Creating a Rustic Look for an Event ~ on a Budget!

This year I was able to do the decorating for our Mother Daughter Dinner at our church.  This involved doing all the decorations for the tables and all the favors for 135 ladies!  It was big job to take on along with my full time job, but it was nice to have the opportunity to do something I enjoy and also serve the Lord with a talent God has given me.

This year our theme was "Beauty for Ashes" from Isaiah 61:3.  The speaker had an amazing testimony of how God had taken ashes in her past childhood and transformed her life into beauty through Jesus Christ.  So to go along with this theme ~ what would be better than to do rustic decorations!  Although I did not get a full picture of the entire set up, if I find someone who did I will definitely post a better picture.  But for now, below is a picture of the centerpieces.

My budget was small but everything pulled together so good to give a simple rustic feel to the room.

To get a good rustic look and feel, you really do not have to spend a lot of money!  I'm going to give you my tips for this theme, it would work great for a bridal shower, baby shower, or any event you may be hosting for ladies.

TIPS!!

1. BURLAP FABRIC!! 
   I purchased burlap fabric from Walmart - one word - cheap!!  It only cost about $3.50 a yard!  My mom cut each one and we made squares that we placed in the center of the tables. 

2. MASON JARS!!
I used Mason jars - another word - cheap!  I purchased these also from Walmart for less than $10 for 12, cannot.beat.that!  Each mason jar was filled with a few hydrangeas (to me this is the flower that goes so well to soften any rustic look).  The flowers may be the only item you will spend the most money on.

3. GRAPEVINES!!
I wanted to add some other items to my centerpiece, so I went with a grapevine wreath - love just plain grapevine wreaths!  I purchased these online at JoAnn's for $2.50 each, they are very small so if you are looking for something larger I would go up one size.  I was on a budget ~ so $2.50 each wreath was a great deal. 

4. BURLAP RIBBON & LACE!!
I wrapped each mason jar with wide burlap ribbon that I got for 50% off at Hobby Lobby and tied with lace ribbon.  I placed my mason jar inside the grapevine wreath.  I originally was going to add a picture frame and fill it with our theme verse, but the ones I kept finding were either too large or the budget would not allow it. So I found these wood pieces at JoAnn's for less than $1 each, painted them gray (gray is a great color to give a rustic look), and I printed on sticker labels a little caption to coordinate with the theme.

5. CHALKBOARD!!
The centerpieces still needed one last thing - table numbers!  I found these table number chalkboards at Michael's, they were not as cheap as I would've liked them to be ($12 for 12) but they really added character and dimension to the centerpieces. Always add chalkboard to your rustic theme!! :)

For the favors, to coordinate with our theme on Beauty for Ashes, I made bath salts and bubble bath.  I purchased jelly jars from Walmart, 12 for $8, found a DIY balt salt receipe on pinterest and made the favors for super cheap! These were the cutest favors! I wanted to wrap the lids with fabric but... 135 women signed up for the event = 135 favors and 135 favor lids to wrap in fabric.  I chose to leave them silver and just tie ribbon around them. :) The name cards were printed on square labels from Avery.com and then stuck onto vintage scrapbook paper (from Walmart, $5 for a book of scrapbook paper). 

The event turned out great and the tables looked so cute!  Hope this helps you when you go to plan your next rustic event!

Tiffany

DIY ~ Plush Felt Wreath in Three Easy Steps!

Yes, I found the DIY felt wreath idea and instructions on online when I did this however I took my own pictures when I made this wreath for a baby shower and learned a few time saving tricks. When I first starting looking at taking on this project the biggest complaint I read from others was that felt was so hard to cut into circles...as I did my project I really wondered what all the complaining was about and I think it all has to do with the tools you use.


What you'll need:

• a 12 inch styrofoam wreath 
• approximately 2 yards of felt, preferably thin
• straight pins
• scissors (curved/medical scissors are best!)
• an old school compass or a 3 inch circle template
• a pencil or pen

Step One:  If you are using a compass, set your compass to make a 3 inch circle, or smaller. I found I didn't like the circles to be too large, so you may want to play with it a little bit until you get them the right size. I first drew a bunch of circles on my felt, not only did I have a bunch of circles quickly drawn but I felt like I was already getting so much done on the project. After drawing several circles I began cutting. I've always had a set of curved scissors or medical scissors I've heard them called, they are awesome go pick you up some. They were the biggest time savor for this project, the curved scissors just moved so much smoother to make the circles & before long I had a stack of felt circles! A little note, if you are using a pen to draw the circles use the line as a guide but try to cut inside the line so you don't have a pen marks.


Step Two:  After you have a good amount circles you can begin on the wreath. Take one circle and fold it two time in the middle to create a beautiful rosette. Insert a straight pin at the tip and insert the pin into your wreath. Make sure they are pinned close, but not too close, just make sure they cover the wreath. After you've added a few adjust them and fluff! Continue following step one & two until your wreath is completely covered with felt.

Step Three:  Lastly if you are planning to hang the wreath you can take some ribbon to pin onto the back of the wreath. I did this with some straight pins but it was a little hard to get it to stay strong so I would recommend either loading it up on straight pins or using super glue. 

All Done!!! Who knew felt could look so pretty!!
Perfect touch for any sweet event! Could also be done in white or red for Christmas and hung with a ribbon!