DIY Bride™

I love that more and more DIYers are taking on floral projects for their weddings. Flowers have been one of the last wedding-related projects DIYers have tackled so it’s exciting to see some of you break that barrier and get hands-on with your florals.

Today launches a new weekly feature at DIYBride.com: Know Your Flowers. Each week we’ll be showcasing a new flower (or plant) and some beautiful ways it can be incorporated into your wedding.

To kick off KYF, we present Fiddlehead Ferns.

Fiddlehead Fern Image from Wholesale Tropical Flowers

The Fiddlehead came into the spotlight last year and is showing no signs of falling out of favor anytime soon.

In colors ranging from bright green to a brownish-purple with hints of green and orange, these fern shoots add a bold, modern element to your floral arrangements. Personally, I love these when used in boutonnieres and I’ve done a couple of bouquets made entirely of Fiddleheads. Stunning!

Fiddleheads are also known as monkey tails, Uluhe ferns, and False Staghorn. Most florists can order these for you if you don’t have a local open-to-the-public flower mart near you. Warning! They are quite expensive, about $1.50 – $2.00 per stem, not including shipping. Warning Pt. Deux: Most mail order fresh flowers and plants are shipped overnight or 2 day. Brace yourself for high shipping costs.

Resource(s) for Uhule ferms: Wholesale Tropical Flowers

Inspirational goodness using Uluhe ferns:

row 1 credits: Martha Stewart |other credits: Brides.com

Hey Everyone,

I’ll be taking a few weeks off for a proper maternity leave in the coming month to spend time with my newborn baby boy. I’m looking for some guest bloggers to drop in and talk about DIY wedding-related topics, share inspiration boards, answer burning DIY/wedding questions, etc.

Please drop me a note at info AT diybride DOT com if you’re interested and let me  know what you want to use your post to talk about. My deadline for submissions is May 10th.

Thanks!

All I can say is “wow!”.

Check out DIY Bride’s inclusion in the 101 DIY Projects list over at the Stylish Events blog. What a fabulous and inspiring post!

The Crop-A-Dile from We R Memory Keepers

I think I’ve confessed my love of gadgets here before. The newest, latest, shiniest gizmo on the craft market is always sure to catch my attention, much to the chagrin of my poor husband. ( I’m reforming, honey! I swear! ) With the addition of the new baby into our household, my crafting space got a lot smaller and I’ve been having to downsize my supplies. I’ve been culling my toolbox and paring it down the absolute must-haves. This, the Crop-A-Dile, is one of the keepers.

So, what is this weird-looking gadget? It’s an industrial strength hole punch and eyelet setting tool. Initially I bought it for paper crafting but found it’s also suited to a multitude of craft materials. It can punch metal, thin wood, fabric, leather, and plastic like a champ.

I’ve found that many eyelet-setting tools are a pain to use. They’re awkward, noisy, and overall not very user-friendly. The Crop-A-Dile is a  dream to use. Punching holes in nearly any material is a breeze and setting eyelets couldn’t be easier. It’s quiet, comfortable, and very well made.

The CAD retails for around $20. Don’t let the initial price scare you away. This is one of those tools that will last FOREVER.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otn2Slgepuc

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyHffZ-e0Xc

DailyCandy Weddings Launches

Daily Candy is my go-to source for all things neat and nifty. As a longtime fan of the site I was thrilled to learn that they’ve launched a new wedding section!

I look forward to seeing what wedding goodness they have to share with us. Please do check out the new DailyCandy Weddings section at http://www.dailycandy.com/weddings/

It’s been 3 weeks since registration opened for the PS Invites workshop. What I thought would be a very straight-forward process of launching this feature has turned into an uber-frustrating, hair-pulling ordeal. There are technical issues waaaay beyond my expertise that I hadn’t anticipated that are slowing the progress considerably.

To alleviate some frustration on both sides I’m postponing the workshop for the time being. The good news is that I do have a very capable person helping resolve the issues and that I am fully dedicated to getting the workshops online as soon as possible. I just don’t want to leave you hanging by asking you to check back later or promising a specific date.

I have pulled all of your email registrations and have tucked them away until I can – with 100% certainty – allow access to the workshops. As always, DIY Bride will NEVER sell, share, or otherwise do anything seedy with your contact information.

Thank you so much for your understanding, patience, and continued awesomeness. I look forward to sharing the workshops with you soon!

If you’re bummed that Gocco is a thing of the past, I have something that’s gonna cheer you up! The clever product team over at Provo Craft have just launched their first screen printing machine for crafters. It’s called the Yudu and it just hit the market.

From the Provo Craft site:

SAY WHAT YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY!
The Yudu™ screen-printing system is the easiest, cleanest way to let everyone know who you are—and how you see the world. Don’t settle for what everyone else is wearing or spend hours futilely trying to find a t-shirt that expresses the real you. With access to a computer and an ink-jet printer, you’ll be able to create and print your own designs not only for t-shirts or other apparel, but also for home décor, art prints, posters, cards, schoolwork, and much more! With this revolutionary personal screen printer, you can let your voice be heard today, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

I just ordered mine and can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Priced at around $250 – $300 retail for just the machine, it is a big craft investment. We’ll see how long the inks and supplies last and if it’s worth the cash. JoAnn’s and Michael’s recently started stocking the Yudu but, at this time, they’re not allowing coupons for purchasing the machine. (Supplies seem  to be ok for discount coupons, though!)

Do you have hands-on experience with the Yudu? We want to hear from you!

Just a little reminder that April 06 is the deadline to grab your copy of Preston Bailey’s first limited edition do-it-yourself table setting project. Check out the original post here for details/instructions and remember to use code: DIYBRIDE for a 15% discount.