Happy Half Birthday to Style Me Thrifty!

I looked at the calendar today and realized, whoa, it’s already September. That means Style Me Thrifty has been part of the blogging world for exactly 6 months. When did that happen? They grow up so fast!

Cheers to half a year of blogging!

It’s been an awesome blur of late-night writing, wacky blog post brainstorming sessions, handing out hot pink business cards and receiving wonderful feedback from my readers (thank you!).

In honor of this mini-milestone, I’d like to share SMT’s 6 most popular posts from the past 6 months, in case you’ve missed any.

Please post/email/Facebook me your style questions!

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Top 6 Posts from the Past 6 Months:

1. Introducing… the Spin Pin! – I should have bought stock in Goody’s Spin Pin. This product is awesome and you girls clearly thought so, too, making this my #1 most visited post! Since writing this, I’ve discovered Mini Spin Pins, so be sure to check those out if you have finer hair.
   
2. What to Wear to a Spring (or Summer) Wedding – One of the best parts about blogging is seeing my friends wearing something that I recommended. Check out Amy below, in that adorable BCBGeneration ruffled dress that I suggested in this post. Flawless, Amy!
3. Nail Stickers?! – The lady at Quiznos asked me about my nail stickers the other day. These things sure turn heads! Have you all tried them yet? I went with the “Check it Out” pattern this past weekend for my trip to Nashville. So fun! (but I’m finding that they grow out within 6 days or so).
4. Top 10 Tips for Looking Fab at a Bridal Shower – Styling my sister for her own bridal shower was the catalyst for starting this blog. This was one of my first posts so I have a soft spot in my heart for it. (And for my adorable sis and mom!)
   
5. DIY Wedding Signs – I’ve gotten a TON of visitors via keyword searches for “wedding signs.” I can tell this is a popular decoration at weddings right now!
   
6. Reader Poll: Thoughts on Backless Shirts? – 47% of you voted in the poll and said backless shirts, like Bachelorette Ashley’s, are super cute and you’d totally bring sexy back. Rock it, girls!
   

DIY Wedding Signs

For me, thriftiness isn’t something that is only limited to my fashion decisions. I try really hard to find affordable alternatives whenever I can in life: instead of breaking the bank on a fancy meal, I sit at the bar and order appetizers. Instead on splurging on over-priced furniture, I head straight to Ikea (god bless those Swedes!).

And sometimes my work-arounds come in the form of do-it-yourself projects. It’s amazing how a little elbow grease and determination can save you money. So I’ve decided to start sharing some of my best DIY tricks on Style Me Thrifty. First up: do-it-yourself wedding signs!

My sister got married in April and her wedding gave me an excuse to start following wedding blogs (how convenient!). One lovely detail I kept seeing in photos were these rustic, directional signs that guided guests to the ceremony, reception, etc. Since my sis was getting married on a farm, wedding signs like these were practically a must, but why would I buy pre-made signs when I could make them myself? So that’s exactly what I did! Here’s how.

Supplies for DIY Wedding Signs:

• 4 pieces of wood, approximately 3 feet long, 6 inches tall, found at Home Depot or a craft store. It doesn’t matter if the pieces aren’t a perfect match or have rough edges. They’re supposed to be “rustic” looking. Bonus tip: if your boyfriend owns a saw, put him to work.
• Paint – I used two 2oz. bottles of acrylic paint from Michael’s and that was more than enough
• Stencils (they make an amateur artist’s life easier) and a stencil brush
• Tape to hold stencils in place
• Ruler
• Nails for mounting the signs to trees OR 4 stakes (about 4 feet tall) to hammer the signs into the ground

Steps to Make the Signs:

• Cut out each letter from the stencil sheet. Using a ruler, find the midpoint of the wood. Now line up your letters so that they’re nice and centered (and spelled correctly!).
• Tape each stencil to the wood to prevent it from moving. Using a stippling motion, paint in the stencil, making sure you’re putting down enough paint to make the color really vivid.
• Carefully peel off the stencil and continue until you’ve spelled your word. Viola! That’s it!