Mother’s Day crafts are a time-honored gift tradition. Creating a homemade Mother’s Day gift is so much more meaningful than simply making some brunch reservations (though brunch is good too).

Despite a wealth of sites promoting Mother’s Day crafts for preschoolers, creating easy handmade gifts for Mom is appropriate at any age. Of course, you might want to take some time to plan ahead so that you get good results.

Individual Mother’s Day Crafts for Adults

You don’t have to be a DIY wizard to make great Mother’s Day gifts. Here are a few ideas.

Plant a succulent in a pretty jar or pot that you’ve painted yourself.

Bake cookies shaped and frosted like flowers, then wrap them in a paper cone tied loosely with ribbons.

Create a paper gift box by applying paper to a small cardboard box and decorating it yourself. You can place small keepsakes and photos within the box.

Use stiff paper to make a pressed flower bookmark.

Use DIY kits to create your own soap or candles.

Use the colors, shapes, and scents you know she loves. Putting that touch of personalization into your Mother’s Day gift will really help set it apart.

Older children can use any of these ideas as well.

Family Gathering Craft Ideas

Family gathering craft activities can be a great way to celebrate with Mom, or to create a tradition your kids will love. Group projects are especially great when you have young children. You can either create these gifts together to present to Mom later, or you can include her in the activities on that day.

If you’re going to include Mom, make it something she’d enjoy doing with the kids. You could even include grandma as well, so you get an across-the-generations tradition. For example, everyone might enjoy sitting down to share painted sun catcher kits, or potting some plants together. Just make sure Mom isn’t doing the bulk of the work. You don’t want her “gift” to be more time doing the same sort of childcare she does every day!

One easy craft idea is to get everyone in the family to bring a picture of the last year and make a framed collage out of it that can be gifted to Mom. Young kids can glue on the pictures while parents handle the framing.

Make this Mother’s Day Special

Many families just toss Mom a flower, a card, and a cup of coffee, and then call it done.

You can turn Mother’s Day into an entire day where she receives a nice brunch, time with the family to do a craft, a small handcrafted gift from you, and then the chance to take a nap, hit the spa, or otherwise have time to herself. And balloons are always a good idea!

Want to make Father’s Day special too? We have ideas for that!

Paper Plus has plenty of supplies you can use to do any of these crafts! We have paper, paints, frames, and more. Stop by while you’re doing your Mother’s Day planning. You might just get more ideas! 

Persian New Year, also known as Iranian New Year, is celebrated on March 21 to 22. The holiday’s real name is Nowruz, which means “new day.”

Nowruz may be where Americans got the tradition of spring cleaning, as a deep clean of the home in the weeks leading up to the holiday is part of the traditional festivities. The holiday dates back 3,000 years, and was a Zororastrian holiday, which means it spread far beyond the boundaries of its native Iran.

How do I decorate for Nowruz?

Your haftsin table will be the centerpiece. It will hold a collection of seven items, each representing a different hope for the year ahead (see below).

You can also decorate with colored eggs, similar to the way you’d decorate for Easter. The associations are even similar: they symbolize productivity, creativity, rebirth, and spring.

Decorating with new flowers, fresh green plants, and light, springtime colors are all highly appropriate.

What goes on a Haftsin table?

The Haftsin or haft-seen table is a collection of seven items that symbolize a different hope for the new year.

• Sabzeh is a sprout or grass that will grow to symbolize rebirth or renewal. You should start the sprouts at least 10 days before the holiday. Three days after Nowruz, you’re supposed to toss it into a moving body of water.
• Senjed is dried fruit for love.
• Sib is apples for beauty and health.
• Seer is garlic, for medicine and for taking care of yourself.
• Samanu is a sweet pudding for wealth and fertility.
• Serkeh is vinegar for patience and wisdom.
• Sumac is for the sunrise of a new day.

You may hear these items referred to as the “seven S’s” of Nowruz.

Once those seven items are set you can decorate, customize, and add to the table as you see fit. Note that this table is set aside, it’s not the table where you eat your meal.

