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If you’re in search of that last-minute gift for Mother’s Day, try creating something handmade for your mom. The effort and thought that goes into a homemade gift are second to none. She’ll be touched and she won’t have any idea that you didn’t spend months crafting her a beautiful gift.
Whether you’re a beginner or expert woodworker, you will be able to find a variety of gift ideas below — depending on your skill level. There are many woodworking projects that would make for the perfect Mother’s Day gift.
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Beginner Mother’s Day Wood Projects
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or someone with no experience working with wood! The below projects can be broken down into easy-to-follow steps.
1. Wooden Garden Planters
Does your mom have a green thumb? Well, if she enjoys tending to her garden, then she’ll likely have a use for a new planter. This is a great project for beginners, as it doesn’t require a high amount of skill.
You can view the detailed project here: jenwoodhouse.com
You can choose to stain the wood at the end if you think that it would match your mother’s existing decor better. If you want a guide for how to build this tapered cedar planter, there’s one here. Opting to use cedar pickets helps to keep this project budget-friendly!
If you want to create a bit more of an eye-catching present, you can craft a multi-tiered planter instead. This way, your mom can grow a variety of flowers or even all of her favorite herbs for cooking delicious meals! This is one of the best gifts for mothers who love to garden and spend their free time outdoors tending to their plants.
Bonus: add a DIY compost bin to your gift!
2. Wooden Bird House / Butterfly House
Similar to the above idea, a bird or a butterfly house can make a thoughtful gift for mothers who enjoy spending time outside. If you find that your mom likes to watch the birds and butterflies fluttering around her yard — she’ll love a designated area for them to come to visit her.
If you want to achieve this project, you can view the detailed process here: construct101.com
Even for a beginner, a small wooden house can be a simple and small wood project to create. You can find a wide variety of building plans on the internet — depending on what type of species are native to your area. This is an example of a cardinal house but you may need one designated for a different type of bird.
If you think a butterfly house would be a better gift for your mom, you can find a step-by-step guide here on this website. You need a limited group of woodworking tools and material and you’ll be able to put together the perfect little home for the neighborhood butterflies.
3. Custom Wooden Picture Frame
This is one of the best project ideas for those with almost no woodworking experience. Instead of buying a cheap plastic photo frame from a local store, why not create your own? Once you’re done, you can frame your favorite family photo for a thoughtful touch. Any mom would love to receive this present and she’ll think you put a lot of effort into it!
If you don’t know how to build a picture frame, you can find a quick and easy guide here: acraftedpassion.com
You can stain the wood to match the interior decor of your mom’s home — because she’ll surely want to hang it right away. Or opt to paint the picture frames instead using the best paint from wood frames.
Write a thoughtful card to go along with this gift and you’ll be golden! It’s a simple yet heartfelt gift.
4. Wooden Christmas Ornaments
If your mother loves the Christmas season, you can make her several handmade Christmas ornaments. These are easy to create and you can even get a younger child involved! They can add paint and other decorative items to the wooden discs.
Some further inspiration for wood slice ornament ideas can be found here: jugglingactmama.com
These are quick and easy gifts and are great for a last-minute present for Mother’s Day. These don’t take any woodworking experience, as you can often purchase the wood slices at your local art or hobby store.
Another option is to use a beginner scroll saw to craft Christmas ornaments from patterns.
You can choose to slice the wood yourself if you have access to a smaller tree branch. Experiment and get creative with stains and different colors to make each ornament stand out uniquely!
If you have a bit more of a skill set when it comes to woodworking, you can try turning these beautiful ornaments for your mother. You’ll need a beginner lathe for the project.
5. Wooden Cheese Board
If your mom enjoys a charcuterie board before dinner, you can craft her a handmade wooden board to place her cheeses on.
This is a great option for beginners, as shown here: woodshopdiaries.com
Depending on how confident you are in your abilities, you can create a marbled pattern on the wooden board for a more striking appearance. While this may seem like an overly simple gift, it will be a precious item to your mother. It’s sure to get a lot of use if she enjoys placing appetizers on it — and she’ll love bragging to her friends and guests that her thoughtful child built it for her.
6. Wooden Step Stool
Do you worry about your mom being unable to reach certain shelves that are too tall for her? If so, consider building her a wooden stool for her to stand on top of. This is a thoughtful gift that doubles as a useful one.
You can view the detailed project here: diyhuntress.com
This DIY step stool is foldable, which makes storing it easy and efficient. She’ll be touched by the thought to her safety went into building the gift and she’s sure to think of you whenever she gets it out to reach a high shelf.
If you’re interested in another stool design, this one can be created out of scrap wood. This makes it even more budget-friendly for you. Your mom will never know you used scraps to make her gift — as a coating of a wood stain will make it look polished and professionally finished.
7. Wooden Wreath
Wreaths don’t have to be designated for Christmastime only, you can create one for other seasons as well. This can make a beautiful statement decorative item to adorn your mother’s front door.
