Even if you’ve missed Mother’s Day, it’s always a good time to let your mom (or mum or mama or mother or mommy or ma or…) know you’re thinking of her.
If you already have the perfect gift, why not add to it with additive manufacturing? With a 3D printer, you can make unique presents that show your appreciation. Let’s take a look at some lovely models for you to print for the mothers in your life!
If you see something you like on the list but don’t have the means or desire to print it yourself, try Craftcloud by All3DP. With a range of materials and finishes, you’ll be getting the perfect gift just the way you’ve envisioned.
Gifts with Purpose
Our first section covers some practical gifts for Mother’s Day. From a bookmark to some thoughtful jewelry, your mom can use these models on a daily basis!
Telephone Tea Box
The classic London-style telephone box is such an iconic design that just printing it as a showpiece would be great! But Printables user bunnyology went one step further and made it into a tea box. What could be more British than this Tea-lephone box?
The designer states that as long as your printer setup has efficient cooling, the overhangs are manageable and no supports should be necessary. Print it, fill it with your mom’s favorite tea, or some new ones for her to try. When you’re done, print yourself a Child of the Year award.
- Who designed it? bunnyology
- How printable/popular is it? There are 20 makes and almost 2,000 downloads of this design on Printables. Some earlier prints report some issues, but the author kindly updated the model to address them.
- Where to find it? Printables
Pendant
This design is a pendant of a mother kissing her child and is a great gift for Mother’s Day, especially for new mothers. The design was made by MatterHackers, an online retailer of 3D printing supplies, and they state that the design looks great in a variety of colors and materials.
Taking inspiration from the posted picture, a print in a metal filament would look nice.
- Who designed it? MatterHackers
- How printable/popular is it? This Mother’s Day pendant design has almost 12,000 views as well as over 2,500 downloads!
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Cookie Cutter
Next, this design is a cookie cutter model that imprints the letters “XOXO” into cookies with hearts all around the letters. The model comes from OogiMe, a popular designer of 3D printable cookie cutters.
Besides a basic description, the creator of this design didn’t provide much printing information, but the model is pretty straightforward.
- Who designed it? OogiMe
- How printable/popular is it? This cookie cutter design has over 7,000 views and has been collected 23 times on Pinshape.
- Where to find it? Pinshape, Cults, Thingiverse
Zuzanna Lamp
What an elegant decor piece! Inspired by folded paper, this print can be used as a suspension or a table lamp. It’s a cute and unique design that looks good in any home.
It’s also an easy enough print and needs no supports. Just check out the video uploaded by the designer if you are in doubt! You’ll simply need to add an E27 socket and make sure you get a nice cable. Mom will love it!
- Who designed it? LeFabShop
- How printable/popular is it? Over 120 makes of this lamp have been posted, providing some home decor inspiration.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory, Pinshape
Gift Box
This beautiful butterfly box isn’t Mother’s Day-themed, but it would still make a great gift for mom. There’s a secret way of opening it, so it would make an awesome jewelry box, candy box, or even a gift box for another present.
This design does include a significant amount of parts to be printed, however, the result is stunning. You may want to make sure you have enough filament before beginning this gift, though. You’ll need about 330 g at 100% scale.
- Who designed it? 3DPrintingWorld
- How printable/popular is it? There are over 270 makes posted of this special box and 41 remixes that include alternatives to the butterflies.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Ring
If you want to find a 3D printable jewelry model for Mother’s Day, you won’t have to look very hard. For rings, there’s a wide range of options, ranging from elegant to fun.
This particular model is a simple low-poly design, but you can even take this gift idea a step further. Various 3D printing services sell 3D printed jewelry fabricated in metal!
- Who designed it? levenement71
- How printable/popular is it? This quick-print ring has 74 makes and 10 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Bookmark
If your mother’s an avid reader, you might want to consider printing her a bookmark. Losing your place in a book is frustrating, and on Mother’s Day, you want to save your mom any stress!
