Here are some great homemade and store bought gift ideas for the mom in your life. These make great birthday, holiday, or Mother’s Day gifts. Some of them are also suitable for a new mom, as well.
Painted cookie jar – Purchase a cookie or candy jar at your local craft or garden shop. I prefer to work on a flat surface, and so, have always used a rectangular shaped jar for this craft. Using glass paint pens (available act craft stores such as Michaels), decorate the jar to suit mom’s favorite things. You could write “Mom’s Munchies” or “Grammy’s Goodies” on the front and decorate it with her children or grandchildren’s names. You could also draw shapes and then use a permanent marker (such as Sharpie) to write the names on each shape once it is dry. Simple shapes turn out the best, such as hearts, stars, balloons or flowers. You can also use regular glass paint and a brush to make your jar, but I am not as accurate, or neat with a brush, and so I prefer the glass paint pens. You should also look for a pack of pre-treater and topcoat glaze to put on top of your design when you are finished. The pre-treater helps clean the glass and the topcoat helps your design to last, even through washing. They are sold near the glass paint and may help your homemade gift to last longer.
Garden stepping-stone – Many craft companies sell kits to make your own stepping-stone. These turn out great if you follow the directions. You can use a craft stick to personalize the stone, or children can even make a handprint in the stone for a special keepsake. I would recommend working in an area where you have access to a hose. You’ll need to rinse the cement out of the bucket you use to mix it, and you can’t dump it down your drain. You can work without a hose, but be ready to rinse the bucket out shortly after you finish with it. You can also add tiles or mosaics to make the design more colorful. Many kits include all the materials you need, including a mold, craft stick and tile decorations or paint. If you want to make more than one you can buy extra cement or decorations, as the mold is reusable.
Paint a birdhouse – You can purchase unpainted birdhouses and paint them as a special gift for mom. You could even decorate it to be the same colors as mom’s house, for a clever touch!
Painted vase – Using a small bud vase, some craft paint and ModgePodge, you can create a beautiful vase for mom or grandmom. You can make any design, but for a special touch, you could have a child make finger or thumbprints on the vase in the design of a daisy or any kind of flower. Wait until the project is completely dry before covering it with ModgePodge. This will help preserve your design. You could even do this with smaller babies and use their fingerprints to make a design. Just be sure to wash the paint off as soon as you’re done, since you know those hands are bound to end up in baby’s mouth!
Wine charms – Using a pack of hoop earrings from the jewelry section of your craft store, a pair of pliers and some small glass beads or charms, you can create beautiful wine charms. Once you add the beads or charms to the hoops, use the pliers to bend the straight end of the hoop to make a closure. You should be able to close the hoop earrings without any beads coming off. You may need to fiddle with the pliers to get the right bend in the hoop. (Pair this gift with a bottle of her favorite wine and you’ve got a gift any mom would appreciate!)
Photo books – Many websites such as KodakGallery.com offer opportunities to create photo books and other photo gifts. You could compile pictures of mom and her family and put it into one book. You could also create a holiday or vacation keepsake. Photo books could also be created as “yearbooks” for mom, giving her an easy way to store the year’s photos. Children could even write a story about mom, using photos as illustrations.
Digital photo gifts – Many companies sell digital photo gifts, such as key chains or picture frames. These are not necessities, but they are excellent gift ideas and will be put to good use for any mom!
Personalized gifts – It’s easy to find personalized gifts, such as notepads, labels, magnets or jewelry. Make or order something special that is uniquely hers.
