DIY – Graduation Cap Bottle Toppers with College Logos

May 1, 2021 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

– MAKE IT! Bottle Topper with College Logos –

This DIY graduation party project is for graduation caps to put on bottles as decorative toppers.

After the aisle stroll and the hat toss it’s time for a college graduation party! We call this graduation party, “Hat’s Off to the Class of 2021!” These colorful bottle toppers look like graduation caps when perched atop beverage bottles. They make memorable party decorations on bottles of beer, water, or wine, plus show pride for the alma mater as you honor your graduate.

Supply List

Template – free download – see below
Wrapping paper or scrap-booking paper with the grad’s college or university logo – use contrasting colors if available
Mini tassels
Glue dots dispenser or glue gun
Poster board
Colorful brads
Scissors
Pencil

The uniqueness of this DIY project is the logo paper from your grad’s university. I was lucky enough to find this University of Washington (Go Huskies!) scrapbooking paper in a nearby craft store, but there are many sites selling wrapping paper or scrapbook paper with college logos. The logo paper is glued on top of a square of poster board to make the top of the graduation cap sturdy.

The mini-tassels are a great find from Hobby Lobby. They’re actually 2 inch drapery tassels, but they were so perfect and inexpensive I couldn’t resist. They are available in gold, red, black, and cream. As you can see they are priced $2.49 for four tassels. Buying them sure beats making them from scratch for saving time. YouTube has many tutorials on how to make tassels using yarn or embroidery thread, if you are inclined to hand make them.

FREE-DOWNLOAD-How-to-Make-DIY-Graduation-Cap-Bottle-Toppers-with-College-Logo Download

TEMPLATE & ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Print this free download and use the templates to make the graduation caps.

“Hats Off to the Class of 2021” Printable Sign

FREE-PRINTABLE-SIGN-Hats-Off-to-the-class-of-2021 Download

FREE SIGN DOWNLOAD - Hats Off to the Class of 2021

Custom Graduation Labels for Beer and Wine Bottles

Once you’ve made your bottle toppers you’re going to want to complete the look with custom labels for the bottles as well. Check out our pre-made designs for graduation beer and wine labels. Many of these templates have a dedicated area to upload a graduation photo. The text is editable for your graduate’s name, school, year, and degree.

Shop now for personalized graduation beer labels and wine labels. Edit the templates or make your own labels.

Make personalized graduation wine labels and graduation beer labels. Great adult party favors. Waterproof, self-adhesive, and ready to add to your bottles.

Have questions or comments? Leave a note below or contact us via live chat M-F, 9 am to 3 pm Pacific time. We’re also available at info at bottle your brand dot com.

Tea with the Bride to Be Chalkboard Sign

March 4, 2019 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Hi Ladies. Let’s have tea with the bride-to-be! I made this sign for a bridal shower tea for my niece. As a first time sign maker I was a bit intimidated, but really loved how it turned out. I made some mistakes that I’ll help you avoid, and I’ll share tips so you can create this DIY chalkboard sign without some of the problems I encountered. It took one evening to make the sign and this tutorial will help you master it too. Use the free PDF template and the shopping list of the materials provided below. This post should help you make a bridal shower sign that’s sure to wow! I share some tea party favor labels with you too, to help with your tea party planning.

DIY chalkboard sign made for a bridal shower tea.

Materials for DIY Sign
“Let’s Have Tea with the Bride-to-Be”

Shopping List

Black Ornate Chalkboard – Check out this pag e for the sign I used as well as other sign selections. TIP: The sign I used is not a true chalkboard even though that’s the name of the product. It’s also a bit larger than the PDF template; see step 3 below to adjust the size larger.
Bistro Chalk Markers – One bullet tip and one chisel tip. TIP: Use chalk paint or chalk sticks if you have a real chalkboard.
Printer and paper
Transfer paper – Not the iron on kind, but the kind for other surfaces
Easel to hold the sign
Removable Scotch tape
Pencil or Pen
Scissors

Bridal Shower Chalkboard Sign - Let's Have Tea with the Bride to Be — Click on the image to download the PDF template and make this chalkboard sign.

