DIY Steampunk Place Cards

January 8, 2019UncategorizedSamantha ExtanceComment

This is a very simple, low-cost DIY that will add elegance and a bit of steampunk flair to your wedding, holiday gathering, or your dinner party. It's time intensive if you have a lot of place cards to make, but it's worth it. It's also completely customizable to suit your taste. You can choose a different color of card stock paper, a different graphic, and even different types of metal press gears. To customize your own place cards, just swap out the various elements in the below DIY.

Materials & Supplies: (for 100 guests)

Card stock Paper, antique white
- Number of sheets needed is determined by your guest list. Each sheet prints 4 place cards. For example, for 100 guests, you would need 25 sheets.
- Graphic
  - I got mine from The Graphics Fairy
  - Gold Colored Pencil
  - Black Calligraphy Pen
  - Reproduction Gears, large (qty. 100)
  - Reproduction Gears, small (qty. 100)
  - Brads, antique brass color (qty. 200)
  - Hole punch
  - Cutting board
  - Ruler
  - Computer & Microsoft Word

Cost: Under $50.00

Steps:

I've broken down the steps into 3 categories: Design, Pre-Cutting, & Post-Cutting to make it easier to follow.

Design:

Open up Microsoft Word and click on the "Mailings" tab. Select "Labels." A new window will pop up, click on the "Options" button at the bottom. From there, select "Avery Label 5390." (You can really select any label that has 8 individual boxes on 1 sheet.). Click create new document.
Once the document formats itself into 8 individual boxes you are ready to start designing your place cards. The top boxes will be graphic (or the front of your place card) and the boxes below it will be the text/table name (or the back of your card).
Insert your graphic into the top boxes and type the text you'd like on the back of your card in the bottom boxes. Be sure to rotate your graphic so it is upside down so that when you print, it will print right side up. See photo below as a reference. Repeat for the next rows.

4. Next, print a test sheet. Make any adjustments needed before printing off your 25 sheets.

Pre-Cutting:

Before you cut your place cards, there are a few things to do before hand to make the process easier, especially if you are making place cards for a large gathering or wedding.

Color in parts of your graphic with metallic colored pencil (or the color pencil of your choice). I choose an antique gold colored pencil to highlight the scroll work in the graphic.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Next, if you have your guest list confirmed, you can also begin hand writing their names onto the front of the place cards with your calligraphy pen. This is a lot easier for those of you making place cards for large groups.
(Optional) Put on a BBC mini-series and binge-listen to it while you're writing.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.Let your ink dry completely before moving on to the next phase.

Cutting:

DIY Jewelry Tray

January 8, 2019UncategorizedSamantha ExtanceComment

I love simple and cheap DIYs that dress up your home--especially when they also involve upcycling. Like many of you I'm guessing, I save gift boxes, bags, and beautiful wrapping paper to use again. One particular bit of gift wrap paper I'd received was this metallic gold and black patterned wrap with an elegant design. I fell in love with it--it's fancy and it got me thinking of new ways to re-purpose gift wrap.

To make your very own jewelry tray with re-purposed gift wrap, tissue paper, or even scrapbook paper, here's what you'll need:

Supplies:

Wooden Tray (Target, $6.99)
2 Foam Brushes (.50 cents)
Wrapping Paper (free)
Paint ($1.49; I used Target's 24K Gold Acryllic Paint)
Ruler
Pen
Scissors
Modge Podge (glue)

(All of the supplies cost under $10!)

Steps:

Paint your wooden tray. I painted 2 coats since my paint was faint. Paint with the grain and leave yourself ample time to dry before moving on.

2. Measure the inside of your tray (the length and width) and jot down the measurements on a post-it or piece of scrap paper.

3. Next, using the measurements you just took, mark your paper with the measurements of your tray on the wrong/back side of your paper.

4. Cut out the piece of paper that will line the bottom of your wooden tray with your scissors.

5. To ensure that your measurements are correct and that the paper will fit in your tray, place it in the bottom of the tray. Make adjustments if needed.

6. Next, with your foam brush spread an even layer of Modge Podge on the bottom of your tray.

7. Immediately place your paper in your tray. Be careful to smooth out any bubbles. It is best to start from the top and smooth your paper flat as you work your way down.