Bookmarks don’t require much filament or print time, so this makes a perfect last-minute gift.
- Who designed it? CreationsForYou
- How printable/popular is it? One community print of this sweet design has been shared on MyMiniFactory.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Coaster
If your mom loves her coffee, her tea, or her organic kombucha, maybe a good Mother’s Day gift would be a coaster. This particular model depicts the silhouette of a tree, but with a quick search on your favorite 3D model site, you can find thousands of different coasters. Or check out our article on some of the best coasters.
Coasters are fun, easy-to-print models that don’t take much time or filament to print.
- Who designed it? Tosh
- How printable/popular is it? There are over 27,000 downloads and 41 makes shared on Thingiverse.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse, Cults
Decorations
Our next category includes 3D printable decorations for Mother’s Day that you can make to show your appreciation for your mom. Included are picture frames, wall art, flowers, and more!
Vase
If you’re planning to bring your mom flowers for Mother’s Day, why settle for a boring, ordinary vase? This gift idea is unique, beautiful, useful, and easy to print.
To make the design really stand out, consider opting for an interesting filament like silk or transparent. There have been several remixes using the same honeycomb texture to make decorative bowls, pots, and trays. Print your mom an entire matching set!
Of course, this is not the only vase you can 3D print. Vase designs can be found all over Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory, Cults, and many other platforms.
- Who designed it? eggnot
- How printable/popular is it? The pictured design has almost 600 makes posted on Thingiverse, so it’s surely something you can print too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Plant Sign
If your mom is into gardening, then this plant sign is a great gift for Mother’s Day that will allow her to mark her plants and territory. The model is a simple gardening stake with a rectangular area that has the word “MUM” subtracted from it. The designer also provided a heart-shaped alternative.
The design is very simple, so you should be able to achieve a successful print using your typical slicer profile. Of course, as the model is flat, no supports are needed!
- Who designed it? DarrensWorkshop
- How printable/popular is it? This Mother’s Day-themed plant sign has over 280 views and more than 50 downloads.
- Where to find it? Printables
Cake Decorations
Next, this pick is a collection of nine cake decorations, perfect for celebrating Mother’s Day with your loved ones. You could stick them in a cake or cupcakes as pictured above, or use them for eating fruit, decorating potted plants, or anything else you can imagine!
The designer mentions that these models should be printed in PETG or PLA due to their natural food-safe properties. Be sure to check out our list of food-safe filament brands.
- Who designed it? barb_3dprintny
- How printable/popular is it? These cake decorations have 2 recorded makes and over 2,300 downloads!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Ferris Wheel Planters
Does sibling rivalry pop up this time of the year? We have just the thing for that. We can almost hear the talk amongst your mother’s group of friends. “Oh, this? My eldest made it for me on one of those 3D printer machines.” It’s a working Ferris wheel with cute little planters on it. What’s not to love?
Some makers have suggested adding some weight (stones or pebbles are a good option) to the bottom of some pots to prevent them from flipping over while the wheel is turning. Otherwise, users love printing this design using marble filament for a natural stone look.
- Who designed it? JacobCardwell
- How printable/popular is it? The instructions make the whole project very easy to complete as confirmed by more than 70 makes.
- Where to find it? Printables
World's Greatest Mom Trophy
A classic gift, but not for everyone. Only an elite group of the world’s greatest moms can be awarded this trophy.
The three-part design lets you print it in two or three colors, and silk gold filament seems like a given. If you run into some funky errors while slicing the base, check out the remix kindly uploaded by Jake on Printables.
- Who designed it? DavidDavidson_290438
- How printable/popular is it? It’s an easy enough print in three parts, and at least two makers have successfully printed it in nice colors.