Before You Get Started:

Gather all the materials together.
Download the sign template.
Print the template. Check the printed template against the sign you purchased. The PDF is made for standard size 8.5 x 11 paper. If you have a bigger sign, cut out the various elements of the template and lay them out on a new sheet of paper; tape in place.
Real chalk surfaces need to be primed. Here’s how to prime the chalkboard (if it’s a true chalkboard). The sign in this tutorial looks like a chalkboard but it’s NOT! It’s actually a painted surface. Something I found out the hard way. That’s why I used the markers and not actual chalk. But if you use chalk sticks, them prime the board.
Cut your transfer paper to the size of the sign and tape it securely on all side to the edges of the sign. Make sure the transfer paper has the correct side down.
Position the template over the transfer paper making sure it’s centered to the top and bottom and both sides of the sign. Tape it in place like the in the photo below.

Taped template and transfer paper for tracing the chalkboard sign.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are the steps to make the chalkboard sign. Make sure you read these tips beforehand as they will save you time and possibly frustration!

Using a pen or pencil start tracing over the template from the top making sure you get the outline of the flourishes, letters, and tea pot. Take your time and make sure you press down hard enough to transfer the design through to the sign. This is a critical step and there are a lot of letters so be meticulous!
Carefully remove the taped template and transfer paper.
Using the chalk markers, draw over the design, filling in any areas that weren’t traced. I used both styles of chalk marker tips. The bullet tip was great for the flourishes. I liked the chisel tip for the text, but you’ll find which marker point works best for you. TIP: If you make a mistake use a damp Q-Tip to remove it and let dry before continuing.
Let the chalk or chalk ink dry completely on the completed sign. Protect from any unnecessary contact.

Materials used for making bridal shower chalkboard sign.

Here’s how the sign looked right after I finished it. I used a small ball of Museum Wax on the easel to hold the chalkboard sign securely against it.

Tea Party Theme
Favor Labels

To create custom favors for tea parties and tea themed showers we offer a variety of sticker designs. These will stick to bags, boxes, and bottles. Check out this page or look through all of our designs to find one you like.

Add a custom sticker to a Macaron box for the perfect tea party favor.

Create a tea party favor by decorating a tea tin with a custom circle sticker.

Thanks for stopping by to see the DIY chalkboard sign project. If you have questions about making the sign or ordering custom labels for bridal shower favors we’re available online with our live chat Monday through Friday 9 am to 3 pm Pacific time. Email us with questions: info at bottleyourbrand dot com.

FREE! Festive Fonts for Holiday Labels

November 1, 2018 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Ten Free Festive Fonts for Your Holiday Labels

When making holiday labels you’ll want to be sure to choose a font with a festive feel. Whether you’re making labels for giving wine, labeling craft beer, or making your own hang tags; the right font evokes the perfect mood. So, if you’re looking to add more of a holiday touch to your label artwork, you’ll want to think about fonts. All around you are ads, banners, billboards, websites, and product labels with very specific fonts. Those fonts are chosen for the ambience they create. To add some seasonal cheer to your label art, check out these top ten Christmas-looking fonts, all of which are available for your use in the Bottle Your Brand online design studio or to download from the web for free.

1. SEVILLANA

Sevillana is one of Google’s free fonts that has a bit of swash to it. With the perfect amount of curlicue, it brings to mind the holidays,. Here it’s used on a holiday canning label. TIP: Script style fonts are more difficult to read in all caps so stick to capitalizing just the first letter of a word. Find Sevillana font in the Display font family.

2. MOUNTAINS OF CHRISTMAS

A font like Mountains of Christmas creates a playful look reminiscent of Dr. Suess. It might even look like little Cindy Lou Who’s handwriting! It’s a happy font found under the Display font family in the online design tool. This mini wine label fits a 175 ml Christmas favor bottle.

