Make your own wedding jewelry

So maybe you can't make a wedding dress, you can still save money and be the envy of other brides if you whip up something amazing- like your wedding jewelry!  This is step-by-step from WobiSobi is cheap to make but looks gorgeous.  You can see from her comparison photos that buying this necklace in a store would cost you plenty, but making one could cost you less than 20 bucks.  Visit her tutorial here.

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Retro wedding veil

I love this, I totally would do this if I could go back in time.  It's something different than the traditional wedding veil and it's adorable.  Plus, with the right dress, you can pull off a very chic retro look.  Another plus?  Easy to make one yourself and save the big bucks!  Here's Hannah Handmade to show us how.

Hannah Handmade is in our free blog directory.  Is your blog?

Are you listed in our directory? It's free! List your blog and follow us and you could be featured in an upcoming post. Find the link at the top of our page.

Make your own wedding jewelry

The Yellow Blackbird blog is one of my all-time favorite blogs.  This lady is seriously talented and can put together the most fun jewelry that are usually knock-offs of the stuff you love but can't afford at the mall.  Why not take the time to make your own jewelry for your wedding day?  Be different!  Check out her Anthropology-inspired necklace below.

By the way, Yellow Blackbird is in our directory.  Is your blog?

Are you listed in our directory? It's free! List your blog and follow us and you could be featured in an upcoming post. Find the link at the top of our page.

How much does it cost to be a Bridesmaid?

Being asked to be a bridesmaid is a huge honor, but can be a little scary too.  There's a lot to pay for as a bridesmaid.  Most likely the list includes the dress, shoes, jewelry, hair/makeup, presents for the parties and showers, manicure/pedicure, and the wedding gift.  Again, it's an honor, but something to consider.  Maybe this is a good opportunity too to remind brides that they should be as considerate as possible with the expenses of the bridesmaids.  Hint, hint.  :)

At my wedding, I knew I had to think fast.  We planned our whole wedding in three months and I didn't want to burden my bridesmaids with details and a big price tag.  I decided black formal gowns were fine and they could wear their own.  Many bought their dresses on clearance, borrowed something, or used one they already had.  The only requirement was it be long, black, and formal.  Done!  They all looked gorgeous and the pictures turned out so pretty too.  They all wore their own shoes and I bought them necklaces as a present.

Read the article below and consider the cost of a bridesmaid.  If you're a bride, what can you do to make it easier on your wedding party?

How much does it cost to be a Bridesmaid? | SmartBrideBoutique.com

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Garage Sale Season: Refinished dining room chairs

My friend Nikki over at The Lovely Residence found these awesome chairs at a garage sale and refinished them in a really cute way.  Lots of sales out there right now, keep your eyes open for treasures!  Check out the before and after pictures here.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

How to wear your wedding dress... again

So I have to say, I was never very excited about my wedding dress.  I went shopping by myself one afternoon and was so intimidated by the amount of dresses, the cost, the formality of the process... I wanted it to just be done so I picked one out and bought it.  Not one of my better decisions but there it was, a simple ivory halter dress on sale and ready to wear.  I hate shopping, especially for things like this.  Strange maybe since a lot of girls dream about their wedding for years, but for me, once the day finally came to find the dress, I was over it.

Now, I have my dress and I didn't even bother to preserve it.  I literally threw it in the washing machine with some towels and cleaned it the other day.  It's in great shape but really, will my daughters wear this thing?  Probably not.  I'm thinking I may alter it into a strapless cocktail dress, maybe wear it to Vegas with my husband and renew our vows with Elvis.

Here are some pictures of my dress:




So my idea is to turn my dress into something like this (except in an ivory color) which is a little bit more modern and fun.  Plus, like I said, if that trip to Vegas ever happens I will save a load of money on buying a new dress.

Want to know how to do this yourself?  You are brave if you said yes.  Me?  I'll be taking mine to a seamstress but if you'd like to attempt it yourself, try this link.  Step by step (sort of) on how to go from wedding dress to cocktail dress.  Good luck!


Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Highlights from the blog party

I met some more creative bloggers at the Wednesday Blog Party this week.  Below are a couple of pictures of projects you don't want to miss.

Perfect for your bridal shower, your flower girls, your daughter's birthday party.
Click here for the easy tutorial from Mummy Crafts.

Cute jewelry organizer!  Thanks Johnny In a Dress!

My Girlish Whims has an easy and inexpensive tank for you to try this weekend.

