​This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  Thanks for your support!

    We have 2 of our grandchildren with us for a large part of this summer.  They are ages 7 and 9.  Besides having the fun of being together with them when usually we are far apart, I am their Summer School Teacher and activity coordinator.  We have a bit of a schedule that they've been very good about sticking with.  The schedule includes school in the morning, swimming lessons, playing board games, cooking and crafts!  There isn't a lot to go and do because of the pandemic and trying extra hard to keep them healthy.  One of the skills that we are going to work on at home together while I have this captive audience is sewing. 
     I know that many of you have been struggling with entertaining children since school was cancelled months ago.  I thought that I would share with you some ideas, aside from the basic decorative bed pillow,  that you can make together with your kids.  A couple of them only require scraps, so you won't even have to buy fabric or go to a store.  But, if you do need fabric, here are some places to order it online:

Fabric.com

Joann Fabrics

      Now, check out these tutorials to teach some sewing skills!

• Pillowcases are a great way to teach and learn some basics, like measuring, straight stitching and french seams. 

• Scrappy Snakes will use up lots of leftover fabrics and are lots of fun to play with afterwards.  

• This Cute Owl Purse also uses scraps and any little girl will love it.  She can personalize it using any colors that she wants. Applique is a nice skill to learn.  

• I personally use this backpack all of the time! If you have pre-teens or teens, this will be a great project! 

     All of these projects will definitely require adult supervision and help, but they are projects that you can definitely enjoy together and use afterwards!  I love that about them!  Let me know if you give any of them a try!  

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

​I have another printable for you today! 

This one was inspired by a young woman I teach at church. This past Sunday was her birthday and all of us in her class wanted to do something for her to help her feel special even though she couldn’t go out anywhere. 

I was going to make her cookies, but then I found out two of the other girls in our class each made her a cake! So I wanted to give her something she could do later after the cake is gone. 

I had stuff for s’mores so I decided that was perfect. Plus everything was packaged so if she wanted to sanitize stuff it would be easy to do. 

​To go with the s’mores kit I decided to design this card. I thought you might like to use it too! This one is social distancing specific but I have another version on our subscriber printable page that would be great to send to loved ones you can’t be with on their birthday at any time So be sure to subscribe below to get access to that and many of our other great printables!

And in case you’re wondering, she told me the gift was perfect because she had been wanting s’mores for weeks! You can never go wrong with s’mores.

Who will you be sending a s'mores care package to with your free printable card? Let us know in the comments below!

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

    I originally wrote this post about 3 years ago.  Now my mother is 97, still with us and will be for quite a while longer! Unlike her, many of the original suggestions for affordable gifts have fizzled out!  So, I felt it was time for an update!  Remember, if you click to these products through my links, you will be helping us out at no cost to you.  I hope you are inspired by my suggestions.  I read a funny meme that reminded dads that there won't be any handmade gifts or cards coming home from school this year, so you'd better get on it!  Mom's, if you see something on this list that you would love, maybe you should share this post with your husbands! 

    About a week and a half ago, we did a Friday Fave about influential women throughout history.  If I had to pick the woman who has influenced me the most throughout my life, it would be my own mother.  I have talked about her and referred to her in so many of my posts that I couldn't possibly link to all of them.  But here is one that I did when I took her handwriting and transferred it to a picture frame.  She has influenced my life for the better in so many ways and I love her so much.  I can't imagine having a mother better than she has been to me and my siblings.  This past month, she turned 97!  The photos above are pictures from her Christmas card last Christmas.  As you can see, she is still going strong and has a bright mind and a love of life.  I hope that I can be like her when I grow up.  If you read the print that I found on Etsy, that you can see in the collage, it will tell you how her children feel about her.  As soon as I saw it, I purchased it (only $5.00) and printed it to frame to send to her as a gift for this Mother's Day!  (Shh, don't tell her!)

    So, with all of the good ways that my mom has influenced me throughout my life, she has also influenced this week's post because, let me tell you, giving gifts to a 97 year old woman is not easy.  What does she need?  Not a lot!  What does she want?  Intangible things! What is she doing?  Giving things away and weeding out things!  But we want to find ways to show our love to her.
   Does anyone else have a mother in their life that seems to have all that she needs and wants when it comes to THINGS?  If so, I have compiled a list of SOME UNUSUAL THINGS and IDEAS that are budget friendly ways to show that you care.

                 Mom has had bouts with skin cancer on her face.  Whenever she goes out it is very important that she wear a large brim hat to shade her face and neck.  An addition to her hat collection would be a nice gift, and hats are becoming very trendy!  They would be a good addition to anyone's wardrobe, plus a protection from the sun in the coming summer months.  Lulu's has many to choose from! This link will take you to their hat page so you can see all of the chic styles.  If it is your first time to shop Lulu's, you can sign up for 15% off of your order, and if you spend $50, you get free shipping! 

    This Mother's Day give your Mom a beautiful, reusable gift that the planet will appreciate. The Other Straw is letting me try out their reusable bamboo straws. They are ethically handcrafted, made from sustainably grown, organic bamboo. 50% of their profits are donated towards ocean clean-up projects; it's a gift that gives back. I think it would be a fabulous idea to give your mom her favorite soft drink or other beverage, (my mom loves Dr. Pepper in moderation), these straws and perhaps a pretty tumbler to sip from! 

     While sipping her favorite beverage through her bamboo straw, your mom could be reading her favorite book!  My mom has always loved to read and in fact inspired a love of reading in me from a very young age.  So, books have always been good gifts for her, (and for me!)  She loves a good mystery. I recently read my first Lady Hardcastle Mystery by T. E. Kinsey. I found it fun and entertaining.  Her housekeeper, Flo, who tells the story, is a crack-up. I am sure my mom will love this book and others in the series! 

     Better yet, a Kindle would be a great gift so that she could always have something to read and often for free.  They can be more pricey, but you save a lot of money in the long run because there are many free books available, or less expensive ones. My mom had a Kindle, but I believe she has lost it!  It is too bad because she said it was much lighter than a book, so it was easier on arthritic hands.  So, a new one may be in order! There are many kinds at various prices.  Here are a couple of choices.

  If your mom already has a Kindle, a gift card for more books would be a perfect gift!  (And the time to read would also be awesome!)

                     So, thank you to my special mother! I know that a couple of these ideas are going to come in handy for me this year as I prepare a way to show her how much she means to me.  I hope you have found some new ideas as well! 

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support

With Mother's Day coming up and most of us still being stuck in quarantine (California is still Shelter in Place until June 1st), it's time to start thinking about what to get our Mom's to make them feel extra loved when we can't be there with them. I've rounded up some of my favorite things from Etsy that will be sure to give your mom (or grandma) that extra shot of love they deserve.

I especially like ordering from Etsy right now because it's a way to support small businesses across the globe.