Tuesday, May 4, 2010

DIY Tuesday: Mother's Day Gift Idea

I decided to make a mini-book for my mama for Mother's Day (hoping she doesn't see this before then ;)) about "10 Things I Love about You." I decided to name this post "DIY Tuesday", since it's not really a tutorial, but more of a, well, a project that you can do-it-yourself :) *Edited to add (5/2/12): I changed the file so there is no longer a specific date on the "Happy Mother's Day" card at the end of the set. Now it can be used any year :) Enjoy!

I made it pocket-size, 2"x3.5" (also business card size). I made a list of 10 things (of course there are way more than 10:)) that I wanted to include in the book. I designed some cards with the numbers 1-10 on them (see below) and then went through my stash of paper, old magazines, etc. to find images/papers to cut out to also go in the book. I found images/papers that relate to memories or characteristics about my mama. For example: I found a picture of lighthouses- one of my favorite memories from my childhood was going to the beach with my family and seeing a lighthouse. I also cut out sheet music because my mama would sing to us, and some retro-kitchen-ey paper- she loves to cook (and is an amazing one at that:)), as well as some old sewing pattern paper because I remember being amazed that she could sew and mend our clothes. :) To have a few more papers mixed in with my "10 Things", I recycled some old thank you notes, writing paper, and even cut up some used security envelopes (security envelopes come in all sorts of patterns and colors!). I wanted to put these in to glue pictures to, jot extra notes or memories on, etc.


Want to make your own? Below are the cards I designed to use in the book. Simply click on the image to enlarge it, right click, save and print. The gray lines are the cutting guides, and the circle in the upper left hand corner is where you hole-punch it.

All you need is:
+ Cardstock to print the cards on
+ A hole punch
+ A binder/jump ring (available at your local craft or office supplies store) -- or your could use ribbon!
+ A pen to write with
+ Pictures

You can also use these cards for any loved one in your life- they don't necessarily have to be only for Mother's Day. :) Enjoy! :)



* Please note that these are for personal use only :)

Want to learn about the history of Mother's Day!? I'm guest hosting over at Blueheart today. Head over to her fabulous blog and check out some wonderful guest posts all this week related to Mother's Day.

38 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful salute to Mom. You have made a true treasure here. Thank you for sharing your talents. Happy creating...

    ReplyDelete
  2. So cute, thank you for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh my this is fabulous!!! i have no idea what to get for my mom, but this might just be the perfect gift!!! you are soo creative! hopping on over to see your guest post now! =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. really cute idea! i love this! and thanks for guest posting for me today!

    ReplyDelete
  5. awwww....what a super cute idea! i'm sure your mom's gonna love that. i always tell my kids that all i want for mother's day is a letter from each one of them. i keep them in my memory box.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow thank you so much! I will print these out!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is such a sweet idea. I'm thinking of all the ways to use it with children. I'll be linking on Facebook. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi! it's so beautiful but how
    to put cards in the ring without damaging them? sorry for my english becaus I'm french....
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is so cute! I love it! Thanks for sharing!
    Rebecca @ heronscrafts.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are so wonderful!
    How can I print them without the May 9, 2010 on the last card?
    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. this is a lovely idea! this seems so silly to ask but i really don't know: how do i download these to use? they seem to just be photo files? thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ohhhh Finally i gift I can make my mom that she will make her laugh cry and smile! Thank you so much for this idea!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is so precious...I'm make one for both my mother & daughter...thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is so wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really great !
    And thank you for sharing all you do, it is so generous !

    dora
    xxxx

    Portugal

    ReplyDelete
  16. Really great !

    And thank you for sharing all you do... it's so generous!

    dora
    xxxxx

    portugal

    ReplyDelete
  17. Absolutely a WONDERFUL idea!! I love making home made things for family and loved one's. Thank you for such a beautiful inspiration!

    ~Christine
    ~www.yogatwistonlife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you so much for sharing this idea! I cannot find the link to dowload your template....can anyone help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! Click on the image of the cards to enlarge it and then right click and hit "save". You can then open the image file and print it :) Enjoy!

      Delete
  19. I love this! It's really sweet and personal. How did your mama react when she got it? I chose your idea for my top 10 creative and easy DIY gift ideas for mother's day.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nice your ideas, thank you for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love this idea! Thank you! We were looking meaningful gifts this holiday and this is perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Loved the idea. Im gonna try it. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ashley, I SO loved this idea that I actually used your printable to create two mini-books for my mom and MIL last year. And then I used the same concept and created my own mini-book of "12 Months of Pre-Planned Date Nights" to gift my hubby! The post just went live, and I'd love for you to check it out.

    Thanks SO much for inspiring me!

    http://www.thinkingcloset.com/2014/01/21/12-months-of-date-nights-gift-free-printable/

    ReplyDelete
  24. Omg this is amazing. I'm sure you're Mom was so proud. It's such a sweet idea. Thank you xxx

    ReplyDelete
  25. The four mom's of the kids at our monthly kids club (6 kids - ages 3-10) will be receiving one of these from their kids as they created their own leading into mother's day! Each kid got creative in making their list and we helped them assemble their booklet. The mom's that were at the event asked where they could access this for future years as they are excited to see how this will change as their children age! Our theme this month was Make Mom Happy - needless to say with the help of your awesome printable post, it worked!

    ReplyDelete
  26. it is very cute and creative thank you for sharing your cute idea...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hello Ashley! We would like to feature this in our blog, on a post entitled, "Creative Handmade Mother's Day Cards". Can we use a photo to show what it looks like and a link to the tutorial? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Kathin! Of course! Thank you for linking back to the tutorial - that is all I ask :)

      Delete
  28. Awesome idea! Gonna do this for Mother's Day

    ReplyDelete
  29. I hope my mom likes it. you have very creative ideas BTW

    ReplyDelete
  30. Awesome it is really awesome idea .

    ReplyDelete