Design and Photography for Velcro Companies by Kathy Beymer from Merriment Design.
Want to make a unique and thoughtful DIY wedding gift? Stock the newlywed’s wine fridge with bottles to enjoy together on their future anniversaries.
Attach handmade tags to each bottle using colorful VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties and store until milestone anniversary years. Kathy made her tags from colorful craft store oven bake clay; you can alternatively use cardstock paper or make up a batch of homemade salt dough and the same general instructions apply.
Be sure to save the cork after each toast! Attach saved corks to tags using VELCRO® Brand fasteners to transform them into keepsake Christmas ornaments. Hang them on the Christmas tree by re-using the VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties.
This cheerful and sentimental DIY wedding gift is so much fun to make and receive that it just may become your new “go to” wedding gift. And you might want to make a set for yourself while you’re at it. Read on to see how it’s done!
Materials:
– Kathy’s printable hexagon template (PDF)
– Oven bake clay (or salt dough)
– Cookie cutter numbers or alphabet stamps
– VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties (available in Pastels and Brights)
– VELCRO® Brand Thin Fasteners (either Premated or Clear)
– Wine Bottles
Tools:
– Craft Knife, Ruler and Self-Healing Cutting Mat
– Rolling Pin or Smooth Glass Jar
– Scissors
– Straight pin
– Oven, Aluminum Baking Sheet and Parchment Paper
OK, let’s start making this festive DIY wedding gift…
DIY FUTURE ANNIVERSARY WEDDING GIFT
1. Knead the clay until it’s nice and malleable. Roll out the clay on a sheet of parchment paper so that it’s 1/4″ thick and large enough to fit the hexagon template.
2. Print and cut out the hexagon template. Lay the template onto the clay, then cut out hexagons and holes using a knife. I used a craft knife and metal ruler to make the lines really straight.
3. Add dates and words using either a cookie stamping set or alphabet stamps. I practiced mine first on scrap clay. Remember to spell everything backwards.
4. My stamp set didn’t come with a period so I used the top of a straight pin and it worked perfectly.
5. Keep adding words, leaving room at the bottom to attach the wine cork later. Here’s a tip: dip your stamps in water first to help them release more easily. Once stamps touch polymer clay, they’re no longer food safe so tuck them into your crafting drawer for future clay and paper projects.
6. Repeat for all three tags. You can choose to make tags one-by-one or all three tags at once in an assembly line; polymer clay will not harden until it bakes.
7. Bake according to package directions and let cool.
8. Choose your colors of VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties – it is available in Pastels like you see here and also Brights. Alternatively, you can use VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Roll – ¾” in white or black and cut to size. You’ll need one or two packages of VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties depending on your chosen colors and number of tags that you’re making – I used two packages for the three colors you see here.
9. Make a small hanging loop of VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties and cut to size. You can make two hanging loops from each tie.
10. Slip a second VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Tie through the tag’s hanging loop and wrap it around the bottle’s neck.
11. I like the fuzzy textured look of the VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties on the bottles, and they will hold the tags on securely for years.
And now we wait… and when an anniversary comes, simply remove the VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties, open the bottle and toast!
12. Be sure to keep the cork! Add VELCRO® Brand Thin Fasteners – Premated or VELCRO® Brand Thin Clear Fasteners to the tag. Trim the fasteners as needed to fit your cork.
13. Attach the cork to the tag.
14. And now it’s a keepsake Christmas ornament to remember anniversaries for years to come. Turn the VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Ties into an ornament hanger by attaching it to itself in a circle. Hang on your Christmas tree.
Now click here to pick up all the VELCRO® Brand products you need to get started!
