We’re thrilled to introduce the lovely and crafty Polly Conway, Limn & Lovely’s new DIY maven. You can find her on her blog, The Firefly Express (chock-full of crafty musings, fun photos, and kitschy goodness), or at her shop for the cute-minded, Pollyanna Cowgirl, which is making the world a more creative and colorful place one accessory at a time. Without further ado, here’s Polly with this wonderful watercolor tutorial! (Be sure to stop by next week for more crafty creations!)

It only takes a little bit of time to add a lot of color to your wedding! With a few strokes of the brush, you’ll find yourself able to create gorgeous ombre place cards, party picks, tiny banners, and any other paper accessories you might want for your wedding tables. I’m excited to share this tutorial because it’s so simple and creates such a huge impact. If you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since preschool, don’t worry! This is the kind of craft that will renew your faith in your DIY skills! It’s also a great project for a pre-ceremony girls’ night; with some happy helpers, you can get a whole lot done in a few hours.

What you’ll need:

• baker’s twine or embroidery thread

• hot glue gun (The tiny cheapies work just fine!)

• iridescent watercolor paints (I used the Creative Expressions brand, but there are lots of options right now.)

• paintbrush

• toothpicks

• watercolor paper

• calligraphy markers

• scissors

Step 1: Choose the color palette you’d like to use. I picked a handful of warm, sunset-y shades: yellow, pink, and purple. With your brush, add a few droplets of water to each color and wait a few minutes. When you dip your brush into the paint again, you should have a highly pigmented shade to start out with.

Step 2: Paint a line across your sheet of watercolor paper. Then dip the brush in water and paint another next to the first. It should be considerably lighter. Blend a little with the first line. Repeat. Continue diluting until your first color is almost washed out, creating that awesome ombre effect. Now, blend your next color into the first, doing the same thing. It’s up to you regarding how bold or mellow a look you’d like to establish; experiment! There’s really no way to mess this one up. When you’re happy, set the paper aside and let it dry for about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Once the paper is dry, you can begin cutting. Cut a handful of 1” strips. You’ll use these for both the toothpick flags as well as the banners. Make sure you cut each strip in a way that best shows off the watercolor variegations. From here, you can get creative! Snip a “V” into each side of a strip for a super-cute party pick flag shape. With another strip, cut a series of small triangles.

 Step 4: Plug in your glue gun. It should take just a few minutes to warm up. (Hot glue warning: It’s great, but you’ve gotta work fast; it dries really fast!) For the party picks, squeeze a dot of glue onto your toothpick and stick it to the back of the paper. That’s it; your party pick is complete! For the banners, cut your desired length of twine and lay it flat on your work surface. Add a line of glue to each of your tiny triangles and squish it gently onto the twine. Let the glue dry for a minute or two and then lift it up off the work surface.

 Step 5: You have the option to add words if you like! A high-quality, felt-tip calligraphy pen looks beautiful on top of the watercolors; just make sure that the paint is totally dry before you start writing.

Now that you’ve got the skills, the possibilities are endless. You can add a wash of watercolor to cakes, cupcakes, drinks, place cards, floral arrangements, favors, and more! Pictured are just a few examples.