Meant To Bee - Invitations and Paper Goods

I thought we should start off with the first thing you need to send out when you are planning a party - the invitations. Your invites will be the first insight your guests have to the type of party you are planning and what theme you are going with. All of your paper goods will also coincide with the invites. As I have stated (numerous times) I consider myself "craft challenged" and my instinct is to head straight to Etsy to find the real "pros". I had someone in mind to do my invites and paper goods but, I found myself 14 days out from the party (not good advice and please do not follow my lead on this!) without a confirmed order. I was close to panic mode and knew I had to get the invitations done so, I ventured into what I consider a foreign country - Michael's Craft Store. I found some A7 card stock with envelopes, a 4x6 white card stock and some little wooden bee self-adhesive stickers. 

I have a program called PrintingPress from Moutain Cow that I bought years ago - a good investment at $29.99 since I have been using it for many years now! It makes printing invitations, RSVP cards, envelopes and more super easy!


I knew there would be certain paper goods I would need: stickers, banners, table tent cards, decorative cupcake sticks and address labels. The stickers and the address labels proved to be the easiest out of the bunch! I have used these labels (the same boxes mind you!) for years and multiple projects! I have perfected the round label using MS Publisher! I used the round labels to print the invitation envelope seals and stickers used on the push cake pops. I changed the sticker up, a bit, for this post. But, this can be used to seal the envelopes to the party (before, during and after!) or to seal a favor bag or box. There are so many uses! This is what it will look like:

This file was created using MS Publisher - if you use any other program you may need to change a few things to tweak it. This can also be reinvented for so many other needs like changing the text to say - SAVE THE DATE and then add your date underneath or change the words to "THANK YOU" to use on favors! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BEE STICKER

*Should be used with Avery 8293 labels

One of the next projects was creating table tent cards. These are pretty easy to make. Simply print out on heavy stock paper and then cut into four. I actually used a heavy photo paper I had (to give them a shiny look) but, card stock will also work. I then used some ribbon I had to go with the theme and used a little bit of gorilla glue. Boy, that glue really could work on a gorilla...it's amazing! You can download the template for the table tent cards here. Simply change the text to work for your party - these can also be used for seating cards or escort cards! I do all my work in MS Publisher - if you use another program you may have to adjust the specs.

Cupcake topper or party sticks can be used for a variety of goodies. These were fairly easy to make - the hard part was finding the right size puncher to use! I think checking online would be a better way to go because, honestly the selection at craft stores  near me was somewhat limited! They had a lot of them...just not the perfect size or shape. My first purchase was for a scalloped 2 inch circle - that just did not work though! It just seemed too small once you punched them out. I then purchased a 2.5 inch round circle punch. I bought some fun scrapbook paper at Michael's ($0.69 per sheet). I used the 2.5 inch puncher to get the polka dot circle, printed out the smaller decorative circles on photo paper and just used some household scissors to trim and of course some 6 inch lollipop sticks. The lollipop sticks were $4.99 for 100 sticks! My gorilla glue came in handy once again to assemble. These were fun to do and I plan on using this idea for some other upcoming parties. You can download this image to use for the smaller circle - just add text or image you want to use. You can also use your photo editing software to change the color of the circles!

One of my craft friends, she is in the "pro crafter" category, made the Happy Birthday banner for me. She has all the fancy gadgets, like the Cricut, which would have made a lot of my DIY projects easy! I couldn't see investing that kind of money into my own projects although, I do think that it would be fun to own one to see what I could come up with! Bee Creative, my friends business, has all kinds of banners, invitations and well, pretty much anything you can think up - she can do!

This finally wraps up my post on the invitations and paper goods! I hope all the files I uploaded will help you with your crafts projects! And if you are on Facebook, head on over to Bee Creative and "like" them! Now, let's talk about one of my favorite things: the sweets!!

Our Meant To Bee Giveaway is now open! 

Click here to enter now!

Busy as a bee!

I have been a little quiet on the blog lately but, not without good reason! I have been working feverishly to plan my daughters 5th birthday. Without a doubt, any party planning always makes me think about weddings - because a wedding, engagement shower or bridal shower are simply parties. They are celebrations where you have a lot of people coming together and they inevitably cost a lot of money. One of my goals with the blog is to show you how to save money on your wedding - or any celebration you are having! My daughter finally chose her birthday theme: Bumble Bee and my wedding brain kept telling me "Meant To Bee" with every detail I was planning. Because there is SO much information and detail to share, I am going to break it down into a couple of posts so, bear with me, because at the end you, my faithful readers, will be rewarded for buzzing a long with me on this journey! I will provide you with all these great things to make your event and planning MUCH easier:

• Tutorials - how to make all the DIY items
• Templates - blank templates for you to use
• Vendor tips and reviews

And...finally, you will be rewarded with a giveaway! I have an amazing giveaway planned for you! Please share this blog or these posts with your family and friends: anyone planning a party or a wedding - especially if you feel it is meant to bee!

