DIY Life

In this age of doing-it-yourself, handmade gifts are becoming more and more popular. The trouble with that is making sure your gifts are original and unique.

Making a spoon rest out of clay can be as one-of-a-kind as you want it to be, or you can make it simple and use a cookie cutter so your kids can help with the project. The article suggests making a heart spoon rest, but you could make anything you wanted to -- freehand, or use a cookie cutter or stencil of your choice.

You'll need air-drying clay, acrylic paint, both in colors and clear, and any tools you will want to use to work the clay. Suggestions about how to make hole to hang the spoon rest and how to make it rest on a flat surface easily are included in the instructions. You can paint it when it is dry and even put felt on the bottom for a nice base.

If your kids -- or you! -- know your way around a can of Play Doh, you can easily make a clay spoon rest as a keepsake gift for any occasion.

Attention, husbands: If you're just planning Mother's Day now, I won't scold you, but I will save you from the wrath you're about to experience if you don't get things together quickly.

Before you move on to showing her your personal appreciation, you'll want to make sure you've arranged something special from your children. If you're in a hurry, here are some quick and easy Mother's Day projects. You can also help them make this precious card, telling Mom just how much they love her.

Some suggest giving Mom a day without the kids, but personally that isn't what I would want. Mother's Day should be celebrated as a family, but once they've served her breakfast in bed, and spent the day honoring her in clever ways, the two of you can tuck in those sweet little ones and get on with some romantic appreciation.

If you're looking for a way to spoil her, follow me through the break, and we'll discuss how you can shower her with appreciation for little or no cost, and with little preparation (yes, you can pull all of these off before Sunday!).

The other day, I found an interesting and easy decorative glass vase tutorial over at CasaSugar. I thought to myself, "That's pretty cool for around the house, but I bet it would also be perfect as a wedding centerpiece." In fact, it turns out that the project originated at DIY Bride.

This is really as simple as picking up some rub-on transfers you like, along with a clear glass vase that has a smooth surface. After making sure the vase is completely clean and dry, just cut around the transfers you like, then use the burnishing stick that comes in the package to carefully rub designs onto the vase (exactly as you would if you were rubbing them onto paper).

The transfers are sold in almost any store that carries scrapbooking or other craft supplies. Thousands of designs are available, but if you can't find any rub-ons that you like in your area, the DIY Bride post has a list of online resources.

This project is as versatile and stylish as your imagination (for example, the right transfers would make it great for Mother's Day), but this is not exactly a new tip: a few months ago, this concept also ran in the Winter, 2008 issue of Somerset Life magazine, where it was used to decorate glass bottles and jars. Please join me after the break to read more about the appealing ideas that were presented there.

There is nothing sweeter than a child, arms spread wide, exclaiming "I love you this much!" Sure, it's a little cliche, but it melts my heart every time. This week's Kiddie Craft captures that precious exclamation, their adorable hand-prints, and their complete admiration for Mom or Grandma.

So, skip the Mother's Day display in your local stationery store, and help your children make her a personal card. Here's what you need:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape or glue
• Pencil
• A large sheet of paper
• Pens, paints, stickers and other things to decorate the card

This simple Mother's Day card was easy to make, and my boys had a blast spreading their arms wide on the paper, and giggling as I traced their tiny hands. Follow me through the break for full instructions, and take a look through the gallery for your visual step-by-step.

Pamper her this Mother's Day with a luxurious breakfast in bed. Older children can probably manage it on their own, but for most families dad will need to coordinate things. The three most important things to consider are the planning, preparation and presentation.

Planning

Take the time to plan a breakfast that you know she'll enjoy. She won't mind you trying something new, but if you're more comfortable, stick with recipes that you already know how to make. Buy all your ingredients ahead of time, but stash them away carefully so that she doesn't suspect her early morning treat.

Prepare as much as you can ahead of time; set your coffee maker on a timer, cut fruit, and pre-mix any batter that can sit overnight.

After the break I'll cover some suggestions for a delicious breakfast in bed:

Flowers are a wonderful gift, if only they would last longer. With these flower gifts that you can make with your kids, they will last perhaps longer than the recipient would like them to! Or the flowerpots are perfect for presenting real flowers or plants.

Make this photo flower bouquet from paper, using photos as the center of the flower. Glue onto a chenille stem and present as a bouquet or in a vase. I like the idea of using patterned paper; handmade paper would look stunning, as would scrapbooking paper.

It is so easy to paint this clay flowerpot. All you need are some acrylic paints and your creativity. You can plan a pattern with your kids beforehand, use some stencils or let them go, Jackson Pollock style. You know they will come up with something spectacular, and uniquely "them."

Mother's Day invariably means an avalanche of mundane gift ideas for mom. If your mom is into gardening big-time, why not get something she can use and/or enjoy year-round--unlike, say, that $60 bunch of flowers or (yawn) potted herb garden you were about to order. Read on for ten gifts that real gardening moms would love to receive this Mother's Day!

Oh and by the way: all of the following gift ideas are available on the Web, which is cool because it means you don't have to schlep to the mall or your local blue- or orange-hued home and garden superstore. The down side: prices do not include tax or shipping. But, hey, if you can avoid a trip to the mall on Saturday it's worth it, right?

1. Japanese hand shears, $25-$48
Renowned for their beauty and durability are these Japanese hand tools. The secret? They are constructed from carbon steel (as opposed to stainless steel). Elegant rolled steel handles give them an unusual and distinctive appearance. In order to prevent rusting, these tools must always be dried after use and oiled occasionally. Aficionados swear it's worth the effort.

