I know it’s a bit late in the Christmas season for this post but hopefully some of you will have some time to give this idea a try! This project is super simple and takes less than an hour. It’s perfect for children with just a little help.
The other wonderful thing about this project is that it will create memories and bring back old memories as you make the ornaments and as you put them on the tree each year.
I also think that most of us have the supplies needed for this project sitting around our homes, just waiting to be used and if you don’t they are not expensive or hard to find.
In this post I will go over two different ornament ideas and give you step-by-step instructions for both.
Step One: Trace a circle the size of the flat area of the Mason jar insert. You don’t want your photo to all the way to the edge of the insert as the will make it harder to glue in place.
Step Two: Make sure your photo fits in the Mason jar ring and that everything shows that you want to see.
Step Three: Embellish with Christmas Stickers or a white gel pen or chalk pen if you wish.
Step Four: Glue your photo to the Mason jar lid insert using Mod Podge as your glue. Spread it evenly over the insert and them place your photo image side up on the insert. You can then coat over your photo with Mod Podge if you wish.
Step Five: Tie a ribbon around your Mason jar ring. (This will be your ornament hanger) Add any Christmas charms to the ornament hanger at this time.
Step Six: Gluing the insert inside of the ring. (Now is also a good time to write with a sharpie on the back of your ornament if you wish.) Run hot glue along the inside rim of the mason jar ring and quickly place your lid insert with the photo facing down into the ring and press down to glue in place. Then, to make sure it stays place hot glue in several places along the “crack” between the ring and the insert to form a hot glue “tab” to hold the insert in place.
Step one: Paint your Mason jar insert with chalkboard paint or another solid color (ex: red or green) let it dry. (Coat the lid with your chosen color several times.)
Step two: With the white chalk marker decorate your painted Mason jar insert with Christmas images or seasonal sayings. (When making my own chalkboard ornament I found that a gel pen scratches off the chalkboard paint, so its better to use a chalk marker.)
Then complete steps five and six above to finish your ornament.
After you have completed the steps above you can wrap the outside edge of your Mason jar ring with ribbon or paint the edges if you wish!
This is also a fun way to preserve images from Christmas cards, gift tags or wrapping paper if you don’t want to use family photos. You could also cover the backside of the ornament with holiday paper to give the back a more finished look.
Now that was simple! I hope you enjoy your keepsake ornaments and place them on your tree each year. These ornaments would also make wonderful gifts for grandma and grandpa.
If you don't have these supplies and would like custom made ornaments, please feel free to contact me.
Please feel free to leave any comments, or photos of your completed projects below.
Source: www.bethericksondesigns.com
The first day of spring has come, daffodils are blooming andtulips are beginning; all of this means Easter is drawing near! So…. Easter egg hunts, baskets, gifts and celebrations are just around the corner!
I love going to the craft store and buying new craft supplies, but I also find joy in using supplies I have around the house to make something special for that special someone. This blog is dedicated mostly to things I already have on hand and stars another one of my favorite things, mason jars! I am not sure where my love of mason jars came from, but they really are very useful around the house. I use them in the kitchen, for decorations, in my craft room and for gift ideas all the time!
This project falls right in line with a blog I wrote last year about mason jar gift baskets and all the different things you could fit in mason jars to make a unique gift, tailored to the person you were giving it too.
Easter can get really expensive with Easter eggs to fill, Easter baskets to give, eggs to dye, candy to buy, special desserts to make and so much more. So lets cut some of the cost by using some things we already have on hand.
Supplies needed:
This project really is very simple if you follow these steps.
Step one: Trim your parchment or tissue into a square. You can use any size square that will hang down over the sides of your jar. The size depends on how much you want your paper to hang over the edges.
Step two: Fill your Mason jar with your gifts.
Step three: Separate the Mason jar ring and the Mason jar lid.
Step four: Place your paper square on top of the ring and, press the lid into place allowing the paper to gather at the edges. Screw lid on the Mason jar. Optional version: Print out the mason jar label, trim to fit your mason jar lid, place square sheet of paper on ring, line up your label and lid and place on top of paper. Then, continue as above.
Step Five: Tie ribbon around the Mason jar ring. Attach a gift tag if needed.
