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!

If you're getting married this summer, it's probably a little late to start planning your big day right now. If you're tying the knot next year, however, or just looking for some last minute tips then -- wow! -- have we got some ideas for you!

Blushing brides learn what to do with treasured wedding mementos, hopeful grooms get pointers on the perfect proposal, and if you're the maid-of-honor, you'll be her hero for suggesting economical ways to make table center-pieces and party favors!

Weddings... it is so easy to get caught up in the moment. After all, your big day is pretty important, right? Agreed, but instead of being stressed over the planning, it makes sense to me to keep it simple and enjoy every moment leading up to your wedding as well.

Zen Habits has thirteen tips to hep you do just that: keep your wedding plans as simple as possible. They make a disclaimer, though, stating that if you want a traditional wedding that you probably still will have some stress. Their sensible tips are to help alleviate some of the needless worrying, so after the break I'll share some of their ideas.

Let's face it: everything today is expensive. Where they really get you, though, is with anything wedding. You can always benefit financially from doing-it-yourself. You've probably thought about making and assembling your own wedding invitations and favors, but have you considered creating your own wedding bouquet?

Simple bouquets are more stylish these days, and that works in your favor. Some general tips for making your own wedding bouquet are at All Wedding Ideas and include:

• coordinating colors and tones with the bride's and bridesmaids' dresses
• making sure to have at least eight of the main flowers in your bouquet on hand
• arranging starting with the largest main flowers and work out from the center
• accentuating the finished floral arrangement with beads, tulle, ribbon, and lace

When I graduated from high school -- more years ago than I would prefer to admit -- the school had graduation announcements that we could purchase. They were simple and, well, a bit boring. But I've had several nieces and nephews graduate in recent years and the announcements they purchased from their schools were much more elaborate... and more expensive.

I'm not sure if my nieces' and nephews' announcements are the norm now-a-days, but if so, the cost alone would be reason for making your own announcements. Besides the money factor, DIY announcements mean you have a one-of-a-kind creation: something unique and wonderful for the grad in your life.

Shine has a beautiful and elegant DIY announcement idea. She used folded cardstock, vellum, a custom rubber inkstamp, and ribbon. Want more announcement ideas? Check out this post about Print Gocco, and this wedding invitation post, for ideas you can apply to grad announcements.

Weddings are so fun, but for the bride and groom, getting prepared for their special day can be a hassle. It is quite a feat to pull off a wedding without a hitch.

Although it is exhilarating to pick out flowers, the hall, the chapel, and those you've chosen to be in your wedding party, it can get a little frustrating to agree on all aspects of the day.

You can take the hassle out of choosing your wedding invitations with an awesome instructable that teaches how to print and assemble multi-layered wedding invitations.

You've set the date, time and location for your special day. You've debated over and have finally chosen the wedding theme that suits your personality. Now what about the invitations? Being the frugal DIY'er that you are, you can make your own memorable and much more personal wedding invitations that can save you quite a bit of money.

You can do something unique that won't look like the same invite that everyone else is doing. Homemade invitations can symbolize the special love that you and your soon-to-be spouse share. If you get stumped, there are many articles on how to make your own. wikiHow gives a great article with steps and tips on how to make cheap homemade wedding invitations. If you need help coming up with more ideas, enter 2n-invite.com. They have a free printable wedding template for you and free, printable unique wedding invitations, wording ideas, and hints on how to come up with a unique verse.

Making your own wedding invitations certainly does not mean you are being cheap. I think it is sweet and romantic. Plus, there is the advantage on how much money you will save. If you think it will be too much of a hassle and too time consuming to make your own invites, just think of that little fact. Money. You could splurge on something else for your special day with the money you save when you create your own special invitations that people will be sure to remember for years to come.

Instructables user j schultz built this awesome letterpress at home to make wedding stationery. Anyone who's priced out professionally-printed wedding invitations knows that letterpress stuff is spendy, usually at least as expensive as engraving... and that's before you consider that you need more than just invitations. RSVP cards, thank you notes, maps, and so on: they really start to add up!

However, letterpress printing itself is medieval technology, and not too difficult to do at home, particularly if you don't have to set the type yourself. There are companies which will make printing plates for you; one is mentioned in the article. The inked letters and motifs are pressed deeply into the paper, giving you something that feels as beautiful as it looks: it's not cheap, but it's far less expensive than paying someone else to do the printing.

Gutenberg never had it so good. (He, after all, had to set his own type.)

Have you ever been on your way to a party, then realized that you didn't have a card or a gift box for the gift you'd planned to take? Are you getting married, and want to make your own invitations? As long as you have printer-ready card stock, a craft knife, and a bone scorer/folder around the house, you're covered.

Ruth Ann Zaroff's Mirkwood Designs is a site that was once known for its excellent hand-carved rubber stamps (no longer made), but is currently known for its wide variety of printable card, box, and envelope templates.

Among the 50+ templates you'll find: the center-tie card shown above, a heart card, a butterfly card, a paper doll, a trapezoid box, a library card book pocket, faux postage, a milk carton box, a take-out box, a mug card, and much more. Instructions for using each template are included. Most projects can be completed in under half an hour.