3. HENNY PENNY

For a roller coaster ride of a font choose Henny Penny. It’s curvy lines and sharp serifs lend an air of charm to Christmas labels. This is another font you’ll find in the Display font family. See how cheerful Santa looks with this greeting rolling out of his mouth on a Christmas wine label.

4. MONSIEUR LA DOULAISE

This free web font, Monsieur LaDoulaise, is a handwritten style script font and is perfect for more formal holiday designs . Lots of flourishes on the capital letters make it feel very Hallmark card-like. The font dresses up this seasonal beer label design. Find this font in our online design studio under the font family Handwriting.

5. URWWOODTYPD

This ornamental typeface has all the right elements for a holiday feel. It adds a classic, almost gingerbread look on any labels you create. It’s only drawback is it’s all caps which isn’t a bad thing. See how it decorates this holiday water bottle label. Find this font under the Popular font family in the online designer. It’s also free online.

6. RUGE BOOGIE

The decorative font Ruge Boogie is dripping with curly cues and whimsical flair which makes it a font worth a second look. Use this font for holiday greetings like the one on this bottle neck label made for holiday bottles filled with good cheer. Find Ruge Boogie from the drop down fonts in the Handwriting family.

7. SPIRAX

An understated yet fanciful font, Spirax lends a subtle Christmas feel to text. It has tiny curls at points along the letter tips. Just a hint of Christmas without being overwhelming. The message on this holiday wine bottle tag says it all and Spirax lends it credibility. This font is in the Display font family.

8. GLASS ANTIQUA

Looking for a font that’s a little less curly and swirly than the previous fonts? Glass Antiqua is a free font that has a little flair to it without being overpowering. The rounded serifs give it an old time holiday look. This seasonal design for drink coasters displays the font in all caps with a mix of lower case text. It’s an understated font that’s versatile for more than just Christmas. Find this in the Display fonts of our online designer.

9. GRIFFY

If you’re a bit quirky and give gifts to match, Griffy font is for you. It has the decorative flourishes and the uneven character lines of a cartoon, but with charm. See Griffy font on this gift tag sticker made for topping off Christmas presents. Griffy is also found in the Display fonts on BYB.

10. SAIL

Sail is a free font that’s swirly and yet scripty. The capital letter swashes are exceptionally lovely for holiday greetings. It looks like very fine handwriting with flair where flair should be. It warms up the greeting on this 3 x 3 inch square sticker. Sail is found in the Display font family.

How to Change a Font

To change font once you’ve selected a design, look below the text lines to the orange Customize button. Click on the button. Now you are in the online design studio. Select the text by clicking on it. You’ll see blue boxes surrounding the text and the text options tool bar appears to the left of the design screen. Locate the FONT FAMILY drop down. Click on the drop down and a box appears with the font names in that font category. There are more font styles within that drop down. The font styles are:

Sans Serif
Display
Serif
Handwriting
New
Common
Popular
Exclusive

If you need help locating a font, we’re available on Live Chat weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm, Pacific time. Or you can always email us at info at bottleyourbrand dot com.

Seven Font Pairings for Labels that Inspire

February 2, 2017 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Recently we updated our online designer with some fabulous new fonts. Many of them are handmade fonts that break with traditional styles. The new fonts follow the latest trends and their unique look opens up fresh options with more choices for font pairings. This update is great news for customers who want to make one of a kind label designs. Fonts influence the mood of anything that displays text; advertising, web pages, signs, food labels, wine labels, beer labels, are all created with a tone in mind. You might find that a little knowledge of how to pair fonts will go a long way when you create your label.

FONT STYLES

First of all you need to know what font types there are:

FONT PAIRING TIPS

Choose fonts with similar moods that express the same idea or share similar proportions. Use fonts that have the same height, kerning, and ascender or descender lengths. Font height is self explanatory so let’s look at what kerning is. Kerning is the spacing between letters. Ascender is the part of the font that extends above the main portion of the font like the letter b and descender is the part that extends below it like the letter p. Find more handy typography facts here.

