My mother confessed recently to one of my siblings that when we were school-age children, she harbored a certain comical dread of Mother’s Day.
She liked to sleep in a little longer on Sundays than we deemed permissible on her special day — at least longer than your average rooster. The ersatz breakfast-in-bed we prepared, as our father supervised while simultaneously reading the newspaper and mowing the lawn, generally featured slices of limp toast drenched with enough butter for a sheet cake, tepid coffee and a slightly over- or undercooked boiled egg. This repast was served on a giant tray that, when ferried upstairs by at least two of us, invariably tilted, soaking one of her good linen napkins with juice.
A few years ago, as I helped her pack for a move, I discovered that my mother had saved all of our homemade Mother’s Day gifts. There was a stash of tattered, paper cards festooned with block lettering and some of our first crayoned signatures. There were molded clay animals of indeterminate species, a necklace made from construction paper links, a painted cardboard jewelry box decorated with shells collected at the beach, and a plethora of drawings in paper frames.
After all the gift giving, it seems it’s the memories of the day and those things made by hand that remain.
So we’ve gathered a few ideas for Mother’s Day gifts children can make alone or with the help of an older child or adult. Along with the presents that mark the digital age — a surprise background photo on Mom’s computer screen or a compilation of songs on her MP3 — nothing is more precious than a handmade gift touched by a child.
Karen Mitchell is a Boulder freelance writer and mother of two who will always cherish her handmade Mother’s Day cards.
Mom’s Day Paper Hat
Boulder artist George Peters of Airworks Studio Inc. has a design for a festive paper hat will land a cherished spot in the keepsake drawer after the holiday.
Ages 5 and up
Materials
Poster board
Colored paper
Stapler
Hot glue gun (handle with care)
OR a glue stick (for the younger ones)
Directions
1. You’ll need a stiff poster board or “railroad board” for the headband. Cut a strip down the 26-inch-long side about 6 inches wide on one end and 2 to 3 inches wide on the other.
2. Bend the strip around in a teardrop shape and attach the ends using a staple at an angle with about a 2-inch overlap.
3. Cut out shapes, letters, flowers or whatever you think your mother would like and decorate the hat by gluing them to the upper surfaces.
4. Present it to your mother on Mother’s day. She will wear it proudly all day!
Pomander Floral “Purse”
Ages 10 and up
Sandi Yoshihara-Sniff, florist general manager, Lafayette Florist, Gift Shop & Garden Center, suggests floral gifts that are out of the vase. Her Pomander Purse and Floral Bracelet have a sweet, old-fashioned touch and are sure to please.
Materials
3-inch Oasis floral foam sphere shape
Ribbon, 1/8 inch wide, 40 inches long
Wide plastic drinking straw or gerbera daisy straw (from a florist)
3-inch wooden pick (available at floral shops)
Assorted cut flowers (pompoms, mini asters and mini spray roses work the best)
STEP 1
Soak Oasis floral foam sphere thoroughly in water. Foam should be saturated and heavy with water.
STEP 2
Insert the plastic straw through the center of the Oasis foam sphere through the other side (think of an axis through the Earth). Cut straw even to the foam on both sides, so the straw is hidden inside the foam.
STEP 3
Fold the 40-inch length of ribbon in half and thread it through the straw. A folded edge will be on one end and the two loose edges will be at the other end. Insert a 3-inch wooden pick through the folded edge, creating a “T” at one end. Pull the ribbon tight. On the opposite end, tie the two loose ends of the ribbon together in a knot.
STEP 4
Cut flower heads, leaving a 2-inch stem. Insert flowers into the foam sphere covering the entire foam surface. Flower heads should touch each other and the foam should not be visible.
STEP 5
Spray a mist of water onto the flower heads daily. The fresh flowers will last 7 to 10 days. When flowers start to dry, eliminate water spray and let flowers naturally dry on foam.
Floral Bracelet
Ages 6 and up
This project should be done right before you are ready to give the bracelet gift to Mom. Flowers will last for one to two days, but they will dry as a memorable keepsake.
Ingredients
Toilet paper cardboard tube
Decorative supplies like markers, ribbons, jewels, etc.
Fresh flowers from your local, professional florist. Best flowers to use: pompoms, mini asters, larkspur florettes
Oasis floral glue
STEP 1
Cut toilet paper tube in half. lengthwise
STEP 2
Cut a 1.5-inch-wide strip of the tube, creating a base for your flower bracelet.
STEP 3
Decorate the tube. Be creative. Use markers, ribbons, jewels and whatever else you like (should be waterproof).
STEP 4
Cut flower heads off stems, leaving no stem. Get a parent to help you glue flower heads onto the band with Oasis floral glue.
STEP 5
Mist flowers with water and keep cool.
Fresh Fruit Tart
From Amy DeWitt, pastry chef/instructor, professional programs, Culinary School of the Rockies, Boulder.
“A fresh fruit tart requires dexterity and attention, but your efforts will be appreciated to the highest degree,” DeWitt says. “A 10- or 11-year-old who has spent time in the kitchen should be able to create a winning tart without supervision. Younger children will need assistance from a patient adult. If you find baking a tart shell too intimidating, skip it and make just the pastry cream and serve it to Mom in a pretty bowl with fresh fruit spooned on top.”
Ingredients
1/2 recipe tart dough
1 recipe pastry cream
Assorted fresh fruit, as needed
TART DOUGH
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 sticks butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
Directions
Cream butter and sugar on medium-low speed for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add egg and mix on medium low speed until light-textured, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add flour and salt, mix on low speed only until well incorporated. Be careful not to overmix or dough will not be tender.
Chill dough for 1 hour in refrigerator. (Dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
Roll out half of tart dough to 1/8- inch thickness. Carefully place dough in 9-inch tart pan. Freeze for 15 minutes. Blind bake tart shell: Line unbaked tart shell with aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans and bake in preheated 350-degree oven until golden-colored. Cool. Beans can be reused for blind baking many times.
PASTRY CREAM
1 cup half-and-half
Seeds scraped from one half vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Directions
In a 1- or 2-quart saucepan, combine the half-and-half and vanilla-bean seeds. Heat to a scald, barely boiling.
Mix sugar and cornstarch together — this will help prevent lumping. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar/cornstarch mixture in a mixing bowl until well blended.
Slowly pour the hot half-and-half into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent scrambling the eggs. Strain the egg/half-and-half mixture back into the saucepan and place back on the heat. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat, continue whisking and cook for 1 more minute. (Egg yolks contain an enzyme that destroys starch molecules. The enzyme is deactivated at high heat; therefore it is important to continue cooking the custard for this additional minute or the texture may become runny.) Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill completely. Can be made the day before. Do not freeze.
Assemble the tart: Spread cold pastry cream evenly over cooled tart shell. Place fresh fruit over pastry cream in attractive design so that no pastry cream is showing. For a pretty shine on the fruit, heat a light-colored fruit jelly on low heat until it melts and carefully brush over the fruit. This will also help preserve the fruit. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 hours before serving. Fresh fruit will begin to deteriorate and weep, so don’t assemble too far ahead.
