45 Heartfelt Mother’s Day Gifts You Can Make on a Budget

DIY Leather Vase

We love this unique homemade Mother’s Day gift idea. Instead of giving mom a generic grocery store bouquet, make her something she can use again and again. This geometric leather flower vase looks complicated, but it’s super easy—and Mom will think of you every time she displays flowers.

Vintage Jewelry Storage

New is nice, but vintage tells a story. Transform a flea market printer’s tray into Mom’s new favorite jewelry case. Give the tray a fresh coat of paint and line the back of the compartments with patterned scrapbook paper. Screw brass hooks into the top of each compartment to hang the jewelry. This project sits upright, but you can avoid wobbliness by adding a hanging ribbon.

Editor’s Tip: If you need to make some compartments longer for necklaces, take out a few slats with a hammer.

Canvas Embroidery Hoops

Remind Mom just how special she is with a custom piece of art! Use our free prints to turn plain canvas, fabric scraps, and embroidery hoops into a gorgeous gallery wall. We love the sweet quotes about motherhood, and you can pair them with any coordinating printed fabric mom will love.

Pounded Flower Art

This gorgeous art print could not be easier, and it’s one of our favorite DIY Mother’s Day gift ideas for kids! With help from an adult, kids of all ages can help create a masterpiece for mom. To make, lay down fresh flowers (the brighter, the better) on watercolor paper. Then, gently use a hammer or a mallet to transfer the pigment from the petals to the paper.

DIY Coupon Book

Homemade coupon books might be the sweetest gift a child can make, and these printable coupons are a seriously heartfelt gift idea for Mother’s Day for toddlers or children. Help your child print, color and cut out the coupons and bind them into a sweet book. Mom can just tear the coupons out when she wants to redeem them!

Printable Wine Labels

If your mom likes to end her day with a glass of wine, this gift idea is a no-brainer. But don’t just give her a plain bottle—dress it up for the occasion! Our free printable wine labels are sure to make her smile and make an excellent last-minute Mother’s Day gift. Just print, cut, and wrap the labels around the bottle. Secure with a piece of double-sided tape, and that’s it.

DIY Bath Bombs

Treat mom to an at-home spa day! We’ll show you how to make DIY bath bombs in mom’s favorite colors and scents. Mix in a blend of essential oils and dried flower petals for a spa-worthy project, one of our favorite aah-inducing gifts for moms.

DIY Cactus Terrarium

Skip the flower bouquet and give mom a pretty succulent arrangement instead. Purchase a glass terrarium and arrange a few succulents with faux blooms for a gorgeous display mom will cherish.

DIY Cheese Markers

Any hostess will love getting handmade stamped cheese markers. To make this adorable Mother’s Day gift, place vintage silver-plated forks between two felt pieces and flatten in a vise. Next, place the front side up on a metal block and use metal stamps and a hammer to mark the name of the cheese. Cut off a few inches at the top of the handle, then make a curly loop by wrapping the handle in felt and curling it backward using pliers.

Floating Frames of Pretty Cards

A card on Mother’s Day lasts the morning, while a framed card on Mother’s Day lasts for years. Gather a few letterpress cards that Mom would love (think favorite poems, colors, or funny sayings), and frame in white-edged floating frames. This heartfelt gift idea for Mother’s Day doesn’t require much artistic ability, and mom will cherish the sentiment behind the cards you choose to frame.

String Art Gift

String art gifts are a great DIY gift if you’re not the crafty type. You don’t need fine art skills to hammer in a few nails and loop string around your design! Pick a word or phrase mom will like and print it out. Set it on top of a painted wood sign and hammer in nails around the edge of the word. Remove the paper and use plain string or yarn to loop string around the design until you’re happy with the look.

DIY Bouquet Wrap

If you’re giving mom flowers, use a DIY bouquet wrap to dress them up. We love this homemade splatter paint wrap, and it’s super easy to put together. We’ll show you how to make this wrap (and six others!) that will take your Mother’s Day flowers to the next level.

Wood Burn Cutting Board

A practical Mother’s Day gift doesn’t have to be boring! Instead of gifting mom plain store-bought kitchen accessories, give them a personal touch by investing in a hand-held wood-burning tool. We’re loving these gorgeous wood cutting boards decorated with hand-crafted pineapples, and mom will think of your sweet gift every time she sees them in the kitchen.

Wooden Necklace

Make a gorgeous abstract jewelry piece for mom without spending much money. We created these gorgeous necklaces using a woodburning tool to embellish plain wood pendants before attaching them to necklace chains. Mom will love the modern look and appreciate that you took the time to create something handmade.

