10 Easy Eco-friendly DIY gift ideas for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day may look a little different this year but there’s no reason why you can’t make your mother feel extra special without the usual spa day or afternoon tea. We’ve compiled a list of easy eco-friendly gift ideas that you can make yourself, mostly using things you already have lying around the house!

Eco-friendly DIY gifts are great for the planet, super heartfelt and something new for you to get your teeth into while you’re stuck at home.

DIY bath scrubs 

If you’ve noticed your mother has been too busy for self-care, gifting a simple homemade bath scrub could be just what she needs. You can pretty much use any ingredients, but this honey sugar scrub is our favourite because honey has antibacterial properties and it’s 100% natural. Plus, the texture of sugar is great for exfoliating.

All you’ll need is 65g of brown sugar, 30g of melted coconut oil and two tablespoons of honey.

Simply add the ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly before pouring it into a glass jar (it can be an old jam jar). If you want, add a homemade label using a marker pen.

DIY bath bombs 

As with bath scrubs, there are tons of recipes online to choose from so you can include all of your mother’s favourite scents. We particularly love this recipe from Little Green Dot, using dried fruit to create vibrant colours that’ll transform any bathtub.

You’ll need:

• Baking soda
• Citric acid
• Cornstarch
• Ground oats
• Freeze-dried fruit (blended into a powder)
• Buttermilk powder (not essential)
• A bath bomb mould (it can be a silicon mould or a little Tupperware)
• Essential oil

To create your bath bombs, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Then, grab your mould and sprinkle whatever design you want at the bottom (in the end it will be the top) using flower petals, food sprinkles, glitter and some of the fruit powder. Next, pack it into your mould and lightly tap it until it feels full (don’t overpack it otherwise it won’t fizz). Simply flip it over and your bath bomb should slip out, but it needs a day to dry out before you use it.

However, if your mother has sensitive skin or prefers all-natural ingredients, there are plenty of recipes online that don’t use citric acid.

To package your pretty bath bombs, use a Sandwich Stasher Bag for safe door-to-door travelling. Or create an at-home spa-kit with the homemade scrub, homemade bath bombs and tea light candles packaged in one of our Kind Bags that she can use on her next shopping trip.

DIY indoor herb garden 

Indoor herb gardens allow you to reach across your kitchen for fresh sprigs when cooking and they’ll attract bees and other pollinators straight to the windowsill. All you have to do is find some empty glass jars or tin cans and decorate them with labels, ribbons or paint. Add a few pebbles to the bottom of each tin to assist water drainage and add your mother’s favourite herb seeds. You can even make your own herb markers too using wine corks or old ice-cream sticks.

Homemade chocolate bars 

Chocolate is the way to everyone’s heart, right? This is a chance to create a unique flavour that your mother will love. You’ll need a mould but everything else can be found in your cupboards. Melt your milk, white or dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and transfer it to the mould. Then, adorn them with your mothers favourite toppings: dried fruit, nuts, seeds, flower petals etc., and let them set in the fridge.

To add an extra dose of creativity, wrap the middle section of the chocolate bar with brown paper and use letter stamps to document the flavour for a homemade rustic look. Or, instead of awkward clingfilm, wrap them safely in our Beeswax Wrap that she can reuse again and again!

Plant a tree 

Trees are essential for our planet as they give us oxygen, store carbon, boost wildlife and stabilise our soil. The National Forest is on a mission to grow 9 million trees and they’ve only got 35,000 left to go and you can be a part of it. With the National Forest, you can dedicate a tree to your mother, gift a tree she can plant at a planting event, dedicate a grove or gift a seed she can grow in her own garden.

At home movie night 

If your mother is a movie-lover, bring the gift of cinema to her living room. Purchase a Netflix subscription and buy her favourite cinema snacks. Even better, buy some popcorn kernels and store them in the Stand Up Stasher Bag (if she’s sharing) and get popping – she can pop it straight into the microwave.

DIY bug hotel 

Bees, butterflies, worms, slugs, spiders, beetles, ladybirds, and centipedes are all vital to our planet. A great way to attract them and keep them safe is to build a space for them in your garden using recycled materials and bits of greenery.

To start, find or buy an empty wooden box (it needs to be waterproof) and gather leaves, pinecones, moss, wood chips, bamboo, pebbles, grass, bark and twigs or anything you can find locally. Split your box into different compartments and glue the materials down. Ideally, place the bug hotel with wildflowers to attract them. For a personalised touch, you can add a homemade sign saying, ‘mum’s bug house’. This is a great way to get the kids involved in a fun, educating outdoors project.

Homemade essential oils 

Essential oils are ancient remedies extracted from plants, herbs, and flowers. Today, they are still used for aromatherapy and their medicinal properties. For example, lavender oil is well known for its antitoxins, anti-depressive and improved sleep qualities. All you’ll need is lavender leaves, a glass jar and carrier oil.

The process is lengthy, so you’ll need to give yourself plenty of time: it includes harvesting and drying lavender, infusing it and straining it. For a full how-to guide, Holland and Barrett have an easy method to help you make your own essential oil.

At the end of it, your mother will have lavender oil to add to her skincare routine or relaxing bath.

DIY terrarium kit 

Terrariums are a popular interior trend, but they can be quite expensive. Making your own is cheaper and way more fun! You’ll need to purchase or find a glass pot lying around (it can be any size). Depending on whether your terrarium base is open or closed, different plants will thrive. A closed terrarium will create a humid environment where tropical plants will flourish whereas an open terrarium will prefer succulents.

Terrariums need a particular layout for best results:

• At the very bottom should be a layer of sand
• Followed by large stones
• Then small stones
• Then activated charcoal
• Then moss
• Then soil
• Finally, your plants and decoration

Ensure the terrarium gets misted occasionally and lives in a light area (avoiding direct sunlight).

Or, choose a lovely soy candle 

Of course, you may choose not to DIY at all – and we’ve got you covered.

Candles are the perfect accessory to de-stress and create a cosy atmosphere in the home. But regular candles are often made from paraffin wax (a by-product of that horrid crude oil) which we know is harmful to our environment. Instead, soy candles are made using a more natural process.

Our range of soy candles has a range of scents perfect for fruity lovers, or those that need some calm, zen moments in their life. Soy has many benefits: it is a far more natural, renewable material; it burns far longer than traditional paraffin wax; and they burn at lower temperatures, which throws the fragrance better.

They’re also made by hand, locally to SaveMoneyCutCarbon – so by choosing them you’re supporting a small UK-based business too. You can read more about why soy candles are a good choice in our latest article.

It may not be conventional, but you can still make the most of Mother’s Day! These ideas will give you rewarding results; seeing your mothers joy and giving you a fun project to focus on in lockdown. Make sure you upload a picture of your finished pieces and tag us so we can see (after Mother’s Day, of course, no spoilers!).