Wired and Bent

Having known that the four little square vases I will be using on our tables for centerpieces would not be enough, I have been looking for easy ideas that could also double as our table numbers.

My first thought was to include a pumpkin on each table, and either paint or carve the table number into the outside of the pumpkin, not puncturing through the skin completely.

Image via Fitzy Snowman Sculpting / Carved pumpkin with table number

FI had mentioned to me that the pumpkins would need to be carved at least a day ahead of time in order to get them done time wise, and that they would also likely need to be sealed some how so that the raw part of the pumpkin doesn't start to go bad and smell.  So, we ultimately decided that we'd pass on the gross, smelly centerpieces, and look for other ideas.

I thought about using different vases, or just a candle on a mirror, but I really didn't want somewhat-open flames at our reception - some of our friends are slightly destructive around fire around anything ;)

So, by stalking Pinterest (come on, you can't seriously tell me that you don't have an account, and expect me to believe that, right?!?!?!), I think I have finally come up with an idea. You see, my FIL's drink a glass of wine at dinner every night, alternating between white and red, depending on what's being eaten.  Because of this, there are always empty wine bottles in the recycling bin.  So, when I came across this post about cutting wine bottles, which actually happens to be posted on a blog owned by a friend from high school, I immediately knew I wanted to use that as the missing part of my centerpieces.

Image via Picklee / How to Cut a Wine Bottle

I have been saving all the clear white-wine bottles for the last few weeks, and will be trying this tutorial this weekend, verifying that this is the route I am going to go for my centerpieces.  

In the meantime, however, I have been thinking of ideas on how to make this a little different. I don't want to do the typical table number label on the wine bottle, and I plan on putting something inside to make it look better, but to save some money, I have decided against flowers.  I think that there will be plenty of flowers and greenery in the Botanical Center as it is, so I originally decided to buy the thinnest wooden dowels made, spray then green, and put them in the bottle with one of them holding the table number at the top.  After looking at Home Depot, Lowes, and Michaels for wooden dowels, I thought that paying between $0.15-$0.64 per dowel was a little crazy, especially considering I would still have to paint them, so I started looking for alternatives.  

I came across some floral sticks from Save-on-Crafts, one of the many (bridal) superstores for craft supplies on the internet.  The sticks are called Midollino sticks, and I had never heard of them before, but apparently you can submerse them in water and they become flexible so you can shape them the way you want, but you also don't have to do that.  I have ordered three bunches from Save-on-Crafts, and am waiting for them to be delivered.  

Image via Save-on-Crafts / Midollino Sticks in Olive Green

Having finally found something to act as the contents of my cut wine bottles, I realized that the sticks would not be sturdy enough to hold a table number, so I decided to make little picture holders out of wire, and then place them in the wine bottle along with the Midollino sticks.  

On my trip to Joann Fabrics this weekend to get the pocket square fabric, I wandered throughout the rest of the store (Can you honestly avoid this when shopping? If so, please tell me how!) and happened to find 12 gauge wire, in "Lime," which happened to be an almost perfect match to the color of the Midollino sticks online (from what I can remember...I haven't actually seen the color in person yet).  So, I bought two packages of it, totaling 10 yards.  I knew that I had needle-nose pliers and wire-cutters at home, so I checked out, knowing that I had everything to make the picture holders.

I'll show you the final product now so that you actually know what I'm talking about when I say "wire picture holders."

Wire Picture Holder / Personal Picture

And now, here's how I made them:

Supplies

12+ gauge wire - The higher the gauge number of the wire, the more sturdy it will be, but also understand that the higher the number, the harder kinks are to remove. I wouldn't recommend much lower than 12 - you may end up with sturdiness and strength issues.
Ruler - To determine how long you need your holders to be.
Needle-Nose Pliers - To easily bend the wire without bruising your fingertips.
Wire-Cutters - To cut your wire...yep, pretty self-explanatory :)
Something round - I used a wine cork (very appropriate to this post, btw) to make the circle at the top. You can use whatever you have around, just take into consideration how large or small you want the round part of the picture holder to be.

