Posts Tagged ‘DIY’

Wedding Ceremony Booklet + Vow Book DIY

Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

We know brides are always looking for ways to save money but simultaneously ways to add a custom touch to their special day. This Wedding Ceremony Booklet and Vow Book DIY is a great way to add a unique element to your wedding day and avoid crumpled papers or an ugly binder at the alter.

We created this Paper Vow Book originally in a smaller version (inspired by our Vow Book) to pass out to brides at events. After a great response, we decided to turn it into an actual product to sell. And today we are going to give you just a few different ideas of how you can DIY it to match your wedding theme.

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(If you would like to order a Paper Vow Book now, check out our sister site, ClaireMagnolia )DIY-Wedding-Ceromony-Booklet

This first Vow Book DIY is a messy one, but the results are pretty cool. We used leafs that we had lying around with black acrylic paint to stamp a pattern onto the Paper Vow Book. Below you can see the step by step process of how it works. You will want to practice

FYI: You will want to practice the steps a few times before you go to stamping on your final product. It takes a few tries to get the right consistency of paint + even amounts of pressure and rubbing when stamping.

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Steps:

  • Paint leaf with a thin layer of paint that covers its surface completely.
  • Quickly (acrylic paint dries fast) flip and press painted leaf onto the surface of paper. Place a sheet of paper between your hand and leaf when pressing + rubbing leaf.
  • Practice printing the leaf a few times before doing it on your final product. (see below)
  • Also, experiment with different leaf, florals, and other objects to see what happens!

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The watercolor wedding trend is super popular right now and isn’t going anywhere soon. So here is a simple way to add a little extra to your Paper Vow Book, white invites, plain programs or boring envelopes. AND, it is really easily!  All you need is some watercolors (even the cheap kind for kids would do) and the ability to loosen up and have fun!

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Steps :

  • take your watercolors and a larger watercolor brush and dip it into the water to get wet.
  • wet your paper with brush strokes, but without paint on it- just water.
  • Dip your wet brush into the watercolor paint you want to use and then brush the paint into the wet spots on your paper.
  • Move the paint around with your brush and experiment with different marks, drips and splashes you can make with your brush and paints.
  • Like before, practice your painting on a separate piece of paper first, before on your final product.
    • tip* : if something is printed in ink that ISN’T waterproof it will smear if you paint over it with paints.

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Lastly, the gold leaf DIY. This one is by far the hardest/messiest one to do- but it is still pretty simple with the right materials. And I got so wrapped up in doing this one, there aren’t pictures of the steps, but they are still listed below.

Steps:

  • You need to buy sizing– this is the adhesive that will stick to the foil. You paint it onto your surface and let it dry till its tacky.
  • Once sizing is dried you will apply a sheet of gold foil and GENTLY rub. You will see that the foil will stick wherever the sizing has dried and just rub away where it is not. This step is very tricky so you will need to practice!
    • tip*: you need to find the perfect consistency when applying the sizing. Not too thick, not too thin.

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Tah-Dah!

I really love how all three turned out and I am having a hard time trying to choose which one I like best, what about you? What other ideas do you have for customizing one of these Vow Books? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

 

How to Add Photos to Paper Page Albums

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

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Paper page albums are perfect because they are flexible, archival and easy.

Flexible in that it allows you to show your album just the way you want it – orienting the photos, placing other keepsakes, and even drawing/decorating the pages.

Archival in that acid-free/lignin-free (archival quality) paper page albums take better care of your photos/keepsakes by keeping degenerative materials from prematurely aging your photos.

Easy in that adding photos to your album can be quick and easy with the proper tools, shown below.

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So, how do I get photos in paper page albums?


All these photo album accessories and adhesives make it easy to add photos to a paper page album – and they are archival quality to protect and preserve your photos for generations.

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Photo Corners

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Slide the corners of the photos into the corners, removing the photo corner from the liner.  Eyeball/mark the page where you want the photo to go, place the photo on the paper page and then press the photo corners in place.  Make sure the photo corners are snugly prior to pressing them down so the photo doesn’t have much wiggle room.

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Photo Sleeves

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The easiest, best and most flexible of the photo accessories.  While being archival, photo sleeves completely cover/protect your photos from finger prints.  They allow flexiblity in placing your 4 x 6” photos either landscape or portrait orientation.  Simply slide the photo in the sleeve, remove the liner from the back of the sleeve and press on the page.

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Photo Dot

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Little glue dots have never been so cute and fun!  With a miniscule amount of adhesive touching your photo, roll the mechanism about 1/2″ long on the back of your photo – one center and in each corner.  Then, press the photo into place.  Non-yellowing dots are archival and strong to last generations.

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Photo Mounts

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Photo mounts are two-sided adhesive squares, allowing you to place the square on the back of the photo yet remove the liner later for placement.

Great option for photo guest books where you want to preselect where the photos will go.  To do this, determine where you want your photos to go and place the photo mounts on the pages, keeping the liner on the front.  Ask your guests to remove the liner and press the photo into place.

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Roller Tape

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Super easy and fun, these roller tapes apply a micro-thin layer of archival adhesive to the back of your photographs.  Simply press and roll the applicator on the back of the photo, flip and press in place!

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Tape / Glue

Almost all of us have this on hand!  While there are many scrapbook and archival quality options of double-sided tape and glue, it is so important to select tape and glue sticks that are archival quality.  Not all adhesives are archival quality!  So check before you use your household supplies.  And, no wet glue – it’ll warp your photos!

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We hope this guide helps you make great family keepsakes with lots of photos and memories kept!