Valentine Bridal Shower

This past weekend my sister and I threw a valentines bridal shower for our wonderful niece.  She is the first of mine and my siblings children to get married and needless to say, we are all very excited.  The wedding will take place in Las Vegas and we're all gambling on a long and happy marriage for her and her fiance. 

Bridal Cuisine

 Valentine Cupcakes

Brownies sprinkled with love.

Double Down Shrimp

Cheese and Grapes - Not too dicey but yummy indeed.

Friends and Family

 The brides grandmother, mother, and aunts

Her newest cousin

Two slightly older, and very cute, cousins

The maid of honor with her mother.

The bride with one of her future sisters-in-law.

A neighbor of the bride chats with the bride's brother's girlfriend.

A Bridal Toast

For the bride born on Saint Patrick's Day:

For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day. 

 The bride drinks to the toast while wearing her favorite color - magenta, or is that majestic?  (You had to be there!)

Handmade Gifts

Hand painted glasses as party favors.  Get the directions here

Wine Cooler or Flower Vase for the couple who are getting married in Vegas and staying at Circus, Circus.  How appropriately appropriate!

Love and Kisses and Valentine Wishes to the engaged couple as they plan their future together.  We Love You both.

Hand Painted Wine Glasses for a Wedding Shower

This past weekend the girls got together to paint wine glasses for my nieces bridal party.  These glasses, with her wedding date hand written on the bottom, will be a unique "remember the date" gift for those attending her shower.  Glass painting is so simple and such a creative reason to gather the girls, I thought you might want to give it a try...

Supplies and Instructions:

Supplies:  Clear Wine Glasses - these don't need to be expensive, we picked ours up at Target, but you can get them anywhere ~ Gloss Enamel Paint - we used Liqitex, Pebeo and Americana  ~ Paint Brushes - Small to medium brushes and you'll definitely want some with a fine tip for adding detail ~ Sketch paper and pencils for sketching out your designs, or you can download and print design ideas ~ Isopropyl Alcohol, tissues, and q-tips  - for cleaning your glassware and for wiping off mistakes ~ Oven for heat setting the paint.

Extra Supply:  Wine - to loosen things up and to help the ideas flow - and after all - we were painting wine glasses!

Directions:  * Thoroughly wash glasses and wipe down with Isopropyl alcohol to remove any trace of dirt and grease. 

 

 * To paint your design on glasses you may free hand the design ~ which is what we did using simple shapes and repetitive designs.  

The artists were of all ages and artistic abilities and each one of the painted wine glasses turned out truly fabulous.  You can also use stencils, or place a picture that you like on the inside of the glass with a little bit of tape, then copy that image.  

 

 * Apply your colors on the outside of the glass.* If you make a mistake, dip a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and gently wipe it away.  For larger mishaps you can dip a napkin in alcohol then rub off what you don't want. 

Be creative, be artistic and just have fun.  Remember, if you make a mistake - take a sip of wine, wipe away your problem and continue with your painting.

 Use your fine tip brush and a little bit of paint to outline or add detail to your design.  To paint the bottom, turn your glass upside down and brush on a coat of paint.  We did this and once the paint was dry, added the brides wedding date.

 Allow the glasses to dry for 48 hours before proceeding to the next step of heat setting in the oven. Stand the glasses upside down on a soft surface such as a folded tea towel to allow them to dry. 

Try to keep them away from the kitchen or bathrooms, where moisture could affect the drying. Then follow the instructions on your paint bottle for oven heating.

If you paint the underside of your glasses, turn them upside down when placing them in the oven.  Make sure the glasses are placed in a cold oven, so the temperature is not too extreme which would cause the glasses to break.

Have fun and let me know if you give this a try!  Cheers to the Bride and Groom!  Viva Las Vegas!!!