12 crafts for Mother’s Day that’ll bring you closer than ever

As a mother, you can't really turn off even on Mother's Day, so why not set up a fun activity to do as a family that will leave you with a sweet memento of the day and keep the kids entertained?

Sounds like too good an opportunity to miss so we've selected a range of simple Mother's Day craft ideas that will leave you with a gorgeous product at the end of it for you to use.

Whether you make a candle out of crayons, a pretty wreath or an everlasting bouquet of flowers, remember: today is all about celebrating you as a mother so have fun with it.

DIY Crayon Candles

Equipment needed:

Candle wax

Candlewick

An empty jar

Crayons in a colour of your choosing

Essential oil e.g. lavender

Method:

Melt the wax, like you would some chocolate, in a bowl resting in a saucepan of boiling water. Stir using an old spatula or lolly pop stick until clear.

For each layer of the candle, take the necessary amount of melted wax and add in the grated crayon in a colour of your choice.

Add any drops of essentials oils, maybe one per layer of the candle.

Place a wick in the jar and then carefully pour the wax in to the jar. You can twist it around a pencil which lays across the top to help keep it straight.

Once you've poured a layer, put it in the fridge to set. When that layer is firm and cool, start again with the next crayon and next layer until you run out of room.

Ribbon Heart Card

Equipment:

One piece of 8 x 11 card stock, folded in half (this will be your card)

1/2 piece of 8 x 11 card stock (for the heart-shaped overleaf lay)

Ribbon scraps

Scissors

Glue

Method:

Start by folding your 8 x 11 piece of card stock in half. This will be your actual card.

Cut strips of ribbon that are not quite as wide as your card.

Have your child glue the ribbon strips across the front of the card. A paintbrush and a small pot of glue is a great way for younger children to handle glue if the glue bottle is too difficult to squeeze.

Cut out the heart-shaped overlay. Make sure it’s exactly the same size as the front of the card.

When all of the ribbons have been glued to the card, apply glue to the back of your heart-shaped overlay. Next, carefully position the overlay over the ribbons, lining up the edges of the overlay with the edges of the card.

More Mother's Day ideas:

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Personalised Mother's Day gifts to make your mum feel extra special

Painted Rock Garden Markers

Equipment:

Acrylic Paint Pens

Rocks

Method:

Pretty self explanatory so be as creative as you want.

Fingerprint Heart Keepsake

Equipment:

Mini canvas and easel

Acrylic Paint

Sticky back plastic

A heart shaped cutter to draw around (can easily be made out of cardboard)

Method:

Cut a piece of sticky back plastic to the size of your mini canvas.

Cut a heart shape out of the middle of the sticky back plastic. TIP: Draw around a heart shaped biscuit cutter or your cardboard heart.

Press the sticky back plastic onto the canvas. Make sure you press down hard around the edge of the heart shape.

Dip your finger in paint and fill the cut out heart shape with fingerprints. If you keep to three colours for each heart it tends to look better.

Once the paint has dried, remove the sticky back plastic. You will be left with a neat heart of fingerprints.

Check out: Gift ideas for Mother's Day 2022

DIY Flower Bouquets

Equipment:

Yellow wool

Green wool

Green pipe cleaners

Fabric glue

Scissors

Fork

Method:

Place a pipe cleaner along one side of your fork.

Wrap the fork and pipe cleaner with yellow yarn. Be careful to keep the area of wrapped yarn about 1 inch wide.

Wrap the yarn 25-30 times around the fork.

Twist the pipe cleaner together around the end of the yarn. Wrap it 3 times down the stem and then back up toward the flower ( you are forming the base of the stem).

Cut a 4-inch piece of green yarn and tie it around the base of the flower (between the last tine of the fork). Remove the tassel from the fork.

Knot the green yarn tightly two (2) times.

Trim the ends of the green yarn close to the knot.

Cut a 8-inch piece of green yarn. Add a dot of glue near the green knot and attach the green yarn. Wrap the flower from the green knot down to the stem, wrapping the yarn close together so no yellow yarn shows.

Wrap the green yarn until it is about 1/4 inch from the end, add a dot of glue to the flower base and secure the end of the yarn.

Cut the loops of the yellow yarn with scissors.

Use a fork or metal tool to fray the yarn slightly.

Fluff the top of your flower and trim any stray threads.

