Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Can you believe Mother's day is May 8th this year? Just in case you want to get started on a few projects over the weekend, I'm going to recycle a couple of Mother's Day gifts that have become favorites at our house for all the special ladies in our lives. This first one is something that kiddos can actually help out with.



Supplies needed:

Box of tea bags
Photographs (or your kiddos can draw tiny pictures with crayons, markers and paper)
Scissors
Tape

Step 1. Open up a box of tea and pull out the individual tea bag envelops.

Step 2. Unseal each tea bag envelop and carefully pull out the tea bag.

Step 3. Take a bunch of pictures and cut them to fit onto the paper that is attached to the tea bag string. My printer actually has a photo ID function which allowed me to print them off quickly in smaller size which I then cut apart.


Step 4. Attach a picture to the tea bag string with glue or tape and then place the tea bag back in the original envelop (this is the most time consuming part).

Step 5. Repeat steps 1 - 4. Get the kids involved in this project. They might not be able to take apart of the envelops without ripping them, but they can help with assembling and taping the pictures. Your kiddos could also draw tiny pictures that you could scan and cut apart if you have two sets of grandmothers that need this gift.

What a fun way to start out each morning seeing a special loved ones face over a cup of tea!

For my adoptive Mommies who enjoy Jasmine tea, my favorite online store is Pearl River. Their prices are amazing (100 bags for $3.25). I've enjoyed this brand for the last five years.

While I'm focusing on tea, I have to show off my favorite tea set. When we were in Josie's province of Nanchang, I picked up this set. The teapot and six cups are handpainted and the butterflies are just gorgeous.

This second gift idea is a decorative candle project that I made last year for my mother, sister and aunts. I've made some new ones this year with a couple of beautiful images that I found on Miss Rhea's Sweet & Shabby Roses blog.

*Mom, Sis & Aunties...skip the rest of the post.

Supplies needed:
Sheet music (additional graphic optional) you can find sheet music all over the web
Jar candle
Lace/tulle
Silk flowers
Costume clip-on earring (optional)
Glue
Brush
Hot glue gun


1. Remove the label from your jar candle and cover your jar in glue. I poured my glue onto a paper plate and used a paintbrush to evenly cover my jar.

2. Cut your sheet music to the width of your jar and cover. I overlapped the edges of the music.


3. Take your lace and cover the sheet music. Use your hot glue gun to secure the lace in place.

4. I then covered the lace with a strip of pink tulle and tied the tulle into a knot. I secured a costume jewelry earring onto the center of my tulle knot and hot glued a couple of silk flowers around my earring.

Linking up with these fabulous parties:
Thrifty Thursday Blog Hop
Thrifty Things Friday
Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge
Feathered Nest Friday
Crafty Soiree #35 from Yesterday on Tuesday

More ideas coming on Monday. In between watching the royal wedding and catching up on laundry, my craft room is going to get extra messy.

Have a thrifty/crafty/fairytale weekend!

XOXO

♥