How to make program fans!

   One of the DIY projects I did, was to make the programs a fan for our guest to use to cool off with while they sat in the August sun, waiting for the ceremony to start. I really loved this for our summer wedding because it was a triple hit, programs, a favor, and entertainment for the guests. This was a somewhat time consuming project so if you're going this route I'd start about a month before the wedding just so you can take your time and they won't look rushed, and also in my case I had to re-do them 2 times because of wedding party changes, so you'll want to make sure you plan for that was well. Also you can save yourself money by planning ahead and using weekly in store coupons to buy the supplies for this project, if you haven't signed up for email coupons DO IT! They come in handy for trips in between weekly adds! Ask a sales associate if they accept competitors coupons, I found most places do. This is a great project for begining crafters, if you can tape or glue you can do this one!!

Supplies (these can all be found at your local craft store)

*Scissors; to cut ribbon

*Hand held hole punch

*4.5"x6.5" and 5.5"x 7.5" card stock (found in the scrapbooking section), you will need 2 pieces of both sizes per fan, they come in all colors, the number of packs you need will depend on how many programs you make for 100 programs I used 2 of each pack. I liked a basic white to print on for the 4.5x6.5 paper and a colorful paper for the larger size.

*1 box crafting popsicle sticks, I liked the wide ones better to grip, they came in a  box of about 300 which was plenty for my project

*Spools of ribbon cut into 4-5" strips, the number you will need depends on how many you are making and it will be 2 pieces of ribbon per fan I think I used 6-7 spools they come in varying yards some spools have 6yds some had 10yds so you will just have to see how many you can cut off a spool.

*Double sided permanent tape, I found tape the way to go because waiting for glue to dry really slowed this process down , although the tape is a bit more expensive it will save so much time in the long run, and the amount you need depends on the number you are making, I made 100 fans, and went through about 9-11 rolls.

*Misc embellishments are totally up to you, BE CREATIVE! I found self adhesive jewels that resembled my engagement ring and self adhesive flowers to spice up the back of the program in the scrapbooking aisle as well

1. Get yourself organized so you can have an assembly line set up, it will have you tearing through these if you're set up with everything in order of how they are made (a buddy sure helps one can assemble the fan while one adds the print outs and embellishments)

2. You'll need to format the front of the program, I used Microsoft word, it takes a little tweaking to get things just right, but you should be able to set the page parameters to the size paper you need, once you have the text looking how you want and worded how you want you can print out all those to be ready, then the same for the back; format the puzzle if that's what you are doing or add a picture or more wedding information to the back and get those all printed out

Once you have all the pages printed it is so simple to assemble the fans.

3. Take two of the larger pieces of card stock and lay them in front of you.

4. Take a popsicle stick, lay it down on one of the pieces of card stock so about 1/2 is hanging off the edge and tape the stick so it won't slide. 

5. Put tape in an X shape on the other piece of card stock and press the two pieces together so the stick is sandwiched between them.

6. Place and X of tape on the back of each of the smaller printed out pieces of card stock and tape one to the front and one to the back.

7. Punch 2 holes in the top on the now taped together program, take one piece of ribbon and stick the two ends through each hole going the same direction then tie a bow, take another piece of ribbon and poke it through the opposite direction to make a bow on the opposite side, this should leave you with a bow on the front and back, that way each side looks complete; trim the tails of the ribbon of they are a bit long, otherwise they will smack people in the face, and you want them crying for the right reasons!!

8. Add your embellishments, I personally think self adhesive is the way to go here, no glue to smudge up your nicely printed programs and soooo fast and easy, the choice totally depends of your theme, I just went with jewels and flowers!

Then you're done!! How easy was that!!

If you have some DIY wedding content you'd like to share please email me at mallyleigheakes@gmail.com, I'd be so happy to have it to share. 

"All you need is love, love is all you need"

<333

Mal



This is the front of the finished program, the flourish on the bottom I just added from the clip art gallery and it happened to be in colors that matched already, I added the little self stick jewel (which sort of looks like my ring) for interest and bling on the front




To make a puzzle for the back use this site, very fast and easy and FREE, WOO HOO! Also you can see how I put bows on the front and the back I thought this made it look a little more polished, also adding the little self stick flowers for a pop of color and sparkle made it more fun.