Theresa, a PhD student, vegan and rad Australian, posted this short and sweet tutorial about how she made super-kitschy "parental flowers," little giveaways her parent's could take with on their trip back to the states after the wedding. They're just too easy AND adorable not to share. Take it away Theresa! – Offbeat Shrie

We wanted to have something special to give our parents at the wedding, but we didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for flowers from a florist — especially since my parents wouldn't be able to take real flowers home with them to the US.  So we decided to make them ourselves, and all for less than $10.

So, behold our parental flowers, awesome and flippin' cheap!

Continue reading "How to DIY your own floral fascinators and buttonhole flowers" →

We featured Kyle and Nicole's eco-minimal, friggidy AWESOME zoo wedding recently, and were FLOORED by her DIYed cake toppers. Nicole came up with the pattern and constructed them all herself! And believe me, this is no easy task. Not for the faint-of-heart DIYer but the payoff is huge! – Offbeat Shrie

So, you like Little Big Planet, and want to make a sackboy. If you're like me, you'll Google your brains out trying to find a pattern you like. I didn't find any patterns I liked, so I made up my own crochet "pattern" through trial and error.

I'm providing this "pattern" (I think you'll understand why I keep using quotes in a minute or so) free, and I ask that you do not sell any items you make with this pattern. Gifts are OK, however! This little guy took me about a day, but that's including all the photo-taking and writing down instructions. My first sackboy took a few days because of all the trial and error.

Continue reading "How to DIY your own LBP Sackboy toppers" →

When we were brainstorming centerpiece ideas for our Mexican-themed vintage-style wedding, we really wanted to incorporate something that really represented us, our life and our tastes. We HAD to have chips 'n salsa on the tables (hello! Mexican wedding in Texas!) and wanted an economical, handmade vehicle for that tasty goodness.

Continue reading "How to DIY your own vinyl record bowl" →

VERY newly wed OBTer Maiasaura, aka Laura, posted a quicky tutorial in one of her wedding planning updates about how she made her fully-customizable tri-fold table card centerpieces. The OBT masses loved it! So here we go… Maiasaura's ridiculously simple yet awesome tri-fold table card centerpiece tutorial! Take it away Laura! – Offbeat Shrie

Now that the wedding has come and gone, I finally have a moment to post about one of my favorite DIY projects: our table card/centerpieces! I got the idea from a craft book (don't remember the title, unfortunately) and they came out pretty, effective, and so very VERY cheap.

Continue reading "How to DIY your own tri-fold table card centerpieces" →

We've been bugging OBT member Megan Kugler about how she made her GORGEOUS crystal bouquets, and voila! She finally gave us the scoop. The process is simple, but it'll take some time. So grab your favorite bromedy, a cup o'cocoa and get makin'! – Offbeat Shrie

Hello all! This post is going to teach you how to make your own crystal bouquets. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, but it IS time consuming (so don't be like me and wait until the last couple of months before your wedding to make them!).

However, because we didn't want to spend the money on flowers, making crystal bouquets actually saved us a ton of money. We made seven bouquets (mine included), and thirteen bouts for just about $100, give or take, and that was with leftover crystals and wire.

Continue reading "How to make your own sparkly crystal bouquets" →