Celebrants take great pride in setting a gorgeous table. You can also add candles, eggs, and other decorations. A nice tablecloth will help to offset your table.

What are Persian New Year eggs?

The tradition of decorating eggs for Nowruz predates Christianity and may have been the origin of the tradition at the Easter holiday. You can decorate them just as you’d decorate Easter eggs, or you can go more elaborate by painting designs onto your eggs with nontoxic paint. Some even prefer using artificial eggs.

For more visual interest, you can branch away from chicken eggs so that you can offer eggs of different sizes. Egg-shaped candy is also appropriate!

Persian New Year Traditional Gifts

It is traditional to bring gifts when you are invited to a Nowruz celebration. Traditional gifts include flowers, sweets, and pastries.

When you bring gifts, presentation is a big deal! Use nice handmade paper or fancy ribbons. Create a beautiful flower arrangement or decorate the pot on a potted plant. Whatever you do, make it look nice.

It’s also traditional to give a little money to the children on this day.

Other Persian New Year Traditions

Cook lots of food! Try traditional Iranian foods, or choose dishes that center on greens and herbs to symbolize renewal.

Buy a new set of clothes for your Nowruz party. This is traditional too, and there’s nothing like having a great excuse to shop!

Paper Plus has plenty of items to help you with your Nowruz celebration, from egg coloring kits to brightly colored napkins and tablecloths. Stop by to see what’s in stock!

International Women’s Day is a day that’s set aside to celebrate the accomplishments of women and to imagine a world where gender equality is the norm for every person. It’s also a lovely day to get together with the special women in your life!

While many mark this occasion with little more than social media posts and the occasional well wishes, we’ve got tips on how to throw yourself an International Women’s Day party, as well as a bit of information about the holiday itself.

Why do we celebrate Women’s Day on March 8?

On March 8, 1957, female textile workers marched to protest unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women. It was one of the first organized strikes by working women, and won workers many of the rights they enjoy today. International Women’s Day began as a day to commemorate this event.

In fact, you could say this day was the beginning of the feminist movement in America, and would go on to spark more collective action on behalf of women’s rights.

Why is International Women’s Day important?

International Women’s Day isn’t just an observance. Every year there’s a different theme, and that theme suggests real actions people can take to achieve gender equality, as well as climate change and other issues that concern women and the entire world.

Consider donating to women’s organizations on this day, or organizations which promote civil rights, positive action towards mitigating climate change, or worker’s rights.

What are the colors for International Women’s Day?

The colors are purple, green, and white.

Purple signifies justice and dignity for all people. It also can signify loyalty to a cause.

Green symbolizes hope.

White represents purity.

How do you celebrate International Women’s Day?

Host a party!

To launch a proper International Women’s Day party, decorate in purple, green, and white. Then, purchase food and other supplies from female-owned businesses.

You can create fun party trivia games revolving around women’s history to make it educational.

Don’t feel like hosting a party? Write cards to the women you admire in your own life. Choose elegant stationery so you can write a beautiful, decorative note.

Paper Plus is a woman-owned party store business that has plenty of paper, stationary, party decorations, and balloons in all the colors you’ll need to celebrate International Woman’s Day. Visit our store to stock up on all the items you’ll need.

You can DIY your lunar New Year decorations and make this fun occasion more festive than ever.

In fact, few other holidays lend themselves to the handmade approach quite so well as the Chinese New Year, simply because paper crafts are such a big part of the holiday to begin with, and paper is an easy medium to work with.

DIY Chinese New Year Decorations by Using Red Packets

Giving red envelopes full of money is a cherished Chinese New Year tradition.

If you plan to give money, you can simply slide a few dollars into red envelopes. You could also decorate them with stickers or calligraphy to jazz them up a little. Remember, if you give money you should give even amounts: odd amounts of money are considered very unlucky. The number four is also very unlucky.

If money is tight and isn’t an option, making red packets out of paper lets you offer warm wishes on stationary, or small gifts like candy, sticks of incense, or erasers. Candy is especially appropriate, as sweet food signifies a “sweet life.” Just avoid wrappers with unlucky colors such as black, white, or blue.

