Mother’s Day Crafts

By Julie Wardell

Scent-sational Handkerchief Sachet

To make this sachet, you will need: 3 large vanilla beans,* 3 teaspoons whole cloves, a small plastic bag, a hammer, 5 teaspoons dried sweet basil, a small bowl, a lace-edged handkerchief, a needle, thread to match the handkerchief, and polyester stuffing.

1. Put the beans and cloves into a small plastic bag and pound them with a hammer just hard enough to break them apart.

2. Mix the beans, cloves, and sweet basil together in a small bowl.

3. Fold the handkerchief in half with right sides out and then in half again. With small hand stitches, sew two of the open sides together just below the lace (see illustration).

4. Lightly stuff the middle of the handkerchief sachet, then add the spice mixture. Sew the opening closed.

I [Love] You Card

To make this card, you will need: a 9 1/4″ x 4″ (23.5 cm x 10 cm) piece of colored paper, a ruler, a pencil, scissors, a felt-tip pen, and ribbon or yarn.

1. Accordion-fold the paper in 1 1/2″ (4 cm) folds (see illustration).

2. With the paper folded, draw half a heart, leaving about a 1″ (2.5 cm) space at the top, bottom, and side (see illustration).

3. With the paper still folded, cut out the heart.

4. Unfold the paper and write “I” above each heart and “you, Mom” below each heart.

5. Refold the card and tie the hearts together with a piece of ribbon or yarn.

• If your grocery store doesn’t have vanilla beans, they are available in specialty food stores.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney Kawasaki

Photo by John Luke