Supplies / Personal Picture

Step 1: Create the Top Circle

Take one end of your uncut wire, and wrap it twice around the object you have chosen to create your circle.  Be sure to do this as tight as possible. 

Wrapping the wire around the cork / Personal Picture

Step 2: Bend your Ends

Using your needle-nose pliers, fold the end of the wire over or under, whichever you prefer, to create a curved end, which doubles as making the top of your picture holder a little more safe by hiding the sharp end of the wire.

Folded over end of wire at top of the picture holder / Personal Picture

Bend the other end of your wire at a 90 degree angle, making the stem for the picture holder.

Bent end of the wire making the stem / Personal Picture

Step 3: Create your Stem

Measure how long you want the stem of your picture holder to be.  Because I am inserting my picture holders into wine bottles, I needed to make sure that they were long enough to stick out the top of the wine bottle so that my table numbers would be seen.  The stem of my picture holders ended up being 10.5" long.

Using your needle-nose pliers, bend the wire at 90 degrees to mark the end of your stem and the beginning of the stand part of your picture holder.

Step 4: Create your Stand

At the base of your stem, where you bent the wire at 90 degrees, create a spiral with a little extra wire from your length.  You don't need too long of a "tail" here, but in the picture below, you will see that I have about 5" or 6" extra acting as the stem.

Curve the "tail" of your picture holder into a spiral to act as the stem, holding up the picture holder on its own.  Test this on a flat surface.

Stand of the picture holder / Personal Picture

Finished Product:

Wire Picture Holder / Personal Picture

The nice part about these picture holders is that when grouped together, the stands can also double as your beautiful bouquet!

Wire Picture Holder Flower Bouquet / Personal Picture

Just kidding....  It is way less expensive than a bridal bouquet though ;)

So, to conclude, I made 14 wire picture holders in less than an hour, and this was my first time making them ever - wicked easy project.

Have you used Pinterest to help plan your wedding? What projects have you DIY'd that you first saw as a pin?

Having known that the four little square vases I will be using on our tables for centerpieces would not be enough, I have been looking for easy ideas that could also double as our table numbers.

My first thought was to include a pumpkin on each table, and either paint or carve the table number into the outside of the pumpkin, not puncturing through the skin completely.

Image via Fitzy Snowman Sculpting / Carved pumpkin with table number

FI had mentioned to me that the pumpkins would need to be carved at least a day ahead of time in order to get them done time wise, and that they would also likely need to be sealed some how so that the raw part of the pumpkin doesn't start to go bad and smell.  So, we ultimately decided that we'd pass on the gross, smelly centerpieces, and look for other ideas.

I thought about using different vases, or just a candle on a mirror, but I really didn't want somewhat-open flames at our reception - some of our friends are slightly destructive around fire around anything ;)

So, by stalking Pinterest (come on, you can't seriously tell me that you don't have an account, and expect me to believe that, right?!?!?!), I think I have finally come up with an idea. You see, my FIL's drink a glass of wine at dinner every night, alternating between white and red, depending on what's being eaten.  Because of this, there are always empty wine bottles in the recycling bin.  So, when I came across this post about cutting wine bottles, which actually happens to be posted on a blog owned by a friend from high school, I immediately knew I wanted to use that as the missing part of my centerpieces.

Image via Picklee / How to Cut a Wine Bottle

I have been saving all the clear white-wine bottles for the last few weeks, and will be trying this tutorial this weekend, verifying that this is the route I am going to go for my centerpieces.  

In the meantime, however, I have been thinking of ideas on how to make this a little different. I don't want to do the typical table number label on the wine bottle, and I plan on putting something inside to make it look better, but to save some money, I have decided against flowers.  I think that there will be plenty of flowers and greenery in the Botanical Center as it is, so I originally decided to buy the thinnest wooden dowels made, spray then green, and put them in the bottle with one of them holding the table number at the top.  After looking at Home Depot, Lowes, and Michaels for wooden dowels, I thought that paying between $0.15-$0.64 per dowel was a little crazy, especially considering I would still have to paint them, so I started looking for alternatives.  

