Ali's "I Do" Diary: Bridesmaid Proposal Boxes

Craft Supplies: Michaels

Here comes the bride... and it's our very own TSS Co-Founder, Ali!  Yes that's right, Ali and her honey Jon are tying the knot in May of next year, and we will be documenting their journey along the way.  We love weddings, and Ali is beyond excited to share her tips and ideas with all of our readers.  And yes, we will be there when they share their "I do's" too!  For other brides-to-be or those dreaming of their big day, we hope that we can provide a little dose of wedded inspiration!  We are thrilled to announce Ali's "I Do" Diary column... take it away, Ali!

Ali's "I Do" Diary: June 19, 2013.
Little girls dream of planning their big day with their prince charming, and I am so lucky to have found the man of my dreams.  Now that we've set a date and started putting our plans together, I needed to do something else that was very important-- ask my best girlfriends to stand by my side!  My wedding day wouldn't be complete without the girls (and sorority sisters) that I've shared my favorite memories, laughs, and cries with too.  Because they mean so much to me, I wanted to do something special when asking them to be my bridesmaid.  So, I decided to "pop" the question!

I'm a bit of a Pinterest fanatic, so naturally I went right to Pinterest when looking for bridesmaid inspiration.  I came across a few ideas involving Ring Pops, and I knew it was the perfect way to ask my girls!  Sweet, creative, and a little silly, it described what I was going for perfectly.  I headed straight to Michaels with my color scheme (light pink) in mind, and got down to crafty business!

I used natural cardboard gift boxes, scrapbook paper, rubber stamps, stickers, pink paper shreds, gift ribbon, and of course the key ingredient- Ring Pops.  Double sided tape made for an easy (and less messy) adhesive to attach the scrapbook paper to the boxes.  Testing out the rubber stamps on some scrap paper first was helpful to get a system down just right.  Once I put the boxes together, I tied them with a bow, and voilà!  An adorable little bridesmaid proposal box was complete!  I added a personal note with each box, and sent them on their way.  Hearing each of their reactions was priceless; I'm so happy to have asked my bridesmaids to be a part of our special day in a creative way!

I can't wait to share more bits and pieces of our wedding planning with all of you!  More to come soon!

DIY: 3D Canvas Art

We have this thing with 3D art lately. There's something about walking into your home and feeling like you've stepped into an art museum that makes it so much more than a place with four walls. Three-dimensional art is so unique and allows your room to have some pizzazz. One of our latest DIY home decor projects to spice up our wall included a piece of canvas, paint, an empty glass bottle, and some pretty (fake) flowers.

How to make this 3-Dimensional piece of art:

Step 1: Buy a blank canvas from Joann Fabric and Craft Store or Hobby Lobby.
Step 2: With a paint brush, coat the canvas with water (this is to prepare the surface for paint).
Step 3: Pour some paint (any color) onto a palette and proceed to stroke the paint onto the canvas. For a distressed look, use a small amount of paint to coat the area of the canvas stroking up and down.
Step 4: Allow the canvas to dry.
Step 5: Take a glass jar and place it onto the painted canvas.
Step 6: Using a hot glue gun, fasten the glass jar onto the canvas.

Place flowers into the jar and hang up your masterpiece!