I also think that with all of the uncertainty in my life right now, doing this projects helps me stay focused and realize that FI isn’t going anywhere and with everything that is going on, this wedding will happen one day! So they are very relaxing for me, gets my mind off of all of the everyday drama and worrying about things I have no control over at this point.

Anyhoo… My broom was the first project I finished when I was planning with my old colors, for my old date.

Those brooms are hard to find though! The first ones I found were smaller than I expected so I had to get creative. I put two of them together, but it still looked to short. So I thought of using a cardboard tube to extend the handle and cover it with fabric and lace. I think it worked out well, except for a couple of things.

I was in Jo-Anns getting fabric and saw a cardboard tube sitting behind the counter, they gave it to me no problem. The problem – it was too thick, especially for my brooms. So with a new color scheme, I got the chance to do it all over again, this time with a left over Christmas wrapping paper tube.

And drumroll please…….. the finished product.

So what do you all think?

Anyway when I found this project I knew I had to share with my fellow DIY Brown and Bridal Wedding Divas!

GET THIS WATER BALLOON LUMINARIES!!

I KNOW! I KNOW!

you looking at me like….

Ride with me on this one! Now you know I only do FLY!

Here are the instructions from Peak Candle Supplies with PICS and a little helpful commentary from me in Italics (hee hee)!!

1. Fill a water balloon with tepid water.  Throw one at your future husband for kicks

2. Melt your wax. Drip some of said wax all over your body to entertain future husband who is damp and probably still pissed  about the ballon. He will forget all that once the wax starts a dripping. Optimum working temperature for this project is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to maintain this temperature for your wax while working by keeping it on a double boiler.

3. Slowly dip your balloon into the wax  to just below the water level in the balloon. Warning: Do not dip the balloon into the wax past the water level. This could cause the balloon to pop. PLEASE NOTE: If you burn yaself, bust the balloon, or mess this up in anyway thehdic, Brown and Bridal, the candle people and Jesus are not responsible. YOU ARE.  If you can’t chew gum and walk this is not for you, boo boo!

4. Hold the balloon in the wax for a few seconds, and then slowly lift it out of the wax. Dip the balloon a few more times, allowing some time between dips to let the wax cool.

5. While it is still quite warm, carefully set the balloon down onto a piece of paper or a cookie sheet, making sure it is level. This will create a flat bottom for the luminary. This is the only case where a FLAT BOTTOM is desired by any woman I have ever met!

6. Dip your balloon a few more times until it is the desired thickness. A good target thickness is 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.

7. Set the balloon on the paper or cookie sheet again and let it cool.

8. When the wax is completely cooled, hold the balloon over a sink or bucket, facing away from you. Carefully pop the balloon with a skewer or knife and let the water drain out. Throw away the balloon shards. Shards? That word makes me giggle.

9. To level the top of the luminary, heat a cookie sheet on the stove and place the luminary top-down onto the hot sheet and carefully melt the edges until it is level.

10. Place a tea light or votive inside the luminary and burn on a candle holder in a dark area.

Are you ready for the finished product?

________

What did I tell you!!! FLLLYYYYYY!!! So fabulous! The one above have been colored with dyes! Can you imagine a Reception hall filled with these little lights illuminating your wedding colors everywhere! I just FAINTED from the FIERCENESS!!!

You could use them as centerpieces, to line the aisle, to decorate the head table, I mean really the possibilities are endless!

And here are some tips I got from searching around the internets from folks who have done this project!

1. Don’t use actual water balloons! They are really thin and may burst from the heat!  Try 7 inch Helium Ballons!

2. Wax is hot… Be careful!

3. Use plastic tealights to make sure they don’t melt through the wax of your balloon luminary! Also put just a little bit of water in the bottom of the luminary so if there is any trouble, the water will handle it! Oh and if your wedding sites don’t allow open flames you can use battery-operated tea lights!

4.  Candle Tech has a great video too: Check it out here: You can also buy all the supplies you need from there!

So that’s it! IF you do decide to make these send me pics and any tips so I can let all the other ladies know how it turned out! Also if you have any other DIY wedding projects shoot me an email at brownandbridal@gmail.com and I would love to feature your project!

Fierce, Fabulous, and Full of wax,

THEHDIC

Today I’m feeling a bit anxious. I’ve finished all of my DIY projects and one more thing to get for myself (brooch)…I went to Target today on my lunch break with one of the gift cards I got from the bridal shower my job threw me…I was looking for a bracelet to complete my bridal look…I was trying to be like the “cool kids” and get one from EBay or one of the trendy places brides get their stuff online, but I’m at the “eh” point with my planning…I actually found a really pretty one for $18.99…I’m so dang cheap…Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have bought it, but a $25.00 gift card was all I needed to get over myself….my cheap self…So here’s what I got:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZB1c16q0L._SS384_.jpg)

I’ll make sure to shave my arm hair for the photo op…lol! That’s one of my pet peeves…Arm hair…I don’t have much, but something about bracelets…They’re like a flashing light saying, “HEY look…Arm hair!!!” I know…I’m nuts…But I have to make sure my pictures look fabulous…It’s all about the pictures…Seriously…
So now that I’m at this point, I’m literally twiddling my thumbs looking for stuff to do…I’m going to have to really keep myself in check…The inner DIY diva is getting restless. I’ve done so many projects…It’s almost a sin…Martha Stewart would definitely give me the disapproval look, but I aint got Martha’s money, so she’s going to have to give me a free pass…

Planning has been a blast for me, and developing my theme and watching it come together has been so gratifying…I’m doing a Garden Tea Party and we’re getting married at sunset on a Friday night, so I chose sunset colors for my wedding (Burnt Orange, deep red, gold, and chocolate). I’ve done some fun projects like:
Fan Programs

The personalized aisle runner

The Cake Table Runner

The table numbers

The Card Box (disregard the random junk around it…)

Yeah…DIY was very necessary as our budget was insanely low ($7500). We decided to invite a few people (60) rather than a lot…I said NO…make that HELL NO to the plastic tablecloths…So DIY queen I became…
So now it’s over…No more planning or projects…(tear) So now I’m getting anxious… I’m sitting up day dreaming about the day…How it’s going to go, who I’ll probably need to choke (I think that’s going to be my fiancé’s mother or sister), who I’m definitely going to shank (my fiancé’s dad for continuing to try to invite people…I’mma roundhouse kick him before I shank him…I see that now…)…
So I have NOTHING to do…Hmmm….I love this feeling…We’ll see what happens tomorrow…I’m sure somebody is going to make me want to “windmill” them…

Ree…