- Where to find it? Printables
Wall Art
Moms are great at decorating. Why not help her out this Mother’s Day with some 3D printed wall art? 3D printing 2D art might seem paradoxical, but the results are lovely. This particular model depicts someone pouring tea, but with a quick search on Thingiverse, you should find lots of models that your mom will love.
2D wall art is also easy and quick to print, plus you often don’t have to use much material.
- Who designed it? UnpredictableLab
- How printable/popular is it? There are four posted makes of this tea-themed design, but the options for 3D printed wall art are endless.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
From the Heart
The heart-filled prints in this category are perfect if you’re looking for a decorative gift that will continue to remind your mom how much you love her. Remember, printing them is just the start because it’s the personalization that makes them special!
Heart Vase
This vase has a simple and unusual design that looks good anywhere. It’s a two-piece print that really pops in contrasting colors. Some users have even added 3D printed or laser cut flowers to the vase in true maker style.
There are two options for the vase insert, and we’re partial to the shelled version because it is pretty easy to print and is watertight. Other suggested settings are standard and should lead to some great makes.
- Who designed it? Slimprint
- How printable/popular is it? It’s very easy to print as the 17 makes and positive comments confirm.
- Where to find it? Printables
Picture Frame
This picture frame design is an excellent gift for Mother’s Day because you can display your favorite picture of you and your mom! The frame is meant to fit pictures in the standard size of 4″ x 6″, but it should be simple enough to scale to fit other picture sizes.
The frame is split into two pieces: a back and a front, so you can print the front piece in a different color to make this frame even more impressive.
One maker shared a well-printed model and listed that they used a 10-15% infill density, 0.12- to 0.2-mm layer height, and supports when printing in PLA.
- Who designed it? hrttele
- How printable/popular is it? This picture frame has 10 recorded makes, a remix, and over 5,300 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Picture Holder
Thinking of ways to tell your mom that she’s number one? Be direct! This 3D printable sign reads “No.1 MOM” in a fancy cursive font, using a heart as the ‘O’ in the word “MOM”. The cursive font connects the characters in each word, and a small rectangular feature connects the two words, so the entire sign is only one flat print.
However, that’s not all! The heart shape has a small split in it to allow you to hold up a picture. This is a great way to appreciate your mom while displaying some great photos of the memories you’ve shared.
As for print settings, the creator of this sign listed that you can use whatever layer height and infill density you want. The sign is flat and should be a very easy print, and one maker listed that they used a 0.12-mm layer height with a 20% infill density.
- Who designed it? yolo3de
- How printable/popular is it? This picture holder design has 2 makes, a remix, as well as over 3,700 downloads!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Lithophane
This next item is actually not one particular model. Rather, it’s a customizable design that allows you to 3D print your own pictures in the form of a lithophane. Simply open this design in Thingiverse’s Customizer and replace Mona Lisa with your picture of choice.
The finished print will look like a weird topographical map until you put a light behind it. When you do, your picture will appear! Immortalizing a photo of you and your mom is sure to be a great present for Mother’s Day.
- Who designed it? MakerBot
- How printable/popular is it? Over 110 Thingiverse users have printed this customizable thing, and there are over 22,300 remixes! Remember to print in a white or light-colored filament, at 100% infill, using a high resolution.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Mother & Child
Next, we have another 3D printable sign to show the bond between you and your mom, but it doesn’t use words! This sign resembles a mother and daughter touching foreheads in front of a 3D concaved heart. The project is completely 3D printable and is made up of three interlocking parts: the people, the heart structure, and the base.
It’s worth noting that you might want to print the silhouette in a different color than the other two pieces to make the sign more easy to see, like in the image above.
- Who designed it? 3Daomm
- How printable/popular is it? This appreciative Mother’s day sign has six beautiful makes and lots of positive comments.
- Where to find it? Printables
Flowers
Lots of moms love flowers! If you want to give mom a long-lasting (and likely cheaper) bouquet, try these 3D printed carnations.
