Mother's Day Ideas, take three

       For my third Mother's Day diy post, I wanted to get to those fun, arts and crafts ideas for kids to make for their moms.   You know, those awesomely fun projects that give such a sense of pride to kids and that Moms love (even when they kinda don't want another macaroni necklace).  Hopefully these ones will be more useful and/or pretty.  No macaroni needed, I promise.

 

1)T-shirt scarf- this one can be as simple or complex as you like which makes it adaptable for kids of any age.  Basically you need- an old t-shirt (the bigger the better), scissors, needle and thread (optional) and something to use as dye(more on that in a moment).

 

What you want is a loop of fabric.  Younger kids can simply (with help if necessary) cut a four or five inch band off the bottom of the shirt.  Older kids can cut a four inch wide strip in a spiral pattern from the bottom to armpits and sew the ends together to get a much bigger loop. (These are called infinity scarves, btw, Dads)

Take the loop of fabric and get all artsy on it.  Magic Markers (NOT the washable kind),fabric pens/paints, Sharpies.  Let the kids go to town.  Have them draw their little hearts out. Write down fun haikus about mom. Draw pictures of what you like about her. You can even dye the fabric before hand with coffee or tea (herbal teas give very pretty earthy colors- try red zinger for something other than browns and beiges)  Dry in the dryer for a few minutes to set.  These get more charming and treasured as the kids get older.

 

 

2)Crafty bird feeders- These are fab for little ones. Not your typical bird feeders.  These are somewhat temporary and awesome as the birds can use them when they are empty to build their nests. ( A mother's day present for all kinds of moms.) You will need; cheerios, pipe cleaners, raffia or twine.

 

Bend the pipe cleaners into an interesting shape. Circles, oval, hearts (especially cute), etc. But don't hook the ends (yet).  String cheerios on the pipe cleaners, then hook them into a chain.  (Remember the old paper chains at Christmas time?)  Half a dozen or so should work.  Then make a long loop from twine to hang with.  Sweet and charming, just like your little angels.

 

3) Record bowls - these are better for older kids. They are retro cool but involve the oven and the somewhat melting of vinyl.  You will need old records (lps are better for this). Try hitting up your favorite thrift store.  Scratched are best because then no hipster will magically appear and freak out.  You will also need a cookie sheet, an oven safe bowl, and of course your oven.

 

First things first, open a window and turn on your exhaust fan. You will be partially melting vinyl. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.   Then place the bowl upside down on the cookie sheet.  Place the record on top.  Slide the cookie sheet into oven. Don't go anywhere- stick around to monitor progress.  Once the sides of the record start to droop (about 8 minutes or so), give it another minute and remove to cool.   These cool quickly and make great free form catch all bowls.

 

I hope these posts help make an awesome Mother's Day and some fun memories.  Happy Mother's Day.