Last year for Mother's Day, my family came together and made "the perfect" gift to give to all of the mums in the family (Grandmothers, Aunts… and even myself!).
Each member of the family (my husband, myself and two kids) had a part to play in creating it. It is something that will be used for years to come. It was all handmade by us. It cost little to nothing.
I think the reason it was such a hit was because we didn't just go out to the mall and pick up something from a store. We took time and effort to create something specifically for the recipients.
What is it, you ask?!
We created personalized garden signs! :)
Here in Toronto, people get really excited at the first sign of spring. After a long, cold, dark winter, the feeling of spring is so refreshing and welcoming. Everyone is anxious to get outside, open up their backyards and start their gardening! If we're lucky, we can get about 6 months of outside/backyard time… April to October… give or take!
This gift idea is perfect for Mother's Day, because gardening is in full swing in the month of May.
We started off by gathering scrap pieces of wood that my husband had leftover in the garage. He measured, cut and put together signs with faces that were approximately 14"x10.5", and posts made out of 2"x2"s.
The next step was probably the most fun for the kids. We put some cardboard down, put on old clothes for them and gave them gloves, house paint and brushes. Their job was to paint the signs (white), and of course it was a drippy, blobby, streaky job… which was the perfect rustic look that a garden sign should have! Lol!
Once they dried, it was my turn. Using oil based paint, I wrote the lettering on the signs. You can do this freehand, or using stencils.
Then, I got my son to draw and colour some flowers on the signs, using permanent markers. Please note that these flowers have faded… so oil based paint is a better way to go.
Finally I spray sealed the signs with a Krylon clear coat sealer.
The end result was exactly what I was looking for, and all of the recipients loved them, and used them in their gardens!
You can even consider this same idea for Father's day (Dad's garage, Grandpa's shed etc.)
Happy gifting!