It’s down to the wire, people.  If you haven’t ordered something for mom, you had better do it now and two day ship it.  If you need ideas you can check out Parenting Geekly’s Mother’s Day post over on The Geeky Hostess.

If you can’t decide on the perfect gift to buy (or if you’ve run out of time) I don’t know a single mom that wouldn’t appreciate a heartfelt homemade gift for Mother’s Day.  In an effort to simplify your lives, I’ve scoured the web for the best easy Mother’s Day crafts.  These are all kid-friendly (with a bit of adult guidance of course) and most make use out of items that you already have around the house or that are very easy to source. 

Body Scrub
I’ve made body scrubs before and they are easy and the ingredient list is very flexible.  I’m basing this recipe on the one over at Martha Stewart’s website.  If you head over there you can also download some templates for making labels for your homemade spa concoction.

2 cups Epsom salts or organic cane sugar (I’ve also used large grain Sea Salt)
1 cup carrier oil (carrier oils are good for the skin and make a base for “carrying” the essential oils to the skin you can use olive oil which is probably already in your cabinet)
8 drops essential oil(s) (lavender is a perennial favorite and can be found in most drugstores and in a pinch vanilla extract works just fine).

Mix it all together, stick it in mason/canning jar or a Tupperware container and then give mom an hour to have a nice, long shower all by herself.

Tissue Paper Bouquet

By taking the preschool craft time favorite, scaling it down and getting a bit more creative with the edging, you and the kids can make mom a beautiful, long lasting bouquet.  This tutorial from OurLakeLife.com includes instructions for making several different types of flowers.  Arrange a bunch of these in a nice new coffee mug or travel tumbler to add a practical touch to a largely decorative gift.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

These sweet treats which are super expensive to order are pretty easy (and much more cost effective) to make at home with just a bit of time and patience.  This is messy fun for the geeklings, so I’d recommend covering work surfaces with some wax paper. Pair the berries with a mimosa for a Mother’s Day brunch treat mom will love.  This recipe from Food Network Kitchens calls for strawberries with the stem on.  If those are too hard to get a hold of, the regular clamshell packed berries from the mega-mart will do just fine. 

There you go, three easy craft projects that can be made with minimal time and planning.  Now you have no excuse not to give mom a small symbol of your love and appreciation.

Moms, what’s the best Mother’s Day gift you’ve gotten?  Tell us about it over on the Parenting Geekly Facebook page.

This year’s Parenting Geekly Mother’s Day Gift Guide is over on The Geeky Hostess as part of her excellent series on etiquette.  You can read the post here.

I’d like to add that when curating this year’s list I purposely included a few items that a geekling (grown up or otherwise) could give to a mom who isn’t necessarily a geek.  I think it’s important when giving gifts to honor the recipient by giving a gift that also has a bit of the givers personality.  So you could give a gift like the molecular gastronomy kits as a science/culinary fan to a mom who may not be a geek but would appreciate doing that sort of project with you.

Anyway, head over to The Geeky Hostess and check it out!