DIY Mother's Day gifts: Grandma's a mother too!

     While all the still very active mothers may be getting breakfast in bed, flowers, cards, or coupons for chores (cash these in fast, ladies. The excitement doesn't last!), don't forget about the moms who have put in their due share of mothering. Your mom, step mom, grandma, or mother-in-law will go crazy when she sees a homemade gift from your little ones. I think it could be quite fun to make these special ladies a gift from your favorite little people. I have a few ideas listed below and of course the age of your child/ren will determine which of these works best for you.

• Build a bird house
• Paint a picture and put it in a nice frame
• Grow flowers with your child from seeds. (This is one of my favorites. It's learning and a gift all-in-one)
• Prepare a picnic with your child for your mom. Star shaped pbj, anyone?
• This one could go along with the third ... Paint a clay potter and plant some pretty flowers.

     I love all these ideas and really, if you're a bit creative, you can come up with some pretty fun stuff. Keep in mind all these ideas are great for dads too. Father's Day comes up fast! I have one more idea for you all and I decided to write out the directions myself. I'm not sure where I got it, but I have it written down from a long time ago. Who doesn't love a nice handprint? This one is fun because these little people grow up so fast and it's nice to have a little imprint of their hands or feet. Also, most of the project is edible, so if you have very tiny ones, the first part won't be so worrisome.

Here is what you'll need to make hand/foot impressions:

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup salt 
• 1 cup water
• Mixing bowl
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin.

Optional:

• A straw to poke a hole for your string
• Ribbon, yarn, a shoelace ... Something to hang your project on the wall with
• Food coloring or acrylic paint

     First you will want to place a fitted sheet of parchment paper onto your cookie sheet. Next, mix flour, salt, and water ( if you want the entire lump of dough to be a certain color, mix in a few drops of food coloring. If you want just the impression to be colored, hold off.) in a mixing bowl until you have a ball of dough. You will then want to roll it out a bit. You want to have it at least 1/2"  thick and make sure your child's hand or foot will be able to fit without going over the edges. Place your child's foot or hand in the center and press down firmly and evenly. At this point you could also cut around the edges to make a nice circle, heart, or whatever shape you like. Then, if you want to be able to hang it, you can poke a hole in the center, top with your straw and be sure it goes through cleanly. Also, it's fun to date these by carefully carving on the back or waiting til it has hardened and writing with marker. There are two options for letting the dough harden, you can let it air-dry for a couple days or you can stick it in the oven on 200 for a couple hours. The size and thickness will make your cooking time vary, so keep an eye on it. If you want your print colored only, you can paint it with the acrylic. I would do this after it has cooked or dried. Once dried, you can stick your ribbon or yarn through and you're finished! There are endless possibilities for decorating these, which is fun for the kids. The way you want to decorate could be the deciding factor on whether or not they go in the oven. For example, if you want to stick some plastic or wooden beads around the imprint, you probably wouldn't want it in your oven!
     So those are my ideas for you all. A quick search on google or youtube could give you instructions for bird houses. You may even be able to find kits at a craft or home improvement store. You may even be able to find one which was already built but needs painted. Also, if you want an outdoor handprint, say for your garden, these flour ones will not hold up. You can probably find kits to make stepping stones at an arts and crafts store. Have fun with your gifts and share your ideas if you have more!

 

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