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Mother's Day Watering Can of Love

© Jackie Duda

This month’s craft is guaranteed to delight mom as well as beautify her home. Since May is the month for Mother’s Day, I decided to apply a slightly different twist to this particular craft. My husband and children shopped for the supplies and actually made the gift. It is that easy! My husband is not at all artistic, and he doesn’t have a lot of time on his hands since we have four children ranging in age from infant to teenager. But he is extremely patient with our children, and that is the main ingredient necessary to make this design a success. I wanted this craft to be something a father can complete with some “hands-on” assistance from his children (more on the “hands-on” part later). And mom will adore the sentimentality involved, especially when she looks at it years down the road, after the children are on their own. It is a timeless piece that requires little effort, so let’s get started…

MATERIALS;

1. One 8-10 inch high metal watering can with handle, either painted or plain silver. My husband explained that he picked the brightly painted can since they were 40% off at the craft store, making the price a nominal $6.99!

2. One block of floral foam.

3. One pair of wire clippers.

4. Several bottles of acrylic paint in different, bright colors.

5. Two bunches of silk flowers (try to find out mom’s favorite). My husband selected roses with baby’s breath mixed in, $2.99 a dozen.

6. One can of acrylic spray paint sealer.

7. One thin paintbrush.

8. Roll of paper towels, one plastic basin filled with soapy water, and one plastic basin filled with plain water and several dry towels. Keep these handy during the hands-on process.

9. One ladybug paint stamp.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather your child or children for their hands-on assistance. Using a paper plate for a paint pallet, squeeze acrylic paint onto the plate. About a half-dollar size portion of each paint will do.

2. Make sure the surface of the watering can is clean and dry.

3. If you have more than one child, start with the youngest child (they usually have less patience to wait), dip a paper towel into one of the paint colors, then blot the paint onto their entire hand or fingertips. Depending on how old your child is and the size of his or her hand, you may only have enough room to do fingertips. Blot the paint on so that it covers the entire hand or finger, but do not add too much as you don’t want a runny, gloppy mess once they try to transfer their hands or fingerprints onto the can.