Take your bread from basic to brilliant with vellum sleeves that work a second shift as elegant menus.

You don't have to be a master seamstress to pull off these program covers. Simply slip your paper pages into a folded piece of Mood Fabrics faux suede, and then bind near the fold by running the whole shebang through a sewing machine. Go for a classic zigzag or pick a more complicated stitch. Experiment with different thread colors to find the most appealing combo.

Wide moire taffeta ribbon becomes a beautiful jacket for a wedding program. A narrow brown ribbon tied in a simple bow holds the finished booklet closed.

You will need: scalloping shears, 4 1/2 -inch-wide moire taffeta ribbon cut to 7-inch length, your program printed on 6 1/4-by-4 1/4-inch paper, paper clips, thin satin ribbon 18 3/4 inches long, pins, and a sewing machine.
1. Fold program in half; crease. Fold wide ribbon in half; iron to crease. Center open program on unfolded ribbon; clip in place. Center narrow ribbon on outside of wide ribbon, perpendicular to fold, and pin close to the crease.
2. With booklet open to center, sew through all 3 elements along the fold. Tie off thread and trim excess. Remove clips and pins.

Flutter fans were common giveaways in bygone years. Bring them back with this favor. Choose a template and enlarge 250 percent. Trace and cut as directed. Glue one piece of decorative paper to one side of the pieces of card stock, using craft glue. (Spread the glue thinly with a scrap of card stock.) Once the glue has dried, punch a hole in each piece. Stack the pieces, and slip a paper fastener through to join them.

Branch out beyond typical wedding programs by adding a touch of Druid fun and whimsy to them. "What Tree Did You Fall From?," a Celtic version of astrology, is the perfect distraction for those awaiting the Wedding March.

Find your birthday and its corresponding tree; see if the personality traits listed match yours. If you're an apple tree (December 23 to 31), are you flirtatious, adventurous, always in love? If you're a fir (July 5 to 14), are you sophisticated, moody, industrious? Let guests read up -- and let the conversations bloom.

A sprinkling of snowflake confetti on the tables at a New Year's wedding helps set a merry mood. Use craft punches to cut snowflakes from silver paper; mix in coils and snippings of silver curling ribbon. Here, each place is set with the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne"; as the clock strikes twelve, all the guests can raise their voices in song.

Fashion a bill of fare to anchor beneath each plate. This idea is perfect for an outdoor wedding, since breezes won't be able to blow the menus away. The menu here is 6 1/2 by 13 inches, folded 6 inches from the top edge. For the cleanest line on thick stock, use a straightedge and bone folder (a tool that makes creases without cutting) to score the paper before you fold.

Raise the bar with a drink-worthy recipe display that does double duty as a decoration. Start with an inexpensive cardboard shadow box from a crafts store, and line it with pretty fabric or paper. Have your calligrapher create a card (or make your own) detailing the ingredients of your signature drink, and pin it inside the box. Stand the box on end at the bar, using a few rocks inside to weight it, and you've got a very good sign. Calligraphy by Elizabeth White-Pultz.