Origami Chinese New Year Decorations

Grab some red, gold, and yellow paper and you can make fun origami animals or shapes. If you’re feeling ambitious you could even fold one into the year’s animal.

Flowers, fish, stars, and fans are also quite traditional.

If you’re holding a party, setting out sheets of red paper and instructions for children who want to try their own hand at a little origami can be a fun way to entertain the younger ones while the adults get caught up.

Chinese New Year Baskets

Fill a pretty basket with red tissue paper and tie it with a red bow, then add whatever you want.

Traditional basket gifts include oranges, cakes, chocolates, and candies. Fortune cookies are also appropriate, and you don’t have to stick to plain ones. They come in a variety of flavors and colors, and you can either make them yourself or order them.

Banana fortune cookies might be especially fun, as yellow is a lucky color and a bright pop of cheery yellow in a predominantly red basket could look quite incredible.

Chinese New Year DIY Lanterns

Red hanging lanterns are traditional, and you can make them out of red and gold paper. While they won’t light up, they’ll still look festive if you hang them all over your space. It’s not hard to find instructions for several good designs.

If you want light-up paper lanterns you’re better off purchasing those, and stringing them up according to the instructions.

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Chinese New Year Decorations

Just bring your creativity and your sense of fun. Your decorations don’t have to be perfect, and the very act of making them can bring you and anyone you invite to join you a ton of joy.

We have Chinese New Year party ideas too!

Need to find all the paper, glue, glitter, scissors, envelopes, stickers, candies, and other decorations you might need for your Chinese New Year celebration? Come on down to Paper Plus. We’ve got all of this and more in stock right now!

Looking for a creative way to win this year’s Halloween costume contest?

A balloon costume might just be the way to go. DIY balloon Halloween costumes are some of the easiest Halloween costumes you can create—and they’re fun, too.

Note that we’re talking about costumes literally made with balloons, not inflatable costumes like the ubiquitous alien balloon costume.

What kinds of wearable balloon costumes can you create?

Quick and Easy Balloon Costumes

We’ve seen cute balloon animal costumes. We’ve also seen funny grape balloon costumes, or hot air balloon costumes. The possibilities for a wearable balloon costume are endless.

Advanced Balloon Costumes

Some of these require a few more props. For example, if you want to do the hot air balloon you’ll need a basket. You stand in the basket. Attach 36” helium balloons to the basket.

Character Balloon Costumes

Any character or object that comes with a lot of round components can be a good source for balloon costume ideas. What about a bubble gum machine? You could use many different balloon colors to create the gum balls. Or you could create a plastic jar and use long balloons to make a jar of jelly beans. Using a large clear plastic bag will get the job done in either case.

You can also use the balloon as a prop. The Red Balloon costume, for example, where you go to your party as the boy from the movie. One 17-inch red balloon and you’re good to go! Or grab a pair of suspenders or a scouting costume, and dress as one of the kids from Up!

There are also thematic options from certain eras. Balloons are part of how disco was done. A summer outfit with a sun balloon is very 70s. And with a disco ball helium balloon, you can carry some Saturday Night Fever with you wherever you go.

Your imagination is the only limit!

Here at Paper Plus, we’ve got loads of balloons in all sizes, shapes, and colors. We can fill them up with helium if you need us to. We’ve also got a wealth of paper products to offer, as well as many items which could be used as props in your next Halloween costume. Stop by, see what we’ve got, and let’s chat about your ideas!

Our store is open and ready to help you have the best Halloween ever!

How to Order Balloons

We’d love for you to swing by our store to place your order!!

Don’t get us wrong, we’re happy to chat over the phone (510‐525‐1799) and take your order that way, but there’s something special about seeing all the colors and styles in person.

Plus, when you come into our store, we can get a sense of what you’re going for and help you pick out the perfect balloons for your Halloween costume or party.

Just a heads up, we don’t take orders over email or messaging, so let’s chat in person or over the phone to get your order started.