Valentine's Day Feature on WeddingLovely Blog

My line of DIY Valentine's Day printables is featured on WeddingLovely's blog today and I wanted to make sure I shared that post with all of my loyal readers!

It is very exciting to have my items in front of so many possible customers and right before Valentine's day no less!

It would be awesome if a few of my loyal readers could stop by the WeddingLovely blog and leave a comment or two about the feature!

My inspiration behind these Valentine’s Day DIY greeting cards, gift tags and mason jar wraps sold on Etsy is to provide my customers with an affordable and simple way to celebrate Valentine’s day with their loved ones. Be it your spouse, your children, a sister or a friend, these DIY downloads allow for anyone to create an affordable Valentine’s day gift for someone they care about.

These affordable gifts range from mason jars filled with Red Hots and labeled with our Happy Valentine’s Day wrap and “I have the hots for you” gift tag to our “I love you to the moon and back” celestial Valentines Day greeting card, all do it yourself projects that are affordable and simple to complete.

Click on the image to visit my Etsy store and shop today!

For more DIY tutorials, wedding inspiration and inspirational musings visit www.bethericksondeisgns.com/allthingscreative.

The Art of Giving

Monday • November 27 • Cyber Monday

Scents for the home, body & laundry

Today is the perfect day to do some online Christmas shopping, with just about everyone running a Cyber Monday sale. You’re sure to find what you need at a great price!

One site to check out would be www.usarmyband.scentsy.us run by a local business woman. Heather Gregory is ready to help you find the perfect Christmas gift. By shopping Scentsy you support small businesses and families.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use candles or scented wax with a warmer to make their house smell wonderful! But Scentsy is even better than candles, with no smoke, it keeps the air in your home clean and healthy to breath while making your home smell wonderful.

They also sell items beyond wax warmers, like laundry liquid and washer whiffs to make your laundry smell good too. Along with body scents, cleaning supplies and gift ideas for the kids!

Make sure you check them out today and support a local business!

This is our last gift idea in this series and I hope it has inspired you to start your Christmas shopping. Remember to SHOP SMALL & SHOP LOCAL first if possible and support local famililes at the same time! Happy Holidays!

The ART of GIVING

Friday • November 24 • Black Friday

Handmade Kitchen Linens

Do you know someone who loves to cook? Do they use cast iron skillets or often put their frying pan in the oven. These little skillet handle covers make a great gift or stocking stuffer! Check them out here.

A few other great gift idea for the chef or cook in your life is a reversible potholder/trivets. Handmade and machine quilted. Click here to shop now. Or a microwave potato bag, sold here.

See you tomorrow for day 5!

Affordable Christmas Gift Ideas

Yes, I know, Thanksgiving has not even been celebrated yet! But if you don't start thinking about Christmas gifts now, the next thing you know it will be December and you will be running out of time. You will really be out of time if you want to give handmade gifts. So, even though it’s early, let’s get started! Who knows, maybe you will have all your gifts done before Thanksgiving and you can just look forward to enjoying the hustle and the bustle of the holiday season without the stress of shopping at the busiest time of the year!

I know I always say I am going to start early this year and then it never happens. Well, I am hoping to change that this year and I hope this list of creative gift ideas will help you change that too! Some of these items will be things you can make yourself and some of them will be beautiful finds on Etsy! I love finding a few of my gifts each year on Etsy (www.etsy.com), because I truly believe that Etsy provides an avenue to find a gift the perfectly fits the person you are giving it too. Etsy may not have something for every single person in your life, but I do believe you can find at least one of your gifts there and also enjoy the idea of shopping small and supporting those who pour their time and energy into making something unique. I challenge you to find at least one gift on Etsy this year for someone special in your life. Okay, back to the list!

Handmade note cards: Make them yourself with wonderful instant downloads from Etsy or purchase completed notecards. A few of my favorite Etsy shops for purchasing completed cards are: CreationsKMP (www.etsy.com/shop/creationsKMP), HeartsEase2 (www.etsy.com/shop/HeartsEase2), or BlueVioletSentiment (www.etsy.com/shop/BlueVioletSentiments). To purchase instant downloads to create your own notecards try these stores: pointandpoem (www.etsy.com/shop/pointandpoem) or dariakonik (www.etsy.com/shop/dariakonik). These are just a few of the shops I found on Etsy that supply clipart or notecards, there are many more to be discovered.

Mason Jar Gifts: Mason jars can be used in a variety of ways at Christmas for gifts. A few ideas that come to mind are, cookie mix, hot cocoa mix, quick bread mix, an assortment of favorite candy or nuts, beauty products, art supplies and much more. Decorate your mason jar with one of these free mason jar wraps (Download here, 10 inch or 14 inch) or purchase a mason jar wrap from my Etsy store (www.bethannerickson.etsy.com). My mason jar wraps come in 10 inches or 14 inches, to print the larger size you need to have access to a printer that prints on 11x17 paper.

Unique Jewelry & Engraved Items: Etsy is home to many talented jewelry artists. Shop for beaded earrings, beach glass pendants, engraved sterling bracelets, key chains and everything in between. You are certain to find the perfect piece for the special person in your life. Visit some of these shops to see if they meet your needs: BethAnnErickson (www.bethannerickson.etsy.com), TimArtCreations (www.etsy.com/shop/TimArtCreations) or sweetstonesjewelry (www.etsy.com/shop/sweetstonesjewelry).

Crochet a Scarf: A soft warm scarf is the perfect winter gift and even better if you make it yourself. Don't know how to crochet? Did you know that www.youtube.com has instructional videos for beginners just like yourself . We are heading into the season where you will find yarn on sale at Michaels, Hobby Lobby and other craft stores, making this gift idea very affordable. So why not pick up some yarn today and try out a beginner’s video. I watched this video myself and found it very easy to follow. (Beginners Crochet Project) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx6oEOxOekI)

Baked Goods: We all spend time in the kitchen at the holidays, cooking and baking so we usually have the supplies we need on hand. Why not put some of that time baking to use finishing up your holiday gifts. Holiday tins are easy to find this time of year at Walmart, Fred Meyer and any craft store, along with holiday themed parchment paper. A few supplies and some time in the kitchen and you have some tasty holiday gifts that are sure to please. They are perfect for that one person in your life who is difficult to figure out what to give.

Some other affordable gift ideas are homemade candles, hand-painted kitchen utensils or a handmade Christmas tree decoration. I am sure I could come up with many more ideas for you, but I think this list will get you started. Etsy is a great resource for handmade gifts if you don’t have the time or inclination to make them yourself.

If you have an idea but are not sure how to accomplish it feel free to contact me and I will see if I can help. Good luck with your Christmas shopping!

Make sure to stop by my Etsy store, www.bethannerickson.etsy.com or my Zazzle store, www.zazzle.com/EricksonDesigns to see what other wonderful items we have for sale!