Getting hands-on with the gals behind "Handmade Weddings"

Handmade Weddings book by Eunice Moyle, Sabrina Moyle and Shana Faust

This past Saturday, Paper Source Berkeley hosted a "Midsummer's Eve Affair" with Eunice and Sabrina Moyle (the lovely ladies behind Hello!Lucky Stationery) and Chronicle Books, giving 16 lucky workshop attendees, including myself, the chance to create select projects from "Handmade Weddings: More Than 50 Crafts to Style and Personalize Your Big Day."

(L-R): Sabrina Moyle, me, Eunice Moyle, Christina and Lizzie of Paper Source Berkeley

If you don't already have "Handmade Weddings," I highly encourage you to get a copy ASAP (it's only $25). The Moyles and Shana Faust curated the DIY projects into major design themes -- complete with color palettes, suggested fonts, textures, and more to create a cohesive look. The step-by-step instructions, rated from easy to advanced, are easy to follow and time-crunched DIYers will appreciate the estimation of hours to complete the project.

My favorite chapters happen to be "Girly Romantic" (which includes the how-to on achieving Eunice's ethereal coffee-filter pom pom garlands that were featured in Martha Stewart Weddings last year) and "Happy Graphic," a whimsical and spirited look focused on fonts and bold patterns.

Lizzie sporting the Button Favors we made from the "Happy Graphic" chapter

The other great thing about Paper Source's workshop was that I learned some new tricks. The Paper Source staffers, like Christina, Fonda and Lizzie were extremely knowledgeable and introduced us to the incredible Xyron machine -- which makes anything into a sticker (Eunice even admitted it was a game-changer for her DIY-crafting). Another wonderful tool they shared with us was the embossing powder tray. I've been using paper plates and this simple tray has a funnel on one end so that you can pour the excess powder back into the bottle without making a huge mess. Best $6 buy ever.

Stay tuned this week for a how-to on making graphic paper clips with the Xyron gadget!

A DIY gal's best friend: the Xyron

My Button Save-the-Date, inspired by the "Happy Graphic" chapter