Remember we do our weekly linky parties on Wednesday for recipes, decoration ideas, hair/makeup tips, anything you can think of that might help a bride or newlywed.  And on Fridays we Friday Fun Day where you can show off your latest kids craft or home improvement project.  For either party, post as much as you want!  Don't forget to hit the "follow" button on our sidebar so you don't miss the party and all of the other creative projects the talented bloggers are sharing.

Thanks for the party!  Grab your glue gun, make something cute, and bring it to the party next Wednesday. Were you featured this week?  Grab a button below and show off.

<a border="0" < a href="http://500dollarwedding.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa441/hkraabel/FeaturedOn2.jpg" width=125px; height=125px ></a ></center><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /> Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out. <br /> Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the best projects showcased on Saturday.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Top 5 Feature: WobiSobi

It's Monday!  Time for our Top 5 Feature where fellow bloggers and budgeters share their top five tips on saving money on your wedding or new home.  Anything from decor to recipes, these bloggers have some really good and do-able ideas that brides and newlyweds can replicate easily.

Today we're so happy to have Anne from WobiSobi contribute some awesome ideas for decor and style.  She's got it down perfectly too by using inexpensive materials and making them look like a million bucks.

Please stop by her blog and check out her ideas, she's a very creative lady who will inspire you to create something fun this week.  Take it away Anne!

Hello all!  Let me first just say, thank you Heather for having me, and second, I LOVE Weddings, but the expense can get out of control if you don't watch out.

My top 5 money saving wedding ideas are:

1.  Make your own hanging paper decorations, and mini table lamps, out of a wine glass, craft paper and a battery tea light candle.

  
This was in Good Housekeeping HERE.  My good friend E told me about this  and I thought it was brilliant. I used an old Calendar instead of Craft paper.  You could also write your name and date on them or print out colored labels.

I found this Idea on Martha Stewart a long time ago,  Go HERE for the patterns.

2. Make your own center pieces by using Apothecary jars and white lights.

 

3. or some easy Ornament Chandelier's HERE

4.  or how about dressing a rhinestone necklace to match the bridesmaid dresses using  a sharpie pin as seen HERE Via the Glamourai. and 
 

5.  Dress up your shoes with tassels that you make, HERE.

Thank you Heather, I hope you all have a wonderful day and a wonderful wedding.

Thank you Anne!  Again, you must check out WobiSobi, she has some awesome ideas and you'll love her DIY projects.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the highlights showcased on Saturday.

Highlights from the blog party

I met some more creative bloggers at the Wednesday Blog Party this week.  Below are a couple of pictures of projects you don't want to miss.

The Little Birdie Blog has a great tutorial on how to make this relaxing eye mask for Mother's Day.

I love this idea so much. 
Thank you to WobiSobi for a cute and easy DIY  project to try this weekend.

Make your own decorations for the engagement party! 
Here's some quick ideas from My Girlish Whims.

Remember we do our weekly linky parties on Wednesday for recipes, decoration ideas, hair/makeup tips, anything you can think of that might help a bride or newlywed.  And on Fridays we Friday Fun Day where you can show off your latest kids craft or home improvement project.  For either party, post as much as you want!  Don't forget to hit the "follow" button on our sidebar so you don't miss the party and all of the other creative projects the talented bloggers are sharing.

Thanks for the party!  Grab your glue gun, make something cute, and bring it to the party next Wednesday. Were you featured this week?  Grab a button below and show off.

<a border="0" < a href="http://500dollarwedding.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa441/hkraabel/FeaturedOn2.jpg" width=125px; height=125px ></a ></center><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /> Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out. <br /> Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the best projects showcased on Saturday.

Wedding Hair, volume 1

Some great ideas for wedding day hair that you should steal from the knot.  Now the trick is, how can you do these hairstyles yourself, or better yet, how can you get your sister to learn how to do these tricks on your hair?  I have some ideas, but I want you to share yours too in the comments.  If a bride is on a strict budget and needs some DIY hair ideas, what tricks do you know?

Here are my top seven favorite styles to get us started.  You'll notice I'm a fan of hair-down styles.



 

I'm definitely not opposed to fake hair on your wedding day.  I used a clip of hair to bring out some body in mine, and why not?  Do you realize how long your wedding day will be?  You'll be getting ready at the crack of dawn and celebrating until the wee hours of the morning.  You're going to have to bring in the big guns.  I also like the idea of using flower accessories to add extra umph if your hair is fine like mine.  Simple headbands are really cute.  In my opinion, complicated and intricate hair designs should be avoided.  Simple and elegant is the way to go.

