Do you ever get the feeling that maybe, just maybe … you’ve outdone yourself? That with your last bit of gift-giving, you may have gotten so creative that you really might not be able to top it?
Impossible. You just need a creative jumpstart.
Here are just a few ideas for some great gifts you can whip up yourself for Mother’s Day. The special touch of something handmade never grows old for moms – when you’re 50, Mom will still love something you’ve made yourself.
Growing Love
This is one of my most favorite ideas at the moment, and one of the things I plan on doing for my own mother this year. The idea is that you give a seed packet and the materials to grow the seeds, and that your love gets to grow with the plants. Just a lovely thought, I think.
Instead of cramming some store-bought packets into a pot, though, why not get creative? First, locate some rare or unusual seeds – I found the most beautiful sweet peas on eBay, a rare variety that actually looks like butterflies (seriously, the veins in the petals are amazing!). The seeds you pick should mean something to you or have an overall meaning – forget-me-nots, for example, are a good general idea. Sweet peas are perfect for my mom because they’re something I remember her growing every single year from the time I was a little girl.
With your seeds in hand, head to a site like YouGrowGirl, Alenka’s Printables, or Dave’s Garden and grab a couple of printable seed packets. If you have some skills in a graphics program, you can quickly change the text on the packets, or print them out and write what you like in your loving handwriting.
Since you’ve gone this far, why not make the planter special, too? Look for something unique, or grab a couple of clay pots and accent them with acrylic paint for something all from-the-heart.
Memories are Everything
It’s so cliche to think of a mom who runs around with dozens of pictures of her kids and/or grandkids, but like most cliches, it’s also very true.
So why not play it up?
A family photo album can become many things, especially with all the ideas scrapbooking has thrown into the photo album mix. For Mother’s Day, why not go the ancestral route and show the generations that have produced such wonderful people as yourself and Mom?
Start with this very cool interactive family tree. It’s a graphical family tree chart with room for 4 generations in the traditional format. The muted tree in the background and its embellished boxes create a perfect old-fashioned look, but technology makes it easy! You can complete the whole thing right on your computer, print and place it in the photo album.
Even the photo album can be graced with a handcrafted touch. Have you ever seen the photo albums covered in fabric and made soft and inviting with batting behind it? It’s an easy little trick, and you can find out how to do it on the DIY Network.
You’re the Best
Looking for something even easier than the other two? This one is super-duper easy … and it’ll be touching, I promise.
The idea is to create a Mother’s Day gift that will be used every single day of the year, reminding Mom of how much you love and appreciate her.
To do this, you’ll need a pretty jar that has a lid and can be reached into, some paper (regular computer paper will work fine, but going for some rose-colored sheets would be even better), and 365 ways of saying “I love you” to mom.
Easy, right? Right! Grab a jar from DiscountMugs.com, The Jar Store, or Target. Then, sit down at your computer and open up Microsoft Word or something similar and get ready to copy-paste a bunch of sayings. 365 of them, to be exact. The Quote Garden is a wonderful place to start, but Endorsed by Seniors and ThinkExist have some great ones, too.
Once you’ve got all the lovelies ready, print and cut each quote into its own individual rectangle. Fold once in half, place gently in the jar, and continue until you have a full year of “I love you, mom” sayings ready to gift!
