Jennifer's DYI Digital Menu

Jennifer's getting married this Saturday! Yikes! Even though I did complete a wedding package for her reception (programs, placecards and table numbers), she decided to go with a DIY menu. I created the following menu to match her monogram I made, and the programs.. I created the file to fit a 5X7 cardstock sheet. There are two options for her: print direct from the pdf file and set the page size to 5X7. OR, she can insert the jpg file I sent her into Word and print that way (with the page settings to the correct page size).

DIY TIP: Instead of using a paper trimmer to create multiple items (like menus), go to a local printer (i.e. Kinkos), where they can cut your cardstock for you for less than $5 (to cut a stack of 100). You only wait about 5 minutes (if it's not busy). It will save you so much time and frustration. That way, you can simply stick it in your printer, set the page settings to the size you want, then print away... Especially for those last minute paper projects.

Britney and Dustin

Wow, today has been a good day as far as monograms. Britney made her final pick for her monogram design. I'm also including a few proofs which will be added to my design collection. Her colors are expresso and sage green.

Here are a few proofs that didn't make the cut.

Sarah and Ashley: Catalina Island

Sarah and Ashley will be getting married on Catalina Island later this year. She loves the look of vintage postcards, so I put this monogram together for her web site.

Since Sarah is from Los Angeles, and Ashley is originally from Britain, she asked me to come up with a monogram that shows the melding of the two countries.

And for her 3rd monogram, I put together a monogram that incorporates her colors...

DIY Tip: Adhesives

I've been getting a lot of questions from DIY brides and fellow scrappers on which adhesive I use for the paper products. This has been a question I've grappled with myself for the first 6 months after starting GE Designs. I've used several: glue sticks, double-sided tape, and rubber cement. All of which has worked for me so far. But back in November, I've made an investment in the 3M ATG Tape gun, which is available at Framing Supplies. OMG. What a difference! I use the acid free Gold ATG tape, also available at the web site, but this gun has saved my life. It's so easy to use, and with the 1/4" tape, I can use it on any paper project. When you work with wedding decor, greeting cards, and other memory making items, you want to use high quality adhesive, and 3M's ATG tape is by far my favorite.

But if you don't want to make the investment, or you are not a scrapper, and just need adhesives on a short term basis, my second favorite adhesive is Scotch's permanent double-sided tape. Just make sure to press down after application to make sure the paper stick permanently. I still use this for last minute touchups - and for my personal notecards. This is available at any craft store or drug store. I highly recommend double sided tape for every bride on their big day -- it's great for any sticky emergency!

Lauren's Digital Files: DIY

Lauren is getting married really soon, and came to me looking for pdf files for her DIY placecards, menus and Table Numbers. Just thought I'd share them with you. She purchased her placecards from Michaels and so the brand she used has a template ready to download into the computer. I simply created the graphic to go in the background so that she can type in the names of her guests, along with their table assignment. The cardstock is already perforated so that she can easily assemble them. I added this design below into her Word template so it's easier for her to type over the graphic.

Here is the digital graphic of her Menu. She asked for the swirl design to match her placecards.

And finally, the digital layout of her matching table numbers. I created the background graphic below (including the monogram!), then I created 13 table numbers based on the couple's favorite movies and quotes from them! I loved themed table numbers.

This text below is overlayed onto the graphic above to complete the look in Lauren's PDF file. Now she just simply has to print and trim these 5X7 table cards to complete the look of her reception tables!

DIY Tip: When doing your own projects, always always ALWAYS print out one sample page on scratch paper before using your expensive cardstock. It's a pretty well known step, but I even find myself still printing away and ruining paper on some of the projects I put together.

Sonya's Table Numbers: Sneak Peak

Sonya came to me looking for table numbers that incorporated her theme of chandeliers. Her colors are Tiffany Blue (or aqua) and Silver (gun metal). She wanted to add a little extra bling, so I adhered small rhinestones on the chandelier background to give it some pop. I love tiffany blue!

Tanekeya Word's Duchess Logos

Here are a couple logos I created for Tanekeya's personal web site. She's starting her own etsy shop, called Popular, so check her work out. Very talented artist, and as usual, a great guide in getting her graphic designs right. She was looking for a crown, so I designed the following crown to her specifications, and incorporated some colorful jewels to match her painting, which is in the 1st logo. The painting is part of Tanekeya's own artwork, so I cropped it to make the final result below.
And this 2nd logo, will be used in her new website. With the matching crown from above.