The Bride's Guide Blog

April 28, 2009

Craft Store Bliss

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Scrapbookpaper1

scrapbook paper above courtesy of marthastewartcrafts.com

Posted by Alexis Givens, Real Bride and marthastewartweddings.com Editor

The warm weather I've been craving for months has finally arrived! So, I decided to take a quick trip to Michaels (the mega craft store) to do some brainstorming about decorations for my August wedding. I figured I'd be in and out in about an hour and could happily craft all day in my backyard. Little did I know that even though the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, the allure of craft products would keep me from my beloved sunshine.

First stop: Michaels in Stamford, CT

Total time scheduled: 1 hour
Time spent: 2 hours

I came armed with my 40% off one item coupon and the knowledge that if you get to Michaels early and peruse the clearance row, you've got the chance to find treasures beyond your wildest dreams.

*Materials found: Clearance bag of wood dowels.
My idea: Use these to create flags for people to wave when we are walking out of the ceremony.

*Materials found: Stack of scrapbook paper in the perfect blue hues.
My idea: Paper for the flags above. I think these will look great in photos when everyone is waving their flags in delight.

*Materials Found: Clearance stack of cute gingham scrapbook paper in blue vellum.
My idea: Use these as fun place mats for our barbecue rehearsal dinner.

*Materials Found: super cute mid century modern animal stickers (very Alexander Girard in style. Jackpot! He happens to be one of my favorite designers of all time).
My idea: Perfect for the hotel welcome bags for families with kids. Love that they are all woodsy animals for our Colorado location.

Flowerpunchblue

paper punch above courtesy of marthastewartcrafts.com

I also became obsessed with the Yudu screen printer and had to force myself to walk away from the shelf. I now have the desire to screen print all of my invitations, gift bags and anything else I can get my hands on (look out wedding guests). Instead of buying it immediately, I decided to go home and price it out to see if it would be a worthwhile investment.

But instead of heading home (despite the beautiful weather and a garden to tend to), the pull of another Michaels just 20 minutes away was too hard to ignore. Yes, I drove to another Michaels. And yes, I had already spent 2 hours in the first Michaels, scouring every row and filling and emptying my cart several times.

Stop #2: Michaels in Port Chester, NY

Total time scheduled: 0 hours
Time spent: 2 hours, in a large store with no windows despite the beautiful sunshine

Time seems to have no relevance when I enter a Michaels store. I think I'm there for half an hour and then look down at my watch in horror as I realize that 30 minutes has actually been 2 hours. While my fiance worried that I had
fled the country, I had such fun just imagining all of the
possibilities of what I can make for our wedding.Yes, I bought more clearance items and some non-clearance items, too, and now have even more projects for my dining room wedding craft station.

Bluestamping

stamp pad above courtesy of marthastewartcrafts.com

I'm like a kid in a candy store when I'm looking at paper and glues and scalloped scissors. Anyone else have this insane love for craft stores? Do you have any special crafts you're going to make for your wedding? Buying anything handmade on etsy? I'd love to hear your tales of craft store excursions and brilliant low cost crafts you've come up with for your wedding.


Posted by on April 28, 2009 in DIY/Crafts, Event Planning, Real Weddings

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