Follow these steps to achieve this unique wooden wreath: thefrugalhomemaker.com
This is an example of a wreath that was made from wood slices, as were used in the Christmas ornament project. These are easy to find at most hobby stores — so you can pick them up quickly to craft your gift. Homemade Christmas decor is always a hit.
Your mom will never know that this present didn’t take your hours to make! It looks intricate and impressive and she’ll surely love decorating her home with it and showing it off to future guests.
8. Wooden Phone or Cookbook Stand
If your mom enjoys cooking, you can build her a wooden stand for her kitchen. Even if your mother isn’t an avid cook, she can use this type of stand to hold her phone or her tablet or e-book reader. There are many uses for this project.
You can view the detailed project here: leapoffaithcrafting.com
This is a straightforward wood project to put together but it will be immensely useful to your mom daily. This is an ideal project for those with limited woodworking knowledge who still want to give their mother a handmade gift.
Intermediate DIY Mother’s Day Wood Projects
The following wooden project ideas are best suited for those with a bit more experience with woodworking. They’re either larger projects or they require a higher skill level due to more detailed work.
9. Wooden Bookcase
If your mom is an avid reader and you constantly see piles of books strewn about her home, she could probably use a new bookshelf. This is a great gift idea for you to build if you have a bit more experience with woodworking. This project will be larger, after all.
To achieve this project, you can view the details here: jenwoodhouse.com
You’ll want to take into consideration the interior design and decor of your mom’s house — and even take a few measurements next time you visit. This is to help ensure the bookshelf fits both physically and aesthetically into your mother’s space.
If you’re worried about the cost of building a bookshelf, here is one made from pallet wood. This will be significantly cheaper than using wooden slats bought brand new. This is a great way to recycle wood into a brand new creation.
Your mom will be blown away by this thoughtful and useful gift and she’ll love getting the chance to decorate it to her tastes.
10. Wooden Bench
If your mom often finds herself needing a place to sit down while she’s outside in her yard, you can build her a beautiful handmade wooden bench. This project is larger and thus requires a bit more skill.
Achieve this wooden bench by following the details here: twofeetfirst.net
You can choose to go a more rustic route or build a more modernized bench, depending on what your mother’s preference is. This bench is a nice mixture between a rustic finish and a polished one.
11. Wooden Storage Chest
Oftentimes, moms are always on the search for more storage space. They have collected a variety of items over the years — whether they be related to their children or their grandchildren. Opting to build your mom a beautiful and sturdy wooden chest can be a great solution to her problem.
This is likely to be the largest and heaviest wood project on this list, so you’ll need to ensure you can transport it once you’re finished. This type of chest can often go for hundreds of dollars at the store — but you can stay on your budget by using reclaimed wood.
12. Wooden Puzzle Board
It seems that all moms have a common hobby of working on puzzles throughout the year. If your mom falls into this category, consider building her a DIY wooden puzzle board. This project requires a bit more skill, as you’ll need to add built-in drawers to hold extra pieces.
Get the project ideas here: thriftdiving.com
This can be a great way for your mother to keep her puzzle station organized and allows the puzzle to be safely moved out of the way when needed. While your mom may not yet know that she needs a puzzle board, she’s sure to get a lot of use out of it if you build her one!
Every time your mom starts a new puzzle, she’ll smile at the thought that her wonderful child created her board by hand.
13. Wooden Lantern Candle Holders
Your mom is sure to appreciate some added ambient light to her backyard area. These lantern holders are inexpensive to create and make for a great DIY project. You can choose to stain or paint them, to make them look even more professional.
You can achieve the project idea here: project.theownerbuildernetwork.co
You can choose to add electric candles, so you won’t have to worry about blowing out real candles. This makes for a great project that can add a lot of value to your mother’s backyard.
If you want to create a candle holder that’s better suited for tea lights, you can check this project idea out. This would make for a stunning centerpiece for your mother’s dining room table. She’ll love lighting the candles before dinner and enjoy the flickering light that adds to the coziness of her home.
14. Wooden Wind Spinner
You can find the plans to craft this impressive wind spinner here. This makes for a striking decor item for the front porch. If your mom enjoys sitting on her patio or front deck and enjoying the fresh air, she’ll love having this wind spinner hanging up next to her.
Check it out here how to achieve this project: suncatcherstudio.com
This gift looks expensive and as if it took many hours of work, she’ll never know you crafted it last minute for her! While you can of course go out and buy one of these from a local store, it adds a lot of value to your mother when she knows that you built this with your own two hands.
Choose a Mother’s Day Gift Idea to Get Started!
If you’re panicking about not having a great gift for Mother’s Day yet, don’t worry! This list provides you with a great deal of inspiration for the perfect present for your loving mother. Depending on your skill level, you can choose any of the above projects to create for her.
Even if you are on a budget, you’ll find plenty of great budget-friendly Mother’s Day presents above. There’s no reason to break the bank to build a beautiful and thoughtful gift. After all, it’s the thought and effort that counts, and your mother will surely see that.
