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.

DIY Event Table Numbers

When planning a wedding or special event; you want everything to be perfect. You probably feel like you will spend any amount of money it takes to have the perfect day, but you will soon realize that your budget can’t afford that expense. So why not recruit some help from family or friends and spend some time making a few of the items for your wedding or special event? You will have fun and save money at the same time.

One project that can be simple to complete is table numbers that hang from a bottle of wine or sparkling cider. These table numbers are constructed from Mason jar bands and lids, paper, a printer, watercolor paints or scrapbook paper. In this tutorial I will go over a few different ways to complete these fun table numbers. You may also choose to purchase my affordable pre-formatted table numbers as an instant downloads on Etsy (here).

If your not using wedding table numbers you can also use this same idea to provide information to your guests. For example: “We can’t wait to hear your glasses clink, please wait for the toasts to enjoy this drink!” or “Please wait for the wedding toast.”

Some of these options are also available for purchase on Etsy (here).

Here’s the supply list and step-by-step instructions and photos (You can find most of these supplies at Amazon or the Dollar Tree):

Step One: If painting on watercolor paper, trace the size of lid you’re using on the watercolor paper, paint with watercolors, let dry and then either brush on your text or table number or write with a sharpie. If using a printed background, print it on your paper. Trace circles of the correct size onto the paper, hand letter your number or text. If using scrapbook paper, trace your circles and write message or table number where desired. If using the instant download, purchase here, download, and print on the paper of you choice.

Step two: Trim circles to correct size.

Step three: Coat lid and backside of circle with Mod Podge and adhere to the Mason jar lid. Then coat the top of the print with Mod Podge and allow it to dry.

Step Four: Tie your twine or ribbon around the Mason jar band as shown.

Step Five: Once dry, heat up your hot glue gun and run a line of hot glue around the inside of the Mason jar band as shown above. Then quickly place your Mason jar lid into the ring picture side down and press until hot glue cools

Step Six: Make hot glue “tab” on the backside of the band and lid as shown here to make sure your lid stays in place. Let hot glue cool. Remove glue strands, if any hanging from the finished piece.

Step Seven:  Hang your creation from wine or sparkling beverage bottles as shown. You’re done!

Wow! Wasn’t that simple. It didn’t take much time, you saved money and it added a personal handmade touch to your wedding! I would love to see photos of how you used this project at your event or wedding!

For more tutorials and inspirational thoughts visit www.bethericksondesigns.com.

Sign up for our product updates and special offers at our Etsy Shop here.

Affordable DIY Watercolor Valentines

I don’t know about you, but I find Valentine’s Day to be a fairly expensive holiday.   A card for your hubby or significant other, a package of Valentine’s for your child’s classmates, Valentine’s Day gifts and cards for your children, friends and family and you could end up spending more than you ever wanted to. So, lets make Valentine’s Day affordable, fun and show a lot more love to those special people in your life by making our own Watercolor Valentines!

I know what your thinking! “I could never paint a watercolor Valentine! It won’t turn out and I will just end up throwing it away!” Not true! Anyone can do this project, even your children! You don’t have to have any fancy supplies. All you need is a set of children’s watercolor paints and paper you have around your house!

So, lets dive in and give this a try. Will you join me? Our first step is to hunt around the house or at the Dollar Tree  (I love the Dollar Tree especially is you are making these with your children or Elementary School class) and find the supplies listed below, then we will get into the heart of making these fun, original Valentines.

Supplies:

Optional Supplies:

Step One: Trace your heart shaped cookie cutter onto the cardstock.

Step Two: Mix the color you want to paint and some water together on your pallet. Adding more water to your color will make it lighter and more of the paper will show through.  Continue adding layers of color until you like what you have. You can try a pattern like polka-a-dots or stripes.

Step Three: Let your paint dry thoroughly

Step Four: Cut out your heart shape

Step Five: Embellish your Valentine by adding glitter, stickers, and your message with a permanent pen. Mount it on another piece of card stock or a folded piece of card stock. Find envelopes to fit and your ready to go!

And there you have it! A very simple and affordable way to make a special Valentine for someone important in your life! Thanks for joining me! I would love to see your handmade valentines!

For more tutorials and inspirational encouragement visit www.bethericksondesigns.com.

DIY: Homemade Photo Christmas Ornaments

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.

Supplies:

Optional Supplies:

PHOTO ORNAMENT

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.

Chalkboard Ornament:

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.

Optional decorating ideas

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!

Optional Ornament Ideas:

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

Mason Jar Easter Gifts (Free Download)

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!

DIY: Watercolor Easter Egg Garland

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!

Supplies:

9 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!

DIY: Cookie Cutter Gift Tags

Christmas can be a very expensive time of year. There are so many things to purchase: gifts, wrapping paper, gift tags, tape, tissue paper and many other things. These thoughts take me back to my childhood and memories of how my Mom did such a great job of keeping to her budget. How did she do it? One idea stands out from the others. Its something we did all through my childhood, we made our gift tags from construction paper, a cookies cutter and a pair of scissors. I am not sure why I stopped this tradition, maybe it was time or the store bought tags just look so cute on shelf I couldn’t resist buying them.

