cute and simple mother's day gift (plus gift wrapping tip!)

I wasn't quite sure what to get my mom for mother's day this year, especially since her birthday falls within the same week. My mom tends to appreciate gifts that are hand-made and come from the heart over a generic store bought gift. However, the creative juices just weren't flowing and as of yesterday I still could not figure out what the main part of her gift would be. I went to Goodwill in hopes that something there would spark an idea and that's exactly what happened. I found a stack of old coasters with peeling edges and a rather ugly floral pattern for around $2. I bought them with the thought of renovating them into cute and personalized coasters my mom can use while she drinks her morning coffee (after all, I need to make sure she thinks of me every morning while I'm away at college). The process is fairly simple:

Cut out different magazine clippings or even some old family photos of you and your mom. Taking a foam brush, coat the base of your object (since this process can be used to make more than just coasters!) and begin to glue down your photos. wait for everything to dry before coating the entire thing in a few layers of Mod-Podge. This will create a hard, almost laminated surface to ensure that any remnants of drinks won't bleed through and ruin your photos! 

I tied the stack of coasters together with a ribbon and placed them into a cardboard box with the rest of her gifts. After wrapping the gift up, I glued down a heart doily to the edge of the box to add a cute and personalized touch.