Here are some products I found that may help the lovely brides get that gorgeous hair for their wedding, without the hefty price tag.

   

The donut idea is awesome, I've done it before and it looks so cute.  My advice is to still back-comb and then smooth out your ponytail, then put it through the donut, pin down the hair (maybe taking most of it to the bottom and only enough to cover the piece for the top), and don't worry, the donuts come in all kinds of hair colors so you can find one that matches closely and not have to worry about it showing through.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the best projects showcased on Saturday.

1 Hour, 3 Necklaces, $7.00

It's our Wednesday Blog Party! To get things started, I have an easy and so cheap necklace tutorial.  Wanted a necklace similar to the ones I'd seen in Anthropologie but didn't want to spend the money.  For less than four bucks I made the necklace below.

First an explanation- I needed a simple silver chain and figured I'd find one around the house.  Wrong.  Had zero luck finding anything I could use so it was off to the dollar store.  There I found some chains but nothing that would work for the necklace.  Decided to go with a dog choke collar.  I know, sounds stupid but actually it turned out cute!  It's a little heavy but the material is so light, I don't think it's that big of a deal.

Here are my materials for all three necklaces:

TOTAL:  Less than $7.00, can't beat that for three necklaces!

Cut strips, about 1 1/2 wide, 4 inches long.

Pushed them through the holes on the chain with dull pencil.

Tied a double knot.  Worked my way around.

Finished product!  Less than $4.00.

This was fun and easy to make, took me less than twenty minutes.  Word of caution, this thing sheds like a golden retriever so you may want to wear it around for a day and let all the little extra fibers fall out before you put it on over something black.  Here the pics and links to the other two necklaces I made today.

The necklace on the left is so pretty and easy!  You saw above the flowers in my material list and probably wondered what those were for.  I bought them for this necklace and it was so easy!  I used the long silver chain in my materials and just removed the big plastic medallion that it came with. The necklace on the right was fun to make too, instead of lace I used the same material from the first necklace I made and wrapped those into flowers.  I skipped the bead in the middle but either way looks beautiful I think.
 
Now it's your turn!  Click here to join the Blog Party and post your craft, product, or recipe.  Some of the projects will be showcased this Saturday.  Don't forget to mingle at the party!

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.
Don't miss our blog party! Every Wednesday with the best projects showcased on Saturday.

Free flower girl dress!

I know you have this stuff around the house or at the very least, your friends or family do.  If you are having a beach wedding or a picnic or park style reception, why not have the flower girls wear something light and casual?  Try this idea, it's the Pillowcase Dress.

Don't want to make one? Buy this one here.

Things you’re going to need before you start:

Needle and thread

Pillowcase

1 yard of thick ribbon or extra fabric

Two 6 inch elastic bands

Two 10 inch ribbons (or extra fabric will work too)

1. Wash, dry, starch, and iron the pillowcase.
2. Measure the desired length of the dress, beginning at the girl's collarbone. The wide hem of the pillowcase will be the bottom of the dress with this dress pattern. Make a pencil or chalk line on the pillowcase to reflect the desired length plus 1 inch.
3. Mark cutting lines for the armholes, shaped like the letter "J" on the left side of the dress and a backward "J" on the right side of the dress. These should be 3 to 4 inches deep, depending on the size of the child. (This is a sleeveless dress.)
4. Fold and press both sides of the top (neck) part of the pillowcase 1/4 inch from the top and again at 3/4 inches.
5. Stitch along the first fold to make a casing for the elastic; the casing should be like a tunnel.
6. Thread 6 inches of elastic through each casing and secure the ends with a safety pin temporarily. Stitch across the ends of each casing to hold the elastic in place. It will gather and form a neckline.
7. Fold, press and pin the arm holes using the ribbon as binding. The ends of the ribbon will extend past the edges of the armholes to be tied at the shoulders.
8. Sew the seam.
9. Sew the ribbon or extra fabric along the bottom seam for a decorative touch.

Read more: How to Make a Pillowcase Dress | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4422889_make-pillowcase-dress.html#ixzz1G7I0SAHq

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.

Free ways to get in shape fast

Why can't we all be Carrie-Underwood-beautiful for our wedding?

Brides want to look their best for the wedding, I mean come on, those pictures will last forever!  But when you're on a tight budget, a personal trainer and gym membership isn't really affordable.  Straight from people who know, here's some low-cost (and a lot of these ideas are FREE!) ideas on how to get in shape.

Click here, for the Mayo Clinic fitness plan.

Have an idea? Share it here by posting a comment below. Let's all help each other out.