Mother's Day 2024

The plan for Mother's Day 2024 was to go to church, then leisurely enjoy the brunch that followed. Instead, we skipped brunch, raced out of church as soon as the service ended, and got to the mall in time to be the first in line when the Men's Wearhouse opened so Trevor could rent a tux for Senior Prom. He'd waited until the last second to reserve a tux online, only to find out that he was actually a few hours too late. I was not pleased, to say the least. I had no choice but to take him to the mall to take care of it in person the next day, which happened to be Mother's Day. 

Fortunately, there were no problems getting the tux reserved, although the process took a lot longer than either of us expected. It was far too late to return to the church brunch, so we bought Wetzel's Pretzels for lunch and took a power-walk around the mall. It ended up being a lot of fun, albeit a very non-traditional way to celebrate. 

Mother's Day 2024 (affiliate link)

Mother's Day 2024 was not what I'd expected, but if parenting has taught me anything, it's that things don't always go as planned. As the tag at the bottom of my layout says, "Embrace the detour." That's exactly what we did that day. 

Fingerprint Heart Magnet for Mother's Day

On Friday, I shared an idea for a homemade Mother's Day heart magnet for one child to give to Mom. Today's idea, featuring fingerprint hearts, can be made by a group of siblings (for Mom) or cousins (for Grandma). Or, you can do like I did and include Mom and Dad to make a family heart. Affiliate links below. 

Fingerprint Heart Magnet for Mother's Day

Materials:

• wooden heart
• Folk Art paint
• ultra fine Sharpies
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Paint the background - a blue sky and green grass. 

When that is dry, add fingerprint roses floating above the grass. To make the rose, add one fingerprint at a 45° angle to the left, then add a second fingerprint at a 45° angle to the right. It is easiest to do with a pointer finger. Use a pinky finger if you need smaller hearts to fit in more people. 

When the fingerprints are dry, paint stems and leaves under each flower. Then use a Sharpie to write each person's name above their flower. I added a dashed border around the edges to finish my heart. 

The final step is adding magnet tape to the back. Display your art on the refrigerator for everyone to enjoy. 

Fingerprint Flower Magnet for Mother's Day

Every mom I know loves gifts that are handmade by their children. This heart-shaped refrigerator magnet features a child's fingerprints, turned into roses. Affiliate links below. 

Fingerprint Flower Magnet for Mother's Day

Materials:

• wooden heart
• Folk Art paint
• ultra fine Sharpies
• magnet tape

Steps: 

Paint the background of the heart with your desired colors. I made a blue wall and a white tabletop, but you can choose whatever colors you want. Then add a vase toward the right side of the heart. Mine is yellow.

When that is dry, add fingerprint flowers in the space above the vase. If a young child is doing this, they can use their pointer finger. If the child is older with fingers that are less petite, you might want to use the pinky finger. Then use a brush to paint a heart onto the vase.

When the fingerprints are dry, paint medium green leaf shapes in and around the flowers. Don't fill in all the spaces at first. Leave room to add dark green shapes. While I was waiting for the green paint to dry, I added a grey shadow and some texture to the tabletop. This is optional. 

When all the paint is dry, write "Happy Mother's Day!" on the left side using a Sharpie. I added a dashed border around the edges as a final touch. Then turn the heart over and add a strip of magnet tape.

This project is easily adapted for many other holidays and occasions. Birthdays, Valentine's Day, and even graduation come to mind. Just change out the message!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Trevor's 17th birthday, which means it's also the 17th anniversary of the day I became a mom. It seems like the appropriate time to share this layout about Mother's Day. We had a quiet celebration with the three of us and Steve's parents. The guys cooked so that the moms could relax. Trevor made an amazing lemon tart that was to die for and we started working on my perfect puzzle. It was a very nice day. 

 

Happy Mother's Day (affiliate link)

Happy birthday, Trevor! The years have flown by, filled with wonderful memories. Being your mom is the best thing ever. 

Mommy and Baby Construction Paper Elephants

Have you ever watched a baby elephant hold onto its mommy's tail as they walk? It's absolutely adorable. This simple construction paper craft is fun for Mother's Day or as a card for a baby shower. 

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Mommy and Baby Construction Paper Elephant Card

Materials:

• construction paper
• scissors
• grey chalk
• q-tip
• glue
• black pen

Steps:

Choose a piece of sky blue paper for the background. Leave it flat or fold it to make a card. Tear off a strip of green construction paper. With the torn side facing up, glue it to the bottom of the blue background.

Cut out the mommy elephant and baby elephant from grey construction paper. Each elephant has three parts - the body, the ear, and the tail. 

Use a q-tip to rub grey chalk along all the edges of the elephant body parts.  

Glue the ears and tails to the elephants, then add the eyes with a pen. Position the elephants so that Baby is holding Mommy's tail, then glue them in place. Add a message if you wish. 

A few fun facts about elephants:

• Elephants plaster themselves in mud and throw dirt on themselves (known as dusting) to protect their skin from sunburns, to prevent overheating, and to repel bugs.
• An elephant's large ear acts as a cooling system. When it is hot, they flap their ears and heat escapes through the large blood vessels on the backs of their ears.
• For centuries, we thought there were two types of elephants (African and Asian). In 2011, scientists discovered that African Savannah and African Forest elephants are actually two different species. 
• Elephant brains weigh 11 pounds, much more than any other land mammal. 
• An elephant's eyelashes can grow up to 5 inches long. 

Elephants are amazing!

Quilled Mother's Day Card

Mother's Day is coming up. Skip the purchased card and make your own! This is an easy card a child can make for Mom, Grandma, or a godmother. 

Quilled Mother's Day Card

Materials:

• cardstock (lavender)
• paper trimmer
• quilling paper (pink and purple)
• quilling tool or toothpick
• white glue

Steps:

Cut the cardstock to make a card base. 

Start with the heart. Fold a pink strip in half, then use the toothpick or quilling tool to quill each end in toward the folded point. Adjust the heart to make it symmetric. Add a tiny amount of craft glue to the edge of the heart and attach it in the center of the card.

To make an M, fold a purple strip in half. Fold each end to make the peaks of an M, then use the quilling tool to shape the ends. Repeat to make a second M. Glue the M's on either side of the heart.