Mother’s Day Gifts

Hanging Basket

You will need: round cereal box, glue, ruler, scissors, poster paint or contact paper, paintbrush, heavy string, and dried weeds or flowers.

Glue lid to box. After glue dries, cut out a 4″ wide section on side of box, leaving 1″ margin on ends (see illustration). Decorate outside of box with paint or contact paper. Make a hole on each end of box, slip a suitable length of heavy string through holes, and secure it with knots on each end. Fill basket with dried weeds or flowers, and it will be ready to hang.

Scissors Case

You will need: felt, scissors, yarn, needle and thread, and chalk.

Fold felt double, place scissors on top, and mark triangular shape with chalk a little larger than scissors. Cut on chalk line to produce two triangular shapes (see illustration). Sew sides and bottoms together with straight or overcasting stitch. Slip scissors into case with pointed ends down.

Covered Picture Frame

You will need: picture for framing, cardboard, scissors, raffia or yarn, ruler, and glue. Shellac and paintbrush are optional.

Draw circle or oval on cardboard slightly smaller than picture you wish to frame. Draw another circle or oval 1 1/2″ larger around first circle or oval, then cut out center and outside ring (see illustration). Wind yarn or raffia around and around ring until it is completely covered, then secure end. If you are using raffia, shellac can be used to preserve it. Center picture face down in frame, then cut another solid circle or oval (same size as ring) for back and glue on wrong side of picture and around outside edges.

Thread Box

You will need: empty cigar box from craft store, contact or wrapping paper, glue, shellac, two knitting needles, spools of thread, drill, small-size bit, and two small corks.

Decorate box with paper of your choice inside and outside. Bore two holes 2″ apart in center of each side of box. Slip knitting needle through one hole, then before bringing it out through opposite side of box, put a few spools of thread on needle (see illustration). Repeat with other knitting needle. To prevent needles from slipping out, push a small cork onto pointed end of each needle.

Kitchen Reminder

You will need: cardboard, ruler, scissors, glue, wrapping paper or contact paper, small pad of paper, pencil, and yarn.

Glue wrapping paper or apply contact paper to 6″ x 9″ piece of cardboard. Make two slits, one 1 1/2″ from top and the other 1 1/2″ from bottom. Leave 1″ margin on each side of both slits. Slip back of paper pad into top slit so that pages are in front of reminder. Cut a 3″ x 4″ piece of wrapping paper. Hold two edges of paper together to form loop, then slip edges into bottom slit through front of cardboard. Now slip pencil through loop of paper and paste two ends down flat on each side in back (see illustration). Make small hole in top and thread piece of yarn through it for hanging.

Illustrated by Julie F. Young