How-To Floral & Lifestyle Blog by Expert Julie Mulligan

7 DIY Mother’s Day Crafts for Kids

Our series “Get Crafty” gives you the inspiration for creating inventive DIY projects during the holidays and year-round. Sometimes the best Mother’s Day gift is one that’s homemade. Here are seven Mother’s Day crafts for kids that Mom will cherish forever.

For spouses, grown-up children, and even parents of parents who have celebrated many Mother’s Days, picking out the perfect gift can be easy. But younger children may not be so sure about what to get or do for mom that will have her smiling from ear to ear. Thankfully, we’ve got loads of DIY ideas that the little ones can pull off for Mother’s Day.

Here are seven favorite Mother’s Day crafts that kids can make for mom this year, or any year.

1. Photo vase

Flowers are a popular gift on Mother’s Day, so why not create a personalized vase for Mom to put them in? All you need is some liquid adhesive, a small brush, tissue paper, a photo with Mom, and scissors. Check out our step-by-step instructions for this homemade Mother’s Day craft.

2. Personalized picture frame

If Mom has photos lying around without a frame to put them in, then this is a gift she absolutely needs. First, find a plain wooden frame that fits the photo you’d like her to display. Then, using paint, markers, glitter — anything, really — decorate the frame with Mom’s favorite colors and designs. Children can even write a personalized note around the edges if they’d like.

3. Photo flowers

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In addition to live flowers, children can also gift Mom another type of flower — a photo flower! This children’s craft is super easy to make and perfect for all ages, and, better yet, we’ve got the templates you need to get started. We know Mom will love any type of flower you give her, but a flower with her child’s face in the center is sure to be a huge hit!

4. Candle holders

Candles are another popular gift for moms, which makes this DIY candle holder an excellent craft for Mother’s Day. All you’ll need is a glass cylinder for the candle to sit in, a photo or two with Mom, and some tape. After printing out your photo(s) on vellum paper, simply wrap them around the exterior of the glass cylinder and tape them down securely.

5. DIY sunflower wheel of appreciation

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Call out all the things that make Mom special with this DIY Wheel of Appreciation craft. This tutorial shows you how to create one in the shape of a sunflower for some cheery inspiration.

6. ‘Do Not Disturb’ door hanger

Moms are so involved in our everyday lives that when Mother’s Day rolls around they definitely deserve some time to relax. Help Mom make sure she isn’t interrupted during her “me” time by making a “Do Not Disturb” sign she can hang on her doorknob. All you need to make it is a blank sign and some arts and crafts supplies. You can bet she’ll love this on those mornings when she needs a little extra beauty rest.

7. Sweet candy bouquet

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Create a colorful arrangement out of Mom’s favorite treats with this DIY Candy Bouquet. Patterned paper straws add a colorful touch to the arrangement.

DIY Hot Air Balloon Floral Centerpiece

Pink and Orange Floral Hot Air Balloon Place Setting and Centerpiece

Mom does so much for the family throughout the year: No matter how long her to-do list is, you know you can always count on her for anything. Because she means so much, let her sit back and enjoy herself on Mother’s Day, and show her how appreciated she is. Treating your mom to a nice brunch is the best way to make her feel like a queen bee: Since you’ve already taken care of everything, Mom doesn’t have to lift a finger. To make her day even more special, pick a fun and truly original theme for your luncheon: DIY hot air balloon decorations!

This beautiful hot air balloon decoration adds a whimsical take-me-away touch to any Mother’s Day table setting. As soon as she sits down, Mom will feel like she’s floating among the clouds without a care in the world! This Mother’s Day craft is really simple to make, so you can make a big, loving statement with minimal effort. Here’s how to make a DIY hot air balloon decoration for Mom on Mother’s Day!

