8. DIY Wedding: Monogram Cake Topper

I really wanted a simple yet elegant cake topper for our wedding, but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on something we would use only once.  I was browsing the DIY forum on theknot.com and came across an email address that every bride should have: craftyeddy@gmail.com.  This guy is AWESOME.  He will cut anything out of wood that you could possibly imagine.  Send him an email describing what you are looking for, and he will give you a clear price list and a link to his portfolio.  I sent him a letter K in the same font that matched our invites and other stationary, and he sent me a beautiful cake topper.  Unfinished of course.  I had to paint and decorate that letter into blinged-out goodness, and here’s how I did it.

Materials:

– wooden cake topper (you can also use wooden letters from Michael’s…just glue a few small dowel rods to the back to insert the topper into the cake)
– acrylic paint in the color of your choice
– small paint brush
– rhinestones in the color of your choice (I purchased mine from an eBay vendor)
– E6000 glue (this is an all-purpose glue sent to earth by the crafting gods)
– small paper plate
– toothpicks
– small tweezers

Instructions:

1. Paint your letter with acrylic paint.  It’s a good idea to paint the top portion of the stems that will be going into the cake (you want to make sure the wood doesn’t show).  You may have to do a few coats to get even coverage, depending on your paint and the type of wood.  Allow to dry completely.  (Hint: Wax paper is your friend; it doesn’t stick to your letter like newspaper.)
2. Squeeze out a SMALL amount of E6000 onto the paper plate.  Fight the urge to use a ton!  This stuff dries pretty quickly, and a little goes a long way.
3. Using a toothpick, spread a small amount of the glue over a SMALL area of the front of your letter.  AGAIN, THIS GLUE DRIES QUICKLY AND IT’S BEST TO WORK IN SMALL SECTIONS.
4. Using the tweezers, pick up the rhinestones and set them in the glue.  Try to adjust them quickly, but don’t worry about the glue bulging up…it dries clear. 😉
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have covered your topper in enough bling to signal Batman.
6. Allow glue to completely dry before using the topper.  (You can spray your topper with an acrylic sealant if you wish, but it’s not necessary.)

I seriously LOVE how our topper turned out, and it looks so pretty in our wedding photos.

Yes, our cake was red velvet layered with cream cheese frosting.  Delishhhhhh.

Happy Friday!  Next week I’ll show you our initialed peacock feather wreaths!

XO,

Gabriella

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Edit (9/5/13): I made up a nice picture for pinning purposes, and thought I would share. 🙂

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7. Our wedding was blogged!

Jason and I were married on May 26th of this year.  It was the best day of my life!  I spent months crafting most of the decor and small details, and I’m so glad we had the wonderful Laura Zastrow to photograph everything.  I’m actually extra glad that we hired her, because our wedding was featured on A Northwoods Wedding.  They had such nice things to say about our day!

Here’s a list of EVERYTHING I made for our peacock wedding:

– bridal hairpiece
– bridesmaid hairpieces
– bridesmaid earrings
– bridal sash
– maid of honor sash
– table runners
– potted manzanita branch centerpieces with faux orchids and hanging crystals
– table numbers
– cake topper
– save-the-date postcards, invitations + RSVP postcards, wedding programs
– peacock feather wreaths with initials (“J” for Jason and “G” for Gabriella)
– aisle pomanders
– boutonnieres (Jason, groomsmen, and dads), wrist corsages (moms), and pins (grandmoms)
– luminaries
– hand-painted aisle runner (which we actually ended up using as a banner)

I think that is a complete list.  Crazy, huh?  I will be showcasing each of these projects in a separate blog post every Wednesday (until I run out), so stay tuned!

One of my favorites photos from our wedding. 🙂

XO,
Gabriella

 

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6. Fruit salad, the breakfast of champions.

Jason and I went grocery shopping last night and bought lots of yummy fruit.  I woke up this morning and said, “I’m gonna make a fruit salad!”

And then…well, I did.

Here’s the recipe for those of you who might be interested!

– 1 pint of raspberries
– an equal amount of green seedless grapes
– 2 small McIntosh apples
– 1 small kiwi
– 8-10 strawberries
– 1 lemon (or lemon juice)
– 1 tbs orange juice
– 1 tbs honey

1. Dice the apples, kiwi, and strawberries and add to a large bowl.
2. Add in raspberries and grapes.
3. Squeeze half a lemon over the bowl and add a dash of orange juice.
4. Drizzle honey over bowl and mix gently.  (Be careful with the raspberries especially…they can get mushy!)
5. Serve!  Leftovers can be stored in a airtight container in the fridge.  🙂

This way a great way to start off the day, especially with a cup of coffee.

I hope your Sunday is fab!

XO,
Gabriella

 

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