Kids Gifts: Easy Mandala Gift Kit!

I am always looking for unique ways to give gifts and especially ones that the recipient can keep for a really long time…. and this easy mandala gift kit is no exception!!! Package it together with all of the needed pieces, the foam square adhesives to make it 3D, and a frame for display and you’ve got a gift they can enjoy putting together and remember you by each time they look at it!

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What is a Mandala Style Gift Kit?

In the Cricut world a mandala can mean a few things…

1. An intricate image created by various layers placed on top of each other in symmetrical pattern.

2. A single layered image with patterns and detail cut into it to create intricate features within the overall image or design.

3. A layered image of various colours that come together to create the final image as in the flower featured in this post.

A Mandala Gift Kit is something I like to think I came up with (haha) but I am sure that someone out there has done something similar.

Basically, it is a gift made of all of the cut pieces of the final image, foam squares of adhesive to put it together, and possibly a frame to feature the final piece!

As a kid, I LOVED anything that I felt like I could make (friendship bracelet kits, etc) and so I thought well, maybe some kids would like to receive a gift that they themselves can be a part of creating! So the Mandala Gift Kit was born!

Step 1: Choose an image to use!

This all depends on the age of the recipient.

*A young recipient (ex: my 4 year old daughter): Choose an image that has larger surface area to place the foam squares onto…this flower doesn’t really have any tiny cuts that could be ripped or covered with adhesive.

*An avid crafter with nimble fingers: Go nuts! Choose those intricate mandalas with tiny spindle cuts and test their dexterity! JK…but seriously, a lot of the fun in making these is seeing the detail at the end.

*An elderly crafter: I’ve made a gift kit for my 93 year old Granny and while she is an exceptionally gifted artist, arthritis can be an issue for her. So I made a kit with a wreath style layered image of flowers and leaves! More intricate than the flower featured here, but had enough larger surfaces that it wasn’t too challenging for her.

Step 2: Cut out the image!

For this flower, I used 65lbs-80 lbs Cardstock for each layer, but a 110 lbs heavy cardstock for the base layer to add structure! (this is optional…you can totally use 65lbs for all layers if you would like especially if it will be in a frame)

Cricut cardstock is INCREDIBLE for these (obviously…the cardstock was made to be cut with the Cricut machines!!!!), but if you don’t have Cricut cardstock, another favourite of paper crafters is the Recollections brand from Amazon or Michaels.

Lay all of the pieces out and then put it together one layer at a time to see what the finished product will look like!

Once I have each piece layered appropriately, I make a small mark on the BACK of the first layer and a MATCHING mark on the next layer as a guide of where to place them together.

This way, if the image has a few possible orientations or is a bit confusing, all the recipient needs to do is match the dots and it will create the image in the correct orientation.

I do this on each corresponding layer, making the first dot on the base of the layer above and the next matching dot exactly where that dot will lay on the next layer.

Step 3: Put it all together!

For this gift kit, I made a fun envelope with with some flower designer paper by folding about an inch inward on 3 sides, then glued a flat piece of the same designed paper over those flaps on the 3 sides. At the top of the envelope I cut the folds at an angle to make a flap I could fold down.

Inside the envelope: All of the pieces of the image in order, enough adhesive squares for at least 3-10 to put on each layer depending on the size and detail of the layer. Optional: directions on how to put it together.

If I am giving the frame as well, then I like to wrap the frame separately and then tie a bow around both pieces of the gift to keep them together.

And there you have it! A different type of gift that is both personal and interactive! I would have loved to receive something like this as a kid…a unique image selected for me, but one that I would have a hand in creating as well. Awesome!!!!

Let me know what you think of the idea!

Happy Mandala Crafting!

Mandy