There was one particular Mother’s Day which has stood out in my mind after all these years. It’s the day I discovered the joy of giving to others, specifically to my mother. I was probably a first grader or maybe a second grader. My Aunt Charlene was a wise, compassionate, Christian woman. She wanted to teach me a valuable lesson about gift-giving. She told me, “We give gifts to others to show how much we appreciate them, to tell them that they are special to us.” This was one of the most important lessons I learned in my life.
What was it that my Aunt did? Well, while I was in my Aunt Charlene’s inviting home, she told me Mother’s Day was right around the corner. She explained she had laid out three items on a tabletop from which I could pick as a gift for my mom. What were the choices? There was an electric hot plate for cooking, a trivet wall plaque, and a classic café-style coffee mug. Aunt Charlene never pushed me into deciding one item over another. She didn’t say, “Wouldn’t this item be the perfect gift for your mom?” No, she allowed me to do my own thinking. My wise Aunt let me pick which gift I wanted my mom to have all on my own.
I recall how easy it was to choose. I selected the practical coffee mug. Because whenever my mom and my Aunt were together they consumed a lot of coffee, one cup after another. It wasn’t until I was a young adult did I learn that it wasn’t “coffee” they sipped; it was “Pepsi Cola!” They never wanted us kids (my siblings nor my cousins) to know.
Did you know that when we give, we release endorphins — our feel-good chemicals — and that help us feel happier ourselves? This is true. I’ve had many memories of pure present awareness throughout my life. I can recall specific childhood and adult memories with absolute clarity. However, I don’t recall everything else that happened on those particular days. Like what was I wearing that day? I don’t know. Or what did I have for lunch that afternoon? I don’t know. All I do know with absolute clarity is how I felt when I saw the delight on my mother’s face after she opened her Mother’s Day gift. And by the way, my mother used that same coffee mug for years.
For the past five years I’ve taken many opportunities to do like my Aunt had done for me, not just for Mother’s Day, but for Christmas, too. I’ve borrowed my friends’ kids to teach them how to think creatively and solve problems by making DIY gifts for their mothers. Over the years the kiddos have colored, painted, molded clay, sewed, baked, fashioned flower bouquets, and created jars of cleansing salt scrubs. All those years I’ve made sure that I chose activities that were appropriate for the children’s ages and skill levels. But most importantly, I’ve tried to remember the main thing was to have fun.
If you heard a squeal echoing across Port Charlotte the Sunday before Mother’s Day, it’s because I gathered three of those kiddos together, once again. As I learned during childhood, it’s not the gift that matters. It’s the thoughtfulness in the giving. They can be as simple as a homemade card or a sentimental one-of-a-kind gift. The most important thing is that they come from the heart — that’s the best way to show our appreciation.
These three kids are getting older. Chloe is now 16, Ava is 14, and Cole is 9. I wanted the kids to create some special art that would rouse their inner DIY creative energy and boost their self-confidence and pride. I stumbled upon “Pebble Rock Art.” This is not your typical run-of-the mill art project. It may require adult supervision (and an adult bank account) to pull off, but I felt it would be a slam dunk for the kids. Have you ever wanted to make some beautiful and natural pebble art for your home? You may be surprised to know that there are some cool things to make with rocks. Are you intrigued? Follow along to learn how to create your own pebble art. What’s great about pebble rock art is that not one of them is ever the same!
The list of materials you will need to make pebble art is pretty simple:
1. Picture frame. They sell matted picture frame with glass at the Dollar Store in various sizes.
2. Pebbles and rocks. Going rock hunting outdoors was one of my favorite ways to collect rocks for this project. But you can also pick up bags of rocks super inexpensively at the craft store or even some dollar stores, like I had to when the temperatures soared. Either way, you will need lots and lots of pebbles and stones. I tried to find stones of different shapes and sizes but the most important thing is to pick out ones that are as flat as possible.
3. Driftwood, tree branches, or twigs.
4. Paint. In some instances the kids added color by painting the rocks.
5. Adhesive. What type of glue is best for pebble art? We used strong Gorilla Glue and also glue from a glue gun.
6. Wood. I removed the card stock and glass from the picture frames. I had the wood cut the same size as the frames. Then I sanded and painted the wood. After they were dried, I glued the wood to the picture frames.
I didn’t want the kids to sit before a blank canvas for a long period of time. So, I gave the kiddos a small pile of pebble art photographs to help inspire them. They each picked 4 or 5 photos to recreate. I told the kids to choose each rock carefully and then lay each one before gluing them in place. On some of the art pieces the kids chose to go with a simple nature theme, and with others they added color. It was so much fun watching the art pieces take shape and come to life! I let the talented kids be as creative as they wanted, and oh man, pretty soon we watched little pebbles become characters. The very magic of art unfolded in front of us. Right before our eyes we saw a panda, cats, birds, a bear, a rooster, flowers, hearts, and people appear. The objects became alive with emotion and personality. Once the stones were arranged in their ideal places, the kids glued down all the pieces to the wood. We set them aside to allow them to dry completely overnight.
In the “before” imagines were the inspirational photos. The “after” snapshots are the finished creations. In one of the pair of photos, you’ll see a playful footprint made of stones. These adorable tiny little feet were so cute! Ava added five tiny “toes” pebbles to oversized stones, to imitate footprints of her dad, her mom, her older sister Chloe, and herself. Cole created a black bear holding his mother’s favorite: purple flowers. And Chloe constructed a rooster in a 5×7 frame. All three rockstars are incredibly talented!
The kids also made campfire rock families. Last but not least, the young artists created unique cards from boulder rocks guaranteed to impress their moms with greetings: “My Mom is my rock.” or “My Mom rocks!”
For most modern moms, going out to brunch, or receiving a Hallmark card, or getting a bouquet of flowers will do the trick. But I know of two special mothers who’ll be receiving adorable one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts. This project is a keeper. I hope some of you readers give this DIY craft a try for your next handmade present.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms everywhere!
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