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wedding blog + planning guide for creative weddings | inspiration for DIY Brides

Brenda's Wedding Blog is your online resource for planning your dream elegant wedding. Helping you find the "wow" in weddings.

Posts tagged tutorial
My Secrets Revealed … How to Create Inspiration Boards that are easy to make and eye-catching

I have found a brand new way of creating my inspiration boards and what a time saver it is - still can't get over it. Below the infographic are the full details on How to Create Your Inspiration Board that will draw the attention of your readers and will be shared and pinned like crazy.

Making an Inspiration Board that will get you lots of attention
 {and more time for you spend on the next to-do item}

1. Come up with an idea for the inspiration board - a specific color palette, a theme, a holiday, etc. For this example, you will see acorn wedding ideas {final inspiration board to be posted later this week}

2. Start researching imagery for the inspiration board. I use a combination of pinterest, google image search, etsy as well as online magazine sites and others.

3. When you find the images, be sure to jot down the url you found it at. Sources such as pinterest, google and tumblr are not what should be credited. You will want to credit the original source - if you can't find it {for example if you re-pin an existing image on pinterest}, you can simply copy the image address and do an image search with google to find the source. If it still can't be found, my recommendation is to move on to another image. I never link to an image unless I can credit the source where it came from. 

*** Here's what I do to save the images I find... I pin/save every image to a private pinterest board called {future inspiration boards}. This way my image link is saved for easy reference along with the photo for when it's time to create the inspiration board.

4. Now, it's time to start building your inspiration board and HERE'S MY NEW SECRET … I am now creating my inspiration boards using the free service available at Fotor. {PS: Fotor recently became a sponsor of the blog with a banner ad, but my opinions in this post are completely my own}. Fotor.com offers both a web based version and a desktop version that lets you create a photo collage with ease. There's much more that this program can do, including photo effects, but I will keep it basic for creating the inspiration board. 

Here's how I previously created inspiration boards:
 
1. create a photoshop document
2. add vertical guidelines
3. find my images
4. open them all in preview on my mac
5. copy my images one at a time
6. bring them into my photoshop document
7. re-size to fit the guidelines width
8. realize my images didn't fit as planned, find several more images
9. add white rules between each image
10. copy and paste in my logo to "brand" my inspiration board

Phew, I'm tired just looking at all I used to have to do, no wonder I didn't create inspiration boards that often.

Here's how to create an inspiration board with Fotor . . .
 
1. Go to Fotor.com and click on "collage"
 2. Pick your template, border width + document size
     {you choose the number of photos and any configuration you'd like}
 
3. In the top right, click add photos - From the web you would paste in image url. You can also upload all the images at once from your computer if you have downloaded the images to a folder {I've used both methods}
 
4. Drag the images one by one over to the empty photo spaces in the collage template {can re-size them and move them around as you wish}
 
5. Save your inspiration board. You're done!

{I'll admit that after I save the file, I do bring the file into photoshop to paste in my logo, but that's just because I'm still figuring out everything with Fotor which does let you add text and so much more.}

Now, it's your turn to create an inspiration board the easy way. If you create one using Fotor, I'd love to see it. Please share them with me and maybe I'll feature it on my blog or on facebook.

DIY Wedding Stationery Set How-To : save the date, invite + favor box

I have a fun post to start your Thursday off with - it's a DIY Wedding Stationery Set that uses Serif’s CraftArtist software and ‘Love Birds’ digikit, which can be downloaded from the social crafting website DaisyTrail.com. Below is a step-by-step guide with illustrations. You can either create the card using the free version of the software CraftArtist Compact or you can choose to buy CraftArtist Professional. The Love Birds digikit is available to purchase from DaisyTrail.com for $4.99.

Wedding Stationery Set Created using “Love Birds” digikit and CraftArtist Compact or CraftArtist Professional. Other supplies used: Inkjet paper/card, Basic card stock, Selection of twine or ribbon, Selection of small buttons, Adhesive, foam pads, or basic paper glue will work fine, Scissors and/or paper trimmer

Save the Date Card

  • Starting with a blank project, choose an A4 size template.
  • Create a 4” x 3” basic rectangle as base for the card with a white fill and black line. This will be easier for cutting out after printing.
  • Add the text and then choose your fonts and lay out the text. Leave a bit of a gap at the top of the card to add some ribbon on embellishments after printing.
  • The hearts were created using a basic heart shape and color was picked from the floral embellishment in the digikit.
  • Once the card is finished, group everything so you can copy and paste to cover the A4 sheet.
  • Print on white inkjet cardstock. An off white or cream would also be nice for wedding stationery depending on your color/theme.
  • Use a paper trimmer to get more accurate cutting and it saves a lot of time if you have loads of cards to do.
  • Thread a small piece of twine through one of the buttons for the bottom corner. Glue in place.
  • Wrap twine around the top of the card and secure with a knot. Add a little bit of glue on the back of the card to keep the twine in place. Tie the button in place finishing with a simple tied bow.

*** Top Tip: Why not add some magnetic tape to the back of the card?  Available in most craft stores, this will be great for your family and friends to stick it to their fridge!

Wedding Invitation

  • Start off by making the card insert. Shown with an A6 card insert and text using the same fonts as the “Save the Date” card.
  • Print on high quality white inkjet paper and folder ready to insert into the card.
  • For the wedding invitation, choose an A6 card template and use the same embellishment from the Love Bird digikit. Also added are some letters and a heart.
  • Print them on a separate sheet and add them using foam pads to add a bit of dimension.
  • Once printed and folded, add the buttons and twine much the same way as “Save the Date” card. For added dimension you can use foam pads to stick the hearts on.

Favor Box

  • This was created using the cupcake holder template with a background from the Love Birds digikit.
  • Print on card and cut out and then assemble. Some glue and a little bit of tape was used to hold in place.
  • Draw a circle using the base of the cupcake holder (once assembled) as a template.
  • Cut out and secure holder to the base – again, using glue and tape.
  • Create a little handle from a printed out A4 sheet of card. Measure approximately 1/2” and then cut and secure using tape.
  • Add your own embellishments and tissue paper to finish off. Shown with a couple of buttons and some pink twine to match the invites.

*** Top Tip: You could also add names to the favor boxes so they double up as place cards. Use metallic pens for added sparkle and glamour.

The above design is by Diane Rooney. More information on CraftArtist can be found online.

DaisyTrail.com is an affiliate of Brenda's Wedding Blog