What was your FAVORITE Mother's Day gift??
Just looking for some different, creative ideas for Mother's Day gifts...
Last year, my son and his only cousin painted a canvas for their grandmother, then added their handprints for a finishing touch. Their grammy loved it. We have given photo gifts, and mother/grandmother jewelry gifts in the past as well.
I am trying to come up with some inexpensive, but original ideas for gifts this year. We generally like to give personalized or handmade gifts. Or at least something with a more personal touch to it.
Looking forward to hearing all the ideas from you creative moms out there!!
UPDATE - we've done the personalized name bracelets, which definitely were a big hit. I make bracelets, so I have several of my own that I LOVE! Definitely a good suggestion! And one of you suggested painting their own pottery... that was my first thought this year, but I have no idea where to go for that around here, and I think now we're running a little too short on time... ??
Thank you all for your suggestions... keep 'em coming!
One year we made sweatshirts. We had the kids put their foot in clothing paint and made a foot print for each kid in different locations on the shirt. We wrote the kids names under the footprint in smaller letters. Then we put "My kids (grand kids) walk all over me" on the front. Everyone got the biggest kick out of them and a lot of compliments! I thought it was cute because it was something different. Have fun those are the best memories!
Do you have a video camera or even a voice recorder? We love to make little shorts of our daughter. I don't know the ages of the boys? We have our daughter sing a favorite song and then end with an I love you Papa and blow a kiss. The grandparents melt =)
look on craftstylish.com, they have lots of cute ideas
This year we wanted to do something different something that would help others as well. We bought products from a company called Basa Body. This company buys Organic Coconut Oil fair trade from these ladies in Mombasa Kenya and make products,Then this company donates back some of the proceeds to help buy desks for children and help Kenyans get loans so they can build there own business and become self reliant. AMazing company amzing products and you are giving way more then to just one person. They are very affordable too.
If you want to make/paint pottery, there's someplace I've seen advertized in Pgh Parents Magazine around East End, I think. In the South Hills Char's Ceramics on Montgomery Ave. off of Vanadium Rd. (Scott Township?)might be able to do it. In Sewickley there's a little studio place on Beaver St. It might, though, just be easier to decorate a clay pot from the local hardware store. Good luck!
I made photobooks on the Walgreen's website one year for my mom and a couple of my kids. It was nice because you could write words on the pages as well. At the end of the book, I wrote a 2 paragraph "keepsake" phrase that my mom loved about what a great grandma she is. You can also scan handmade pictures that the kids have done and use those in between the "regular" photos. There are other places that do this to, like Snapfish, but Walgreens is close to me and I had a coupon :)
Good luck!
HI L.,
I thought of a few ideas.....
1. Hallmark has a recordable book called I Love You Grandma that your son can read and the story gets recorded. She could display this book proudly in her house. I've seen this book in Hallmark. I copied and pasted the link if you want to take a look.
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article...
2. Check out photo stores such as snapfish.com for gift ideas. (I am on their email list and I've received sale codes lately for products that can be used as gifts.
3. Someone already mentioned it... so I second the idea of a stepping stone for her yard. JoAnne's and Michael's craft stores always have 40% coupons so you can get a $20 one for only $12! It's fun to make these and grandma's love this kind of stuff.
4. Magnets for the refrigerator that say.... I love you, Grandma and tie it in with a photo of your son or his artwork.
5. A hand painted clay pot made by your son. You could help him make thumb prints all around it and turn the thumbprints into bugs or other creatures or simply smiley faces. Then have your son help you pick out some plants from the store to plant in the clay pot. (You can buy a clay pot at hardware stores and maybe even craft stores and they come in a lot of sizes. (Buy the clay tray that goes under it to catch the water.) These pots are inexpensive.
6. Print out a poem about grandmas or have your son copy one and put the author's name below for credit purposes. Then have your son decorate around it and frame it. (There are grandma poems on line if you simply type the words for a search.)
7. Shaper's Image has a photo book where you insert a photo and then you have a few seconds to record a message about each photo. We gave this to my MIL a few yrs. ago and she loved it. It's so cute to have as a keepsake with their "baby voices" when my twins were around 3.
8. You mentioned you have bracelets but do you have one where you can include photos. I have one and it's so cute. I got it when my kids were babies and that was 8 yrs. ago and I can't remember where I bought it but it has beads and then a place for a photo and then a few more beads and another place for a photo....
Have fun with it!
We make stepping stones for Father's Day every year. You can find kits at any craft store. My kids put their handprints on it and we usually put a short message to Dad and the year. Not very expensive and super cute.
One year we made gardening bags that were really cute. We used canvas bags that you can get for just a couple of dollars at Walmart. The kids used fabric paint to make finger and thumbprints on the bags and then we used a paint pen to turn their prints into little insects. We did the same on a sun visor and gardening gloves and put them with a few little garden tools into the bag. You can put a cute saying on the bag like "Grammy's love helps us grow." or something else that fits her.
This was a really inexpensive and personalized gift. If she isn't a gardener you could do the same basic idea for things like golf, sewing, reading... just use your imagination and I am sure you will find just the right thing.
Have fun and kudos for showing your kids the joy of giving from the heart!
Christi
My husband surprised me early (because our 3 year-old can't keep secrets) with 2 bracelets made at a bead store with both of the kids names and beads they'd both selected.
We took my mom there this weekend to get her an early Mother's Day gift as she was in town visiting, and she loved it.
For her, we combined both of their names on one separated by a few beads they chose and let her design it as she wishes - she LOVED it.
My children got together and made a t-shirt for my wife with all of the grand kids hand prints on it with their names printed underneath the hands. At that time I think there were 12 or 13 grandkids. Number 18 is now on the way.
WHat about one of those places where you can paint pottery?
my kids made handprint bouqets last year, htey were a big hit. i traced each of their hands on construction paper and then roll them onto a pipe cleaner and wrap with floral tape. then i put them in a vase with a bow around them.
I am sorry of this is a repeat.... we have done their handprints/names on a pot and planted flowers in it. Or you can put packets of seeds for her to grow her own.
