Mother's Day Crafts

Corliss Clayton, “Mother’s Day Crafts,” Friend, May 1990, 23
Treasure Box
To make your mother, grandmother, or a friend a beautiful box to hold family pictures, letters, or other treasures, you will need: a sturdy, light-colored, rectangular box with a lid; a ruler; a pencil; white, water-soluble glue; medium-weight cotton fabric (heavy enough that you can’t see through it, but thin enough that it will easily wrap around a box); and scissors. If the box lid completely conceals the sides of the box, cover only the lid. If the lid only covers the top part of the box, cover both parts.
1. Remove the lid from the box. Measure the length and width of the box from edge to edge. This will include the length or width of the box base plus two times the depth of the sides of the box. Add 2″ (5 cm) to each of your measurements.
2. Using a pencil, draw a rectangle the size of your measurements on the wrong side of your fabric. Cut out the rectangle.
3. Measure in from each side along the width of the fabric the depth of the box plus one inch, then cut a 1″ (2.5 cm) slit. Repeat on the opposite side of that edge. Cut two identical slits on the opposite edge of the fabric (see illustration).
4. Spread glue evenly over the bottom and the two ends of the box with your fingers. Quickly wash your hands so that the glue won’t get on the fabric, then center the fabric on the box and gently press onto the glued surfaces. If you don’t get the fabric centered just right, carefully adjust it. If the glue dries too quickly, moisten slightly with water.
5. Fold the ends of the fabric into the box, and glue them in place.
6. Spread glue on the sides of the box, wash your hands, and fold corners in, as illustrated. Fold the fabric up over the sides, press it into place, then glue the inside edges.
7. Repeat the steps to cover the lid.

Mother’s Day Card
To make a Mother’s Day card, you will need: a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (14 cm x 22 cm) piece of heavyweight paper, fabric, glue, scissors, and a pencil.
1. Fold the paper in half to make the card.
2. Draw simple designs on the back of the fabric and cut them out.
3. Glue the fabric designs to the front of the card.
4. Write a Mother’s Day poem or message on the inside of the card, and sign your name.
“Mother’s Day Crafts,” Friend, May 1992, 47

Fingerprint Flowers
By Clare Mishica
To make fingerprint flowers, you will need: old newspaper, food coloring, facial tissues, water, paper plates, white (writing) paper, and envelopes.
1. Cover your work area with the newspapers. Put tissues on the paper plates and dampen them slightly. Add a drop or two of food coloring to each damp tissue. (Try a different color on each one.) To prevent the colors from running together, keep the tissues from touching each other.
2. Make a few trial flowers on a scrap of paper by pressing a section of a dyed tissue onto the scrap with your fingertip. Start with the flower centers and work outward. Wash your hands between using different colors and allow each color to dry on the paper before adding the next color. Add more food coloring or water to the tissues if needed.
3. When you are satisfied with your practice flowers, put down clean newspaper then make flowers along the edges of a sheet of the white paper, still being careful to let each color dry before continuing and to wash your hands between colors. Decorate the flap of an envelope to match.
4. Write a special note to your mother or some other special person and enclose it in the envelope. Or decorate several sheets of paper and envelopes as notepaper and give them as a present.

Greenhouse
By Tami S. Mesenbourg
To make this fun and easy greenhouse for Mother’s Day, you will need: an empty clear-plastic two-liter soda bottle, an old plate or pie tin, scissors, small stones, dirt, and a small plant or a packet of seeds for small plants.
1. Fill the empty soda bottle with hot water. Let it stand for five minutes, then empty out the water and peel off the label.
2. Pull off, in one piece, the plastic coating around the bottom of the bottle to use as the base of the greenhouse.
3. Place the base on the plate, put several small stones into the base for drainage.
4. Remove the small plant from its container, place it on the stones, and pack dirt around it; or, fill the base 3/4 full with dirt and plant the seeds according to package directions. Water well.
5. Cut off the top of the bottle 1/2″ (12.5 mm) above where it reaches its greatest diameter. Discard the top of the bottle.
6. Cut five 1″ (2.5 cm) slits in the top of the dome. Place the dome over the base, fitting it inside the base.
7. Put your finished greenhouse in a sunny area and watch your plants grow. Water the plants as needed.
Julie Wardell, “Mother’s Day Crafts,” Friend, May 1995, 26
Scent-sational Handkerchief Sachet
To make this sachet, you will need: 3 large vanilla beans,* 3 teaspoons whole cloves, a small plastic bag, a hammer, 5 teaspoons dried sweet basil, a small bowl, a lace-edged handkerchief, a needle, thread to match the handkerchief, and polyester stuffing.
1. Put the beans and cloves into a small plastic bag and pound them with a hammer just hard enough to break them apart.
2. Mix the beans, cloves, and sweet basil together in a small bowl.
3. Fold the handkerchief in half with right sides out and then in half again. With small hand stitches, sew two of the open sides together just below the lace (see illustration).
4. Lightly stuff the middle of the handkerchief sachet, then add the spice mixture. Sew the opening closed.

I [Love] You Card
To make this card, you will need: a 9 1/4″ x 4″ (23.5 cm x 10 cm) piece of colored paper, a ruler, a pencil, scissors, a felt-tip pen, and ribbon or yarn.
1. Accordion-fold the paper in 1 1/2″ (4 cm) folds (see illustration).
2. With the paper folded, draw half a heart, leaving about a 1″ (2.5 cm) space at the top, bottom, and side (see illustration).
3. With the paper still folded, cut out the heart.
4. Unfold the paper and write “I” above each heart and “you, Mom” below each heart.
5. Refold the card and tie the hearts together with a piece of ribbon or yarn.


“Mother’s Day Crafts,” Friend, May 1994, 19
Gardening Gloves
To make some fun, personalized gardening gloves, you will need: solid-color cloth gardening gloves (make sure you have the right size) and waterproof felt-tip pens.
1. Lay the gloves on a table and draw a flower on each fingertip.
2. Draw a flowerpot or a big bow at the wrist of each glove. Draw leafy stems connecting the flowers to pot or bow, Personalize your gift by writing “Mom” or your mom’s name on the flowerpot or near the bow.

“Stained-Glass” Window Hanging
To make a picture your mom can hang in a window, you will need: scratch paper, 2 pieces of black construction paper, scissors, different colors of tissue paper, glue, and string.
1. Sketch a simple drawing, with large sections to cut out (see illustration) on the scratch paper. You might want to try a butterfly, the sun, a star, hearts, or an abstract design.
2. Trace the drawing onto both pieces of black construction paper. Cut the shapes out, including the hole sections (see illustration).

3. Using one of the shapes, cut pieces of tissue paper a little larger than the holes, then glue the tissues over the holes.
4. Glue a piece of string to the top of the shape (on the tissue-paper side), place the other shape against the tissue-paper side (matching up the holes), and glue them together.

Recipe Holder
by Shirlee R. Jackson
You will need: clothespin, glue, beads, paint, fabric, dry seeds, felt, lace trim, or colored paper.
Decide how you are going to decorate the recipe holder. If you want to paint and decorate the clothespin, paint the entire pin and let dry thoroughly before putting sparkles or beads in place with glue.
When using dry seeds, glue them to clothespin before painting. Be sure to let seeds and glue dry thoroughly before painting.
If you use fabric, you will not need to paint the clothespin. Glue fabric in place.
Use your imagination in decorating more recipe holders.