When DIY Is Exactly What You Want It To Be

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we've done (and continue to do) a lot of DIY for our wedding.  Even with the multitude of projects we've undertaken, I will be the first to admit that DIY doesn't always mean cheaper or better.  (Goodness knows it never means easier or faster, but I suppose that's the natural and expected consequence of 'doing it yourself.')  Yet I do think in the long run there's some kind of even trade-off that happens - either you are able to save a little money on a project because you've invested your own time and energy, or you end up spending the same (or more) money as you would've to buy something in a store but you feel like the end result is more personalized and perfect.

Well folks, today I feel like I completed the holy grail of DIY projects.  Something that saved me money, gave me exactly what I was looking for, and was unbelievably fast and easy to boot.  I can't wait to share it with the hive because I just know there are a handful of you out there who will want to attempt this project for yourself. 

Okay, before I tell you what I'm talking about...

Alright, now that it's just us I can tell you that my little DIY project has to do with what I'm going to be wearing in my hair / on my head.  For someone who hasn't been all that into the attire portion of our wedding day plans, I've been surprisingly certain I wanted to wear something sparkly in my hair.  When I looked for inspiration on Etsy, I quickly stumbled on a few gorgeous headbands that really caught my eye.

white headband - Etsy seller Gracefully Girly - $54; black headband - Etsy seller LiveInStyle - $27

I liked both of these and several others, but I didn't want to shell out the money to order multiple ones just to test them out.  And the longer I looked at them, the more convinced I became that I could make something similar if only I could find beaded decorations that I liked.  A quick eBay search (keywords: black or white beaded applique) yielded options nearly identical to those above, and they were cheap enough to order both.  When they came in and I compared them in my hair, I knew instantly that I'd found "the one." 

The process to get it from an applique to a wedding-ready accessory was super easy and took right at an hour start to finish.  First I gathered my materials: applique, headband (thin, fabric-covered headband from Target for $1), felt, scissors, pen, and a hot glue gun.  I had all the materials except for the applique and headband, so the total cost of this project was less than $10 (less than $15 if you count the second applique I ordered).  Score!

I decided to back it with some felt to make it less transparent and smoother along the bottom.  I thought I'd like the black felt, but once I saw it on the white I really loved how it made the black rhinestones pop. 

I flipped the applique upside down and very lightly traced it onto the felt.  Once I had it all cut out to the right size, I heat singed the edges to get rid of stray fuzzies.  Then I hot glued it onto the applique.

Next I cut out a felt circle and glued part of it onto the middle of the applique, inserted the headband, then glued the edge on the other side.  I left this wide gap for the headband so that I could try it on and shift the applique to the exact location I wanted it prior to permanently gluing it down.

Once I had it in the right place, I glued the ends of the applique onto the headband and added a little more glue under the center circle. 

And that was it.  So are you ready to see the final product???  Oooooh... I'm ready to show you!

And just how smashing does it look on me?  You'll have to stay tuned to find out.  :-)

When has DIY gone right for you, and what's been your most rewarding DIY project?