My First DIY Adventure: Puzzle Piece Fail Whale

I started out with a theme idea, and it was put to bed. I started out with a favor idea after I accepted a new theme idea (or lack thereof, really), and it was slowly but surely dying as well. I was beginning to wonder if I should just set out bags of Jordan almonds and call it a day. . .

After my fairly melodramatic e-mail to Bridesmaid Y, she responded (like a true BM should, in my opinion) with: “Don’t let the idea die yet!” As the day went on, amidst our normal gossip and such (you wouldn’t think two people who talk 984907834098 times a day and see each other at least once a week would still have things to say to each other, but we really don't ever stop), we would bounce ideas back and forth off of one another, but nothing would stick. 

On my lunch, I was multi-tasking, like I do best, by shoving food in my mouth and plowing through wedding websites. I returned to Google and found the originally discarded puzzle pieces again, so I went to that website for a second look. I noticed, perhaps a tiny bit ashamedly, for the first time, the two arrows and ‘6 of 8’ caught my eye. 

image via Hobby Lobby website | The 'DUH, self' editing all me, thanks to MSPaint. Just to clarify. 

I furiously clicked the arrow and VOILA (for real this time)!

image via Hobby Lobby website | FREAKING. WOODEN. PUZZLE. PIECES. I found them! 

There aren't really appropriate words, just a lot of !!!!!!!!!!!!! I immediately e-mailed Bridesmaid Y, completely in caps, about these puzzle pieces and my idea to stick a magnet on the back. Hello, place card setting favor, I have been searching for you for ohsolong.

She and I did some quick Math and if all goes well, it'll cost me like $65 total. I hopped on Amazon and bought a few different kinds of magnets (one and two), a hot glue gun and two packages of the puzzle pieces. I was really excited, thinking I'd try them out and I had plenty of time to perfect my vision. Bonus: it'd be my first real wedding project. Bonus: this is a DIY project I felt like I could accomplish myself.

When they arrived and I went to work, all I could hear in my head was womp womp wommmmmmmmp. 

personal photo | The labels will be explained shortly, promise!

The truth? I was so discouraged. They didn't come out like I wanted them to and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disheartened by it. I know, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. I gave myself the first of a gazillion 'what matters is that you are marrying your soul mate' speeches. But I still felt so mer about it all.

The thing is, when you're planning a wedding on a budget, you're automatically in the 'cut-corners' mindset. Sometimes, these are easy decisions that work out well, like realizing you don't need to spend literally thousands on a florist when you can have gorgeous silk flowers for decoration, bouquet and boutonniere purposes for less than $500 total.

Sometimes discerning the Cuttable Corners is a big fat 'duh' decision, like spending almost $40 on some freaking water bottles with labels or having some labels printed (for under $10, mind you), buying a case of water separately and placing the labels on the water ourselves. 

Sometimes, though, the Cuttable Corners are tough. . .like trying to figure out how to DIY favors that won't look cheap, that people will want to take home with them, that aren't going to take immeasurable amounts of time and effort, etc. For a very super inexperienced and inadequate DIY'er like myself, this is a huge challenge.

That's why I was so excited about the puzzle pieces! I thought that they were SUPER do-able, even for me. It's very important to us that as much as possible have a 'meaning' or connects to us in some way - not just 'oh, these are nice.' Again, this was a huge part of why I was so excited for the puzzle pieces. The day they arrived, I got my glue gun, my magnets, my markers and my puzzle pieces ready. . .

Say it with me: womp-womp-freaking-wommmmmmmmmmmp. 

The puzzle pieces themselves are made out of an almost splintery wood, which means that the markers/fancy pens bleed all over them. I initially wanted to have the puzzle pieces put together to make their, you know, puzzle, but when they were put together it was very hard to take them apart without causing the rest of the pieces to fall off of the whiteboard. . .

See what I mean? It's almost like the pieces connect TOO much. Determined as freaking ever, I decided to print labels* and see how they'd look if pasted (or hot glued, because I'm in love with my hot glue gun) onto the puzzle pieces. Granted, they don't look TERRIBLE, and I did hand write the names, but they also don't look. . .well, how I wanted them to look. 

Still playing the Conductor on the Determined Train game, I took the puzzle pieces apart and decided that I'd just place them in alphabetical order at the reception. This way, it'd be easier for guests to locate their names and tables. I figured I'd write some corny sign stating, "Mr. and Mrs. Palm Tree have always said that they're like puzzle pieces - separately they look like odds and ends, but when put together they create something complete. Locate your puzzle piece and head to your table to complete your puzzle!" or something similar (again, all of this thinking and re-doing occurred in less than an hour and a half). I played with the arrangements once again:

personal photo | Forgive the scribbles in the background - Mr. Palm tree uses his whiteboard to track his workouts. When he's on his fitness game, he's ON his fitness game. Me? I just like my Dunkin' Donuts Extra Large Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond Iced Coffee. ;) 

personal photo | Forgive the ghetto editing, too. MS Paint 4 lyfe.

In the pictures the bleeding isn't quite as evident, so you're just going to have to take my word for it.

After this last and final rearrangement, I got pretty discouraged. I told myself 'well, thank goodness both of the magnets work.' (One and two) I packed everything up and now they sit in a box in the corner of a closet and I angrily stare at it whenever our paths cross.

Now, I know that I have been freaking harping about how important is to get things done ahead of time. I realize that there are a near immeasurable amount of benefits, one of which being: if something doesn't work, you don't have to freak out or beat yourself up because you have time to choose a different idea or tweak it until it does work.

But like I said: damn oh DAMN, I wanted this idea to work.

Sigh. Bridesmaid Y and I went to a bridal show recently, and I booked our photo booth vendor. They have an option of table settings/escort cards that announce the idea of the photo booth, and also serve as a frame to their photo strip. Bridesmaid Y pointed out that they could very easily serve as favors, depending on price, which is a great idea. . .it's just not my puzzles. We have time and really, we're a pretty creative bunch. I'm not worried that we're going to be favor and/or place setting-less as much as I am sad that my idea was a bust, you know? 

Dear Favors: You are officially shelved for future consideration. Love, Me.

In the meantime, I guess I can consider this a planning milestone: the first time a plan fell through and I had to start from scratch! My champagne flute is half-full, thank you very much.