As my first Mother’s Day as a Mummy is approaching, I thought that I’d put up a blogpost about it. But, the more I thought about Mother’s Day – the more annoyed I actually started getting. I know that sounds very strange, but – bear with me.
Thing is, I utterly hate how much the world has become so commercialised. EVERYTHING is an opportunity for people to sell us stuff that, quite frankly, we probably don’t need and would have never missed if we didn’t get it/ have it shoved down our throats via lots and lots of advertising! Ok, so I’m a sucker for certain bits and bobs, but I do find the way in which days like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day have gone a little mental quite wrong.
Mother’s Day doesn’t need to be the big song and dance that a lot of companies would like us to think it is. I mean, do you really need that latest tablet PC or e-reader for Mother’s Day? And – more to the point, is that something that a child should be giving to Mummy? They don’t really speak of ‘love’ now, do they?
So, slipping into my other role in life (primary school teacher), I thought I’d put up some cheap but lovely ideas that you could do for Mother’s Day. Hopefully this’ll be useful for anyone who’s struggling to come up with an idea/ doesn’t want to spend a fortune/ has an Other Half who’s struggling (subtly leave the iPad/ computer/ phone open on this page!)
The simplest gift is something like a handmade card. Costs practically nothing, but it’s the thought that counts. It doesn’t have to be all-singing and dancing, but a bit of glue, glitter and funky-coloured pens will keep any little one happy and amused. Mum will love it – because it’s just for her!
Flowers are always a good bet. But, why waste money on shop-bought ones. If you have a garden, take your little cutie outside and let him/her pick some for Mummy. You could then tie them up nicely with a bit of twine or ribbon and then make a little label for them with a personalised message. Cheap and so thoughtful!
If you’re a whizz (or not just downright dreadful) in the kitchen, how about whipping up some biscuits or cakes? Biscuits would be better as you can cut them out in heart shapes and use icing pens to put messages on them easily, whereas cakes can be slightly more tricky. You could put a hole in the top of them and thread a piece of ribbon in them, just to make them look pretty.
Carrying on from the idea, how about making and painting salt-dough shapes? If you look up Salt Dough on the net, you’ll get some very simple recipes to follow. Then, treat it a bit like biscuit mix and cut out/ make whatever shapes you wish. You can either let the shapes air-dry, or put them in an oven on a very low temperature. Then – paint and decorate them however you wish. There’s lots of ideas on the web – but Mum will love the fact that they’re just for her!
If you’ve got an FIMO in the house, then why not make Mummy her own pendant or earrings? You could take a few different colours and marble them together. Then, if you want to make beads, roll bits of it into small balls and use a cocktail stick to make a hole all the way through. You could get more adventurous and create different shapes and patterns (look online for lots of examples). For pendants, the world is your oyster. Just remember to put a hole in them for threading through a bit of leather thong (or ribbon). Follow the FIMO instructions for cooking and if you’ve got beads, cook them on the cocktail sticks so that the holes don’t close up (a little tip is to make the holes slightly bigger than you think you’ll need them as they’ll close up a bit during the baking process).
Once your FIMO is cooled, you can varnish it if you so wish. Beads can be threaded onto stretchy cord or ribbon and you can even get things from craft shops to turn them into earrings. I’ve done these a lot with a craft club that I’ve run and Mums absolutely love them!
Another thing you can do with FIMO is create shapes that you can stick onto a plain card with a glue dot, to create a very personal and beautiful card. Very simple, very effective and completely individual. I’ve done cards with FIMO hearts on them, glued onto a card with a ribbon behind them. They were quick to do and looked fantastic.
The picture that I’ve put at the top of this post is of a card I made for my hubby for Valentine’s Day last year, but the idea can be adapted for anything at all. In craft shops you can buy this fantastic embossing foil that usually comes in a tube. You can cut it to whatever shape you wish and then use a stylus (blunt cocktail sitck will do) to create patterns. You press (not too hard) on the ‘wrong’ side to create your pattern, then turn it over and go around it (like you’re outlining it) to make it stand out. I’ve used this to create all kinds of cards and it can be really effective.
Time is something that most Mums say that they’d love as a present. So give it to them! Make Mum put up her feet and you/you and the children do things for her. Just something like making a cup of tea and getting her a biscuit would even be enough to make her smile, but breakfast in bed would be amazing! The simple things are often the best!
Why not think about planting something for Mummy? Little ones absolutely adore watching things grow and they (in my experience) really enjoy planting seeds. You could get a simple pot and paint/decorate it first, before planting whatever you wish in it. That way, both Mummy and children can enjoy caring for the present over a long period of time and watching it develop and grow.
However (and this is a personal thing for me, as well as many cloth bum mums) DON’T stuff the nappies unless you know exactly what you’re doing! Whilst she’ll love the sentiment, the practicality is that you might not get them exactly how she wants them!!!
Hope your Mother’s Day next weekend is special, ladies!
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