Four Homemade Gift Ideas for Long-Distance Grandmas
These homemade gift ideas are perfect for birthdays, Mother's Day, and any day your child wants to make something special for their grandmother
If your children have long-distance grandmothers, you know how difficult it can be to come up with homemade gift ideas for them. Of course, you can always send the traditional flower bouquet or gift basket. But if you prefer something homemade -- something the kids can create to show their love -- I have four fun projects for you.
Photo flowers
Give grandma a bouquet that she'll show off and treasure for years. You'll need photos, construction paper, glue, scissors, and green chenille stems for this project. Cut photos (I recommend just the grandchildren's heads) into circles and construction paper into flower shapes. Glue the photos into the middle of the flowers. Firmly tape a chenille stem to the back of the flower. Make as many of these as you want and gather them together into a bouquet.
Long-distance hug
Have your child stand and spread their arms apart. Take some yarn or twine and cut a piece that measures the width of their arm span. Next, trace their hands on construction paper and cut out the paper hands. (Kids can decorate the hands if they'd like).
Staple or tape the hands onto the ends of the yarn. Take a photo of your smiling child holding the hands spread apart and write a note that says something like "Sending you a special hug" or "I love you thiiiiiiiiis much." Send grandma a package with the hands, photo and note, for her own child-sized, long-distance hug.
Garden or stepping stone
You can create a very special garden or stepping stone using kits available at most crafts stores. Follow the directions to make a personalized stone using your child's handprints or footprints. She can also write her name in it, write a simple "I love you" message, or draw a picture. Decorate it with rocks, smooth glass, seashells, and game pieces -- special items of her choosing. This is a heavy gift, so be prepared to pay some hefty postage.
No-Sew Fleece Pillow
You'll need two pieces of fleece for this project, along with scissors, a ruler, chalk and polyfiber filling. Cut the same size heart shape in both pieces of fleece. Cut it four inches larger than you want the finished product. Take one heart and use the chalk to draw a heart four inches in from the edge of the fabric. Then draw fringe lines from the heart to the outer edge of the fabric, at approximately inch-long intervals.
Stack the pieces of fleece with the chalk-marked one on top, and cut along the fringe lines through both pieces of fleece. Beginning at the bottom of the heart, knot together one piece of fringe on the top fleece and the corresponding piece on the bottom fleece. Do this all around the heart, leaving four fringes unknotted. Stuff the pillow with the fiber filling and knot the remaining fringe pieces.
We're going to be making the pillows this Mother's Day. We've made the other projects and the grandmothers have loved all of the homemade gifts we've sent!