Whether you’ve recently celebrated an event or you’re about to in the near future, chances are it’s a completely different event than you had originally intended. Or even expected. Whether it’s a Zoom Mother’s Day conference, dropping off gifts at a drive-by birthday, or whatever other clever ideas there are today!
Chances are though that it’s also a little more stressful than you had intended, but let’s be honest with ourselves! Events of any sort are always more stressful than intended regardless! And with a lot going on in the month of May for me, I feel like I don’t have time to keep up, let alone go all out as I would normally try to do. So I’ve decided to focus on the act of giving itself whether it’s a gift, my time, whatever!
And giving doesn’t always mean spending either. I can give an hour of my time to someone who needs it for free (basically). I can spend money on a gift for someone who may not really need it. Giving can be better than receiving! And it doesn’t cost much other than time and effort! So here’s a list of 3 gifts than you can give that are thoughtful, last a lifetime, and best of all, are under $10!
1) Heart-Shaped Note
This project can be completed for as little as $2 but I did it 100% free! I thought of this one as a last-minute idea for my fiancé’s mom’s birthday (yesterday!) I couldn’t think of anything else to get her because, in all honesty, she can buy herself whatever she needs. But the gifts that mean the most to her are the ones that are made. And this one was no different.
It can take as long or as little time as you need. For me, it took a couple of hours from start to finish because I had to secretly have all 6 of her kids and her husband contribute without her knowing. All I did was google ‘how to turn sentences into a shape’. I realize you might not find the same link I did, so I’m linking it here.
From there, it’s as simple as picking what shape (or maze) you want, typing out what you want to say, saving the photo, and printing it! We actually had an unused frame laying around the house too so it worked out perfectly! I’m sure you could complete this project for a couple of bucks by finding a frame at a local thrift store or asking friends on Facebook if you don’t have one!
2) Family Tree Artwork
This project can be completed for under $3! This was a Mother’s Day gift for my fiancé’s mom 5 years ago, but it still applies in the time we live in now! He was only my boyfriend at the time and I had just gotten to know his Momma. Like I said and I’m sure it’s the same for all Mommas, handmade gifts are always best!
This one definitely takes some more time if you include the time it takes to draw a decent tree, the dry time, and the time it takes to wrangle kids and get them to cooperate. For me, it took maybe 3.5-4 hours total. I also had a friend that was nice enough to draw the tree! I had the kids do a practice heart on a paper plate before doing the ‘real’ version since we had to nail it first try for each kid.
Of course, we didn’t nail it, nail it. But we nailed it! It’s as easy as drawing the tree (or having someone do it for you) on a piece of printer paper, and then using each child’s thumb to make 2 prints that combine to form a heart! Then, simply draw the names under each one, let dry, and put in a frame! I bought this frame from a sidewalk sale for about $1.50 and the paint was 99¢ from Target.
3) Macramé Wall Hanging
This project can be done for around $8-9! I have made multiple versions of these as gifts for friends and they can be used for all sorts of things! One of my friends uses it for hanging her bows for her Little One. Another one of my friends weaved polaroid photos throughout. And I use mine for jewelry. It can honestly be used for whatever you can make it work for!
This project takes a little more time, especially if you’re just starting out. There are tons of cool knots and video tutorials though and you can even do your own thing as you learn the knots. My first one took 2 whole hours! But I can do a smaller one in as little as 30 minutes now and a larger one in about an hour. I haven’t tried the mega-sized, intricate-detailed ones yet, but that would also cost more than $10 for sure!
It may seem hard but it really is easy once you get the hang of it! You can work with different knots and also work on the spacing to get different looks too! You can make one for less than $9 but I like to use upcycled fabric which costs a little more. The bundle is $8 which can be used to make a larger macramé but can be split into 2-3 smaller ones too. I also bought a set of bamboo rods which average to about 75¢ a piece. So all together, one project can range between $3.50-$8.75 if you break down the cost!
It’s The Thought That Counts, Right?
If you’re already stressed on everything going on in life right now, why add the stress of gift-giving to that list? Instead, try making one of these thoughtful yet inexpensive gifts to show how much you care! Or even a simple phone call or video chat can really make someone’s day!
What about you? Do you have any ideas of thoughtful gifts that are under $10? What about $20? Please share in the comments! You never know, you could be the one who helps someone else adjust to this new reality easier! And if this post has inspired you to let your creative side flourish, check out ETM’s blog here!
As always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community of Mommas! I encourage you to join discussions, interact with Mommas alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:
With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma
