we did not have a candy bar or treat buffet at our wedding we did serve a treat called a cake ball. Not a cupcake or a cake pop but HUGE cake balls in five different flavors. Knowing we would be serving a heavy meal at dinner we anticipated guests might want to take treats home instead of eating them at the wedding. I also knew we would have a TON left over so we wanted guests to take as much of the desserts home as possible. I did not want to use just plain old bags so I thought stamping them would be fun! Here is a short tutorial on how I made custom bags for my dessert table!

 

Here is a list of what you will need:

* Mini Kraft Bags - Purchased from Amazon in Kraft/Brown paper (they also made them in white)

* A Rubber Stamp

* Ink Pad 

* Cardboard cut from a cereal box

I got a pack of 100 bags and I stamped them all. On the first few I did, I did not put anything inside the bags - I just stamped them on the table. As it turned out, this was the incorrect way to go about it...

Now, this was NOT me over zealously pushing the inked stamp onto the paper. After I evenly inked the stamp I pressed it onto the paper but the pattern did not come out "straight". As you can see it was missing in some areas at the bottom and was too heavy at the top. This was due to the fact that the bottom of the bag is folded and the crease caused the irregularity.

 

This was my solution to the problem! I cut up two hard cardboard pieces of a candy box but you could use a cereal or cracker box. I cut two pieces just big enough to slide inside a closed kraft bag.

I slid the cardboard into the closed bag like so, and this gave me a nice flat surface to stamp on! The trick to stamping all the bags was to evenly coat the stamp and also blot it out on some paper towels from time to time to keep the build-up of ink at bay. I had recurring bird decor in my wedding so I chose a very detailed branch with birds stamp. In hindsight, a simpler stamp would probably been much easier to use.

I was very happy with how these turned out. The size of each bag was also perfect since they comfortably held two cake balls and still had room at the top to fold over. I made 100 of these but honestly I think only 20 were taken and used. We had a TON of cake left over so we invited our guests to please take another serving.

I had several people ask me months after the wedding were I got the bags because they are really perfect for candy bars at birthday parties and weddings. I purchased these from Amazon for $6.00. These are truly mini bags; they are only 3 inches wide by 6 inches tall. In terms of time spent on this project it felt like it took absolutely forever to make all these. If I had used an easier, less intricate stamp it would have gone much quicker. If I had to do it over again I probably would have used a nice printed sticker or glued something onto the bag instead of using a rubber stamp. On the other hand the stamp I used was the perfect size for these bags and they turned out really pretty.

How to Make Elegant Wedding Corsages

After I made all the boutonnieres for the men I was really, really on the fence regarding corsages. It was not that I did not want to make something special for the mom's, I was just not really into the whole concept of a tie-on wrist corsage. I am just going to be honest, in my opinion traditional wedding corsages are very much out of date. Old fashioned. Prom. My brother gave me a wrist corsage when I graduated from high school and while it was gorgeous, I bumped it on everything and some of the flowers fell off. It had to be tied onto my wrist with a ribbon as well which was not super practical. I was also bummed at the end of the night when I had to throw it away since it was made of real flowers. I knew whatever I made I wanted it to last and be a keepsake since I knew they would be kept.

This all being said, it has been much more common in recent years to give mothers, grandmothers, sisters single roses or small bouquets to hold or carry instead. Initially I was going to present our special ladies with small bouquets, however logistically this was just not going to work. My mother would be with me all morning, grandma would be arriving with my aunt, and my in-laws would be riding with my sister in law and her family. To further complicate things my brother was in charge of escorting my grandmother to her seat so she would not be walking down the aisle, and my in laws also opted to just be seated instead of walking the aisle together. I knew my mother would be wearing a chiffon dress as well, so a pin-on or lapel style would not work. So, after much things considered I went forward with a more modern take on a wrist corsage.

Here is a list of what you will need:

* Elastic Pearl Wristlets - I searched everywhere for a suitable ELASTIC wristlet and the best ones I found were at Hobby Lobby.
* Greenery - I had left over fern fronds from my boutonniere project but I got these at Michael's
* Wired Gems - Again, another left over from the boutonniere project
* Flowers or Rosettes - I two kinds of flowers found in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby
* Glue gun and hot glue sticks

If you have never used a pre-made wrist corsage before this is a bit confusing. The style I chose had a "pearl" band and it was elastic and in the center is this metal and ribbon piece. The four metal tabs bend to hold down greenery while the ribbon can be used to secure other items.

I started out by cutting and placing a fern frond in the center of the metal piece and bent the tabs down to hold it in place. I was going to cut and discard the ribbon but I thought it would look nice as an embellishment so I tied them in the center as you see above.

I then took two pieces of the wired gems and coiled the ends so it would have a decent surface area which I glued with hot glue directly onto the tied ribbon. I glued it onto the ribbon because the fern fronds were plastic and the hot glue actually made them melt a little - but once dry everything was perfectly fine and it all stayed in place.

The "chiffon" florets I chose had center stems that I cut off with scissors and these had a nice, large felt pad on the base perfect for a dab of hot glue. I glued this into the center - over the glued wire which added even more support.

I then glued two smaller flowers on each side to make the corsage "full". If you have a piece of greenery sticking out at the bottom you can cut it at this time. I cut mine then disguised the end of the stem with a tiny rosette I had on hand. I made my corsages flow in one direction since I had a fall wedding and the ladies were all in long sleeves. It would be very easy to make these in two directions however to trail down the hand and up the arm.

This is how they looked when they were done! I cut the tie down ribbon slightly but I liked that it remained. The chiffon flower I used came in over 20 different colors at Hobby Lobby so you could choose a color to fit your theme.

I made three total; one for my mother, my mother in law, and my grandmother. I chose white to avoid any clashing with whatever colors they would be wearing and I used elements that were used in the boutonnieres so it was all tied together.

This project took less than 45 minutes to make all three, and the total cost was under $15 for materials.

How to Transform Recycled Bottles into Wedding Bud Vases

I have always been really bad about keeping things I think are "cool" to use in future artsy projects. Usually, junk will sit unused for about a year before inspiration hits me and I decide to make something with the things I have saved. When it came to items for the wedding, I hoarded like a mad woman. I had several Rubbermaid containers in my garage filled with "stuff" that I could possibly use for making decorations - and one huge container held a ton of recycled glass bottles.

I think it was the summer before the wedding my brother gave me a huge crate full of small juice bottles because they were "cool". I took and kept them thinking I might make a bottle tree one day for my garden, but actually they were a saving grace when I needed multiple vessels for various wedding items.

About 4 months before the wedding I realized that I needed something to hold table numbers, greenery, and signs for my cake table. Now of course I could have used picture frames for the table numbers or simplified the design but I really wanted to use all those saved bottles. They were just too cute to not at least try to make something with them! I also loved that the bottles I had were clear and allowed just a little bit of colored light to pass though. Perfect I thought for an outdoor ceremony!

I ended up making 3 different kinds of bottles and I made WAY more than I should have - however I did end up using every single bottle I made. Here is a tutorial of how I transformed recycled bottles into gorgeous accents for my wedding!

How to Transform Bottles into Bud Vases:

For this project you will need:

* Recycled Bottles - I used three kinds of bottles: San Pellegrino Citrus bottles, Martinelli Sparkling Cider bottles, and two large green Reisling bottles.
* Jute or Hemp Cord - I had some left over but to buy new they are $8-$15 a roll
* Small Flowers or other Embellishments - I used tiny vintage rosettes I had already and wooden bird cutouts from Hobby Lobby (They were about $5.00).
* A glue gun and hot glue for the embellishements
* Nail polish Pads
* WD-40

The first thing you will need to do is make sure your bottles are VERY CLEAN - inside and out! The bottles I used once contained sugary drinks and I wanted to make sure since they would be outside they would not attract bees or ants! I soaked all the bottles in hot soapy water and for the most part the labels came right off. The wine bottles were a little tougher and they needed a bit of WD-40 to lift the adhesive.

Once they are dry you are ready to start embellishing! However - you might want to stop a second and not screw up big time like I did. I began wrapping hemp cord and tying it around almost 10 bottles when I realized there was BLACK LETTERING printed on the neck of the San Pellegrino bottles! *UGH*!

Not wanting to get stinking WD-40 all over the hemp cord I just tied onto those bottles, I went and grabbed my tub of nail polish remover pads by Elf. They do not contain acetone so they do not smell bad at all. These took the black lettering off the bottles without any residue or foul odor!

 

Anyway, after I wiped the lettering off all 20 of the San Pellegrino bottles I wrapped hemp cord around the necks and secured them with a simple bow. If you notice these bottles have a hint of blue in them - it is very faint but it was a lovely color. I thought these were a little too rustic as they were for my decor, so I decided they needed a touch of vintage to make them fit the theme better.

These rosettes were from the 1970's. I bought these from a flea market and they came with a bunch of small plastic doves and metallic rings. I had them forever knowing one day I would use them and low and behold! These were all on wire stems that I cut, then I glued these directly onto the cord with a dab of hot glue. Like I said before I made 20 of these with the intent to use them for table numbers.

I had 6 of these lovely green cider bottles that I tied with with the same cord but instead of rosettes I used wooden birds for embellishments. I made these with my cake table in mind since I had a tiered tray with birds on it as well. 

I will say at this point I was very proud with how all these turned out, but then I had second thoughts about those 20 light blue bottles I made. They were in fact light blue - nothing else in my wedding was blue. My mom also said several times that the green bottles were WAY cooler - which I will admit they were...but I also only had 6 green bottles and we had 20 tables. I actually tried to find more of these cider bottles to no avail so I was stuck. HOWEVER, it must have been fate, a stroke of genius in my subconscious, something when I realized those vintage rosettes MATCHED the rosettes on the back of my wedding dress... 

At the last minute I also wrapped hemp cord around the necks of two wine bottles and embellished them with the same pine cones I used when I made the boutonnieres. When it was all said and done and everything was in place it looked very professional - and fancy.

Truth be told no one knew or paid attention that the rosette bottles were blue. They were PERFECT for the bird table numbers I made and they looked so elegant with my birch wrapped vases and fresh fall flowers. The whole table ensemble was set off with round wood cuts (my lovely husband cut them all) and the swirl table overlay. 

And yes, I am going to brag a bit. Everyone in attendance said my cake table was the fanciest they had ever seen. And I will admit - it looked like something out of a magazine. My green bottles were perfect holders for my "flavor sticks". We served cake balls instead of a huge cut cake or cupcakes and we got them in several flavors. The galvanized and chalkboard sticks were only $0.99 each from Michael's and my mom wrote the flavors on them with a chalk marker. The tall wine bottles held dried greenery with gold swirls to create height. 

The look was simple enough to blend seamlessly with the decor and yet not unsophisticated or cheap in appearance. Any bride wishing to do something similar for their wedding could use whatever bottles you may have in your recycle bin! Instead of using hemp cord you could use ribbon or even beads strung on a wire. If you were doing a beach theme you could use clear Bud Lite with Lime bottles for a fun twist, or if you are into craft beers you could clean them and keep the labels on the outside. Perrier bottles are tall and have an interesting shape or you could purchase different bottles in a variety of colors from a craft store.

My goal in creating these bottles was I needed something where the cost was minimal, they would be easy and quick to put together, and easy to store and transport. I was able to do almost 30 bottles in less than two hours. I also did these 4 months before the wedding so they were ready to go on the big day. I felt like the overall look was very elegant and wedding appropriate for what little time and money that went into this project.

How To Make Rustic Woodsy Boutonnieres For Your Wedding

I was dead set on making several...and I mean SEVERAL items for my wedding. I have always been a crafty person, and I used my wedding as a showcase of my talents. I honestly never gave much thought to what my wedding would look like until about 6 months after I became engaged. That was when I decided I wanted a woodsy/natural theme with green, brown, and gold. While these are not typical wedding colors, I wanted to incorporate as many natural elements as possible given our wooded venue. All these great ideas went flying through my mind of all the things I could make and do...when it hit me...all the questions hit me.

How much did I want to put into this? Did we need lots of decor? Was I going to save money doing DIY versus purchasing? Did I have a theme? Would any of this look stupid or out of place? Did it all have to "match"? Would my fiance hate this stuff? Was anyone going to notice all the hard work I put into all of this?

Would I have TIME to do ANY of this!?!?!?!

My fiance (now husband) and I were engaged for about 22 months before our wedding. In that span of time we both changed jobs, bought a house and moved, we suffered some family losses, took vacations, and adopted pets. Somehow in the middle of all this, I was able to find time to make some pretty cool stuff. Most of the things I made utilized items I purchased from craft stores and took very little time to make. I thought by taking pictures and doing some simple tutorials I might help some other future brides out! Before I begin my tutorial I will say that the things I made were absolutely worth it. While I am sure only a few people noticed all the hard work I put into the decor, I was very proud of what I was able to create.