Materials needed for DIY hot air balloon decoration

Basket or container
Plastic cup or glass votive
Petite flowers, berries, and/or foliage
Floral foam
Ribbon
Balloon

How to make a hot air balloon floral arrangement

How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Arrangement

First, choose a container that you’ll use as the basket for your hot air balloon. A votive or a small can covered in fabric is a great option if you want to make a smaller place setting. For a centerpiece, a basket in the size of your choice works perfectly. For our place setting, we used a rattan votive holder.
If your container isn’t already waterproof, line it with a plastic cup or a glass votive holder so the flowers won’t leak when you water them.
Use a piece of floral foam to arrange some petite flowers, berries, or foliage in the container, or just arrange them right in the container filled with water. Because you’re using a small container, lateral blooms are best to use: One stem has multiple bunches of tiny flowers that you can cut off to create a smaller arrangement. We used spray roses and hypericum berries for our arrangement, and we placed individual hyacinths in between for a fragrant accent.

There are two different ways you can make the hot air balloon:
With helium: Fill a balloon with helium and criss-cross some ribbon around the balloon in a netted pattern. Use some adhesive tape to keep the ribbon in place on the balloon. Take the loose ends of the ribbon at the bottom of the balloon and tie them onto the container or around some of the flowers.
With air: If you don’t have access to helium, blow up the balloon with air and tie a clear straw around the base of the balloon. Anchor the straw into the arrangement, then tie the ribbon around the balloon and tuck the strings into the arrangement or the corners of the container.
Personalize the arrangement just for mom by adding your own unique touches. You can use our design as inspiration! We chose a pink balloon for Mother’s Day because it’s such a beautiful feminine color, and it’s perfect for spring. For the flowers, we went with bold, trendy colors like orange, hot pink, and lavender. This mix of classic and modern hues gives the arrangement a look that’s soft yet vibrant. But you can choose your own color palette, from blues and greens to reds and yellows. Decorating the balloon netting with small accents, such as butterflies or rhinestones, is also a great idea and gives your hot air balloon a sweet finishing touch.

DIY Mother’s Day Flower Gift: Rose Bouquet Accented with Succulent ‘Flowers’

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with rose bouquet in cachepot

I love putting the right combination of flowers and container together to create a gift that speaks to a person’s heart. This time it spoke to my heart as well because I was creating a DIY Mother’s Day flower gift for my granddaughter to give to her mom, my daughter-in-law, Lina.

Lina and I both love objects with a story and history, and she has always admired my collection of Made in America hobnail milk glass from the Fenton® company!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with cachepot

I have given Lina a few pieces over the years, including this cachepot. It’s one of my favorite shapes and sizes. It looks stunning filled with fresh-cut flowers and just as fabulous when empty with an LED votive light inside. It gives the milk glass a pretty warm glow.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with girl holding flower arrangement

Once we chose the container, it was time to choose the flowers for our bouquet. Olivia knows what she likes, and pink is her favorite color!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with rose bouquet

The Rosita Vendela rose is so beautiful and has a vintage vibe to it, so I thought it would make the perfect focal flower. We complemented that look with a few stems of dusty miller and monte casino. The finishing touch — and one that I know Lina is going to love — is the addition of cut succulents. An obsession with succulents is another thing Lina and I have in common!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with closeup of succulent flower

This succulent is a variety called Echeveria Devotion.

Here’s how easy it is to turn a potted succulent into a fresh-cut flower that can be used in a bouquet.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with succulent out of pot

1. Remove plant from pot. For smaller to average size bouquets, use 2-3” potted succulents.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with removing dirt from succulent roots

2. Gently remove dirt from the roots. You can even remove the roots entirely if you want without damaging the plant.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with skewering succulent

3. Insert a wooden skewer into the bottom of the succulent.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with succulent flowers

That’s all it takes!

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with adding succulent flowers to bouquet

I find it works best if you create your bouquet or arrangement first and then insert the succulents. The surrounding flowers will help support the extra weight of the cut succulent. They will look beautiful for weeks and can then be re-rooted.

DIY Mother's Day Flower Gift with girl holding rose bouquet

We added a simple burlap wrap, pretty ribbon, and card that Olivia accented with a bright pink tassel to create the perfect DIY flower gift for Mother’s Day that not only speaks to the heart but totally melts it!

