Are you ready to avoid the trite but true rush to the grocery store to pick up a Mother’s Day card? Do you want to make a homemade card that not only wows mom, but will stand out and be the topic of conversation for years to come? Would you like to involve the kids to really make a super easy card that nonetheless does not require crayons? If you answer yes to all of these questions, you are ready to try these super easy homemade edible Mother’s Day cards!
How to make a perfectly edible card in no time flat is easy.
Supplies needed:
– cute photos of the kids (either saved on your computer or ready to be scanned)
– kid’s messages and artwork (either done on the computer or scanned in)
– cookies (homemade is best, but to make it even easier you can buy plain, round sugar cookies)
– butter cream frosting
– edible frosting sheets (try your local bakery supply store, cook shop, or purchase online)
– edible ink for your printer (most likely you will need to buy this online)
– cute container (basket, decorated box, pretty plate, or even a mug)
– Saran wrap, ribbon
– camera
Let’s get started!
Start by picking out the photos you like best. If at all possible, they will be active poses of the kids but any kind of photo that means a lot to mom will do. If you do not have a photo yet, use your camera to capture the kids having fun! Get the kids involved by typing messages for mom or using your computerized paint program to create some artwork. For the little ones, go ahead and have them create their artwork with bold colored markers on regular paper and then later scan it in.
Exchange your regular computer ink for the edible ink. Stumped where to find the ink? Try KopyKake! They carry a wide variety of Canon and also Epson printer ink cartridges. They’re not cheap (between $70 and $110) but they are refillable and since this present is certain to be a hit, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and all other holidays are sure to see a repeat.
Insert the edible frosting sheet with the frosted side up. If at all possible, use three inch circles which come six to a sheet. This allows you to make six different images, print out the same image six times, or combine photos with pictures and computer artwork and messages. You can now print out the homemade Mother’s Day cards onto the sheets. A 24-pack of three inch circles (six to a page) should run you between $28 and $35).
Use the butter cream icing to gently frost the cookies. Make sure not to apply too much icing! Kids love this step and it might not hurt to have an additional jar of the icing on hand, in case more of it makes it into the kids’ tummies than onto the cookies! Have extra cookies on hand, since kids love to taste their handiwork.
When the cookies are frosted, carefully and gently peel off the printed image and very carefully apply it to the frosted top. Gently push it down beginning in the center and then slowly (do not wear jewelry and do not use finger nails) stroke the image to adhere and to work out any wrinkles or bubbles. This is a task older kids can perform easily without supervision.
Younger kids can be charged with putting the nesting material into the container you have selected. Gently place the cookies into the container, ensure that they are pretty much kept in place with the nesting – you do not want the components of your edible homemade Mother’s Day cards to slide into each other! – and enclose a printed out picture of the kids doing the work on the cookies. A bit of frosting on a nose tip and the littlest one snacking on a cookie make for a great fun filled photo! You might even place that photo on the bottom of the basket, cover it with a layer of Saran wrap, and then put the nesting and cookies on top.
Finish up by wrapping the container with the Saran wrap. Mom will love the homemade aspect, the unique approach to the card, and she will treasure the photo of the kids working on the card!
Tips:
For the first few attempts, keep it simple. Once you get the hang of it (like how much frosting to apply to the cookies, how hard to press, how well your kids can follow directions, and also how much time you want to spend on this) you can get more elaborate. Additionally, remember that you need to turn your pictures, text and artwork into a mirror image prior to printing (a commonly overlooked step that bears remembering)!
A great idea is to make a continuous message that spans several cookies. Use three cookies for photos and three to pass on the message that could say “Happy Mother’s Day” (first cookie), “We love you 4-ever” (second cookie), and then the kids’ names and the date on the third cookie; when it comes to homemade Mother’s Day cards, this is sure to be a winner.
Use left over Easter nest materials to gently cradle the cookies in the vessel of your choice.
If you have older kids, this project can be completed in less than an hour. If your kids are very young or require extra supervision, expect to spend up to three hours on this, allowing for some breaks to run around and get the extra sugar induced energy worked out.
