Inspiration for a non crafter please!

Your idea sounds lovely.
Other ideas - beading? You could buy some elastic/thread and some beads then everyone will have a bracelet or necklace to take home to remember the day. Collage might be another idea.

Thanks churchview
The beads are a nice idea too.

Not soil based.

If she's only here for a very short time I'd not want to start a craft, personally.
I think you are maybe worrying unnecessarily as we all holiday where we have little language.

I'd probably find some photos she would be interested in.
You and your life, your children and theirs, your grandchildren.

You could copy a few of them for a gift?

You will be occupied with eating for a chunk of the visit.
Will they want to craft?

I wouldn't necessarily recommend beads - fiddly if you aren't very nimble.

How old are we talking?
What sort of person is she?
What does she like...

Would you have lunch at home or go out?

I’m not sure you need to bother either if the lady has some English I am sure you will manage two hours or so what with lunch and two hopefully chatty grandchildren. A lot of crafts need nimble fingers. We have French relatives who speak no English and there is lots of smiling and pointing
Photos are a good idea

I think I'm maybe confused.
Is your mum French and visiting with a friend?

Recently, I watched a woman 'designing' a set of 3 different sized white plastic plant pots in 3 colours using Poscas. One was a complicated design, one was a motif from the first one and the 3rd was covered in one of the colours with a different motif from 1st on it.
Craft is a lovely idea because you're sharing but with minimal language. Silences are not a problem. Seeds and a bag of compost would be good for travelling home.
If you do something similar, check your Poscas are in good condition and you've enough.
Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to have a go myself today.

It's a good idea to entertain someone .
My French friends all crochet and some knit .
I love to embroider and shared that with them .
Jewellery making is a great idea too .
Take them out for an English tea and pop into The Works .
It's so useful for inexpensive craft ideas .

Flaxseed she's on Instagram with a photo of them. Her name is Vinitha Mammen
(One was a watering can, not a 3rd pot!)

I really cannot imagine how you fit in a craft session in two hours, whilst eating lunch. 🤔

I think a shared activity is a good idea.

We do this every year at our local library for different seasons.

For each person:
Take some empty tins (canned food), cleaned and washed.
Glue hessian around them.
Decorate with bits and pieces - ribbon tied around it, stickers, buttons - anything really.
Have a selection of greenery and cut flowers available.
Arrange the flowers in your decorated tins, each person doing their own thing.
Put flower arrangements on table or display in the room.
Ooh and ah over the different arrangements over lunch!

🥗

All good points! Thank you
French lady is late 50s and very fit and healthy is as my Mum who is early 80’s.
She is staying with my Mum as part of the annual village twinning trip.
I plan to do a ‘picky’ lunch. More of an afternoon tea thing really.
All I really know about her is that she loves her plants - hence the pot painting idea!
Maybe I’ll forget the soil and seed bit tho due to transportation.
I might paint some pots in advance so that we can just design them with the posca pens.

Or I might just abandon the idea and take a walk through the village and have a drink at our cute village pub!

Plenty to think about. Thanks everyone

Patsy70 good point.

I do this for every occasion I host. Totally overthink it, get lots of activities in or games to play and run out of time everytime

Paint clean tomato tins white (spray gloss paint), dry overnight. Our granddaughters glue bits and bobs - buttons, ribbon.... Fill with wild flowers.

Our daughters love the of tins of flowers they receive.

To be honest if I went to visit someone and they tried to make me do a craft I would run for the door.
A nice stroll around the village ending in the pub sounds a hundred times preferable

Yes
I might just abandon the idea and take a walk through the village and have a drink at our cute village pub

This is the BEST idea!

I was racking my brain, trying to think of some actives for you to do, absolutely nothing came to mind!
However, the village pub idea sounda absolutely great to me.
An inspired choice. 😊

So, based on all of your ideas/comments, for which I am very grateful, I have decided the following.
I will set up my pot painting ‘for the DGS’ (who will prefer to kick a football about of course)
Then any adult who chooses to help them out or design a pot themselves can. No pressure at all.
A walk through the village (won’t take much time as it’s not very big!) will provide nice photo opportunities followed by a nice glass of vino in the pub.
I will see if (dependant on the twinning plans) they can visit for a bit longer.
Everything will be weather dependant of course .
Thanks for helping me take the pressure off of myself ladies

Absolutely agree, I would be horrified if I was visiting someone and they expected me to do crafting. Would much prefer a walk and visit to the pub.

I would forget the craft idea altogether, any sort of 'forced' activity would have me running for the exit. You have met her before so no need to be nervous and presumably your mum will help with any language difficulties. I think your idea of a walk through the village and stopping at the pub for a drink would be a very nice idea and also the idea of photos to show her particularly if you have any of your mum when she was very young which are bound to be of interest and maybe even funny.

Don’t forget - google translate! Take your phone with you and when you have a “comment on dit” moment you can say, “attends un moment……” tap in your phrase, et voila! translated into French! 😬

Basic Cross stitch. You can buy little kits, for beginners. X

Same here .i can’t think of much worse than enjoying a lovely meal then being forced to do craft activities .shes not a child

So agree with this.
Also don’t mess with soil, clothes/hands/onward travel

I think lunch, a walk around the village and home is more than enough for two hours. Perhaps point out some pretty gardens along the route.