By CraftyMomof3
Sometimes simple is best. I have found some oldies, but goodies that any one can make.
Feel free to hint to the dads, moms! These are good for grandmas too.
One thing any good crafter knows is the versatility of coffee filters and paper plates. Here’s a great one for coffee filters that I found on DLTK’s site.
DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids Coffee Filter Daffodil Craft
Materials:
•coffee filter
•washable markers
•squirt bottle or small glass of water
•green pipecleaner (brown or black would be ok too, but green is best)
Click here for further instructions….
If you are feeling REALLY ambitious this craft is a favorite of mine. There are a few different versions of this, but I found this one that is pretty simple to follow at EnchantedLearning.com.
Materials:
-Small, unglazed clay (terracotta) flowerpot
-Plaster of paris
-Large plastic bowl and stirrer
– ballpoint pen with a top
-Green paint
-Paintbrush
-Green florist tape
-Tissue paper
-Disposable rubber gloves
-Hot glue gun and glue
Click here for further instructions…..
If you are not well versed in plaster of paris you can substitute it with green florist styrofoam (I suggest the ball shaped ones). Works just as well and doesn’t require as much adult help.
One year when we made this as a teacher gift, I used the styrofoam and then put glass beads over the top. All of these items can be found at Walmart or any craft store. I do recommend using the glue gun to attach the flowers, but you can also use a green pipe cleaner to attach it to the pen and then wrap the tape around it. You can also make it even easier by using a fake flower and just cut down the stem.
There is actually a site called Mother’s Day Central. This site has a section that lists 151 Mother’s Day Crafts. This section has some variations to some of the crafts I posted above. It also has a good variety of gift ideas like: Flowers and Bouqets, Cards and Scrapbooks, Photo Ideas,Spa Inspired, Chocolate and Candy, Jewelery, Candles, Gifts for the Home and Unique Personalized Gifts. It was a great find.
Happy Mother’s Day!
To view more of my crafty suggestions please visit: http://www.craftylife.net
I love the hand-made Mother’s Day gift. My daughter has made hand-made cards over the years and they mean a lot to me.
I liked also how you mentioned doing a craft for one of your children’s teachers. I think there is really something more special when the child puts effort into the creation vs. buying off the shelves. I think you are setting a great example for your children.
I really like the two crafts you selected to feature. I love this time of year: Spring = Flowers = Mother’s Day.
Thanks for another great article.
No way! That is not a coffee filter. Those are so pretty. It caught my eye right away. And so easy too. I think we will do that one soon. Grandma would love those for Mother’s Day from my little one. I like to do them with her, but she spends lots of time cutting and pasting on her own too. I can see her making those flowers for hours. 🙂 I like the affordable materials too.
Anya, those handmade treasures are priceless. I was recently digging through my cedar chests looking for something and took a trip down memory lane. Happy sigh…
Craftymom, those are great links. Thank you for the craft ideas and the free time I see in my future while my little one is busy on her own. 🙂 (I owe you one) .
I love the flower pot pen holder. What a great idea. My sons are in their twenties so I don’t think they will make these for me for Mother’s Day but I wish they would. 😉
I did some crafts with my kids when they were young but not as much as I would have liked to. Maybe I will get a second chance if I have grandchildren. But that could be quite a few years down the road.
I might make these flower pots. I think I will have some extra time on my hands in the near future.
I can’t even tell you how easy those coffee filter flowers are! And they are so pretty when they are done. I used to do them with 15 kids in my preschool class I taught and we’d get it done in an hour.
The flower pots are the coolest thing for gifts because there are so many variations of them you can make. One time one of my friends actually used Elmers glue colored with food coloring and glass beads in the bottom of a fish bowl to stick the pens in and used foam fish for the pens. It was sooo cool.