I came across some floral sticks from Save-on-Crafts, one of the many (bridal) superstores for craft supplies on the internet.  The sticks are called Midollino sticks, and I had never heard of them before, but apparently you can submerse them in water and they become flexible so you can shape them the way you want, but you also don't have to do that.  I have ordered three bunches from Save-on-Crafts, and am waiting for them to be delivered.  

Image via Save-on-Crafts / Midollino Sticks in Olive Green

Having finally found something to act as the contents of my cut wine bottles, I realized that the sticks would not be sturdy enough to hold a table number, so I decided to make little picture holders out of wire, and then place them in the wine bottle along with the Midollino sticks.  

On my trip to Joann Fabrics this weekend to get the pocket square fabric, I wandered throughout the rest of the store (Can you honestly avoid this when shopping? If so, please tell me how!) and happened to find 12 gauge wire, in "Lime," which happened to be an almost perfect match to the color of the Midollino sticks online (from what I can remember...I haven't actually seen the color in person yet).  So, I bought two packages of it, totaling 10 yards.  I knew that I had needle-nose pliers and wire-cutters at home, so I checked out, knowing that I had everything to make the picture holders.

I'll show you the final product now so that you actually know what I'm talking about when I say "wire picture holders."

Wire Picture Holder / Personal Picture

And now, here's how I made them:

Supplies

12+ gauge wire - The higher the gauge number of the wire, the more sturdy it will be, but also understand that the higher the number, the harder kinks are to remove. I wouldn't recommend much lower than 12 - you may end up with sturdiness and strength issues.
Ruler - To determine how long you need your holders to be.
Needle-Nose Pliers - To easily bend the wire without bruising your fingertips.
Wire-Cutters - To cut your wire...yep, pretty self-explanatory :)
Something round - I used a wine cork (very appropriate to this post, btw) to make the circle at the top. You can use whatever you have around, just take into consideration how large or small you want the round part of the picture holder to be.

Supplies / Personal Picture

Step 1: Create the Top Circle

Take one end of your uncut wire, and wrap it twice around the object you have chosen to create your circle.  Be sure to do this as tight as possible. 

Wrapping the wire around the cork / Personal Picture

Step 2: Bend your Ends

Using your needle-nose pliers, fold the end of the wire over or under, whichever you prefer, to create a curved end, which doubles as making the top of your picture holder a little more safe by hiding the sharp end of the wire.

Folded over end of wire at top of the picture holder / Personal Picture

Bend the other end of your wire at a 90 degree angle, making the stem for the picture holder.

Bent end of the wire making the stem / Personal Picture

Step 3: Create your Stem

Measure how long you want the stem of your picture holder to be.  Because I am inserting my picture holders into wine bottles, I needed to make sure that they were long enough to stick out the top of the wine bottle so that my table numbers would be seen.  The stem of my picture holders ended up being 10.5" long.

Using your needle-nose pliers, bend the wire at 90 degrees to mark the end of your stem and the beginning of the stand part of your picture holder.

Step 4: Create your Stand

At the base of your stem, where you bent the wire at 90 degrees, create a spiral with a little extra wire from your length.  You don't need too long of a "tail" here, but in the picture below, you will see that I have about 5" or 6" extra acting as the stem.

Curve the "tail" of your picture holder into a spiral to act as the stem, holding up the picture holder on its own.  Test this on a flat surface.

Stand of the picture holder / Personal Picture

Finished Product:

Wire Picture Holder / Personal Picture

The nice part about these picture holders is that when grouped together, the stands can also double as your beautiful bouquet!

Wire Picture Holder Flower Bouquet / Personal Picture

Just kidding....  It is way less expensive than a bridal bouquet though ;)

So, to conclude, I made 14 wire picture holders in less than an hour, and this was my first time making them ever - wicked easy project.

Have you used Pinterest to help plan your wedding? What projects have you DIY'd that you first saw as a pin?