Picture frames are popular Mother's Day gifts, there's no doubt. They're also popular gifts for aunts, grandmothers, and cherished caregivers.

Rather than plucking a picture frame off of the shelf at your favorite store, however, why not give your mom a keepsake photo gift that she can treasure forever? DIY Network has directions for a fold-out memory book for anyone who treasures pictures of loved ones.

The album is made from envelopes, which are glued together in a "chain" by adhering the flap of one to the back of the next. After that, quotation stickers and other embellishments are used to decorate the envelopes. Mat your photos and journal on the back of each, then fold it all together for a thoughtful, sentimental gift.

This is also a perfect gift for those who live far away, because it's small and easy to mail!

With 84 million Moms in the US alone, there's no doubt that a day dedicated to the celebration of these women was long overdue. This was a big step for the US, but Mother's Day has taken many forms throughout history, and a similar celebration was being observed in England as early as the 1600's.

Today, Mother's Day has morphed into a cash grab from greeting card companies, floral shops and jewelry stores. In this week's Kiddie Crafts we're getting back to the basics, and looking at some crafty ways for children to honor mom.

It doesn't matter if you're a Dad coordinating a craft for your wife, or a mom thinking about honoring grandma, there are endless ways to get the kids involved and make some fabulous Mother's Day crafts. I'll share some of these ideas with you after the break.

We all need renewal time, and a little pampering pleasure tops my list. Who doesn't love facials, pedicures, full body scrubs and the like? You can create the decadence of a day at the spa, right in your own home.

So plan on a little you-time, invite your girlfriends over for a spa party, or create a spa day for your mom, just in time for Mother's Day (and early enough that you can get your materials together!). Or, get some pretty containers and give these "products" as gifts.

This week, we'll start with pampering the feet, and columns on the face and body (and hands) will follow in subsequent weeks.

With so many occasions, and such crafty kids, I often wonder if the little gifts we give end up becoming more clutter, collecting dust at Grandma's house. For this week's Kiddie Craft, we set out to make a creative Mother's Day gift that is personal and unique, but also useful.

We're making fingerprint stationery. Grab some plain card-stock, envelopes, a colorful ink-pad, and your little one's precious fingers. Press their small fingerprints into pictures on the card-stock. Finish them off with a decorative ribbon, and you will have created a memorable Mother's Day gift. You won't see a washcloth in the materials image, because somehow I neglected to predict this oh-so-necessary item, but trust me, you'll need one!

You can check out the finished cards in the gallery. After the break I'll walk you through the flower, rainbow, and hand-print designs. Use those ideas, or take a little inspiration from our craft and come up with ideas of your own.

DIY Life has lots of great tutorials for jewelry-making if you are an adult and want to play. From crackle glass earrings to designer knock-offs, we've got a project you'll like.

If you are looking for jewelry you can make with your children, something that would make a great Mother's Day gift, then these are the projects that might appeal to you.

These easy bottle cap brooches are made from bottle caps you have flattened out with needle nose pliers, a pin backing available at any craft store, a photo of your child and whatever you want to use to decorate -- ribbon, glitter, glue, nail polish. What stylish mom wouldn't want to wear a piece of jewelry with their child's photo on it?

The good news is that because I am so far behind in my magazine reading, you benefit with a unique and thoughtful idea for a gift, just in time for Mother's Day. Who wouldn't love a wooden recipe box, blooming with flowers, ready to fill with recipe cards when the flowers are done?

You'll need:

• a beautiful wooden recipe box
• a plastic bag to line it
• floral foam, cut to fit the liner and box
• a dozen roses, tulips or any other flowers uniform in size with sturdy stems
• ribbons or anything else you'd like to adorn the box

Assembling this recipe box blooming with flowers is easy to do. Simply line the box with the plastic bag, fill with floral foam, add some water and arrange your stems. When you give this gift, be sure to include either blank recipes cards, or better still, a stack filled with your favorite recipes.

Made from sliced wine corks, the trivet and coasters are the perfect way to recycle and reuse an item that you may otherwise just toss in the garbage. To make the trivet and coasters, you'll need about 10 or 12 corks which you will cut into slices so that each cork gives you about 8 to 10 slices. Stitch each cork together with two stitches and arrange the corks into your desired geometrical pattern.

Getting a needle through cork is a little difficult. Abigail's instructions don't really tell you how to get the needle and thread through the cork without getting frustrated, so check out these more detailed directions on making wine cork trivets from Still Dottie.

A shadow box is a shallow box, with a glass framed front. You can put photo collages and other memorabilia inside, then hang it on your wall as you would any other picture frame. You'll find shadowboxes in a variety of sizes and style at your local craft store.

One of our most beautiful wedding gifts was a shadow box, made by a friend of ours. She included our invitation and dried flowers in our wedding colors.

I hope to make one for my sister's wedding, but I'm going to hold off until after the big day. This way I can include some wedding day mementos, like the groom's boutonniere, one of the wedding favors and a couple of place cards.

This is one of those projects where you have free reign to exercise your own creativity, and personalize it as much as you want. You can create a clean, contemporary look by choosing to focus on the invitation or one photo, then add a few embellishments to compliment it.

You can also make something regal with rich color choices, and an abundance of items decorating the box. Include the bride's tiara just for fun. If you're having trouble getting started, check out these step-by-step instructions on creating your own shadow box.