Handmade Mother’s Day gifts:
We’ve all got a mug that says ‘mummy’*.
Yours might bear just that simple, single word, ‘mummy’, surrounded by hearts or flowers; it might have on it a phrase like ‘supermum’ or ‘queen of mummies’; it might boast an ‘I love you mummy’ design. And they’re all lovely. The ‘designer’ ones (like Emma Bridgewater) are lovely; the standard-but-pretty ones are lovely; even the ones that look a bit rubbish are lovely, because they’re yours and they came from your child (or from your partner on your child’s behalf, at least) and they were given with love.
But those mugs very often say something else alongside ‘I love you mummy’. Because if your partner bought your mug on behalf of your baby or toddler, that mug also says: ‘I couldn’t think what to get you for Mother’s Day, so I got this aggressively marketed mug. And I might get you another one next year.’
Well, there’s no excuse anymore: our step-by-step guide to creating our top three handmade Mother’s Day gifts is here – so daddies and toddlers, gather round!
1. Welly herb or flower garden
The ideal gift for this time of year, as the nights are starting to get lighter and our thoughts are turning towards spring. Pretty and practical, this gift comes pre-wrapped with the memories of all those rainy day outings that mummy and child enjoyed together when those wellies were on your little one’s feet.
Take a pair of outgrown toddler wellies and punch a few drainage holes in the soles. Your toddler can then partially fill each welly with compost (getting thoroughly dirty in the process!)
Plant your wellies according to the needs of your chosen flowers or herbs (different plants need different depths of soil). If you’re planting seedlings or semi-grown plants, you’ll need to help your little one out as small plants are easily squashed by enthusiastic fingers. If you’re using seeds, show your child how to gently sprinkle or place them according to the instructions, then layer on more compost.
Finally, most toddlers will love watering their finished welly garden – make sure they sprinkle the water slowly, though, and be on hand to stop them before they cause a flood.
If you want to keep your welly garden indoors, you’ll need a drainage tray to stand the wellies in. A pretty plate or saucer is ideal – why not buy a plain, oval plate in the right size then decorate it to mum’s taste with paint and glitter?
2. A memorable breakfast in bed
Buy a simple, unfinished wooden tray and use paint, glue and fabric to transform it into a thing of personalised beauty that mummy will both treasure and use.
For an attractive design that’s easy to make, start by choosing a swatch of material that mummy will love and cut it to fit just the base of the tray inside. Then, select a paint that matches your fabric and give the tray a few coats of paint all over, allowing it to dry between each coat. Water based paint is better for little ones to use, as oil based paint can be a nightmare to remove from hands and is unlikely to ever fully come out of clothing.
Finally, stick your fabric carefully onto the inside base of the tray with a little glue and, once it’s set in place, finish off your project with a coat or two of clear polyurethane varnish (follow the instructions on the packaging carefully) to help protect the fabric and paint finish on your new tray from those inevitable spills and stains.
On the big day, rather than encasing your finished tray in gift wrap, simply load it up with tasty breakfast treats and carry it upstairs to give mum a surprise Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.
3. IOU coupons
One of the simplest gifts you can make is often one of the most appreciated.
So, for all those mums who dream of an afternoon browsing round the shops without a reluctant toddler in tow, fantasise about a couple of decadent hours on the sofa with a book, or crave a dreamy, drowsy lie in, a simple piece of paper or card decorated by your toddler and bearing those vital words “I owe you…” will bring a huge smile to her face this Mother’s Day.
We love this one so much we thought we’d produce some ourselves, in truly gorgeous Doodlebump style.
So if the mummy in your life could do with some down time, take a look at our Doodlebump IOU coupons. Choose your ‘activity’ (anything from a simple cup of tea with her feet up to a full blown shopping day and girl’s night out), add her name and a gift message for the packaging, and sit back to await delivery.
* Some of us don’t. Some of us are still waiting. Some of us would like a really lovely mummy mug with pink and hearts and everything this Mother’s Day, please.
By Vicky Scowcroft
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