Mother's Day

Hi A., I did those make a plates for my children's grandparents, I have a 5 month oold and I just traced his hands and wrote happy mothers day with the date and his name.

Hope you found something!

In the past I have made my own brown sugar and honey body scrub and then put it in small glass jars purchases at Ikea. I then wrote the ingredients on a small piece of fancy paper and attached it to the jar with a ribbon. My mother still tells me how much she loves it. It is super easy to make and my son was able to help with the mixing process as well. There are many recipes online.

I made t-shirts a few years ago and quilts last year. I bought an inexpensive white quilt (a twin size so they could use it as a throw blanket for their living room.). I bought iron on printer paper and I printed out different pictures of the kids (candid shots from the past year). I used all different sizes also. Then I ironed them on inside the patches of the quilt. Both Grandma's loved them. I did the same thing with the T-shirts except the front said:

1 package of diapers $15.00

1 package of pacifiers $3.49

package of bottles $5.99

Each one had a picture of the item ironed on next to it. Then on the back there were pictures of all of the Grandchildren (even my niece and nephew) and it said "My Grandchildren: Priceless"

I made one for my Father in law for Fathers day too. It had pictures of all of the Grandchildren holding police cars or American flags and the caption above the front said "Our Grandpa is...." and the back said "Our Hero". He is a retired Police Officer.

What I like about the shirts is how easy they are to do and you can personalize them for anyone. Just remember if you do them to flip the pictures and the words you use before you print them or when you iron them on they will be backwards. It says it on the instructions that come with the iron on paper.

I got shopping at a nursery and buy potted flowers... a buy some popsicle sticks.. and put a picture of the baby on the stick.. put it in the plant.. with a little message card.. They can plant the flowers in their garden and keep the picture.. it's easy, inexpensive and you can do it each year.. you can also add a magnet on the back of the picture so they can put it on the fridge.. Happy Mom's Day.. enjoy.. I do this for aunts... and some close friends and god mom's too. For Grandmas I usually have them over for a brunch and give them a bigger flowering plant... Have fun!

I'm thinking of making a few gift baskets with homemade brownies, cookies, etc. A lot of stores have easter baskets on clearance and you can use some of those for your gift. :D

Last year we did a digital frame pre-loaded with family photos, including some old pictures, wedding pictures, etc. It was a little pricey, but worth it!

You could do something similar and less expensive as a small book of photos or a CD.

Since my oldest was born (3 1/2 years ago) we have been making stepping stone hand prints. You can find all of the supplies at Michaels (or any craft store) and the Grandma's just love it. This year I will have both of my kids hand prints on it (my youngest is 10 1/2 mo). Good luck and have fun with whatever project you choose.

My son has six aunts and although we are all rather close, we are not physically close since we moved last year. What we did last year and again this year was to make a charitable donation in their honor. We chose "Food for the Poor" and purchased fruit trees to be planted in Haiti. Each tree was $10 - it helps those in need, trees help the environment and, as I explained in my email to my sister and sisters-in-law, it's a heck of a lot easier than trying to wrap and mail an azalea.

I always do something from snapfish. They are a picture site. I upload my pictures and pick something from the many gifts to customize with prints. Last year I made each Grandma a collage of pictures of my two girls, I even went out and bought a frame for it. Not sure what I will do this year though.

Try fingerpaint handprints. Use non-toxic paint, get down to the diaper and let her have at it. Once the paint dries you can cut the art into flower shapes and add stems or you can frame them. Ive worked in an infant room at a daycare and found that anything a child makes, especially for a first holiday is a treasure but it is important to add dates for a keepsake. depending on you're budget you can use fabric paint on a shirt, apron or cloth placemat. You can get clay kits and make keepsakes that way too! HAPPY FIRST MOTHERS DAY!!

I usually do photobooks from Shutterfly... Grandmothers love them!

A.-Assorted herbs in an inexpensive clay pot or decorative container is nice, they can keep it in a sunny window and not have to do any back-breaking gardening outside. You could even paint the pot to personalize it. C.

Hi A., I'm an artist who hand paints silk which I make into silk wraps and silk scarves. Each piece is unique so no two are exactly alike. They can be worn for an evening out but easily transition to a casual look! Since they are one of a kind you're guaranteed to give a custom gift. Please check my website at www.CarolREatonDesigns.com. Thanks!