Category Archives: DIY

Pretty Little Cupcake Toppers – DIY x

Good afternoon all H&H lovelies. I hope you have some fantastic plans for the weekend ahead! I was involved in something very exciting yesterday which I am saying no more about right now (‘my lips are sealed’) as i’m saving it for a future blog post. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the goss’! This evening I will be out enjoying a lovely birthday meal for a friend of mine and Sunday is all about roast dinner with the family. Bring on the Yorkshire puddings! Yummy!
Recently H&H has showcased a number of unique and quirky wedding products from up and coming designer/makers including; One-of-a-kind Hoots, Rubydoodles Jewellery, Flutter Designs and Pink Amaryllis. So I’m thinking that it’s time to spread some DIY wedding gorgeousness with an easy peasy tutorial. Pretty little cupcake toppers here we come!
Here’s what you will need:
  • Toothpicks, little lollipop or craft sticks – small enough to pop in a cupcake.
  • Pretty vintage style patterned paper. You can get free downloads for personal use if you search on Google images. Alternatively hop over to your local craft store.
  •  Craft glue and/or double sided tape depending on what you are making. Fiddlier cut outs will require glue.
  • Shape cutters which can be found on the Internet or at your local craft store.
  • A nice brew and lots of lovely friends to help with cutting and sticking, especially if you are making hundreds of them for your big day!
Step1.Toothpicks, small lollipop sticks or craft sticks are required. Lollipop sticks or craft sticks with blunt ends are probably best if there are going to be little people around. You can never be too careful with those sharp and pointy edges! I’ve used toothpicks for the purpose of this tutorial because they were already in the cupboard.

Step 2. Select some fabulous papers to fit with you colour scheme. You can get lots of free vintage and floral printables for personal use by searching on Google images. Alternatively nip over to your local craft store and have a good browse around.

 

Step 3. Get yourself a gorgeous little paper cutter in any shape that you desire and go crazy punching the patterns out! This butterlfy cutter was bought from Hobbycraft but you can find various shapes and sizes if you have a look online. There are lots of second hand ones for a very reasonable price on ebay.

 

Step 4. Now that you’ve got billions of little butterflies, or whatever it is that you are cutting out, select just two of them and grab a little wooden stick.

 

Step 5.Bob a little bit of craft glue over the back of your cut out. If you are working with dainty shapes it might be worth buying a glue with a little nozzle on like this one to make application easier. You could also use a very fine brush or cotton buds for spreading the glue. Just make sure your project doesn’t end up full of fluff from the cotton buds though.

 

Step 6. Attach your little wooden stick to the back of the shape that you have just glued making sure that it is carefully placed in the centre. Allow it bond to the glue for few seconds.

 

Step 7. Pop your other little shape over the top so that the wooden stick is sandwiched in the middle of the two cut outs. Take care to make sure that both of your shapes are lined up properly so that the edges look tidy. It might not feel very secure at this point but this is just because the glue has not set yet. Press it together for a few seconds and then leave it for about an hour or so or until the glue has set properly. Get making many more! 

 

Ta daaaa! Cute little cupcake toppers! I’m just short of a few cupcakes to put them in now.
It’s worth noting that when gluing shapes together it is probably best to use a slightly thicker paper to avoid them being too flimsy and to stop them from going crinkly. Some shapes are easy to stick on with just a bit of double sided tape and normal paper will be fine if you are doing this. I used double sided tape for the little green and pink heart toppers below.
If you decide to give these a go then please do write in and let me know. I would love to see your own variations!
Michelle x

How to Make Paper Roses

Handmade Wedding Place Card with Paper Rose

Paper roses are so easy to make and add pretty finishing touches to your venue. Stick them to the top of place cards or table numbers and use them to create beautiful centre pieces. Make flower garlands and hang them around the room or over the backs of chairs. The uses for them are endless and when you see how simple they are to make you will be coming up with all kinds of novel ideas about how and where to display them on your big day. The added bonus is that they are an incredibly cheap alternative to real flowers, and with a little time and handiwork they can look just as fantastic. So grab a group of your favourite friends and get practicing with this step-by-step tutorial. You will have hundreds of gorgeous flowers to get decorating with in no time.

 Step 1. Select the paper which you wish to use. Experiment with different colours and patterns to fit your wedding theme. For the purpose of this tutorial I have used an old orange envelope to show how any scraps can look just as effective. Magazines and old books look great too. Start by drawing a swirly pattern on the paper as shown below.

 Step 2. Simply follow the line that you have just drawn and cut out your swirly pattern
 Step 3. This creates a long curly spring of paper. Cut off any excess paper.
 Step 4. Start rolling the paper up from the outside in. Do this until you reach the end and you can’t roll anymore.
❤ Step 5. Give the rolled paper a little pinch at the bottom to hold it in place and then fan it out so that it takes shape in the palm of your hand. The roses can then be secured with a dab of glue to hold them together.
Ta daaa!

 

Once you get the technique you won’t need to draw the pattern out first and will just be able to cut out a long curly strip of paper. This prevents the ink from being seen on the edge of the flowers after you have made them. However, you may think this gives them extra effect and choose to keep them this way. Experiment with whatever works best for you.

Lots of handmade love

Michelle xxx