Marbled ornament favors I made for our wedding guests using clear glass bulbs and paint.
Making the most of bad weather by getting crafty with favors.
By Erika Lynde
I’ve decided to put this dreaded cold weather to good use. Since I’m forced to stay indoors, I might as well use the time to create stuff for my wedding. My plan is to do as much of the little details — like decorations and favors — myself. This way we cut costs and have some fun along the way.
Just after Christmas I started buying up discounted items I thought might be useful for my big day (we’re getting married in December). I found fluffy white, glittery snow to throw instead of rice. I stocked up on tons of festive papers to make origami star escort cards that will make each guest swoon. And, lastly, I bought about 100 clear glass bulbs to paint as favors for all my guests.
I found this great tutorial on Pinterest on how to create a painted marbled effect inside glass (check it out: very cool). They add a little class and sophistication to any Christmas tree. I got started at Michael’s, buying colors I thought might look good swirled together under the twinkly lights. I grabbed greens, pinks, reds, and two different whites. I ended up with a few trial and error bulbs, but that’s okay. A few of these mistakes ended up really working together beautifully — fun colors I would never have paired together before.
After getting my colors down it was just a matter of time: pouring paint into each bulb and waiting the twenty-four hours for them to drip dry. They really came out beautiful. I’m glad I took the time to make each one different and special. It’s such a sweet notion to know each guest will have a piece of me to hang on their tree every year (and they look expensive, too!). I hope these favors relay to our guests that their presence on such a monumental day in our lives was so very important to us. It’s just the beginning of all my DIY projects, but I’m excited for every single one of them!