DIY Vase-and-Candle Centerpiece

If your mom loves a good table display, this industrial-looking (yet simple!) DIY is just the ticket. Gather old or new springs in different diameters and attach to a table-width board using construction adhesive. Tuck in a few tapered candles and vases to complete the creative conversation starter.

Hanging Succulent Display

Upgrade mom’s front porch with a pretty hanging succulent display. Our easy instructions will help you make a DIY concrete planter and fill it with suitable succulents.

Sweet Smelling Candle

There’s no Mother’s Day gift more classic than a fragrant candle. Pick a scent and color that fits your mother’s personality and pair it with our DIY candleholders.

To make:

1. Spray a light mist of water into a glass holder.
2. Spray a light layer of metallic gold paint on the inside of the holder, painting over the water beads (it will leave the glass slightly translucent); let dry.
3. Add a layer of gold glitter spray to finish.

“Family” Kitchen Artwork

Family is what is most important on special days like Mother’s Day. This heartfelt gift idea will remind her daily how much you care.

To make:

1. Buy several wooden spoons—one for each letter.
2. Paint the ends of each spoon; let dry.
3. Using a letter stencil, lightly blot white paint to make one letter on each spoon; let dry.
4. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the opening of a picture frame (make sure the frame can fit all spoons with a 1/2-inch border on all sides). Wrap white canvas around the front of the cardboard; hot-glue to secure.
5. Insert in frame; hot-glue spoons to the canvas.

Adorable Decorated Notebooks

Dress up simple, plain-Jane notebooks with easy embellishments to make a colorful and creative Mother’s Day gift. Turn to patterned washi tape or stickers to add strips of color; scrapbooking embellishments amp up the fun factor even more.

Dry-Erase Message Board

This Mother’s Day, give Mom the note-taking gift of her dreams: a DIY dry-erase board.

1. Buy an inexpensive framed bulletin board that includes a ledge for dry-erase markers.
2. Have a crafts store cut a piece of glass to fit the opening. Paint the back side of the glass a color to match Mom’s home (we picked peppery green, which works well in a white kitchen).
3. Add a few dry-erase markers and this month just got more organized!

DIY Shopping Tote

Mom will love receiving this canvas shopping tote, and you’ll love helping put together this fun Mother’s Day gift. This easy sewing project comes together in an afternoon.

Homemade Truffles for Mom

Mmm, chocolate. If your mom has a sweet tooth, these homemade truffles will do the trick this Mother’s Day! After you make them, you need plastic boxes, candy cups, and festive fabric to package the luscious chocolate truffles.

Cookbook Recipe Bookmark

Get out that chef’s hat! Help mom keep her cookbook open to the right page with this adorable slotted spoon bookmark. Use our pattern to make a sweet Mother’s Day gift. We recommend laminating it to protect it from any food splatters.

Watercolor-Painted Vases

Add cool color to milky white vases for a sweet, decorative Mother’s Day gift. To get the watercolor look, mix glass paint with a few drops of paint thinner, and paint freehand designs on your vase with an acrylic brush.

Editor’s Tip: If you can’t find white vases, you can make your own by pouring white paint into clear vases—just make sure mom doesn’t fill them with water later! Instead, use them to display bouquets of faux flowers for an equally pretty look.

Inspiring Quote Wall Art

Create a unique piece of artwork for Mom with a frame, foam-core board, tissue paper, and letters cut out from scrap paper or recycled magazines. Decoupage pieces of tissue paper around the foam-core board as a border, then glue your letters directly onto the foam-core board. When dry, frame the inspirational artwork.

Simple Mother’s Day Flowerpot

Liven up an ordinary pot with customized glass planter fillers. Fill a white ceramic pot with the glass pebbles, adding sticker letters to spell “Mother” to six pebbles. Arrange the letter pebbles at the front of the flower pot, then insert a few faux hydrangea stems to finish.

Framed Butterfly Family Tree

Mom will love this heartfelt gift idea of a family tree: A spring-theme representation of the people she loves most.

1. Design the layout on a separate sheet of paper, assigning different colors to different generations.
2. Punch out two butterflies per family member with a crafts punch, and write their name on the top cutout. Then, keeping the center body on the top cutout flat, fold the wings up, giving the butterflies a fluttery look.
3. Glue the bodies of each pair of cutouts together using crafts glue or rubber cement.
4. Place butterflies on a matte board and mark positions lightly with a pencil; glue in place on the board.
5. Frame the finished butterfly family tree.

