DIY Ring Bearer Pillow

For this pillow, I used 2 square pieces of fabric - it was actually made using the inner lining of the obi (used to make the wedding sash).  I also used some leftover fabric we had from some pillows I had made for our family room . . . making the price of this pillow . . . $0!

First, I cut out a piece of flower fabric (twice the height of what I wanted to show on the pillow.  for the width, I made it about the same size as the white squares).  I sewed the top and bottom horizontal ends together with the design on the inside.  Then, flipped it inside out - so no cut edges would show. 

I took one white square with the shiny side facing up.  Next I took the flower fabric piece and placed it on top (with the seam on the back, facing the white square.  Then I pinned one ribbon to each side of the flower fabric (the shorter sides of the rectangle), pointing inward.  Basically, I laid the fabrics and ribbons out, and pinned them, as I would like to see them on top of the ring bearer pillow. 

Then I laid the 2nd white square on top of all of that - with the shiny side facing in/down.  I sewed all of the pieces together, leaving a little opening, so that I could turn the pillow inside out and stuff it.

 

Photographed by Quinn Photography (but cropped by the bride).

DIY Kanzashi Flower Hair Accessory

When looking for a flower piece for my hair, I knew I wanted something origami inspired and under budget.  This limited my options.  In the end, I decided to make my own hair accessory.  I began to look on etsy for inspiration (I was originally going to buy one from etsy, but they were all out of my price range). 

In the end, I found a tutorial on youtube.  I think this is the one I learned from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5OyjujqPE4 
There is a part 2, also.  If you look up how to make a "Kanzashi flower," you can find many different types of tutorials.

I changed this one a little, pinching the outer point of each petal and sewing it shut/together - this created a pointed petal shape, versus rounded.  This was difficult, as I had to try and hide the beginning and end knots of the thread, under each petal. 


In the middle, I used an extra button from my wedding dress.  It matched the fabric perfectly!  Oh, and I forgot to mention - the fabric used for the flower, was the leftover fabric from the obi material used to make the sash for my wedding dress. Under the flower, I used an alligator clip from Michael's craft store - bringing the grand total for making this accessory to about $2!

Photographed by Quinn Photography (but cropped by the bride)

DIY Origami Crane Namecard Holders

I knew I wanted to make our own namecards for our guests, and I knew I wanted to incorporate origami somehow.  My mom showed me a namecard and namecard holder from a previous wedding she went to - and I knew those were the ones I wanted to create!  So I searched online, and found this tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNrQB8Tzfk
I used Japanese newspaper and old Japanese paperwork (from when I taught in Japan), to make them.  For the actual namecards, I used regular cardstock. I also used double sided tape, to make sure the cardstock would stay put on the namecard holder.

DIY Origami Crane Leis

During the ceremony, we presented our parents with origami crane leis.  I don't remember exactly how many cranes were used - possibly 88 per lei?  I alternated white, blue, and green paper.  Also, I did not fold the beaks to the cranes, in order to make the lei's look less 'busy.'  A needle and dental floss were used to string them together (dental floss is more sturdy than sewing thread).

Photographed by Quinn Photography (but cropped by the bride)