In lieu of a guestbook, we wanted to have our wedding guests sign the mat that would later surround our wedding picture. After searching a few stores for a bamboo picture frame to no avail, we decided to make one ourselves. Starting with a cheap, thin 18" X 24" frame, we used hot glue to attach large pieces of bamboo to the front and sides. To cover the gaps, we placed a stalk of thin bamboo down the center of each side. To hold it all in place, we tied raffia around the corners. We had a mat custom made to coordinate with the bamboo and the wedding color, then inserted a sign to instruct the wedding guests as to what to do. The finished product now resides on our Tiki Bar wall. (If you'd like to make a bamboo picture frame, I would highly suggest finding one already made. We've broken 2 panes of glass in this frame trying to get it all together, not to mention the painstaking task of splitting bamboo for the initial construction. Click here to find one on eBay.)

I had a little extra time "project" and came up with the idea to make my own jewelry. To the right are my necklace and earrings featuring cowry shells, a starfish, and blue beads on hemp.

Hand Decorated Cake Serving Set

Just to tie it into everything else, a knife and cake server with pearl handles, adorned with starfish, hemp, and beads.