I’ll share a similar craft I got from my boy when he was about 8. It is a decorated flower pot filled with plaster of Paris. It has silk flowers stuck in it and a stury plastic fork with the tines up and slanted back slightly. I was supposed to use it as a recipe card holder, but I’ve kept it as it as given, with a small pink card that says, I Love You in his second grade print. It’s still in my kitchen, 10 years later. 🙂
Ann ,
That is a beautiful story. Now that project should be pretty easy for a little one to make.
Great ideas! I was never very crafty, but I recall one year making my mom an ashtray that I think she felt compelled to use for a while afterwards. (Ashtrays were quite the thing for kids to make back in the day; these days, understandably, I don’t think they are so popular.)
LOL, Jennie so true about ashtrays! I remember those days.
CraftyMom, your friend’s idea was something I would never think of. So Crafty!
Ann, so sweet that you still have that. And the second grade handwriting. Irreplaceable…
I totally lack crafting abilities. I once attemped a small cross stitch beginner thing my MIL gave me for the nursery when I was pregnant. She could not contain herself when she saw what I had done. Laughter abounded. She said that it actually looked better on the back side. Well, so there is your explanation of my artsy crafty side. That being said and having recently begun an intense like affair with IW, I decided to check out this Hobby Lobby with my girls and after reading about the coffee filter daffodils all 4 decided they could and would make these items for their grandmothers. “You just watch Mommy and we’ll show you how, ok.”
Show me they did. Their grands are gonna love these. Each of my girls have their own favorite colors so each G-Mom has a bouquet of colorful flowers. Wow! I have to confess that I did make one and even the 3’s looks better than mine.
My 5’s are really excited about the Enchanted Learning site and are busy reading and plotting and planning and trying to find items they can teach the 3’s. This is so, so such a mom friendly place. I’m so excited that my girls have found time consuming common interests.
Thank you IW, your site is the absolute best.
Thank you Lindsey for all of your kind words. They are appreciated. We would be happy to post pictures up of your girl’s crafts if you want to send them in. Just send them to pam@imperfectwomen.com.
Thanks again,
Pam
Oh and Jennie,
I think I remember all of my brothers and sister making ashtrays at school at one time or another for gifts and neither of my parents ever smoked. But of course, I believe we always had a relative or two that did. 🙂
Lindsey I am sooo glad that you like the site as much as I did! I can’t wait to see the pictures of the flowers!!!!!! I am always looking for new sites and Enchanted Learning was a great find. 🙂
Pam that was a sweet story. I am moving again and I just recently found a box of all my student gifts. It was so fun and touching to look through it.
I meant Ann sorry, that’s what happens when I type on my phone sorry! It likes to auto correct!
Pics would be great! I bet they’d love to see their masterpieces on the Internet lindsey. i hope you send them in. 🙂
I made ashtrays too. Mine were little tiled things with grout in the middle. I haven’t seen an ashtray in forever.!
Lindsey, I hope you send in some pics of the ones your children made. My little one made these for her grandma. I snatched one of them to keep. I helped her some w/the pipe cleaners. She did some, but was afraid she’d rip em poking it through. I love how they turned out.
I remember making ashtrays as a kid. Yes, I guess that’s a thing of the past now.
Note to self…make sure I have all the craft item’s needed, BEFORE I tell my 3yo we are going to do a craft. I had everything out, she was eager to begin, only to discover I only had 2 coffee filter’s. Fear not CM, I guess I’m a little crafty myself I substituted an egg carton for the top’s of the flower’s & all was well. We have a lovely vase of flower’s and my daughter was entertained for a really long time. Thank’s CM
I am so proud! Great job girls!
Lily they look gorgeous and momsby you definitely made me proud! Great thinking. 🙂
They are beautiful Lily! I love them. Thanks for posting the pics. 🙂
Lily, those are gorgeous. Thank you so much for allowing us to see. It’s great to see a real life example. I bet grandma apperciated them!
Lily,
You have an artist in the works! Psst, don’t tell but yours did turn out much better than ours. I’ll remember for next year to get coffee filter’s & it we’ll try it again.
Lily, those are gorgeous! She did a great job.
i love doing crafts with my family..thank-you for this one