DIY of The Month – Sweet Nothings

Think you’re a hands-on kind of bride and want to make something really special for your wedding? It doesn’t have to be something elaborate; think small, simple yet significant. It could be a personalised Save-The-Date card, or a memorable wedding favour. You don’t even have to be very good at Arts and Crafts to make these wonderful mementos. SingaporeBrides shows you how to Do-It-Yourself.

We’ve heard that our brides-to-be really loved our first DIY of The Month post. This can only mean that many of you are looking for ideas to personalise your weddings. It’s a good thing; there are so many craft shops available in Singapore now, it is really difficult for those who enjoy making pretty things to walk out of them empty-handed anyway.

Our second DIY of The Month is so simple to make, you can even get your Man (and groomsmen) to make them without even a whisper of a complaint. Just ply them with lots of beer. And the best part is? They cost next to nothing. The main part of this wedding favour is edible, comes in many different shapes and flavours, and can be easily bought in bulk anywhere. You can also decide if you want to spend a little more time personalising this little gift for your guests. Our guess is, the kids will really love it, and the adults will deny it, but the little yummy treats will be gone before your feast starts.

Warning: Try to resist popping them into your mouth before you’re sure you have extras.

Here’s what you need:

Colourful store-bought marshmallows
Clear gift bags (approx. H18 X W9 X D4 cm)
Twist ties (could come together with the gift bags, or bought separately)
6mm polyester ribbon, blue
Scissors

Optional:

Plain coloured card stock, at least 160 gsm
Patterned card stock
Printer
Craft knife
Double-sided tape

Time taken for each: 5 minutes
Average cost for each: $1.00

1.Since you are working with food, remember to wash your hands before starting. To be even more hygienic, use disposable gloves, a pair of slim tongs, or if you’re dexterous, a pair of chopsticks, when handling the marshmallows.

2. If you have bought marshmallows of different colours and sizes, mix them together into a huge container. Then, put enough of the marshmallows to fill up slightly more than half of the gift bag. Try to buy those with a bottom gusset so that the finished favour can stand upright, but this isn’t a very important detail.

3. Use the twist ties to tightly secure the opened end of the gift bag.

4. If you’re not feeling particularly ambitious, or have hundreds of favours to do, you can skip these few steps. Otherwise, print the names of your guests on to plain coloured card stock, leaving enough space around each name for cutting. Each gift tag should be about 3 X 5 cm.

5. Cut out a 3 X 3 cm square from the patterned card stock you have chosen, and use double-sided tape to adhere it above your guest’s name, leaving just a bit of space right on top of the pattern for the ribbon. When shopping for this, try to make sure your ribbon, plain card stock, and pattern are complementary in terms of colour and design.

6. Using a craft knife, make a small slit above the pattern, so that you can thread the ribbon through it. Measure out 20 cm of the ribbon and slide it slowly through the gift tag, from front to back. After that, you can tie the gift tag around the twist ties.

If you’ve decided not to do the gift tags, all you have to do use the ribbon to tie a bow around the twist ties in Step 3. How much easier can it get? This wedding favour is also highly customisable. You can buy larger gift bags so you can put more marshmallows in it. You can also purchase ready-made gift tags or print your own if you have a monogram done for your wedding. When it comes to DIY, the sky’s the limit!