Personalized Mother's Day Gift

Mother's Day is the perfect time to give keepsakes that mom will love. When the kids are small, capturing their hand prints or foot prints on fabric is a great way for mom to look back and remember how small they once were as they continue to grow.

You will need to choose a time when mom is out of the house if the Mother's Day gift is to be a surprise. If there is not a time that mom is away from the house, you could plan a night out for mom that will give provide enough time to complete the project with the kids. The night out could even be part of the Mother's Day gift.

Your Mother's Day t-shirt needs to be started a few days before Mother's Day to allow for drying time. Most fabric paints will dry within 48 hours. You will want to read the instructions on the fabric paint to ensure that mom's shirt has enough time to dry and will be ready in time for Mother's Day.

What you will need for your Mother's Day keepsake t-shirt:

-A t-shirt or other fabric item such as an apron (in mom's size)

-A few tubes of fabric paint (at least one tube should have a writing tip)

-Newspaper or plastic covering (such as used when painting walls)

-An old towel or some wet wipes

-Something to spread the paint onto (something disposable such as a shoe box lid works well)

-A piece of cardboard as big as the front side of the t-shirt (to slide in between the front and back of the t-shirt to prevent it from soaking through)

First, lay down some newspaper or plastic sheeting. If you are using a light colored t-shirt, the plastic sheeting would be best so you don't get ink from the newspaper on mom's t-shirt. The kids will love doing this project for mom and you can have fun with it too. However, it can be a bit messy. Laying down some newspaper or plastic sheeting will help keep the mess contained and protect the area where you are working.

Now, lay out the t-shirt and insert cardboard between the front and back layers of mom's t-shirt. White t-shirts are probably not the best choice for this project. White fabric tends to get a little dingy through the years. When fabric paint is used, special care is needed when washing the item. This will not allow for the fabric to be bleached. For this reason it is best to pick a color other than white. Even a black t-shirt can be used. Just choose paint colors that contrast the color of the fabric well. Choosing mom's favorite color for the shirt is a good idea.

Before coating the kids in paint, you should consider where you want each child to place their hands on the fabric. This will greatly depend on the number of kids who will be placing their hand prints on the t-shirt. You may want to do a dry run (without paint) to ensure that all of the children's hands will fit where you want them before you begin. You may also want to leave enough room between hand prints to paint the child's name above or below each set of hand prints.

Leave enough room at the top of the t-shirt to write "Happy Mother's Day" after all of the hand prints are on the shirt. This will ensure that the writing is displayed across mom's feminine features, rather than the children's hand prints.

Once mom's t-shirt is laid out, it is time to prep the paint. Squeeze one color of paint onto the shoe box lid. Use only enough paint for one set of hands or feet but use enough to coat them entirely. You may want to start with the smallest child first. They will have less care with what they are doing and it may be harder to get the best placement. The older child or children will be able to place their hand prints around the smaller child. If you have a baby, it will be easier to capture their foot prints rather than trying to get their hand prints onto the shirt.

Place both of the child's hands in the paint until the entire palm and bottom of their fingers are coated in paint. Then place both hands down on the fabric side by side. If possible, have the child spread their fingers out a bit. This will avoid the hand prints just looking like a big glob of paint on the fabric.

Before moving on to the next child, use the old towel or wet wipes to clean the paint from the first child's hands. Otherwise, you may have to explain to mom how paint got all over the carpet, walls, and the other children.

Next, have each of the older children repeat the process until all of the children have their hand prints on the fabric. Remember the important step of cleaning each child's hands before moving on to the next.

Time for the finishing touches. Across the top of the t-shirt write "Happy Mother's Day" with a tube of paint that has a writing tip. Be sure to include the date somewhere on the t-shirt as well. Below the "Happy Mother's Day" or at the bottom of the shirt below all of the prints are good places to place the date. Then use the same tube or a different color that has a writing tip and write each child's name below their hand print.

Mom's t-shirt will need to dry for a while. Keep the t-shirt laying flat with the cardboard in between the front and back labels. Read the instructions on the paint to see how long mom's shirt should dry before it can be worn. Don't touch the paint or allow the kids to touch the paint before the specified time is up. This could smear the paint and ruin your Mother's Day gift.

If there is not a place to allow mom's shirt to dry where she will not see if before Mother's Day or the kids will not touch it, ask a neighbor or relative if they have some place to leave mom's shirt until it is dry. After the kids give mom her Mother's Day gift, be sure to let her know the care instructions that are on the tube of fabric paint so she knows how to protect her keepsake Mother's Day gift!

When mom receives her Mother's Day gift she will know how much time, effort, and thought you put into her gift. With Father's Day just around the corner, you may be rewarded for your efforts!