Mother’s Day is coming up. Show Mom she’s the best with one of these handmade gifts.


BUILD-A-BAG

Make Mom this fancy purse out of a placemat.

What You’ll Need:

  • A durable placemat in Mom’s favorite colors
  • Heavy-duty thread
  • A needle that can handle thick thread
  • Scissors
  • Sewing pins

What You’ll Do

1. With the placemat vertical and front side down, fold the bottom ¾ of the way up to the top.

2. Pin along the doubled-up parts of the sides.

3. Sew along the pins to make a pouch. (Use a sewing machine, or hand-stitch with heavy thread.) Fold down the top to close the bag


KEY TO MOM’S HEART

This handy leather tassel key chain is sure to make Mom happy.

What You’ll Need:

  • One piece of soft, thin leather at least 3½” x 12″
  • Sharp scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Key ring
  • Any glue made for leather
  • Rubber band

What You’ll Do:

1. Measure, mark and cut the leather into one piece 3½” x 11″ and another piece 1½” x ¼”.

2. Make a pencil line 1 inch in from an edge all along the biggest piece.

3. Make even cuts along this strip up to the pencil line. (3⁄16″-wide cuts should work fine.)

4. Fold the small piece of leather over the key ring and glue it to one end of the uncut edge of the strip.

5. Squeeze a small line of glue along the middle of the uncut edge.

6. Starting at the key chain end, roll the strip up tight. Keep the uncut edge even at the top. Be sure to glue down the end.Use the rubber band to hold it in place while it dries.


A LOVING PATH

Brighten Mom’s garden with these mosaic steppingstones.

What You’ll Need:

  • Two disposable aluminum 9-inch cake pans (not pie pans)
  • 10-pound bag of quick-setting concrete mix
  • Colorful tiles, pebbles, glass flat marbles, bottle caps or broken pottery
  • 2 to 2½ cups water
  • Bucket (at least 10-quart size)
  • Large metal spoon or trowel
  • Newspaper
  • Cardboard (two pieces at least 2 feet x 2 feet)
  • Paper towels
  • Dust mask, goggles and rubber gloves

What You’ll Do:

1. Work outdoors on newspaper. Put on the dust mask, goggles and gloves. Mix the 2 cups of water with concrete mix in the bucket. Work fast. (Add the remaining ½ cup of water on dry spots if needed.)

2 . Put the pans on level cardboard. Scoop concrete into pans and smooth the top

3. Let sit 20 minutes.

4. Push the decorations deep down into the concrete. Wipe the rim clean. Let sit unmoved for 2-3 days. Peel off pans and clean decorations with damp paper towels.

5. Place finished stepping stones level with the ground.


BUILD-A-GARDEN

Mom will flip over this unique potted garden!

What You’ll Need:

  • 5- to 6-foot piece of rebar steel rod
  • Sledgehammer
  • Clay pots
  • Potting soil
  • Small plants
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil

What You’ll Do:

1. Measure and mark 2 feet on the rebar.

2. Hammer the rebar into the ground up to the mark.

3. Thread the largest pot down the rod to the ground.

4. Fill it with soil packed down to 1 inch below the top.

5. Add the next pot, tipping it onto the soil below.

6. Add additional pots, each resting on the rim below.

7. Fill the pots with plants and damp soil. Leave a 1-inch space at the top of each pot so the soil won’t wash out when watering. Keep the soil level.


KEEPING TIME

Help keep Mom on time with this hoop clock.

What You’ll Need:

  • 12-inch embroidery hoop
  • Clock kit from a craft store
  • ½ yard of fabric
  • Scrap cardboard pieces
  • 1 AA battery
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Hobby knife
  • Glue
  • Clothes iron
  • Tape

What You’ll Do:

1. Lay the hoop on top of the fabric and draw a circle that is about 2 inches wider than the hoop.

2. Cut out the fabric circle. Iron out any wrinkles.

3. Unscrew the hoop and take it apart. Lay the fabric circle over the smaller hoop. Place the bigger hoop over this. Stretch the fabric between the two hoops. Screw down tight.

4. Trim off excess fabric.

5. Cut two strips of cardboard and wedge them tight into the back of the hoop. Tape together.

6. With the hobby knife, cut a small hole through the cardboard and fabric in the center of the hoop.

7. Follow the clock kit directions, pressing the clock through the cardboard and fabric, and then attaching the hands in front.

8. Glue or tape the cardboard/clock assembly to the back rim.


HEART NECKLACE

Pull at Mom’s heartstrings with this one-of-a-kind leather necklace.

What You’ll Need:

  • 3 feet of cord or leather lacing
  • Tape measure
  • Tape
  • Scissors

What You’ll Do:

1. Tape the left end down. Work only with the right end.

2. Measure in 1 foot from the left end and make this loop.

3. Go under and then up and out of the loop, leaving extra on the bottom to form loop No. 1.

4. Go up over loop No. 2, and then back down, leaving small loop No. 3 on top. Keep going down under big loop No. 2, then down on top of loop No. 1.

5. Go up and under loop No. 1. Thread over, and then under center loop No. 2, and then over top loop No. 3.

6. Untape the left end. Pull on both ends, and then work inside the heart with your fingers to tighten it. Form the heart little by little. Pinch the bottom into a V.

7. Hold the two ends, make a loop and pull them through the loop to knot. Trim off excess.

Powered by WPeMatico