Mother's Day gifts are all the more special for being handmade by a beloved child or grandchild. However, if you don't go for the dubious spray painted macaroni art of your own childhood, we've prepared a round-up of 10 fun and fresh DIY gift ideas for moms and grandmas. All 10 crafts can be made by the kids, with a bit of a guiding adult hand in the tricky bits. The fun is going to be just as much in the making as in the giving!
1. Painted wooden utensils
If the Mom in your Mother’s Day loves to cook, brighten up her wooden utensils with this super easy DIY idea from Little Bit Funky. This tutorial uses non-toxic craft paint and coats the results in food-grade shellac. The rainbow hues pictured are delightful, though you could also go for various tones of a single color to match Mom’s kitchen: just start with a strong, darker color and add a little more white paint to the mix with each new utensil.
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2. Embroidery hoop photo display
This nifty (and oh-so-simple) photo display idea comes from Natalme. While an adult will need to use a hot glue gun for this craft project, the painting, image selection and stringing the whole shebang together are kid-friendly tasks. The DIY calls for varnishing the hoops and pegs used, but you could also choose to paint them in a color that suits your home decor. And don’t limit yourself to family photos either—small artworks can be added to the mix too!
3. Celtic heart knot necklace
This tutorial from ClonesNClowns will better suit older children with more nimble fingers. It may take a few tries to get it right, but you will have a lot of fun working it out. Be sure to choose two contrasting colors, not only for a more striking finished product, but to make it easier to see what’s going on as you tie the knot.
4. Marbled cards and wrapping paper
There are a number of ways to marble paper, some of which are quite heavy on the fumes, and some of which require speedier work than little hands can often manage. This marbled paper goods DIY from Honestly WTF uses just shaving cream and food coloring and gives much greater control over the end product than water-based methods. Handmade Mother’s Day card? Check!
5. Flower seed pockets
A perfect gift for a gardener, this DIY from Design Mom will keep on giving Mom flowers all summer long. Of course, if you prefer, you can always fill the pockets with herb or veggie seeds instead.
6. Vintage tea cup soy candles
This tutorial from Pretty Prudent is certainly one for older children with adult assistance due to the hot wax, but if your child is able to help with the cooking then they will be okay with this. Have fun thrifting for vintage tea cups that Mom or Grandma will love, and you can choose different colors and scents for the candles, as you wish. Just take extra care when a candle is lit in your home to make sure children and pets cannot reach it.
7. Geometric drinking straw light fitting
If Mom likes a bit of contemporary geometric design, this brilliant light fitting DIY from Restless Oasis should fit the bill. Best of all it is simply made from spray painted drinking straws held together with string, and the less “perfect” the result, the better!
8. Handmade tea bags
The great thing about this handmade tea bag tutorial from Lia Griffith is that you can customize the tea blend you use to suit Mom’s taste: herbal or caffeinated, you choose, and you can make your blend from scratch too. The tutorial comes with free downloadable Mother’s Day themed tea bag tags that you can print out, although the kids could also handcraft their own labels if they wished.
9. Fun photo bookmarks
This tutorial from Come Together Kids looks like a load of fun to make! A huge part of the creativity is going to go into the photo shoot to get the best action shots. After that there are tassels to make, and then the laminating and cutting. It’s definitely going to be a challenge to keep this project a secret if Mom’s in the house.
10. Polymer clay bead necklace
So simple, so effective, and quite an upgrade on the old macaroni necklace! Tuts+ has a really simple tutorial for the beads here, and you can get color palette inspiration from Etsy store notTuesday. The wonkiness of children’s handmade beads will only be enhanced by any residual fingerprint impressions. If polymer clay is not your thing because of concerns about possible PVC content, you can always source beads made of safe materials from old thrift store necklaces and craft stores, or make a trip to the hardware store and get creative with washers, copper tubing and the like.
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Lead image via Lia Griffith, other images by 1. Little Bit Funky , 2. Natalme, 3. ClonesNClowns, 4. Honestly WTF, 5. DesignMom, 6. Pretty Prudent, 7. Restless Oasis, 8. Lia Griffith, 9. Come Together Kids, 10. tuts+.