Making your own gift tags not only saves you money, but it also adds a special touch to your Christmas gifts. It shows you took time to wrap and label your gifts for all your family and friends, and that it’s important to you to give them something special on Christmas.

The wonderful thing about cookie cutter gift tags is that most of you will already have all the supplies you need right at home. So take a look around and see if you can find what you need without spending a single dime.

Supplies:

Step One: Choose your paper and your cookie cutter

Step Two: Trace the cookie cutter shape on the paper, going around the outside of the cookie cutter. (I would do this on the backside of your paper so your pencil marks don’t show on the front. I forgot to do this when creating my sample)

Step Three: Cut out your shape

Step Four:  Write To: and From: where ever you desire on your gift tag. It can be on the front or back. Leave blank to fill in later when you are wrapping your presents or for your family to use when they wrap their presents.

Step Five: (Optional) Punch a hole in the center at the top, add twine or ribbon

See, how simple that is, really easy and they turn out beautiful. So additional ideas would be to decorate your tags even further with Christmas stickers, crayons, felt pens, glitter or ribbon. You can make this project as creative or simple as you like.

If you are not one to make your gift tags you can visit Etsy or Zazzle to purchase gift tags already made for you. You can download gift tags like these to print at home on Etsy.

I really hope you enjoy your holiday season. I will see you after Christmas!

DIY Distressed Wood Sign

Hello my friends! Today I want to give you some steps to make your own pallet board distressed sign! You see them in all the home décor and craft stores. You look at them, you think about them, an then you say, “I could make that!” But do you ever take the time to do it? Well, I have finally done it and found it was a very simple process!

I recently decided that the light blue guest bathroom in my house should be decorated in a beach theme. Everything I have been seeing in the craft stores revolving around a beach theme contained colors that would blend perfectly in my bathroom and I love all the signs and sayings that go with the idea of the beach. But of course being a crafter, my first thoguht is “I can make that!” My first idea to begin my beach themed bathroom was to make a sign that says “Life is better in flip flops!” I love my flip flops. I am always sad when I have to put them away for the winter. So, this saying is perfect for me. I also love the rustic distressed pallet board signs you are seeing everywhere, so I decided to combine the two.

The following tutorial will guide you through all the steps to complete a distressed pallet board sign.

Supplies:

Step One: Find pallets pieces you want to use for your sign, decide how much space you need and find boards that fit your needs.

Step Two: Sand your boards to remove rough edges and surfaces. Until you like the feel of them.

Step Three: Paint the boards with your chosen colors of chalk paint and let dry completely.

Step Four: Sand again in random areas to remove some of the paint on the corners and the middle of the boards to give it the “distressed” feeling.

Step Five: Attached the boards to one another using small strips of wood and a small nail gun or wood glue. (I purchased mine at the craft store and cut to size)

Step Six: Using a color that will stand out on your background color, paint your words using an appropriate brush or paint pen. Another option at this point is to purchase a vinyl sticker from an online vendor that is customized to your needs instead of painting your words or embellishments. I used a paint pen for my wording and purchased my flip flop sticker from Stickers by Stephanie on Etsy (www.StickersbyStephanie.etsy.com), which made adding an embellishment to my sign very simple! Stephanie's vinyl sticker worked great and was easy to apply. I felt her prices were reasonable and that she had a good turn around time. I would definitely purchase from her again. I chose to cut my vinyl sticker into two pieces so that I was able to position it better and it made applying it much easier. Make sure when you apply your vinyl sticker that the area is clean and free of dust. This will allow the sticker to adhere better.

Tip: When using a paint pen, depending on your colors you may have to go back over your wording several times until you think it is readable. My white paint pen was not showing up very well, so I continued to coat my letters until they stood out the way I wanted them too.

Step Seven: Attach your saw-tooth picture hanger to the back side and hang.

See its that easy! Seven simple steps and you have your own custom distressed pallet sign! Of course you could also just purchase one if you don't want to go to all that trouble. If so visit Lettera Nero Designs (www.LetteraNeroDesigns.etsy.com) or search on Etsy (www.etsy.com) to see some signs that are available.

Thank you for reading my blog and be sure to check out my Etsy store at www.bethannericksondesigns.etsy.com and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

The Art of Mason Jar Gifts

Happy Wednesday! This week I want to share with you how to create your own mason jar gift basket! Gift giving is an art and to give the perfect gift you must think about the person you are giving it to and what they might enjoy. What could be more perfect than filling a mason jar with gifts chosen just for that person.

In the following tutorial I will give you a few ideas on how to create a mason jar gift basket. But the sky is the limit, well actually the size of the mason jar would be the limit, have fun and think outside the box, or should I say jar.

Step One: Purchase your mason jar in any size you would like to fill. Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Wal-Mart, among many other stores, are good places to find these. If you are like me you already have dozens around your house.

