DIY Life

I'm planning a baby shower for a friend at the moment, and she's not your average mother-to-be. I've been instructed not to include storks, diapers or baby bottles, as the occasion should be feminine, but not exaggerated. As I brainstormed color schemes and DIY favors, my mind instantly thought of these adorable DIY wedding favors and invitations, which are perfect for my friend.

My favorite invitations idea is to send a notebook with the occasion details and RSVP info, including a note asking the guest to fill out their predictions for the happy couple. I'd love to use this as a baby shower idea and ask guests to include their best advice for parenting, fun baby names and predictions for the birth.

Best part? You can turn the notebooks into one heck of a scrapbook and gift it to the bride-to-be or mother-to-be when the shower is completed. A DIY from start to finish, and the guest of honor will be floored at the personal touch.

For more great shower planning ideas, check out our friends at Holidash!

So your wedding day is near, and you still haven't made up your mind about table centerpieces.

Last year, I wrote a post with ideas for 8 do it yourself wedding centerpieces. It's been very popular since it was published, but I know that there are hundreds of additional impressive ways to go about making a beautiful visual feature for your guest's tables.

Let's face it: you want your wedding day to be perfect, and saving money on your centerpieces will give you a sigh of relief. Knowing that you and your wedding party made them yourselves will also give you great satisfaction. "Inexpensive" does not necessarily mean "cheap"; anything that you can do for your wedding day or even your day to day life to save money will make you happier in the long run.

Follow me after the break, as I try again to give you some inexpensive ideas for creating your own beautiful centerpieces.

You're so close to walking down the aisle... only a few finishing touches on your DIY wedding, and you'll be ready for the big day. You've made your invitations, your bouquet, and your centerpieces, but have you thought about your favors yet?

Back when I got married, in an attempt to keep my wedding super-simple, we bought personalized votive candles and stuck them on the tables. Pretty much done, but looking back, I could have done something nearly as easy that:

• showed our personality more as a couple
• had a creative touch
• fit the theme of our wedding
• really said "thank you" to our guests.

If I could do it all over again, I'd choose one of these three favors.

Remember the super sweet personalized M&M's Francesca brought to our attention? They are the perfect gift to give when letting someone know just how much, or not so much, they mean to you. They are also great to give as a party or wedding favor.

My M&M's now has custom printed photo M&M's available. You send in a photo you took per their guidelines, and they will print the image out on the M&M's using food-grade ink. You can personalize your message relevant to the face(s) in the photo.

My baby turns 3 next month, and I think that the M&M's would be a perfect treat for her birthday party. My only problem would be keeping them out of everyone's mouth until we've sung Happy Birthday! I think the same would go for the lucky couple on their wedding day.

[via: Photojojo]

My niece was married last December. The wedding was stunningly beautiful (as was my niece). The timing of her wedding lent itself to a Christmas theme. For favors, we packed Christmas ornaments in cream boxes and decorated them with ribbon, a bell, and evergreens.

But even if your wedding isn't as theme-based as my niece's was, you can come up with any number of original do-it-yourself wedding favors. If you're in need of inspiration... think regionally. From the maple candy in Vermont to a mini bottle of wine in California, every location has something to inspire a wedding favor.

The Martha Stewart Weddings site has an extensive list of ideas for regional wedding favors. These local treats are sure to be appreciated by all: they serve as an introduction to your area for out-of-town guests, and are a familiar favorite for locals.

For more wedding favor ideas, see Jessi's post on keeping wedding favors personal.

According to LoveToKnow, the favor itself was a porcelain box, given at any large celebration to the guests. The Jordan almond eventually became the staple, and the porcelain box was replaced by wedding veil material (tole). Unfortunately, this has developed into the tradition. Boring.

If you're going to spend the money, why not make it personal? My best friend and her husband - who is now considered cured of Hodgkin's Lymphoma - donated what they would have spent on favors to a cancer research charity. The key is to find something personal to you and your wedding. Is your wedding in the winter? Why not give homemade hot chocolate mix? If you're a gardener, give seeds or seedlings; baby trees make a great and lifelong gift. Even if your budget is tighter than bark on a tree, do something simple, like write a thank you poem. Even a great family recipe can make a great favor.

Regardless of what you decide to do, make it personal, make it meaningful. This way, not only will your guests be touched by your thoughtfulness, you will be able to express your gratefulness authentically.