busy, busy, busy!

To my faithful readers, I deeply apologize for not writing an entry sooner!  It's not that I've been too busy to write, it's just I haven't had too much to write about just yet.  

I've been spending the last few weeks finalizing my DIY plans.  What began as a simple thought of making my own menu cards has now turned into doing everything myself!  And while I'm still ironing out the kinks, I thought I'd share with you a couple of things I've learned so far:

1. Give yourself enough time.  While your ideas may change along the way, it's really important to leave room to not only decide on your vision but to determine how you're going to achieve it.  Sure, layered programs don't look like much but when I actually sat down and had to figure out the dimensions of the pages, I was relieved to know I had plenty of time for trial and error!

2. Order samples.  Textures of paper or fabric cannot be felt through a computer screen and colors are RARELY represented accurately.  I probably spent $25 on all sorts of papers and ribbons and invitations but it was well worth it.  What appears nice on the screen may end up looking cheap or tacky in reality!

3.  Seek inspiration.  Just because you're doing the project yourself doesn't mean you have to be creative enough to come up with an idea from scratch!  My design didn't just magically appear in my head; I took other creations and mixed and matched them to fit the snowflake vision I already had.  If you have an idea or color, I suggest entering in a keyword into Google images and let it do it's thing.

4. Be organized! If you were to ask my father about my organizational skills, he'd laugh.  My work desk has papers scattered all over it, my bedroom has drawers filled with random junk and my car needs a maid in order to stay neat.  When it comes to my DIY projects, however, I am pretty anal.  I keep track of everything - the color, size, amount, company, cost, dimensions, etc.  And I don't order anything until I consult my spreadsheet.

5.  Ask for help. Don't assume you can do all these tasks by yourself because unless you are a stay-at-home bride, you won't have the time.  There's so much that needs to be done and some of it doesn't even require lifting a finger.  My co-workers have been so helpful with helping me determine paper colors and design layouts that I don't think I'd have the confidence to go forward with these projects if it weren't for them!  And when it comes time to assemble everything, I'll be fine even if only one or two members of my large bridal party can spare an hour or so to help out.

6.  Know when to go professional.  I'm doing a lot of the stationery myself but that doesn't mean I want it to look that way.  So instead of using Momzilla's temperamental deskjet printer, I'm having all of my stationery printed by my local Alphagraphics.  And while I was able to pull off a crash course in calligraphy, there are still some trades I know I will never be able to learn.  Like how to cut in a straight line. As I mentioned above, my program pages will be layered and I really don't trust myself to use the paper cutter in my office to make each layer the exact length it needs to be.  So, in addition to printing my stationery, Alphagraphics has offered to laser cut my programs, menus and placecards as well.  This will certainly cut my DIY time in half!

So there you have it!  Granted, nothing major has been finished yet so I can't tell you if these tips really work but so far, everything has been going smoothly.  I've started the invitation making process and have already begun addressing a couple of envelopes.  I don't want to post up any of my finished work until after the wedding, but I do plan on blogging my progress along the way.  And if any of you other DIY Brides have advice or questions, feel free to comment below!

Happy DIY-ing!