7 DIY Mother’s Day Crafts You’ll Love to Use Every Day

7 DIY Mother’s Day Crafts You’ll Love to Use Every Day

 

By Katie Trudeau


Cardinal Meymillod puts it so beautifully: “A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." Sometimes it’s hard to think of the perfect gift for someone so important in your life, and there’s a good reason that homemade gifts are a go-to. Not only do kids love making their own gifts, but those homemade gifts and crafts are true expressions of their love. The time and thought put into a homemade gift is often more special than any store-bought gift.


These seven DIY Mother’s Day crafts are fun for kids to make and chances are pretty good that you have many of these supplies on hand already.

The Mason Jar Votive

If you’re like me, you have a cupboard filled with tea lights, votives, and deliciously-scented candles just waiting to be lit. It’s far too easy to blast through your candle stash, but this mason jar votive will remind mom (or grandma) of a child’s love every time she goes to light a candle.


To make the mason jar votive, you’ll need:

  • A mason jar, any size will do
  • Primer
  • Acrylic paint
  • Contact paper

To make the jar:

  1. Cut out a heart-shape with the contact paper and apply it to the jar. You could technically do any shape, or you could get creative with stripes.
  2. Then allow your child to paint the jar. They can finger paint it, use sponges to apply paint, or use a paintbrush. Be sure to cover the entire jar.
  3. Once the painting is done, allow the jar to completely dry before removing the contact paper.
  4. Tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar.
  5. Place a votive candle in the jar and voila!

Painted Wooden Spoons for the Kitchen

Painted crafts are nice, but it’s hard to display every painted picture. These painted wooden spoons allow you to see -- and use -- your child’s present on a daily basis.


To create painted wooden kitchen spoons, you’ll need:

  • Wooden kitchen utensils, such as spoons or salad mixers
  • Non-toxic craft paint
  • Non-toxic shellac
  • Sandpaper

To make your colorful kitchen tools:

  1. Use the sandpaper to rough up the handles of the utensils. This removes any shiny or slippery coating.
  2. Let your child paint the handle of the utensil. DO NOT paint any surface that will come into contact with your food. You can paint the handles with solid colors or use small sponges to create patterns.
  3. Let the spoon dry.
  4. Parents only: Apply non-toxic shellac to the handle-only.

DIY Magnets

Looking for a fun way to use your instant Polaroid camera? Make DIY magnets!


What you need:

  • Pictures
  • Props for your photo shoot
  • Round magnets
  • Hot glue gun

What to do:

  1. Have your child create the scene and choose poses for the pictures
  2. Parents only: Use the hot glue gun to affix the magnets to the back of the Polaroids

DIY Mother of Pearl Ring Dish

A ring dish is the perfect gift for mothers and grandmothers who like to wear rings. You can take your rings off before bed and set them in this beautiful dish.


To make a DIY ring dish, you’ll need:

  • Oven-bake clay: Choose white and at least two other colors that look nice together when marbled
  • Plastic knife for cutting the clay
  • Oven-safe ramekin
  • Paintbrush
  • Rolling pin
  • Glaze
  • Potholders

To make the ring dish:

  1. Make a long rope strand of each color of clay. Twist the ropes together then use the rolling pin to flatten the clay. This creates the marbled look.
  2. When the plastic knife to cut out a circle. Your clay circle should be ¼’ thick and 6-inches wide.
  3. Place the circle of clay in the ramekin.
  4. Bake according to the instructions on your clay.
  5. Allow to cool.
  6. Remove from ramekin and paint the edge of the dish with gold paint.
  7. Apply a glaze. Not all glazes are the same so be sure to follow the instructions on your glaze bottle.

Note: Your dish is not food-safe.

Salt Scrubs for the Shower

This is a super fun gift for kids to make, and it may have them feeling a bit like a mad scientist.


What you need:

  • Coarse salt
  • Fine salt
  • Liquid carrier oil such as coconut oil or almond oil
  • Essential oils, optional
  • Mason jar

What to do:

  1. Mix the salts and oil until you have a thick, paste-like consistency. Add your salt first and add little bits of oil until you have the consistency you want. You will use more salt than oil.
  2. Add a few drops of essential oil. Lavender and lemon are good options for body scrubs.
  3. Scoop the salt scrub into the mason jar. Store in your bathroom and use within two weeks to prevent the oil from getting rancid.

Safety note: Using salt scrubs in the shower can make your shower slippery so exercise caution.

Homemade Reusable Grocery Tote

Who has a reusable grocery tote addiction? I can’t be the only one! This DIY craft is fun to make, good for the environment, and extremely useful.


What you need:

  • A blank canvas tote
  • Fabric craft paint
  • Tools including paint brushes, sponges, stamps, etc

What to do:

  1. Paint the tote
  2. Optional: Use stencils to create words or images
  3. Let dry

Tip: This can be abstract or very detailed -- whatever your child is ready to tackle.

Herb Garden

While this has the potential to get a little messy (we made these last week and there was much dirt to be swept up!), it’s quite fun for the little ones. As a bonus, it’s a good opportunity to talk about the life cycle of plants and where food comes from.


What you need:

  • Mason jars or small pots
  • Potting soil (look for the bags marked for vegetable gardens)
  • Seeds: cilantro, basil, and parsley are good options

What to do:

  1. Fill your jars or pots with soil.
  2. If using mason jars, place a few river rocks in the bottom to help with drainage
  3. Plant seeds according to the directions on the package
  4. Use a mister spray bottle to water plants so as not to damage little sprouts with heavy streams of water.
  5. Place in well-lit area

Tip: You may see sprouts as early as five days depending on which herbs you plant and how much sunlight the pots receive.


What about you?

Which craft are you doing this year?

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Kathryn is a self-proclaimed book nerd who has a passion for natural parenting and writing. As a homeschooling mother of two, Kathryn understands the dynamics of a busy family life. She is the founder of the Cor Domum movement, a mission that guides families through life so that they can parent with joy. Read more at  www.katietrudeau.com 

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