Easy Keepsakes and Craft Projects for Kids and Busy Moms who “aren’t crafty”

So, you want to make something cute for mom, grandma, auntie, or another special woman in your life, but you’re not quite sure where to begin? And, maybe you don’t want to break the bank with tons of art supplies that you might not use again.

Try these simple ideas!

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Custom Coffee Mugs

My kids LOVE painting these! They’re super easy too. The kids paint (paint and brushes are included with the kit) their mugs and then we pop them in the oven (per the instructions- super simple). Done! We usually grab our mugs from Michaels for $1.99 unless they’re on sale. Pro Tip: Grab your Sharpie or other permanent marker and write your child’s name and the date on the bottom before baking the mug. My kids “sign” their names with a painted thumb print too.

Another option is to get mugs that you can put a paper insert in. Then, you can turn any piece of art into a cute, custom coffee mug! The next time we’re at Hobby Lobby, I’m going to pick up a few of this mug.

Mugs make great gifts for just about anyone in your child’s life. I have several mugs that my kids have painted (too many to use regularly!) so I use them to hold pens and stuff on my desk. The kids love seeing their art on my desk, or asking me what I’m drinking from the mug they made me (mugs aren’t just for coffee and tea, right?). Don’t forget about simply changing the colors or what you paint on them to make mugs fit any occasion or season… use thumb prints for lights to make mugs Christmas themed or turn them into red hearts for a Valentine’s Mug. If your kids are older, they can paint actual pictures and “things” on the mugs too.

Picture frames!

It’s no secret that my kids love to paint, so when we use picture frames for gifts, we get plain frames that we can paint. We like ones similar to this one from Michaels. The kids paint it with colors that the recipient will like or according to the occasion. So, if we’re making Christmas picture frames, I’ll offer them choices of red and green paints (or blue and white for a snowflake theme), but for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, we’ll use colors the recipient likes.

If you’d rather avoid the paint, grab a picture frame that also has a mat in it, like this one. Add some stickers to the mat and stick it back in the frame. You could also let your little one color on or otherwise decorate the mat instead of using stickers. Using a simple black picture frame (or other color to match the decor) and decorating the mat, you add a little bit of child created flair, but keep it classy and easy for the gift recipient to display it among their existing home decor.

Have you seen these cute frames from Michaels? They’re wide enough to fit a hand print or footprint along with you child’s picture. Super cute! If you want to make it look not so done by your little one, paint it a solid color first. Then, let your child add a hand print, foot print, or do something creative with finger prints.

Ceramics!

No, I’m not talking about an actual pottery wheel like we used back in high school art class. Grab some tiles from your local home improvement store and some paints from the craft store. Bake the paints on (just like with the mugs above!) and viola! It’s permanent. Glue some felt on the bottom, or some little furniture protector pads so that the tiles slide nicely and you’re done!

Another option is to use pretty paper (such as scrapbook paper) and Mod Podge to make pretty coasters.

Art

Don’t forget that sometimes, simple is best. Turn you child’s artwork into a cute card, frame it, or use it to make a book for someone special. 

You might be noticing a theme… anything that you can put a hand print or footprint on is fair game for a personalized, unique gift that’ll mean a lot to the recipient (and one that kids usually enjoy making). Other ideas include:

• Oven mitts and hot pads
• Pillow cases
• T-shirts (could be used for pajamas!)
• Tote bags
• Canvas
• Hand towels or golf towels
• Hammers (the handle)
• Anything related to hobbies the recipient has

And, don’t forget that the best gift of all is time.

This might mean packing a picnic basket and taking a short drive somewhere peaceful for a nice afternoon out where the kids can play and the scenery is nice. It might mean sending Mom off to the spa for the day or to the salon for a pedicure. Or, perhaps Mom would love the house to herself, so taking the kids out for the afternoon and giving her some time off and time to herself is the best option. Choose something meaningful that she’ll love and you can’t go wrong!