Super Cute Handmade Clutch for Mom (and for you... and for your friends... and...)

I think the girls at The DIY Dish are adorable and their latest handmade clutch handbag project is just perfect for Mother's Day gifting (and birthday gifting! and just because gifting!) You don't have to be too handy with a sewing machine to make these clutches--and, in my opinion, you could even forgo the machine all together in favor of hand stitching these cute little clutches.

All you need are:

• Two different 9"x12" pieces of fabric
• One 9"x12" piece of fusible interfacing
• 1/7" of ribbon or elastic and a button (for clutch closure)
• Optional embellishment items (lace, flowers, etc.) 

Once you've gathered up these materials, pop on over to DIY Dish for their easy video instructions. Try not to be too flustered by their description of how to use their super-fancy sewing machine/embroiderer  (I was at first!). All you need to worry about is what to stitch and where to stitch it.

I hope you'll post links to pictures of your own handmade clutches in the comments below. I'll definitely be back to post my creations once I free my sewing machine from its packing box (how slow-going at unpacking can I be??)

Happy sewing!

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Pretty Paper Goodie Box for Mother's Day Treats

If your mom likes yummy treats this quick and easy Mother's Day Gift idea (or any other day gift idea) is right up your alley. All you need is pretty paper, a couple minutes of origami-inspired patience, and the video and written directions on the following website to make a cute paper box to hold your mom's favorite candies, cookies and other treats:

http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-box.html

As you make your box, just remember a few things: 

1) The stronger the paper, the stronger/longer-lasting the box. If you want to have heavier treats in the box, you'll need cardstock or similar heavy paper. 

2) The bigger the paper, the bigger the box. Your box will come out to a little bit smaller than a quarter of your starting paper size.

3) Unwrapped candies, cookies, etc. should be wrapped in plastic bags or cellophane before going into the box if you want mom to be able to reuse it. 

For the box pictured above, I used different sheets of pretty patterned scrapbooking paper that I always seem to have on-hand. You can also use any suitable squares of paper you have on hand--as long as it is heavy enough to hold what you intend to put inside the box. You can even decorate paper yourself with markers, stickers, etc.--or have your kids decorate the box for an even more special gift for grandma.

Your final step? Fill up your beautiful creation with goodies and hand it over to mom. How can she not be pleased by your origami prowess--and that you took the time to create something special just for her. 

Happy folding! 

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And the winner is... KIDStrong Hydration Drinks Giveaway

The winner of the case of KIDStrong Hydration Drinks is Lisa Weidknecht! Thanks to everyone for entering--and be sure to stop by for future product reviews and giveaways!

Lisa, please contact me with your mailing address at rocklandmother@gmail.com and KIDStrong will send those drinks right out to you. I'm very interested to hear what you and your children think of them!

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Homemade Body Scrub for Mother's Day

Today's easy and budget-friendly Mother's Day gift idea is handmade body scrub, courtesy of the March 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine (my fave!).

You can make this gift even more budget friendly simply by using baby oil instead of expensive body oil and also by reusing a suitable toiletry jar that you have at home. Just empty out the old/rarely-used contacts into Tupperware or a zip-lock bag (if possible) or into the garbage (even better!) Clean and dry the container thoroughly. Wrap a piece of pretty paper, fabric, or tissue paper around the container, covering the old label, and secure with glue or tape. Slap a paper label of your own design on top--and voila--you're even more budget and eco-friendly than Martha!

You could even use a wide-mouthed mason jar, but please warn your giftee to be careful using glass containers in the bathroom or tub.


Homemade Body Scrub
Excerpted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, March 2011

Materials:

• Body Oil
• Epsom salt, sea salt or organic cane sugar
• 12 oz PET jar with cap, sks-bottle.com (or see my not about reusing above!)
• Lemon zest 

Homemade Body Scrub How-To:
Combine 1 cup of body oil with 2 cups of Epsom or sea salts or organic cane sugar (depending on how fine a grain you like.) We added lemon zest for color and fragrance. Package in jars (plastic is safest by the tub).


Happy gifting!

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