DIY Invitations - Deal on Cuttlebug Die-Cut & Embossing Machine

Last night, I was working on a blog post about a "Meant To Bee" theme (I am still working on it) and it will be posted soon! But, this morning I found a "deal" that kind of goes with the theme - because part of the post will discuss handmaking items to save on costs. If you have found your inner crafty diva and plan on jumping into the whole DIY wedding ring then you will need certain tools of the trade. I found this deal from Joann's Craft store and you know how these things work - they may only have a limited supply on hand - so hurry and get this. This deal is for the Cuttlebug Die-Cut & Embossing Machine

The regular price of this nifty little machine is $89.99 but it is currently on sale for $53.99. If you stack the free shipping code that is available, you have yourself a pretty good bargain for all your embossing and die-cut needs! The FREE shipping code is: RETMENOTAP259. It's only good for a one time use so, add any other items you might want for you order (like all the Cuttlebug accessories that are on sale too!). I did verify that the code works!

Here are some finished projects that used the Cuttlebug Die-Cut & Embossing Machine:

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And finally, Joann has this useful video on the product and you can get 40% off accessories for the Cuttlebug right now too! Hope you guys love this deal! 

Get your Hollywood Makeover - Online!

Today, I have been playing around with this online tool from InStyle Magazine. It's called the Hollywood Makeover and it is totally fun addicting! If you want to play around with your wedding day look this is the place for you - now you don't have to have multiple trials with your hair and makeup girl! You just upload a picture of yourself and away you go! You can choose from options like hair, makeup - including lips, eyes, skin or do the whole package with the complete look! I uploaded a picture and tried out different hairstyles - I really liked Katie Holmes hairstyles and even one using Michelle Obama's hair style looked pretty good on me! Just for fun, I opted to let the hubby see how I would look with long hair using Kim Kardashian! Here are my looks:

Go check it out here! It's a lot of fun! A few other sites have something similar but, I found Instyle to be more user friendly! Who is your favorite celebrity?

Bridal Gown Colors

When you begin shopping for a bridal gown, you will naturally consider style, fabric, and embellishments. What some brides do not stop to think about, however is color. In addition to the standard white, there are also beautiful wedding gowns in shades of ivory, cream, blush, champagne, and pale mocha. This is a guide to picking out the perfect color for your bridal gown.

In the world of bridal gowns, there is white, and then there is...white. Diamond white, silk white, and natural white are just a few variations on the classic white wedding gown. A pure silk gown will never be bright white, because that is not the natural color of the fiber, even when bleached. The slightly softer shade of silk white is much gentler on most skin tones than the bright white with a bluish undertone that is often seen in polyester gowns.

If choosing a gown made from a man-made material such as polyester or acetate, see if it can be ordered in diamond white instead of the basic white. The color will end up being much more flattering for most women, as it does not wash out the complexion. Whatever shade of white is available in a wedding dress, it will tend to look best on brides with darker or olive skin tones, or women with dark hair and pale skin. If you have ever had your colors done and have been told you are a "winter", white is the ideal color for your wedding dress.

Ivory is the next most popular color for wedding gowns after white. Nearly every gown will be available in a shade of ivory or cream, unless it has a special feature which would make it impossible. Some lace trims, for instance, are only created in white, so a gown with that embellishment would only be made using white fabric to match the lace. Ivory tends to have a slightly yellow undertone and looks wonderful on blondes and most redheads. The yellow undertones of ivory can, however, bring out sallow tones in olive skinned women, so they should stick with white or choose a deeper color like champagne. Always see a fabric swatch before ordering a gown in ivory; while most fabrics look lovely in that shade, some will be far too yellow. Also take care that if you are looking at pearl bridal jewelry sets that you select one which is similar in tone to your gown, rather than a strong white.

Champagne is another option for many wedding gowns. The deeper color is particularly nice for evening or winter weddings, although it might look out of place at a summer afternoon wedding. The rich color pairs especially well with luxurious fabrics like silk satin and silk shantung, which will play up the luster of the color. Champagne usually has a slightly brownish or pinkish undertone, rather than the yellowish tones found in ivory. As a result, it is a flattering color for women who find that ivory makes them look sallow. This sophisticated color is also very popular with second time brides who want a gown in a color other than pure white which still has a very "bridal" feel to it. Bridal jewelry sets in deeper hues like bronze will enhance the warmth and richness of a champagne colored wedding gown.

Last, but not least, consider the season when selecting a color for your wedding gown. The white which washes you out in the dead of winter might look fresh and crisp with a light tan in the summer. Warmer colors are often preferred for cold weather weddings, although the right shade of white is perfect for a sparkling Winter Wonderland theme wedding. When you are torn between two shades for your bridal gown, think about your regular wardrobe; if you tend to look best in cool colors, choose a white gown, and if warmer tones flatter you best, an ivory bridal gown will be fantastic for you.

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Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4502947