Fonts come in thicknesses. Some are light some are bold. Many fonts offer several weights, which means you can use different degrees of thinness or thickness. Our online design studio may give you the option to bold or italicize a font. This will make it thicker or heavier.

Serif and sans serif fonts can be paired with any type of font, but only pair script and decorative fonts with a serif or sans serif font. To be on the safe side you can always use different weights of the same font. For instance a light version with a bold one.

Combining fonts is challenging if you don’t follow a few simple design principles. To make it easy here’s a chart to guide you when you want to use multiple fonts on a label.

FONT PAIRING GUIDE

HELPFUL TIPS ABOUT COMBINING FONTS

Script fonts go better with sans serif fonts or slab serif fonts.
Mixing two script fonts usually doesn’t work out so well.
Never use all caps in a script font, it generally looks awful.
Avoid fonts that are so different you immediately know it hurts to look at them.
Use 2 to 3 fonts maximum.

To make it even easier here are some more font pairings for you to use when you make your own label and because it’s February and Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, the examples below are FREE PDF Valentine Cards to download. They print 5 inches wide by 7 inches high. Click on each one to go to the download page.

FONT PAIRING EXAMPLES

WOLFSBANE & SIXCAPS

NORICAN & OPEN SANS (bolded)

KATHYA & GROUNDAY

SHEPIA SCRIPT, SPELLBOUND SOLID, & SPELLBOUND

HOW TO LOCATE THE NEW FONTS

To find the new fonts in the online designer, click ‘Customize More’ on a template or ‘Customize’ from the ‘Make Your Own‘ option. Once on the design page, click ‘Add Text’ and type your words in the ‘Enter Text Here’ box. When the text is selected look to the Text Options toolbar on the right and under the Font Family hit the drop down arrow to locate the category ‘Exclusive.’ We can guide you to them via online chat weekdays 9 to 3 Pacific time.

Last Minute Holiday Wine Gift Bags

December 7, 2016 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Giving a gift you know someone is going to like makes Christmas all the more fun. Wine is a great gift since it’s traditionally part of celebrating during the holidays. Create a custom wine label for your wine and then make a special wine gift bag for giving it. Included in this post are instructions and templates to make two different wine gift bags with just a few materials. These gift bags are for full size 750 ml wine bottles. They can also be used for Champagne bottles.

Newsprint Snowflake Wine Bag

The newsprint paper used to make the snowflake on the example bag was purchased at a specialty paper store. The name of the paper is Graphic Newsprint. It’s double-sided and comes 3 sheets per package. The sheets ares 21.3″ x 31.5″ and the price was $3.00 per package. If you aren’t able to find this kind of paper and are in a pinch, grab a newspaper and use the stock market pages for a visually interesting pattern. The wine bag was purchased at Cost Plus World Market. You don’t have to use the snowflake template especially if you’re a talented snowflake maker, use your own snowflake creation! This is a project anyone can make and the variations are endless using other mediums besides newsprint.

Snowflake Newsprint Wine Gift Bag Template and Instructions

Kraft Paper Wine Bag Topper

Kraft Paper Wine Bag Topper Template and Instructions

After you cut out the two kraft paper shapes, lay them flat and glue them together matching them at the fold line. Next, cut a slit slightly wider than the width of the handles along the fold crease, to allow it to slip over the wine bag handles. Add a ribbon or tie a hang tag to one of the handles.

Each one of these wine bags takes less than 15 minutes to make. We recommend adding a holiday wine label to your wine or a holiday hang tag to each bag. Some simple ideas for a stunning result.

If you need help with your wine label, hang tag, or wine gift bag please email us at info at bottleyourbrand.com or live chat with us weekdays 9 am to 3 pm Pacific time.