Bling Bling

Thursday, February 07, 2008

I am the queen of DIY. Okay, maybe not the queen, but I am a member of the court. I am always looking at things saying “I can make that.”

Like a typical girl, my eyes light up when I see bling. So one day I saw Mariska Hargitay’s wedding cake on some VH1 extreme wedding show and was glued to her cake topper. Striking my eyes were glorious initials with colorful sparkle. (photo from about.com).

So today I see on some blog that you too can own a crystal initial cake topper from the wedding authority – The Knot. For just under $200 you can have ONE bedazzled letter that will “Make your wedding cake unforgettable.” (photo from theknot.com)

Enter DIY Brandi*
You don’t have to be a bride to want your initial to sparkle. Follow these steps.

1. Go to a craft-mega center like JoAnn Fabrics and Michael’s. The JoAnn’s in Robinson has a whole aisle dedicated to letters. I’ve pondered what creative craftiness I could get into with these things and FINALLY this is something. Check it out to the left - $1.51! (photo from JoAnne.com)

2. Purchase paint. Again, craft stores sell it for $1.00. If you are like me, you can pull from your craft box!

3. Now you need to bring on the bling. Buy acrylic jewels in bulk. Glue them to the wood with some Elmer’s Glue. (photo from JoAnne.com)

4. Woolah – your initial is sparklicious.

If you add that up, you will probably spend less than $10. You could always enhance your bling with some Swarovski like the initial from The Knot, but I think acrylic looks just as good.

In the end, who remembers what is on top of the cake. What matters more is the taste!