15 Sweet Mother's Day Picture Ideas That Make Memorable Gifts
These DIY projects showcase Mom's favorite pictures and your creativity.
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Pictures are a go-to gift on Mother’s Day for a few different reasons: they’re straightforward, sentimental, budget-friendly, and they’re bound to be a keepsake in her home for years to come. There’s always the option to place a favorite photo in a store-bought frame, but if you want to go the extra mile this year, try one of the homemade Mother’s Day picture ideas below. Not only are these DIY projects a more thoughtful gift for Mom, but many of them come together quickly using recycled items from home and a few basic craft supplies, which is especially helpful if you’re pulling your gift together at the last minute. So take a peek below for the perfect DIY inspo, mama and your wallet will thank you.
Pom-Pom Photo Frame
Give a plain photo frame a fun makeover by affixing pom-poms with a hot glue gun. If you choose the photo ahead of time, you can coordinate the pom-pom colors to match the colors in the picture.
Fabric-Wrapped Photo Frame
You can rejuvenate old frames by wrapping them in cheerful fabric. This version also utilizes white chicken wire, which gets stapled to the frame, and wired twine, which gets weaved through the chicken wire. Once that's done, you're ready to attach photos, postcards, and other sentimental pieces to this unique display.
Get the tutorial at Flamingo Toes »
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Recycled Cardboard Locket
Turn cardboard into Mom or Grandma's next statement necklace by cutting it into heart shapes, then gluing photos of children or other family members on top. Add embellishments like beads and pom-poms, as in this example, or other materials like sequins, paint, or glitter. Once it all dries, thread some string through the cardboard and your jewelry gift will be complete.
String Art Photo Gift
This string art project requires a little more elbow grease and adult supervision, but the outcome is totally worth the effort. Starting with a piece of wood, you'll use a printed template to outline the "Mom" lettering in nails that get hammered to the wood. Then, outline the edges of the wood in nails, and then you can begin wrapping yarn around the nails to create this final look. Once you've added enough yarn, you can easily slide in family photos that will stay put without additional adhesive.
Get the tutorial at Lily Ardor »
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Photo Transfer To Wood
Transferring a printed photo to wood is much easier than you might think. Start by printing a photo on regular printer paper, then cutting it to fit the shape of a piece of wood. Using Mod Podge, glue the photo onto the wood face down, then allow 24-72 hours for it to fully dry. Once dry, rub the paper backing off with a damp cloth, and you'll see that your photo appears on the wood. If you're in a time crunch, you can also use a hair dryer to help the glue dry faster.
Photo Bookmark
If Mom is a bookworm, she'll love a custom bookmark that features photos of her loved ones. This example uses scrapbook paper as the base and yarn for tassels, but you can experiment with lots of different materials. With how quickly these come together, you can easily make a few different bookmarks for Mom and other readers in the family too.
Photo Booth Strip Display
If your family has accumulated lots of photo booth pictures over the years, dig them out of storage and turn them into a polished piece of art. This examples uses Glue Dots to adhere the strips to a piece of white paper, which is placed under a mat as well as a frame of your choice. This gift will be especially fun if you have some retro photo booth options to add into the mix.
Photo Flower Garden
A perfect craft for kids, this photo garden comes together with wood flowers, paint, markers, and jewels. In the guide below, you'll also find a free printable tag you can attach that reads, “Mom, thanks for helping me grow.”
Get the tutorial at Design Improvised »
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Embroidered Photo Art
If you have basic embroidery skills, you can turn a black and white photo of Mom into a beautiful piece of art by adding colorful stitching. When choosing a photo, look for an image with distinct details that will pop with embroidery. You can decide how ambitious you want to be based on your experience level, and even embroider wording on the photo if you're advanced.
Rock Photo Holders
Using small rocks from your backyard (or another place that's special to Mom) you can create one-of-a-kind photo holders. All that's needed for this affordable gift is 16-gauge wire to wrap around the bottom of the rocks, and then to loop into a spiral shape at the top. The finished result will hold a photo of your choice, and you can easily make a cluster of these at one time.
Clipboard Photo Display
This photo display features mini clipboards that are nailed onto a piece of painted wood. You can embellish the display with ribbon, twine, and other scrapbook materials of your choice, then clip in the photos you want to use. Since the photos clip in and out so easily, you can also swap in new pictures over the years to keep this gift fresh.
Get the tutorial at A Night Owl »
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DIY Frame With Paper Flowers
With this project, you can create a beautiful floral frame from scratch. It calls for cardboard for the base of the frame, along with colorful paper that you'll use to print out the template for the flowers. Once you've printed and cut out the flowers, you simply glue them onto the frame and add your photo.
Photo Box
A wooden jewelry box, or a cardboard box of any kind, can serve as the base of this photo box idea. The first step is to paint the box if desired, then apply photos to the outside or inside of the box (or both) using Mod Podge. Once you're done, you can fill the box with trinkets or any of Mom's favorite treats to make this gift complete.
Beach Photo Memory Jar
If Mom loves the beach or recently took a special vacation near the ocean, preserve those memories with this personalized jar. It uses a clear glass jar, sand, seashells, and a photo of your choice, and will transport her back to the beach whenever she looks at it.
Photo Plaque
Simple yet stylish, this photo plaque is a versatile way to display pictures of Mom's loved ones. You'll use a wooden plaque (available at most craft stores) as a base that you can paint a color of your choice. Then you can either decoupage the photo onto the plaque, or use metal studs to secure it in place if you want to swap it out later.
Sam Lawyer is a lifestyle writer and television producer based in New York City. She’s been contributing to Woman’s Day for nearly five years, and covers a variety of topics from gifting, to health, and entertainment. Her work has additionally been featured in Cosmopolitan, Country Living, and Good Housekeeping. When she’s not writing or producing, you can find her binging her favorite Bravo shows or getting walked by her French Bulldog.
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