The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. – William Ross Wallace, American poet
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9. Make something for your mom that shows how much you appreciate and care about her! Here is a list of 10 handmade gifts I think any mom would be thrilled to receive.
1. A hand-drawn portrait
I am a firm believer that everyone can and should draw. Of course we’re not all on the same artistic level, but everyone has a distinct style and that’s what makes your drawing rad. Its uniqueness. Draw a portrait of your mom from a photo. If the photo is digital, you can convert it to black and white to take away the color distraction. I love getting drawings of myself from the people I love. Even if they are totally childish. Sometimes those types of drawings capture more of the essence of a person than what would generally be considered “good” drawing. No matter your age, your mom will treasure it. Trust me.
Above is a drawing by a member of the Central Park Sketch Group, posted on Subway Fox. I chose it because it’s a nice, appealing sketch portrait, even though the majority of the face is obscured. Something to keep in mind if drawing faces gives you anxiety.
2. A bouquet of flowers
Simple, free, beautiful. It’s no mistake that Mother’s Day falls in the beginning of May. All the flowers are in full bloom! Go out and pick some wildflowers and stick them in a nice vase. Or if you don’t have a nice vase, buy a beverage packaged in a glass jar and chug it. Above is a simple and lovely arrangement of Queen Anne’s Lace and red berries made by Ronni (Portland, ME), on Time Goes By. If you don’t have access to flowers, make a sweet tissue paper carnation bouquet! I love their suggestion to run marker along the edge of the tissue paper for texture and definition. For flower care, Claire Lee has some tips on getting the most out of cut flowers.
NOTE: Don’t pick flowers that aren’t yours. They probably belong to someone else’s mom.
3. Granola bars
A healthy treat for your mom. She can bring them to work and share with her colleagues, or she can have them all week as a nutritious pick-me-up that reminds her how much you love her. Kiss My Spatula’s Homemade Granola Bars look delicious. Individually wrap each bar in parchment or cheesecloth with a pretty ribbon… maybe stick a little poem inside as a surprise when she unwraps it… get creative! The magic is in the details.
4. An ephemeral art card
If you’ve got little ones, here’s a fun activity that can end in a beautiful card for Mom. Give the kids window crayons. have them color on a west-facing window with light-colored curtains that gets the afternoon sun streaming through. Let them go to town with the crayons, and then later, draw the curtains and take some artsy shots of the doodle shadows on the curtains. Print the image and attach to cardstock for a meaningful, personalized card.
Jean at The Artful Parent did this with her daughter and posted some beautiful pictures, which gave me the Mother’s Day card idea.
Along those same lines: Go to the beach and have the kids arrange shells, driftwood and seaweed on the sand, making a picture. Then photograph and print into a card.
5. Linen scarf
This linen scarf on the One Flew Over blog has the feeling of mellow sophistication. Linen is perfect for the warm weather that is almost upon us!
6. Oven mitts
If you are a sewer, this looks like a quality oven mitt tutorial on Cthuliz, for the mother that cooks.
7. Tissue-paper stained glass
Here’s another project good for kids – “stained glass” using tissue paper. Jude from Artful Adventures created a beautiful piece using a home laminating machine, but if you don’t have one, Chubbas ‘n Boop has instructions on how to make something similar using contact paper. Mom can bring this to work and stick it on her window to bring some color to her day.
8. Drawer sachet
Melissa at Checkout Girl has a sweet tutorial for making lavender drawer sachets. There is always a drawer that could use the lovely aroma of lavender (or other herbs or flowers). This is a gift that gives immediate pleasure.
9. Crocheted earrings
Shirley on Warm Fuzzies made these hip crocheted earrings that I really like. If your mom likes large earrings, these are nice because they are so lightweight!
10. A card
If nothing else, make your mom a card. I like this classy sewn paper and fabric card by Purl Bee.
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