DIY Chalk Ornaments & Gift Tags

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I know, it has been a very long time since you have heard from me. Life has been crazy busy with school starting, driving my step-son to his bus every day, getting my husband ready to go hunting, fall activities and working on fall and Christmas projects. I had a very successful Ladies Only Fall Craft Day, where we made wood pumpkins and cinnamon stick ornaments and since then I have been working on my birch wood ornaments and gift tags! These two projects are very simple to recreate in your own home or you can purchase from me on Etsy by visiting this link, www.bethannerickson.etsy.com!

The Christmas ornaments and gift tags in the following tutorial are perfect for the rustic Christmas tree or rustic themed gift wrapping and will add an unique touch to your wrapping or decorating. They are also very affordable simple and to make.

Supplies:

Black Craft Paint or Chalkboard paint
Paint brush
Wood rounds or wooden gift tags
Twine, String or Ribbon
Scissors
Chalk pen or white gel pen
Black Sharpie
Paper Bag
Drill & Drill Bit

Step One: Layout your wood rounds on a covered work surface. I use paper grocery sacks.

Step Two: Decide if you want to paint all of your wood rounds black or leave some of them natural. Paint a black circle that does not reach all the way to the edge on the ones you want to be black. Let dry completely.

Step Three: While you are letting these dry, you can draw or write on the unpainted wood rounds with your black sharpie. As you can see from the pictures, I drew an owl, snowflakes or holiday greetings. The possibilities are endless.

Step Four: When your black paint is dry, use your chalk pen or white gel pen to draw your snowflakes, holiday greetings or other art on top of the chalk paint. Let dry completely.

Step Five: If your wood rounds or wooden gift tags did not come with pre-drilled holes you need to choose which side is the top of your ornament and drill your hole there.

Step Six: Add your chosen twine, ribbon or string through the hole as the hanger and your project is complete!

See, wasn’t that so very easy! Just 6 very simple steps and your project’s ready to go. If you don’t feel comfortable drawing on your ornaments or gift tags you can always buy stickers or rub on transfers that will show up on the black paint or bare wood. You might need to go over the stickers with a coat of Mod Podge to make sure they stay affixed and last from year to year.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions or send me pictures of your completed projects! I would love to see them!

Again, if you don’t have the time to make your own, you can visit my Etsy store to purchase.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the fall weather! This time of year is the perfect time of year for craft projects!

The Art of Mason Jars...

... And Chalkboard Paint

I recently started drinking loose leaf tea, which means I need some where to store my different varieties. So I started brainstorming and hit on this idea, mason jars! I have plenty of them just sitting around my house. The perfect solution to my dilemma, I will store my tea in mason jars. But wait, I need to know what tea is in my jars. How will I label them? And it came to me, chalkboard paint and chalk, then I can easily change the name on the jar when I buy a different flavor of tea. There is also bulk spices, bulk foods, coffee beans, buttons, string, craft supplies and more that I need to store and label. Being a crafter I keep all sorts of things thinking, “oh these will be useful in the future,” but where to store them? What better to use than a mason jar!

Mason jars and chalkboard paint, are both very trendy right now. You can find them in any craft store, grocery store or one-stop shopping center and most people have mason jars or some sort of empty jar sitting around their house that can be put to good use. So don't think you have to go out an buy a mason jar to put this tutorial to use. You can use any jar with a metal or plastic lid for this project. Here are the supplies you need and 4 very simple steps to complete this project.

Supplies

Chalkboard paint
Paint Brushes
Mason Jars or any jar you want to use for storage
Mason Jar lids and inserts
Masking tape, painters tape or a stencil
Chalk or Chalk Pen

Step One: You need to decide where you would like to label your mason jar. Do you want the label on the front, on the lid or both.

Step two: Clean the insert and the mason jar in warm soapy water.

Step three: Painting

Painting the lid insert: Apply and even coat of paint to the entire surface and let dry. Then repeat, to make sure you have a good coat of chalkboard paint.
Painting the jar: Using your tape or stencil, mark out the area you would like to paint. The smooth areas work best. Apply a thick coat of chalkboard paint to the desired area, make sure to remove any tape before it dries or your paint will peel.
Painting a plastic or metal lid: For these lids you can choose to paint the entire lid, top and sides or you can choose to paint a circle on the top in the center, leaving the sides un-coated. Once you decide, paint it as you would a mason jar lid insert.

Step four: Fill your mason jar with the items you would like to store and label with chalk. Make sure you paint is completely dry before you label it. Also, its best to use your chalk on some paper first to get a smooth tip on it. If you press to hard you will scrap off your chalkboard paint. So be very careful.

As you can see from this photo the chalk wipes right off with a damp tissue, so that you can re-label your jar.

See, that was a very simple project. It was creative and helped you organize your home at the same time! You can apply the steps in this project to any glass or plastic container you use around the house that you want to be able to change the label on.

Next Week: I am on vacation in the Redwoods to celebrate my one year anniversary with my wonderful husband Michael. I am sure I will have many new creative ideas when we get back from our trip to share with you and I will be sure to share some photos and stories from our adventures. Also check out my tutorials on www.instructables.com along with many other great tutorials.