DIY Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Wood-burned Birch Vase

My grandson Manny was so impressed with a post I did showing how to use a wood-burning pen to personalize a birch container that he asked me to help him make one as a DIY Mother’s Day gift idea for his mom. Of course I said yes!

diy mother's day gift idea with piece of birch

I chose a tall cylindrical-shaped vase for him to work with because it is the perfect shape to fill with beautiful spring tulips.

diy mother's day gift idea with drawing heart on paper

We started by making a template for the heart.

diy mother's day gift idea with drawing heart on birch

Manny used the template to create the basic guide.

diy mother's day gift idea with burning heart design on birch

Then we removed the template and started to fill in and fill out the lines to create definition. It’s better to go over the design lightly multiple times.

diy mother's day gift idea with burning birch with pen

Tip: Keep going over the same area with the pen until you are happy with how it looks.

diy mother's day gift idea with kids holding birch vase

Once Manny was satisfied with the wood-burning job he did, it was time to make the arrangement…with a big assist from little sister Olivia!

diy mother's day gift idea with birch vase filled with flowers

Tulips are the perfect flower for children to work with because they’re so easy to arrange. Simply fill the vase with clean, fresh water, give the stems a cut, and place them in the vase one at a time!

diy mother's day gift idea with by holding birch vase

A job well done…and a DIY Mother’s Day gift idea that Mom will truly love!

DIY Mother’s Day Gift: Succulent Mug Planter

DIY Mother's Day Gift with succulent mug planters

As easy as it looks to use a Sharpie® to give your mom’s DIY Mother’s Day gift that personal touch, it just might not be your thing.

DIY Mother's Day Gift with mug and succulent

Well, here’s a super cute and super easy solution. Pick up some Mother’s Day coffee mugs and personalize them for every mom you know. I immediately thought of so many mom friends that I wanted to surprise with a DIY Mother’s Day gift on their special day!

DIY Mother's Day Gift with succulent in mug

But, of course, I couldn’t just let them sit there empty, could I? Not when a 3-inch potted succulent fit so perfectly in the mug.

You could also transplant the succulent directly into the mug, but I like the idea of using the mug as a gift within a gift. It gives the recipient the choice of using it as a planter or for their oh-so-necessary cup of morning caffeine!

Make it Personal: Your Mom, Your Story

The hottest plant in home décor by far is the succulent I have a bit of an obsession with them (that’s a whole other story, and some day I’ll tell you about it!), but right now I want to show you a few easy ways to use a succulent garden to make DIY succulent craft specifically for your mom.

diy succulent craft with succulent garden

Start with a pre-made succulent garden in a clean, simple container. The succulent garden is perfect for this project.

For a gift from a young child, you can go as simple as having them write a special message for mom directly on the container. I worked with my granddaughter, Juliette, on this project and let her do her thing. “Peace, Love, and Happiness” has been our special thing since she was very little!

diy succulent craft with wire and pom poms

But she wasn’t done there. We have done a few projects together with pom-poms. They are such fun and make any project pop.

diy succulent craft with pom poms on wire

Instead of gluing, she used a thin gold wire, cut to size to be able to wrap around the container, and threaded the pom-poms, alternating the colors.

Doesn’t it look adorable? Perfect for a desk or bedside table!

diy succulent craft with vintage flowers

Another way to make this succulent garden one of a kind is to add an embellishment. I have a collection of vintage beaded flowers that I picked up years ago. I’ve been using them to add that special touch to many DIY projects ever since.

diy succulent craft with completed with vintage flowers

This one couldn’t be easier to do. Using your adhesive of choice, attach the embellishment directly to the container. I used U-Glue Dashes by Oasis.

I love how the vintage beaded flower changes the look of the modern container. I especially like the way the succulent garden works so well with a previous Mother’s Day gift that I cherish dearly!

I’ve been asking my kids every day for the last 30 or so years, “What kind of day is it going to be? A great day!” My daughter Meggie had it made into a hand-painted, framed piece of art!