If you’re looking for a unique Handmade Mother’s Day gift idea, I highly recommend trying a handmade gift.
Every year for Mother’s Day, I gift my mom something meaningful—usually a thoughtful item paired with a card filled with words of encouragement. As a newly wed at the time, last year was my first time choosing a gift for my mother-in-law. I ended up gifting them both matching jewelry sets with earrings, necklaces, and rings.
This year, instead of spending a fortune, I wanted to create a handmade Mother’s Day gift using my Cricut machine. I had just invested in my Cricut at the beginning of 2024, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to put it to good use. This was also one of the first bigger projects I’ve worked on.
Deciding What to Make
At first, I had no idea what to create—or what either of them would like—but I was set on making something handmade.
Knowing my mom, I wasn’t worried at all. She’s extremely sentimental and loves anything heartfelt (especially my handwritten cards, lol). I knew that just the fact that I made something myself would mean the world to her.
My mother-in-law, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She’s not very sentimental or affectionate—but she does love pretty things. So my goal became clear: create something that was both sentimental and visually beautiful. Two-in-one? Perfect.
After plenty of scrolling on Pinterest and Google, I finally found the perfect idea.
The Inspiration
I came across several shadow box designs that people had made for loved ones, and I instantly fell in love with the idea. I wanted to keep it simple—just the word “mom”—without adding quotes that might take away from the design.
Another reason I avoided quotes was because my mother-in-law doesn’t read English, and I wanted both gifts to feel nearly identical. I briefly considered adding text in our native language, but to be honest—it felt a little too cringe. LOL. So I scrapped that idea.
As for flowers, roses can never go wrong for women. And the idea of making them myself made it even more special.
Supplies for a Cricut Mother’s Day Shadow Box
Before starting, I made a checklist of supplies that I needed. The two main items were:
- Shadow box frame
- Cardstock (multiple colors)
You can choose any shadow box color you like, but I personally felt white best represented something clean and positive. The same goes for cardstock—any color works, but keep in mind these will be used for both the flower shapes and the placement guide.
For my mom, whose favorite color is purple, I used three shades of purple: purple, violet, and lavender.
For my mother-in-law, whose favorite color is red, I used three shades of red: red, pink, and hot pink.
Step-by-Step Cricut Shadow Box Tutorial
Step 1: Cutting the Heart Guide
Using my Cricut machine, I cut out a heart shape to use as a placement guide for the flowers. This helped ensure the roses formed a clean heart shape. I taped the heart to the center of the shadow box (glue works too—I just didn’t have any).
If you’re using multiple colors like I did, I recommend using the lightest color for the heart guide so it won’t stand out under the flowers.
Step 2: Cutting and Rolling the Paper Roses
This next step was honestly the hardest and most time-consuming part of the project.
For the flowers, I used a rose template from Cricut Design Space and used my machine to cut out the templates.
After cutting, I rolled each flower into a rose and secured it with hot glue. At first, I was skeptical, but once you reach the end of the petal, it really does look like a rose!
Since this was my first time making flowers this way, not all of mine turned out the same size. I definitely had to learn as I went, but I eventually found my rhythm.
- My mom’s shadow box had 46 flowers
- My mother-in-law’s had 48 flowers
Step 3: Placing the Flowers (Optional but Helpful!)
This step is optional, but I highly recommend it.
I placed all the flowers onto the heart guide before gluing them down. This helped me visualize the layout and see if I needed more flowers. If you’re confident about jumping straight into gluing, feel free to skip this step.
Once I was happy with the placement, I permanently glued the flowers onto the heart. You can use regular glue, but I strongly recommend hot glue for better durability.
Step 4: Cutting the Lettering
For the lettering, I used my Cricut again and chose plain white vinyl so the words would pop against the flowers.
I chose different wording for each shadow box:
For my mom:
- “Mommy” (because that’s what I’ve always called her)
- “I Love You”
I’m an only child.
For my mother-in-law:
- “Mom”
- “We Love You”
I wanted the wording to represent both me and my husband.
Step 5: Final Assembly
The final step was placing the letters onto the design. I chose to position them right in the center of the heart of flowers.
Final Thoughts on This Handmade Mother’s Day Gift
This Cricut shadow box project reminded me why I love creating handmade gifts. It wasn’t just about the final product—it was about the time, thought, and love put into every detail.
I worked on this project after work and during my free time, so it took longer than expected. In total, it took me about five days to complete—but it was absolutely worth it.
If you’re looking for a unique Mother’s Day gift idea, I highly recommend trying a handmade gift.
Youa’s Truly,