Egg Carton Wreath

Equipment:

Egg cartons

Scissors

Paint

Glue

Cardboard craft ring

Green card

Method:

Cut individual egg cups from paper egg cartons.

Notch and cut decorative edges with scissors.

Dye or paint cups desired colors.

Attach cups and craft paper leaves to a painted craft ring with hot-glue.

All the reasons why I Love You jar

Equipment:

An old jar

Paint

Tags

String

Paper

Method:

Grab an old jar and rinse it out, paint it or cover with paper (it's completely up to you), write a tag and tie it around the rim of the jar with string. Write down handmade notes to your mum, all the reasons you love her, for her to read whenever she likes.

Lavender Bags

Equipment:

Hankerchiefs/ squares of fabric

Needle and thread/ a sewing machine

Dried lavender

Method:

Cut a 2-by-4-inch rectangle from a handkerchief or piece of fabric.

Fold in half crosswise with the pattern facing inward.

Stitch two sides closed; turn pouch right-side out.

Fill with dried lavender.

Hand-stitch opening closed.

Marble Dipped Mugs

Equipment:

Basic white ceramic mugs

Nail polish (cheap stuff is fine)

Wooden skewers or toothpicks

Warm water

Disposable pan or bucket (it will get ruined)

Nail polish remover

Cotton balls or cotton pads

Dishwasher safe ModPodge

Small foam brush

Method:

Fill a disposable pan (or something you don’t mind getting permanently coloured by nail polish) 2 – 3″ full with warm water.

Add more or less water depending on how high up on your mug you’d like the colour to reach.

Make a mark on the inside of your pan to indicate the water level so you can fill it to the same spot each time if you’re making multiple mugs.

Add nail polish by pouring it onto the surface of the water, adding more or less depending on if you’d like more or less white to show through your marble pattern.

Working super quickly, use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the nail polish across the surface of the water to help create the marble effect.

Dunk your mug into the nail polish water. Go straight down and straight up to achieve the dipped look.

Move the mug to a protected surface to dry completely, avoiding rubbing the surface of the mug until completely dry.

Let them sit and dry overnight before touching them again.

For each mug you’ll need to dump the water and start over, regardless of whether or not you’re changing colour.

Once dry, add a super light and thin coat of dishwasher safe ModPodge applied with a small foam brush will keep them protected when washing.

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Pressed Flower Bookmarks

Equipment:

Various leaves and flowers

Card

Scissors

Glue

Sticky back plastic/ a laminator

Single hole punch

Yarn, string, or raffia ribbon

Method:

Take a nature walk or head into your own backyard and pick some small flowers and leaves. Press your flowers and leaves by placing them inside the pages of a thick book for 3-4 days.

Once your flowers and leaves are pressed and dry, carefully remove them from the book.

Cut some card the size you’d like your bookmark to be.

Use your pressed flowers and leaves to make a design on your cardstock. Once you’re happy with the design, you’ll want to lightly attach the flowers and leaves to your bookmark before you permanently cover them up using a glue stick or glue dots.

Next cover the bookmarks with plastic to protect them during use.

Once you’ve covered your bookmark, trim off the excess plastic.

Now it’s time to add the finishing details- get as creative as you’d like!

Bath salts

Equipment:

Plain bath salts (like Epsom salts)

Essential oil of your choice

Powder or paste food colouring (not liquid)

Glass jar

Fabric

Ribbon

Method:

In an old bowl, mix the bath salts and essential oil (roughly two drops of essential oil for every cup of bath salts) with a drop of food colouring.

Stir well with an old wooden spoon until the salts absorb the colouring.

Repeat with as many different colours as you would like.

Carefully pour the salts into a clean glass jar. If you have used different colours, you can layer them.

Cut a square of fabric to fit over the lid of the jar and tie it with some ribbon.

Salt dough fingerprint key rings

Equipment:

136g of table salt

One tablespoon of vegetable oil

158ml water

Star-shaped cookie cutter

Metal key ring

Pen/pencil

Method:

Mix together the salt, oil and water to make a dough.

Divide the mixture into two parts and roll the dough out until it is roughly a centimetre thick.

Use the cookie cutter to cut out star shapes and the pen or pencil to make a hole in the top for the key ring to go through.

If you would like to a special touch to the keyring, you can get your child to add a fingerprint in the centre.

Place the salt dough stars on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven on 140°C for roughly three hours or until they have hardened.

Once cooled, attach the metal key ring to the top of the star.