So you totally blew it, again. Mother's Day snuck up on you like the littlest kid in the playground, and you want to do something that has a personal handmade touch with, oh, three days or so. Impossible? I think not. Here are some great ideas to add personal touches with fabulous crafty flair that show a lot of effort in little time.
MAKE BRUNCH FOR MOM AND ACCENT THE TABLE WITH "FLOWERS". Thanks to Michael's, Martha Stewart Crafts is all over the place and you can probably find this great tissue paper flower kit with ease in a drivable distance from your house. Why not throw a few kits together and get the griddle going? The won't die like real flowers, and your mom will have a memento of all of your hard work putting together a great meal so she could relax and enjoy the family time. Even better - stick a bunch of the flowers on a tray and serve her breakfast in bed!
AWAKEN HER INNER FLOWER CHILD. Grab a set of seeds from your local garden store and put them in personalized seed packets with our dieline here. Grab a gift basket (and, if you wish, cellophane) from your local garden store and deck it out in ribbon. Want to really go all out? Substitute a tissue or crinkle paper base with fake moss (available at most craft stores - if they carry silk florals, they'll probably have it) and set your seed packets among the moss and gardening tools to boost the overall "wow" effect.
SHOW HER HOW SWEET SHE IS. If you're mom's got a sweet tooth, bake her cupcakes! Cupcake Bakeshop has a wide variety of recipes that can suit any palate - from fruity to spicy to good old traditional choco-licious. Run to your local crafts center and pick up a bunch of stock paper in any color or tone group you wish. Bring them home, cut them into strips, and fold the strips in half so they are doubled over lengthwise, cutting the original width in two. Insert a toothpick into the center of the fold - the top of the toothpick should be just under the top edge of the paper. Glue the paper together ensuring the toothpick stays put, and you've got yourself a basic decoration! Write on each flag one reason you appreciate your mom (awwwwwww), and insert the flag into each cupcake after it's been iced. Feel free to decorate as you wish - try layering papers or using decorative punches!
GIVE HER THE GIFT OF TIME - IN A BOOK. A lot of families these days are moving at the speed of light, and it's hard to find time together, so find a moment to reflect on what you all have done together. Go to a craft store or somewhere that carries scrapbooking supplies and buy yourself one, or a couple books. Make sure to purchase tools: buy a LOT of adhesive (even more than you think you'll need because you'll run out fast!), paper and embellishments. Wrap them all up in a box and then let her unwrap it on Mother's Day. Take the afternoon to go through family photos with her and any other family members who want to join in, then spend the afternoon creating scrapbook pages so you all contribute to the book. At the end of the day, she'll have a keepsake that not only reflects on memories, but created one as well!
Maddy Susser is a graphic designer and
artist that has a soft spot for all things paper and English period
pieces (in other words, men in tights and funny vests). Armed with a
number of years in marketing for retail on a small business and
corporate scope she collects tidbits of information learned along the
way and puts it into easy terms to share, formerly on her blog Try This
at Home, and now on Modish. She's currently working on a line of paper
goods.
