Monday, August 24, 2009

My "I can't belive I actually made this" Aisle Runner


So to start things off with a bang, today I thought I'd share one of my favorite DIY projects. I certainly can't take credit for coming up with this idea, but if I can execute this, anyone can!

By way of background, I should note that originally I did NOT want an aisle runner. I thought said runners were tacky and a waste of money. That was before I saw Miss Spring Roll's uber helpful tutorial at WeddingBee. I was inspired! I decided maybe Mom was right- we are having a December wedding, and guests might track water, mud or dirt into the church, and I don't want it getting on my dress... this walked the perfect line between unnecessary expense and cute enhancement!

How to:

(1) I ordered a $15 aisle runner from Save-on-Crafts, but you can find cute ones at Oriental Trading Company for about $25 too.

(2) Using the Bickham font, which I downloaded for free, I printed our names as big as I could make them, along with two copies of a giant free flourish image the same way. There are a great many photoshop-savvy ways you could do this. Me, I just blew up the image and then printed out different portions of the image on power point slides. Not regulation, but effective!

(3) Finally, I taped all those printed pieces of paper together to make a template, and literally traced the image onto my aisle runner using paint pens! If you're like me and lack a steady hand, paint pens are definitely the way to go, but a more skillful artist could work with paint and brushes. Just be sure to place a layer of wax paper between your runner and the paper so that your paint does not bleed onto the surface below.

(4) Be sure you're painting the correct side of your aisle runner before you begin! I made the silly mistake of painting the wrong side first. Oops! Fortunately, when you're working on the correct side the painting is easier!

(5) Last but not least, I poured a glass of Sauv Blanc and congratulated myself for not only completing, but loving this project I didn't really think I could do!

Do you have a wedding project you're especially proud of?

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