How to make Boutonnieres:

This is a list and approximate cost of the items I bought for this project and what you will need:


* A bag of thin, wood craft sticks - 50% off at Hobby Lobby - $2.00
* Ribbon - I used two kinds $1.99 each from Michael's Crafts
* Hemp cord - I had some left over but it is about $8.00 a roll new
* Feathers - the ones that were bound at the bottom were $1.99 a package at Meijer Grocery
* Plastic fern fronds or other greenery - these were $4.99 a bunch at Michael's
* Box of FLAT back bar pins - $2.99 at Michael's
* Small gold flowers - $0.99 at Hobby Lobby (I bought 3 bunches for this project)
* Green & clear wired gems - $3.99 at Michael's
* Small pine cones - free from my yard
* Glue gun and glue
* Clear Tape

Now, when I bought these items I did use some of the stuff for other wedding projects (they will be seen again in other tutorials) but when it was all said and done these honestly cost about $3.25 a piece and I believe I ended up with 7 boutonnieres. I had coupons for some items and I bought things on sale when I could. I also bought some other craft items that I did NOT end up using which I figured into my overall cost.

The feathers I purchased were bound at the base which proved to be a HUGE money and time saver. If I had purchased a small craft bag of pheasant feathers and the longer ostrich feathers, together that would have cost me over $14.00. I only spent $4.00 on two packages that contained 4 "stems" of feathers each. I also lucked out on the super realistic fern fronds at Michael's Crafts. They came in a "bunch" that I was able to separate into 10 individual fronds. They were also made of a rubbery material so they looked and felt more real.

You could also save some money if you already have ribbon you like or pins laying around. I wanted a specific green hue to match the ferns. The same goes for the flowers I chose; the ones I purchased at Hobby Lobby come in probably 10 different colors of the same style so you can personalize for your own color scheme.

I also "splurged" and bought these "gems" that were wired together in a bunch that I separated into small clusters.

I started out separating the tiny flowers into groups of 5-7 and twisting the wires together to keep them in a "bunch" (see the picture but ignore the loud table cloth I was working over). I then picked out a single craft stick, a piece of the wired gems, and one feather cluster. Using the craft stick as a sturdy base, I used clear tape to tape down the feather first, then the small flower bunch, and a wired gem piece (see below).

Please note the tape will NOT be seen, it is just there to hold everything in place!

I then took a fern frond and cut it to the length I wanted - I wanted the feathers to stand just a bit taller and to the opposite side of the frond. I then secured this to the craft stick with a bit more clear tape.

I then took a bar pin and taped this onto the back again with tape. Using a secure bar pin was a personal preference. I know most boutonnieres are secured with a single, long, straight pin but I did not want the possibility of them shifting or falling off. On the wedding day the men were also able to easily figure out how to put them on their jackets without incident and they stayed on all day.

Although I could not adequately photograph this process, this is the next step. Using a dab of hot glue I secured hemp cord to the back of the craft stick. I then wrapped the cord over all the tape all the way down to where I wanted the base to stop. I wanted the "look" to resemble a little basket holding flowers. Using scissors I then cut the craft stick where I wanted the boutonniere to stop and I glued the hemp to the base. I then cut the hemp cord from the bottom and "smooshed" the end to secure any loose frays of cord. I then tied a simple ribbon around the middle of the "stem" and glued a tiny pine cone on the side.

Ta Da! I then repeated this with all the other boutonnieres. The one I made for my husband was slightly different and more complicated because I incorporated a large copper pea pod earring into the center.

Overall I was THRILLED with how these turned out and how easy they were to make. After I had everything sorted out I was able to make all of these in about one hour.

As you can see they matched perfect with the green in the bottles I used for my cake table (I will show the bottle transformation in another tutorial).

On the big day they actually looked AMAZING - they looked expensive, polished, and they matched the green and gray tuxes the men wore perfectly. That being said, I was SO BUMMED about two things: After I told my husband MULTIPLE times to not forget to put them on, they FORGOT. Thank GOD my awesome brother was on hand to chase the men down, and they had to scramble right before the ceremony to get them on. They were literally putting them on 5 minutes before we walked down the aisle. That being said, I was thankful I decided to use the bar pins instead of straight pins!

The men were able to figure out how to get the boutonnieres on without sticking themselves and they all stayed where they were supposed to stay! The other thing I was bummed about was due to the men's pictures being done before the ceremony, I sadly did not get a professional picture of the boutonnieres close up.

All in all the men looked damn nice and all fancy with their boutonnieres and pocket squares. On a side note the men's looks all came from Men's Warehouse. I put my husband in charcoal and the groomsmen in light gray - all were tuxedos. 

My brother was a HUGE help the morning of the wedding (it was beyond hectic)! He had me help him with his boutonniere and the shirt studs. Apparently, none of the groomsmen knew how shirt studs worked either but luckily they figured them out on their own.

In my other tutorials I will show how I made my table numbers, bottles for the tables, cake stands, corsages, menu boards, a large arch swag, center pieces, and more!