Inexpensive and Easy Mother's Day Crafts

You don't have to have a lot of money to make your mom something fabulous for Mother's Day. There are many nice gifts that you can make out of normally discarded items, small trinkets and craft supplies, and a little time and effort.

If your mom loves books, make her a beautiful book thong, which works like a book mark, but is much nicer. Cut a pretty piece of ribbon - long enough to fit across most books - vertically. The ribbon can be wide or thin, colorful or black velvet. Trim the ends to a point, then thread a trinket on each end of the ribbon. On one end can be a cross, the other end a novelty lamb, or one end can have an "M" for "Mother", the other end, a butterfly. Assorted novelties of all shapes, sizes and colors can be found at most craft stores or department stores.

Different people collect many different things. Choose something your mom really likes, like angels, ballerinas, or even zebras. At a craft store, pick up some small mirrors, which are very inexpensive. They come in squares or circles, and usually have four or more in a pack. Set one mirror down on the table, then glue another mirror on top of that one, at the back edge, standing up. Use a quick-set type of glue, like super glue. Now glue the novelty or trinket to the base mirror. It will reflect into the rear standing mirror. To enhance the look, glue tiny silk flowers, silver or gold tinsel, or use liquid gold to cover the mirror edges.

Use deli tray lids to make garden stepping stones for mom, quickly and easily. Spray the lid with non-stick cooking spray, then pour in quick-set cement or concrete. Before pouring the cement, you can put in marbles, shells, broken China pieces or even coins. Pour the cement, let it set and remove the stone from the plastic lid. To make a stone with your name or "Mom" on it, follow the above instructions, then after removing, turn right side up on a table. Now spread a thin layer of wet cement on top and use a stick or another instrument to write what you wish. Or, put your hand print on the stone, then write the year. A matching drinking hole for birds and squirrels can be made by pouring the cement in a deep deli tray, then spraying a plastic bowl with non-stick spray and setting it down in the middle of the cement. After drying, remove the plastic bowl, and peel the deli tray and paint, or leave natural.

Any mom would love a scene in a box. It's really simple and fun, and when finished, your mom will be very impressed, whether you're a child or an adult. Use a regular cardboard box and paint, wallpaper or further decorate the exterior of the box. The box should have no flaps or lids. Slide the back out of a picture frame, keeping the frame and glass only. The frame should be only slightly bigger than the box. Lay the box on its back and place the frame, with glass, on top. Check to see that the edges of the box are not visible through the glass of the frame, and that the box edges do not extend past the frame. Now you'll set up a little scene inside the box.

You know your mom best; you know what she would enjoy. A safari scene? Seaside scene? A cozy kitchen? Start by covering the inside of the box with white or blue satin, or something that will coordinate with the scene you're setting. You can cover all sides except the bottom in white, then do the bottom in blue for a sea scene. When you lay the blue fabric in, make horizontal folds in the cloth to represent waves. Or, paint the interior of the box, then spread glue in the bottom and sprinkle in sand for the beach. Lay shells, a craft anchor, and other related objects in the sand. Make sure the items are miniatures; you don't want your shell to be as big as the anchor. Proportion plays a big part in having this project turn out correctly. The inside of a box is dark, so use light and bright colors to set your scene. When the scene is complete, glue the picture frame onto the box and allow to dry. Now bring it altogether by placing shells or a starfish in the corner of the frame. Size does not matter - any size box with fitting frame works for this project, and the smaller, the cuter - if you can find the proper miniatures.

And remember the back that you took out of the picture frame? Don't throw it away! Use it to make a beautiful standing flower garden. Cover the cardboard front with cloth or wallpaper, or just paint it. A floral or solid blue background works great for this project. Attach silk flowers, reeds, grasses and such. Some plants should be low-lying, and others should snake up to the top. Use one long vine to wrap around the cardboard edges. Use tiny stones, twigs or pieces of bark here and there throughout the arrangement. Now perch a bird or butterfly at the very top of the frame, with several smaller ones glued down below, amongst the flowers. You can add tiny toads, ladybugs and other enhancements as you wish.

A piece of glass and a necklace can make the perfect gift for Mom. The glass can be a mirror or a window pane. Use contact cement to attach the necklace to the perimeter of the glass. Affix the necklace to the bottom and both sides of the glass, then leave the remainder of the necklace unattached, to use for hanging. Use a printer to print a Mother's Day poem on clear sticky paper, or cut a cute picture from a greeting card. Use dimension paint to outline the picture or just use the paints to write "I Love You Mom" directly on the glass.