A Puzzling Pop Art Affair: The Details on the DIY

Yesterday I brought you my entry to the Inspired Creations Contest, where I teamed up with Bellwether Events, Kurstin Roe Photography and Two Brunettes to create a vibrant and super (Ok, I mean really super) fun wedding centered around puzzle pieces and pop art! As promised, I'm bringing you the DIY details on how we created my favorite part of the concept, the placecards turned puzzle keepsake guest book! Here we go!

The Low-down on the DIY:

Our concept had six tables with nine guests per table. Each table got an eight-by-ten puzzle and each guest got a single puzzle piece as a part of it. Of course, you could also design it so that the guests create one larger puzzle instead but for our theme we wanted to have multiple to bring out the pop art vibe.

What we used:

6 8x10 puzzles, Joslin Photo Puzzle Company

Magnetic backing, Michaels

4 White magnetic boards, Ikea

Avery brand Inkjet Magnetic Business Cards, Staples

Magnetic Primer, Home Depot

Canvas, Michaels

Paint Markers, Michaels

1. The Puzzles: We uploaded an engagement photo and turned it into pop art by playing with the colors on Photoshop (you can simplify this by altering the colors on your basic photo editing program, like iPhoto). Each table got a different colored photo. Then we recruited the Joslin Photo Puzzle Company to produce the puzzles. It’s as simple as uploading the photos to their website and choosing the size puzzle you want. With puzzles in hand we affixed a magnet to the back of each individual piece.

2. The Placecards: Carolynn designed a simple placecard to complement our puzzles and sent over the file. We purchased Avery Inkjet Magnetic Business Cards (available online via Staples) to print the placecards on, separated them and voila! Magnetic placecards!

3. The Display: To display the placecards easily and visibly, we used four magnetic white boards from Ikea. You can hang them, lean them against the wall or even place them on easels! A magnetic puzzle was placed on top of each placecard so each guest took both with them to their table.

4. The Guestbook: We bought a large (24 x 36 in) canvas to use as the basis for our guestbook. We laid out the puzzles in the middle and traced around the perimeter to map out the area we needed to magnetize. We put down blue painter’s tape along our lines and painted the inside with magnetic primer (Home Depot). Three coats are required for the best hold and each coat dries in about 30 minutes.

To re-cap how the placecard to guestbook worked... We placed the placecards & individual puzzle pieces on the magnetic boards. Each guest took their puzzle piece to their table where they then assembled the puzzle with their tablemates. The table then collectively placed their puzzle on the magnetized canvas and signed around the border.

Phew, can you handle all that? My favorite part is that both components of the placecards are useful! The card itself is a magnet that you can use on your fridge and the puzzle becomes a keepsake for the couple! There's nothing like being resourceful!

Don't forget, if you love our concept, please take a moment to leave us some love over on EAD by clicking HERE! Have a wonderful weekend!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly

Inspired Creations Contest: A Puzzling Pop Art Affair!

Oh boy am I excited to share this out-of-this-world post with you today! In case you haven't heard, the lovely ladies of Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion are hosting a contest, called the Inspired Creations Contest, where vendors were asked to compete and create a totally original, and totally realistic, wedding concept to inspire brides around the world! Well, I teamed up with Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events, photographer Kurstin Roe and stationer Carolynn of Two Brunettes to create an eye-popping, innovative concept that I am so head-over-heels in love with. You can see it HERE on EAD and I've brought you some of the details below today! But be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post to find out how and where to see more, and how you can play a part in this brilliant contest!

We wanted to incorporate puzzles into a wedding because it was something we hadn't seen before and something so perfect for a wedding motif! Then, we knew we wanted to stay away from the typical pastels and vintage fair that we see a lot in weddings nowadays. So, we decided to pair puzzle pieces with pop art for a bright and super fun wedding!

Carolynn designed a perfect invitation suite to get our mock guests excited about what was to come! In fact, you can download the template here for your very own wedding invitations!

Our place card turned guest book contest is probably my favorite part. In short, each guest gets a magnetic puzzle piece along with their place card that matches up to the puzzle pieces of everyone at their table. Together, each table must put together their puzzle and bring it over to a white board that has been painted with magnetic primer. Each table puts up their puzzle to create a totally pop art piece that all the guests can then sign around for a fantastic keepsake for the couple! Take note! I'll be bringing all the DIY details of this concept tomorrow so you can recreate this exactly as you see (or put your own spin on it!).

The cake was covered in white fondant and sprinkled with cute puzzle cutouts! Our cake topper was an Etsy find (yay!) and complemented the pop-art theme quite nicely if you ask me!

Now for the final, and my tied-for-favorite part, the photo booth! Wanna know the best part? All you need is a Mac laptop! Yes you heard me right, we set up a Mac laptop and used the pop art style in the Photobooth application. We created an irresistible set-up of props and masks-on-a-stick and all it took was one click and guests have an instant favor (provide a small printer and have your photographer's second-shooter man it). Doesn't get much better, or budget friendly than that, huh?

So, what do you think? I have to say I'm pretty happy with how the puzzles and pop art worked together, and now I really wish I could attend a wedding like this! Don't you?

Here's where you come in. First, if you want to find out all the details on who helped us out with this fabulous shoot head on over to Elizabeth Anne Designs where it is currently posted! Then, if you like our concept as much as I hope you do, be sure to leave a comment on our post on EAD (and feel free to leave one here as well!)!

I'll be back tomorrow with the low-down on the DIY elements of this concept so make sure you stop by! I hope you enjoyed our "puzzling" idea, and don't forget to comment by clicking HERE!

Aspiring to Inspire,

Kelly