Enjoy your Easter season!
Easter is just around the corner and with it comes Spring! I can’t tell you how ready I am for this rain to go away and the sun to start shining! I am ready for Capri pants, tank tops, light sweaters and flip-flops! So, lets get ready for spring with this easy watercolor Easter egg garland and bring a little sunshine to your home with its fun pastel colors and patterns!
It doesn’t take much to complete this project and it’s perfect for all ages and skill levels. You don’t have to be an expert at watercolor to make this watercolor Easter egg garland! It’s a fun family project for a rainy Saturday before Easter. Think about having each family member make two or three eggs, string them all together and you have your garland! You could also include other shapes such as tulips or Easter bunnies.
Most of all just have fun creating your garland with these easy steps!
Step one: Download and print egg template included in this post. (on cardstock if you have it)
Step two: Cut out the egg template of your choice.
Step three: Trace the egg shape onto your watercolor paper, fitting as many per sheet as you can.
Step four: Paint your eggs with watercolors as desired.
Step five: Let them dry thoroughly.
Step six: Cut out your watercolor eggs.
Step seven: Punch two holes in the top of each egg as seen here.
Step eight: Attach ribbon through holes as shown.
Step nine: Hang your completed garland!
Another idea for your watercolor painted shapes is to use them to make Easter cards for family and friends by gluing them to the front of a blank card. If you don't have time to make your own garland but would like some to decorate your home, visit my Etsy store to purchase yours today! Also visit our store to purchase this instant download to use to decorate your home this Easter.
More Easter fun coming soon!
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
Preserving memories is important for most everyone, so that you can look back on them and remember important milestones in your own life, your children's lives or your family history. There are many ways to preserve those memories. You can create a scrapbook, digital photo album, a photo-book, a collage, a shadow box and much more.
I was married to a wonderful man just about a year ago. After our wedding we had a lot of things left over from decorations, extra invitations to pieces of lace from my dress that we don't really have any use for, except preserving the memories of that day. For about a year now those items, have just been sitting in my craft room collecting dust. I knew I wanted to do something with them, but it wasn't until I started this blog dedicated to “all things creative” that the idea of a shadowbox came to mind. I had never created a shadow-box before and decided it would be fun to give it a try.
The bonus of having a blog is that sharing my ideas with you, my readers is helping me to actually follow through on some of them, which is fun for me and helpful for you. In the following tutorial I will layout the steps I took to create my shadowbox in hopes that you can create one of your own by following along. I hope you enjoy the process of preserving your memories.
Step One: Purchase a shadow box. I found mine at Hobby Lobby, but any craft store will do. I also found some on Etsy that I really liked, but for the sake of time I did not go that route. The shadowbox I loved on Etsy is found here www.etsy.com/listing/252148720/stained-shadow-box-shadow-box-frame.
Step Two: Open your shadowbox, so that you have the back of it separated from the glass and frame. The back of a shadowbox may be foam and velvet, a hard wooden surface or a cork-board. Depending on what the back of your shadow box is made out of will determine how you affix your memorabilia.
Step Three: Start mocking up how you want your memorabilia arranged. Do not permanently attach anything until you are certain you have it arranged just how you want it. My shadowbox contains some patterned paper I liked, lace pieces from my dress, parts of our cake topper, an extra save-the-date and an extra invitation. I also purchased at Michaels the metal letters you see placed against the glass to form our initials. One way to add depth and interest to your shadow box is to put an item or two against the glass as seen in my photos.
Step Four: After you have decided how all the pieces will be placed, you can start attaching them to the back of your shadow box using pins or hot glue. (As you can see I changed the position and amount of items i was using as I started affixing them tomy shadow-box) After everything is attached assemble the shadow box and enjoy your work.
I hope you found this project fun and easy to accomplish! I certainly enjoyed making my shadow-box and now my husband and I can look back on some of our wedding memories and remember that wonderful day.
You can also use shadowboxes to capture the milestone memories of your child, like graduation, birthdays, awards won, trips taken and much more. Don't forget to visit www.bethannerickson.etsy.com to see what new printables we have on sale to use in your next craft project!
Coming next week: The art of mason jars and chalkboard paint