DIY Wedding Favors - 11 Ideas

Embellished Bubbles - see below for instructions

Wedding season is just around the corner and busy brides and grooms are working on all the details. Oh so many details when it comes to weddings. One easy DIY detail is the wedding favor. Many favors can be made by hand in advance or you can doctor up store bought items. Don't forget to enlist friends and family for help!

Ribbon Wrapped Candy Tins

Supplies:
Clear top candy tins
Candies of choice
Round punched tags
Decorative ribbon
Glue

Steps:
Glue the ribbon around the tin canister, fill with candies and glue a decorative tag in the center of the clear top.

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Embossed Glassine Sleeves with Chocolate Hearts

Supplies:
Chocolate for melting
Candy molds
Cookie sheet
Ramekins
Oven
Glassine sleeve – Photo supply or craft store
Small rubber stamp
Embossing stamp pad
Embossing powder
Embossing or heat gun
File folder
Decorative tag
Hole punch
Ribbon – 6” per favor
Spoon

Steps:
1. Microwave the chocolate on low for one minute, then in additional 30-second intervals, stirring each time. When the chocolate is smooth and fully melted, it is ready to be poured into the molds.

2. With a spoon, fill each section of the mold with melted chocolate. Gently tap the mold to remove any air bubbles.

3. Allow to cool and pop out the chocolates. Use the edge of a knife to remove any extra bits of chocolate.

4. Emboss an image on the glassine sleeves, if desired. Stamp the rubber stamp using embossing ink and sprinkle embossing powder on the wet ink. Tap off excess powder. Work over a file folder so you can funnel the excess back into the embossing powder jar. Heat with the embossing or heat gun until the embossing powder has melted.

5. Place a few chocolates in a glassine sleeve, fold over the top edge of the sleeve.

6. Punch one hole in the top center of the tag. Punch a matching hole in the top center of the decorative tag.

7. Layer the tag over the glassine sleeve. Fold the ribbon in half, thread the looped end through the holes and loop the tails back through the folded loop. Trim the ends on an angle.

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Charmed Thank You Card and Wine Stopper

Supplies for Card:
Clear flat bags (to fit card)
4” X 6” Folded Card
3” X 5” Flat Card
8” piece of ribbon
Pewter Charm (significant to the bride and groom)
Hole Punch (small diameter)
Glue Stick

Steps:
1. Print the bride and grooms initial on the lower portion of the 3” X 5” card.

2. Print or handwrite a thank you note in the inside of the 4” X 6” folded card. You can also include a note about the significance of the charm. An Irish couple may choose a 4 leaf clover, if you are having a wedding at a winery you might choose a small bunch of grapes charm etc.

3. Center the flat card over the front flap of the folded card. Punch 2 holes about 1/4” apart through both the flat card and the front flap of the folded card. You should punch the holes approximately 1/2” down from the top. You can use two traditional round hole punches, or you can punch once with a “ribbon lace” punch that provides two slits in the card.

4. Thread the ribbon through the holes, lacing the smaller card to the larger card, and tie on a charm. Trim the ends of the ribbon.

5. Slide the card into the clear flap envelope and seal the back.

Supplies for Wine Stopper:
Wine cork
Decorative drawer pull
Craft drill
Screwdriver
Decorative metal initial—found in the scrap booking section of craft stores
Thin wire-edged ribbon
Cardstock
Hole punch
Oval punch

Steps:
1. Drill a hole into the center top of the cork. Make sure the hole is slightly larger than the stem of the drawer pull.

2. Screw until the pull is secure with a screwdriver.

3. Punch an oval of cardstock and punch with a hole punch. Attach a metal initial—a monogram—with ribbon, backed by the cardstock oval. Alternatively, you could thread the oval and letter on a scrapbooking metal curly-q. Curl the ends of the wire-edged ribbon.

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Quick Cookie Packaging

Supplies:
Large homemade, bakers, or grocery store cookies
Clear cookie bags - flat
Cardstock
Printer
Stapler

Steps:
1. Place the large cookie in the bag.

2. Cut a square of cardstock the same width as the opening of the plastic bag. Print the lower half of the card with the couple’s names. Flip the square and print with a saying or other text, oriented through the printer so that this text is upside down relative to the couple’s names.

3. Fold the cardstock square in half and sandwich the cookie bag. Staple twice across the bottom of the tag. Now the text is right side up on both sides!

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Bubble Bottle Makeover

Supplies:
bubble bottles
scrap paper
glue stick
ribbons
flowers
glue

Steps:
1. Trim the papers to fit around the bottles. Use punches to create decorative shapes. Attach to the bottle with a glue stick.