Step Two: Visit www.bethannerickson.etsy.com to purchase a pre-designed mason jar wrap. The wraps are instant downloads that you print at home and then wrap around the outside of the mason jar to help set the tone of your gift.

Step Three: Trim the print to the correct size, tape one end to your mason jar and wrap around until it meets the other end and tape together to hold in place. (At the time of writing this tutorial our mason jar wraps did not fit around the quart size jars, we have now added a 14 inch file to all the listings on Etsy, but you will need a printer that can print on larger paper than 8.5x11 to be able to use them.)

Step Four: Fill your mason jar with the appropriate gifts for the recipient.

Examples :

Pedicure Kit: Nail polish (1-3 bottles), nail clippers, nail file, toe separators and any other nail care items you think they might enjoy.

Shaving Kit (Men): Small bottle of shaving cream, new razor and blades, small bottle of aftershave and any other useful shaving items.

Movie Night (Men and Women): Candy, popcorn, popcorn seasoning shaker, gift card to purchase a new movie.

Coffee Lover (Cold Brew Set): Cold brew Mason jar kit (Can be purchased at www.etsy.com/shop/CoffeeSockCo. A special thanks goes out to CoffeeShock Co. for offering to send me a ColdBrew filter to try out. As soon as I receive it I will post a blog about how it works and pictures of a completed Coffee Lover Gift Set.), coarse ground coffee, mini bottles of coffee syrups or simple syrups. (There are various recipes online for making your own simple syrup coffee flavors. They are also sold on Etsy.)

Tea Lover: Nut bag Tea Filter (for sun tea), Loose leaf tea, tea bags, instructions for making sun tea (www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sun_tea), honey sticks (Can be purchased on Etsy or other local retailers.)

Date Night: movie tickets, restaurant gift card, pre-Movie date activities (search online and write them on colorful pieces of paper).

Artist: Mini Colored Pencils, mini sketch pad, small tubes of watercolor paints, watercolor pencils, watercolor brushes

There are so many more ideas; I could go on and on. I am sure you can come up with your own unique ideas. The key to the art of giving: It’s all about the recipient! Who are they? What are their hobbies? What do they enjoy? Focus on them and your gift will turn out perfect.

Thank you so much for reading our tutorial and don't forget to sign up to receive the blog in your inbox each week and we will send your a discount code good at our Etsy shop. Visit www.bethericksondesigns.com//beth-ann-erickson-designs to sign up!

BONUS IDEA:

Another wonderful use for mason jars to save money for special trips and/or purchases as shown in the example here of our Road Trip Fund Jar.

Coming Next Week: Mug Love: Mug Cakes as Gifts & more (WITH A FREE DOWNLOAD).

Rainy Spring Day Project • DIY Journal

WELCOME

Welcome to my blog! This is my very first entry and hopefully, it will be the start of something wonderful! This blog is dedicated to all things creative. What falls within that category is well...completely up to me. I am an artist, graphic designer, and an Etsy seller (www.bethannerickson.etsy.com). I always have some sort of craft, art, or design project running through my head, and what better way to put them to good use than to share them with you. I hope you enjoy this blog and find it informational, fun, and useful!

JOURNAL TUTORIAL

Personalizing your own journal or notebook is a very simple and affordable project. It only takes an hour at the most, but usually less. There are a variety of images available for sale online. They come as an instant download in a JPEG or PDF format that you can download and print on your home printer. You get to choose what type of paper you would like to print it on, what style of journal you would like to affix it to, and the color combinations that are most pleasing to you. To guide you through the process I have detailed the steps below. Follow these simple steps and you will have a journal that uniquely yours! It's a perfect project for a rainy spring day! The images used in this tutorial come from Etsy (www.bethannerickson.etsy.com) and there are many more to choose from besides those posted here.

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Step One: Purchase a journal or notebook. I found mine at Marshall's but I have also located them at Ross, TJ Max, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Amazon or PaperSource. (Cost approximately $2.99 - $5.99).

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Step Two: Search Etsy (www.bethannerickson.etsy.com) for the image you would like to purchase, print and download. (The images I used cost about $3 each). Make sure you are choosing images that fit your journal. The ones I used were 5x7 sized. Purchase and download your images.

Step Three: Decide what type of paper you would like to print your image on. You don't have to use a special paper like I will outline here if your trying to keep your costs down. You can use whatever paper you have at home. Some ideas for paper are Canvas Paper, Bristol (Card Stock) or Watercolor paper as shown in the photo. I chose to use watercolor paper for my prints.

Step Four: Print your image in color onto the paper of your choice and trim the image to the appropriate size to fit your journal using scissors or a paper cutter as shown here.

Step Five: Using Glue dots, glue stick, or scrapbook tape or glue affix the print to the cover of your journal!

It's that easy, now you have your own customized journal that is uniquely yours! This project also works well for gifts! As you can see from my pictures my notebooks came in a set of three so now I have three journals. I can use all three as a gift set or keep one for myself and give the others away.

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