This flower takes about 20 grams of material and 2 hours of print time. You may notice, however, that there’s no file included for the stem of the flower. After printing the carnation, simply heat the end of 20-gauge wire and push it into the plastic.
- Who designed it? twiesner
- How printable/popular is it? Five community prints of this model have been posted on MyMiniFactory. Just like real-life carnations, they look good in any color!
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Signs
If you’re looking for a more direct and visual approach to tell your mom you appreciate her, then you’ve come to the right section. Here, you’ll find 3D printable signs that have text or symbols that show your mom how much you love her!
Rose
Roses are always a good option for a present for Mom. This sign is flat and outlines the shape of a rose flower with the word “mamma” written along the stem to show your appreciation for your mom. Although the model contains no three-dimensional detail, the flower is well-designed, with a decent amount of detail around the top of the flower.
The designer provided a few of the settings they used to print the rose. These print specifications include a 0.2-mm layer height, a 30% infill density, with no raft and no supports. You might want to also print the model in a red filament to make the flower look more like a rose.
- Who designed it? Werter100
- How printable/popular is it? This rose Mother’s day sign has a make with 4 remixes and more than 3,700 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Two-Way
Now you see it, now you don’t! This optical illusion is an impressive design that literally says you love your mom. This model is printed with an elliptical base that’ll let your mom easily display her gift and be constantly reminded of her favorite child. (We all know it’s you!)
Let’s not forget about the Mums, though. The designer has also provided a file that says “Mum” instead of “Mom”.
At 0.2-mm layer height and 20% infill, it should take a bit over 3 hours and around 35 grams of material. Plus, no supports are required!
- Who designed it? johnnyray
- How printable/popular is it? This cool sign has 12 makes and 6 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Wow Mom Machine
Need a good way to say “Wow, Mom” to appreciate everything she does for you? This 3D printed mechanical assembly does just that. All you have to do is rotate the handle to turn “WOW” into “MOM”, which you can see in the video below! Despite having multiple moving gears that need to function for the sign to work, the entire assembly is a single-part print-in-place model.
Although the project is classified as a work in progress on Thingiverse, there have been a few successful makes, so it should work. A maker has provided some helpful tips for removing the support structures needed to successfully print the assembly.
- Who designed it? Bauwerk3D
- How printable/popular is it? This moving Mother’s Day machine has 3 recorded makes and over 8,000 downloads!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
We Love Mom
Combining a heart shape with text, this sweet sign is a good one to give to mom from the whole family.
All of the detail on this design is two-dimensional. With no overhangs, it should be a pretty easy print. A maker posted a great print and listed that they used a standard 20% infill density, no supports, and no raft.
- Who designed it? ckchavez
- How printable/popular is it? This popular Mother’s Day sign has 18 recorded makes, 5 remixes, and over 8,600 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Mom Gimbal
This is a fun sign design that features a movable gimbal mechanism in the letter ‘O’ of the word “MOM”. The print-in-place model is supposed to be printed flat down, and you can pop out the rings of the gimbal. The best part: At the center of the ‘O’ is a heart shape!
A maker posted photos of their successful print and listed that they used a 0.2-mm layer height, a 20% infill density, with no raft and no supports.
- Who designed it? foofoodog
- How printable/popular is it? This “MOM” gimbal design has 7 recorded makes, a remix, and over 4,700 downloads!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Bonus: Design Your Own
This list is by no means exhaustive as there are thousands of other models that exist in the categories we mentioned. Plus, based on your mom’s unique interests, there might be other things you could print for her.
If none of these ideas caught your eye as the perfect gift, consider designing your own! This will add to the uniqueness and sweetness of the present. If you’re not an expert designer, don’t worry. Remember that Mother’s Day isn’t about a perfect 3D print or even a perfect present, but your love and recognition of your mom. Happy Mother’s Day and happy printing!
License: The text of "Mother’s Day 3D Print: 25 Great 3D Printed Gifts for Mom" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.