Hello friends! Are you looking forward to Mother’s Day and all the beautiful spring flowers that will be in bloom? I certainly am! Mother’s Day is just a couple of weeks away, so it’s time to start gathering ideas for gifts and activities especially geared toward all the special moms, grandmothers, and daughters on our lists to let them know how much we appreciate them. What better place to find inspiration than in the garden?

Today I am excited to be joining seven blogging friends for a fun mini-hop with a garden theme for Mother’s Day. A special thank you goes out to Cecilia of My Thrift Store Addiction for organizing this hop. If you are coming over from Open Doors Open Hearts or if you are just stopping by today, I am so happy to have you here! 

As you can see from the collage above, there is a wide variety of creative garden-inspired Mother’s Day ideas to check out today. You will find links to all of the participants’ blogs at the end of this post. 

DIY Painted Garden Birds (Easy Dollar Tree Hack)

Every year I put together some kind of Mother’s Day gift basket for my mom. I usually shop around the various local dollar stores for cute garden treasures to include in the basket. When I spotted these little resin bluebirds at Dollar General for only $1.00 each, I knew she would love them. I decided to give the birds some DIY vintage charm with some craft supplies I had on hand.

I wanted the birds to have more of a shabby-vintage look, so I grabbed some Apple Barrel Acrylic paint in Granite Gray and a small wax brush from my stash. I started by pouring a small amount of paint in a paper bowl and then “stippled” a light coat of the paint all over each bird.

I wanted some of the blue to still show through, so I simply wiped off some of the excess paint in random areas using a damp paper towel. If I removed too much paint, I just stippled a little more back on.

After the acrylic paint dried (about 10 minutes), I created more of a rustic and antique patina by wiping a coat of Americana Maple Gel Stain all over each bird with a paper towel, making sure to let the stain settle down in the crevices of the wings and any other indented areas. Dark wax would probably have created an even more authentic aged look, but I liked the “rusty” color of the maple stain better than the dark espresso wax I had on hand.

After letting the stain sit for a minute or so, I began “distressing” the birds by sponging the excess off with a paper towel until I was satisfied with the result. Voila! In less than 15 minutes I had given the birds a new (vintage) look. This was definitely one of the easiest DIY projects I have ever done.

In no time the birds were dry and ready to fly out to the garden for some photos. I think they turned out so cute! The easy craft paint makeover gave the birds a similar look to some of the more expensive little concrete or cast iron garden birds I have seen at home decor  and garden shops.

I think the birds look great sitting on my chippy-shabby old  succulent planter. My mom has a similar vintage concrete planter filled with succulents in her garden too. Maybe she will perch the little birds on top of hers!

I always choose a new black wire hanging basket with coconut coir liner from the dollar store for my Mom’s Mother’s Day gift basket. This year I am filling it with some garden tools and essentials, a potted plant or two, flower seeds, and these little birds, of course! After she plants up her basket, she could  “nest” the birds down in with the flowers.

I just love how these little birds turned out and I know my mom will too! If you are looking for a quick and easy Mother’s Day gift, head to your local Dollar General to pick up two, (or a few!) 

I hope this post has inspired you to paint up some shabby garden birds to give away for Mother’s Day gift or to keep for your own garden or garden vignettes. Now the Mother’s Day garden hop inspiration continues over at Cloches and Lavender. Don’t forget to check out all of the other beautiful ideas on today’s hop via the links below.

My Thrift Store Addiction|The Crowned Goat|Shiplap and Shells|Calyspo in the Country|Open Hearts Open Doors|

Follow The Yellow Brick Home|Cloches and Lavender|Lora B. Create and Ponder

Source

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you enjoy a lovely Mother’s Day filled with love and garden treasures!

Amber

For additional Mother’s Day gift basket ideas, check out these posts:

Lovely Lavender-Themed Gift Basket

Easy Succulent Hanging Basket using Dollar Trees Supplies

 *If you purchase a suggested item, I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. See my full affiliate disclosure policy for details.