Paint-Chip Bookmark

Mom won’t lose her place in her favorite book with this easy-to-make bookmark. Head to a hardware or home improvement store, and get a sample paint swatch in Mom’s favorite color. Add a design to the paint chip with a fine-point permanent marker and a crafts-store stencil to give the placeholder a pretty look.

Message in a Jar

Get the little ones involved with this heartfelt gift idea for Mother’s Day—a simple jar with notes telling her all the reasons she’s loved. Have kids write their thoughts, or have them tell you their ideas and you write them down. Roll up the strips of paper and put them in a jar. Tie a bow around the jar for added flair.

Flowery Fabric Pillow

Purchase a plain pillow and embellish it with funky felt flowers to make a fun, decorative addition to the decor for Mother’s Day. Cut simple flower shapes from felt in various colors (choose Mom’s favorites or colors that match existing decor), then layer them, and sew the centers together to make each flower. Once you have about a dozen flowers, stitch them to the pillow, and add dimension by bunching the felt tightly together.

Editor’s Tip: Thick, stiff felt works best if you want flowers that won’t wilt, but any type of fabric that doesn’t fray, such as fleece, will work.

Greeting Card Organizer

Give Mom a supply of greeting cards organized by occasion in an accordion file folder (available at office or scrapbooking stores). Dress up the folder with decorative paper cut to size and attached with spray adhesive.

Photo-Embellished Candles

Turn ordinary candles into shining stars with family photos and embellishments. Print photos or digital designs onto tissue paper; cut out. Wrap the candles with tissue paper, securing with straight pins. A heat gun will melt the wax until it saturates and coats the tissue paper. Secure flowers to the candle using a brad.

Painted Treasure Box

Customize a small wooden box to hold Mom’s special treasures. Purchase a small wooden box, and paint the outside a bright color; let dry. Add embellishments or painted motifs to the top of the box, and carefully paint a sweet message inside. Fill the box with small sweets or some of Mom’s favorite things.

Flowerpot Birdhouse

Transform a plain terracotta pot into a chic DIY birdhouse. Mom will love displaying this handmade house in her yard or garden. Personalize it even more by painting or writing on the pot.

Crochet Owl Basket

Show Mom whooo loves her with this DIY owl basket. This handmade gift is the cutest storage solution we’ve ever seen, perfect for a desk or shelf.

DIY Rope Flower Vase

Don’t just give Mom flowers for Mother’s Day; give her flowers in a decorative vase. Purchase a simple, clear vase, and then use hot glue and rope or colored twine to add a simple pattern. Mom will remember this day each time she reuses the vase!

Pretty Embellished Card

Give mom a semi-homemade Mother’s Day card with the help of our beautiful printable quotes. Print out a design and attach it to the front of a blank card, then use jewels, buttons, or other embellishments to finish this easy DIY card for mom.

Living Succulent Picture

A living succulent picture is a fun twist on the traditional flower or plant gifts for Mother’s Day. Plant succulents and moss inside a picture frame to create a gorgeous display Mom will love.

Personalized Children’s Artwork Vase

Turn sentimental artwork into a heartfelt gift idea and fun accent piece Mom will treasure for years. Choose a favorite piece of children’s art, or have the little ones draw something just for the occasion.

Fill-In Mother’s Day Card

Mom will love reading what the kids write on these pretty fill-in cards. Stick these in her Mother’s Day card several years in a row so she can see how the answers change!

Stenciled Pillows

Use fabric paint or a fabric marker to create a pretty stenciled pillow perfect for Mom’s Mother’s Day gift. Make her a homemade gift that will match perfectly with her existing decor. She’ll think of you each time she uses the pillow!

DIY Plant Markers

For the mom with a green thumb, make a set of DIY plant markers in her favorite colors. Give these with a DIY garden kit (think flowers to plant and new gardening gloves) and give her a relaxing afternoon in the garden.

Printable Watercolor Card

Once you’ve found the perfect gift for Mom, you’ll need the perfect card. We love this gorgeous watercolor card, and Mom will too! Plus, our free downloads make it so easy to print a quote and attach it to a plain card.

Framed Mother’s Day Quotes

This quick, easy, heartfelt gift idea for Mother’s Day is a sweet (and budget-friendly) reminder of how much Mom means to the family. Find a meaningful art print or download one of ours, pop it in a frame and add a card. You’ll be ready to celebrate mom’s big day in no time!

Punch Needle Art

These punch needle embroidery hoops are a great gift if Mom needs to dress up her walls. Learn how to punch needle and then experiment with different tufting techniques.