Mother’s Day - 9/10 - The Idea Room

"Things We Love About You" Scrapbooks

Make your Mom, Grandmother, Spouse, Dad, or anyone a scrapbook containing any special number of things you love about them. This would be perfect for an anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or a Birthday.

When my parents were celebrating their 61st and 67th birthdays (which was just yesterday right momma?) my sister, the amazing scrapbooker, had the great idea of making each of them a scrapbook that listed 61 and 67 things we (their children) loved and appreciated about each of them.

She was living far away at the time and had all of the siblings come up with a list of things we would like to include in the book. Then she rounded them up and together we came up with what would officially go in the books. We scoured our pictures and rounded up enough to also go into the books.

Then the rest of us sat back and twiddled our thumbs while she did all of the hard work. It was better that way, since she has the best scrapbooking skills amongst us.

My parents birthdays are within 10 days of one another and so when my scrapbooking sister was able to come for a visit, we gave them to my parents at a birthday party we threw for them.

She also included a page where we had all of the grandkids share what they loved aobut their Grandma and Papa.

We have since spent a lot of time looking through them, remembering and laughing about the good times and hilarious trips we had together growing up. Although they were quite time consuming and took up a lot of my sister’s free time and talent, they were one of the best presents my parents have enjoyed getting. This Mother’s Day may be a little to close to pull this one off, but someone is having a birthday or anniversary who would love to receive this. Heavens…I want one!

May 6, 2009 · Filed under: Anniversary, Birthdays, Crafts, Father's Day, Gifts, Mother's Day Tagged with

Picture Blocks

14 Comments

Does your mom, grandmother, or even you need some updated pictures of the kids or grandkids? Make some of these cute picture blocks for the favorite women in your life. They are super easy. I got this idea from my sister who had a friend make these a few years ago.

I went to Home Depot and bought a long square post (in the fence section). You can also buy precut blocks of wood now at Home Depot and in your craft stores. Mine happened to be 4 inches. So I had the hubby cut it into 4 inch sections so that each block was 4 inches square.

Sand all the rough areas of the block and then paint or stain with the color of your choice. Let dry completely.

Then I took some picture of the kids and in Photoshop cropped their faces to measure 3.75 inches by 3.75 inches (to fit onto the 4 inch block). You will need 4 different pictures for each picture block, so that each side of the block has a different picture on it of the same kid. You may need to paste your 3.75 x 3.75 picture onto a new blank photoshop background that measure 6×4 so that your photo store will not enlarge it to fit a 6×4 template they print on? Make sense? I made my photos black and white because I wanted black blocks, but colored pictures would also be cute.

Print your pictures from your favorite photo store. Having your pictures on real photo paper is important so that the ink does not run and the texture of the wood does not show through the finished photo.

Cut out your photos and paint Modge Podge (I prefer the Matte finish to the glossy) onto the back of each picture. Place one photo on each of the 4 sides of your block. Let the Modge Podge dry. When it has dried, paint Modge Podge over the entire surface of each of the four sides and let it dry. You may want two or three layers on the front of the four pictures. And there you have it!

The nice thing about these picture blocks is that you can fit a lot more into one area than photos in frames. This is perfect for the Grandmother with 19 grandchildren. Now she can have room on her shelf to show off all of her grandkids!

*P.S. Thanks for all your kind words and comments! I really appreciate them!

May 4, 2009 · Filed under: Crafts, Gifts, Home Decor, Moms, Mother's Day Tagged with

Garden Stepping Stones For Mother’s Day

4 Comments

Looking for an easy and inexpensive Mother’s Day gift? A few years ago my siblings and I made some stepping stones to give to my mom for Mother’s Day. We had one made for each of her grandchildren. Each stone had a footprint and handprint and the name of the child on it. They are really easy to make and look so cute in your garden or flower beds.

All you need is a small bag of cement (Home Depot or Lowe’s), water, a stick to mix your cement (a paint stir stick works great) and a bucket, some trays that go under flower pots to collect the water (what are they called?), a popsicle stick and jewels if you would like to add some bling to your stone.

Mix your cement according to the directions on the package. Evenly distribute the cement into each of your trays (you will need 1 for every stone you are making).

When the cement has set-up so that it holds the imprint of your finger, place your footprint and handprint in the cement.

Then with a popsicle stick carve the name into the cement. I used some paper towels to soak up the excess water so that I could see the name as I continued to work on each letter.

After you have put the footprints and name in your cement, you will not want to move them. Let them dry completely. This may take 2 to 4 days total. When they are dry they should come right out of the trays and be ready to go in your garden.

I have always wanted some stepping stones for my own flower beds. Last year my hubby and kids made me some for Mother’s Day! They turned out so cute. Now all I need is for my new plants to grow in my planter and fill up some of that weed prone space!