2. Tie ribbons around the neck and add additional embellishments if desired.

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Sea Shell Soy Candles From the Microwave

Supplies:
Paper or paper bags
Bowl
Soy wax pellets
Microwave
Wick and metal wick holder (both available at craft stores)
Shells
Disposable pipettes—available at candle- and soap-making stores on-line
Small dish
Old knife
Tulle Circles
Ribbon
Sea-themed die-cut
Rub-on letters

Steps:

1. Choose your shells -- the ones with deeper cavities will hold more wax and burn the longest. Clean them in a mild solution of water and bleach, and rinse with cold water.

2. Crumple paper or a paper bag and put in a bowl. Place the shell on the crumpled paper and arrange it so that it is flat. This will stabilize the shell while you are pouring wax.

3. Place the wick with pre-attached metal wick holders, which are great for shallow vessels -- into the center of the shell.

4. Melt soy wax in the microwave, per the package instructions. Use the disposable pipette-to-pipette wax in to the shell.

5. Allow the wax to cool for at least 30 minutes -- although the surface may look hard sooner, the wax underneath takes this long to fully harden. Trim wicks.

6. Choose a sea-themed die-cut. Rub-on an initial. The back of a paintbrush or a popsicle stick can be used to rub the letter.Place the candle in the center of a tulle circle, wrap the candle and attach the monogrammed die-cut with a ribbon.

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Message in a Bottle

Supplies:
Sand—in different natural-toned colors
Small sauce-sized bottle
Tiny shells
Small pearl beads
Ribbon
Sticker paper
Printer
Printed poem or “Thank You” note on parchment paper

Steps:
1. Add a few spoonfuls of sand to the bottle—you can layer different natural-tone colors and a few shells and/or pearls into the bottle.

2. Print small rectangle labels with the couple’s names and an image on sticker paper. Stick to the bottle.

3. Trim the printed poem or thank you to the appropriate size for the bottle. Scroll the printed poem—you can use a pencil to roll it.

4. Place the scroll halfway into the bottle. Tie the neck of the bottle with a decorative ribbon.

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Hot Coco To Go

Supplies:
Large tub or bowl
1 pound cocoa (4 cups)
2 pounds granulated sugar (4 cups)
6 pounds dry milk (15 cups)
1-teaspoon salt
Small plastic zip top bag
Muslin parts bags
Iron-on transfer paper
Ink jet printer
Iron
Small printed cocoa instructions note

Steps:
1. Sift cocoa, if necessary. Mix with sugar, dry milk and salt.

2. Transfer a scoop into a small plastic bag and seal with a tie.

3. Design and print your image to transfer on a computer and ink jet printer. Reverse any text if necessary, as indicated on the transfer paper instructions. Trim the edges of the transfer if needed. Following the instructions on the transfer paper, iron the design to the front of the muslin parts bag.

4. Fill the bag with the plastic bag of cocoa and tie on the instructions tag. Tie a bow with the strings.

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Golf Themed Wedding Favor

Supplies:
Golf ball
Golf tees
Small cardboard jewelry box 3” X 3”
Moss
Decorative ribbon
Craft glue
Decorative paper
Paper glue
Rit Fabric dye

Steps:
1. Use craft glue to attach a decorative ribbon around the lower portion of the box.

2. Print the bride and grooms initials and the words “Fore Ever” on a piece of decorative paper. Trim the paper to 2.75” X 2.75”.

3. Center the paper over the top of the lid and glue in place using paper glue.

4. You can dye the golf balls by making a dye bath per the dye manufacturer’s instructions, and soaking the balls in the bath for approximately half an hour.

5. Fill the box with moss and place the golf ball in the center with the golf tees around the ball.

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Porcelain Ornaments

Supplies:
Porcelain ornament blank
Embossing powder
Metallic ink
Rubber stamp
Porcelain paint pen
Ribbon
Spray matte sealer

Steps:
1. Use a rubber stamp, metallic embossing powder and a heat gun to achieve an elegant gilded and raised effect by stamping a design onto the ornament blank. Stamp the rubber stamp using embossing ink and sprinkle embossing powder on the wet ink. Tap off excess powder. Work over a file folder so you can funnel the excess back into the embossing powder jar. Heat with the embossing or heat gun until the embossing powder has melted. The heat setting process will take longer on porcelain than it does on paper. Brush markers will give the stamped design a soft color.

2. Add a message to the back of the ornament with a porcelain paint pen. Allow to cure for 24 hours.

3. Spray the ornament with a matte-finish sealer for lasting durability. Attach a ribbon for a hanger, or epoxy a magnet to the back. Add a tag.