15 Eco-Friendly Mother’s Day Gifts

Coming up with thoughtful mother’s day gift ideas can be tricky.  There are so many things that just end up being tossed aside, or thrown away and it’s kind of a bummer for the environment.  But this list of eco-friendly Mother’s Day gifts are thoughtful enough that moms will actually be happy to get them – and – they are also made up of upcycled materials, natural ingredients, or healthy ideas for the home – which is happier for both mom and mother nature!

1. All Natural Spa Kit

Spa, bath and beauty baskets can be pretty ho-hum but when you make everything yourself from fresh, all natural ingredients – complete with handmade labels – that basket of beauty products becomes so much more special. Find out how to make your own body scrub, lotion, lip polish and facial masks.

Super-simple all natural spa trio over via Pop Sugar

2. Put That on a Coaster!

I don’t know about your mom, but my mom (and me for that matter) can’t stand wet drinks sitting directly on the furniture.  So this summer, save the furniture by making a set of coasters that everyone will love to use. You can make beautiful and thoughtful coasters out of fabric remnants, beads, pieces of felt and even old bits of clothesline or other cotton-based rope. Get some inspiration from this list of 20 DIY Upcycled Coasters.

Upcycle Tree Branches into Coasters via Garden Therapy

3. The Tiniest Garden

If your mom loves to garden or simply loves being outdoors, a terrarium could be the perfect gift. You can assemble all the materials needed to make the terrarium and put them into a mason jar.  Print out some labels, a special poem, and maybe some directions and you are good to go!

Make your own Terrarium Kit via Wit and Whistle

4. Painted Mugs

Skip buying those tacky “World’s Best Mom” mugs that are just going to go in the junk pile (unless it’s this one) and make your mom a special mug that shows she’s the best Mom in your world.  This project can range from the skill level of a toddler like in the photo below, all the way up to really artistic and beautiful designs.  There are plenty of different styles and ideas to choose from!

DIY Sharpie Mugs via Handmade Charlotte

5. Glass Votive Photo Candles

I always end up with empty glass votives when I’m done burning my candles.  Rather than throw them away, turn them into beautiful little photo votives.  Use photos of the kids, the whole family or special moments from any point in your mom’s life to make these amazing glass containers. Once they’re done you can use them for tea lights, flowers or even pens and pencils.

Glass Votive Photo Candles via Inspired Ideas

6. A Personalized Tea Set

Who doesn’t enjoy a good cup of tea? Whether you want to de-stress or get a jolt of renewed energy, there’s a tea blend that’s perfect for everyone. Give your mom a box of blends to choose from where every choice is something you’ve crafted yourself, just for her. You know your mom’s routine and what her days are usually like so choose blends that fit her lifestyle.

DIY Custom Tea Set Gift via Martha Stewart

7. Upcycled Clock

I bet if you search your house or garage you’ll find some “junk” sitting around that would be perfect for this project. Old boards, a bicycle wheel, old plates, tin cans or even an old book would work wonderfully! You can buy a clock dial at the hardware store or you can order one from Amazon.

Upcycled Bicycle Wheel Clock via Recyclart

8. Upcycle Those Books

Finding new ways to use old books is a great gift idea for book lovers. You can turn them into a purse, repurpose them as a cover for tablets and e-readers, use them as a picture frame, transform them into trinket boxes and even flower bouquets.  Grab a book with a beautiful vintage cover from your donation pile, or pick up a copy of your mom’s favourite book from a thrift store.

Upcycled Book Bag via Care2

9. Give Her Garden Some Extra Color

Gather up all the little broken crayons you have floating around the bottom of your kids art box and use them to create these super cute and colorful melted crayon rocks. You can put them on the porch or throughout the garden to add a bit of extra colour all year round.

Get the directions on this kid-friendly gift idea at Red Ted Art

10. Celebrate the Journey

Get a few maps of the states, cities and countries that are a part of your mom’s story and turn them into a great keepsake. You can use maps to create wall art, embellish a photo frame or even create a pair of custom shoes.

Get plenty of great map-inspired ideas via DIY Home Life

11. Custom print Tea Towels

Brighten up the kitchen, gardening room or other work space with some custom stenciled tea towels. You can create your own pattern with permanent markers or paint, or you can use a stencil for a beautiful repetitive pattern.

Get the directions and a few pointers over at No. 2 Pencil

12. DIY Scented Candles

Forget buying expensive scented candles with who-knows-what chemicals added to them.  Instead, try your hand at making some DIY natural scented candles like these beautiful scented soy candles.

Soy Scented Candles via Claire K Creations

13. Custom Wooden Chopping Board

If your mom loves to cook, she can really never have too many cutting boards.  Especially really nice wooden ones.  You can etch messages into them, colour code them for different types of foods, or make them in different shapes and sizes.

Colour Coded Cutting Boards via Dream a Little Bigger

14. Upcycled Jewellery

You can make jewellery out of just about anything.  Look around your donation pile and see what you can come up with.  Need some options?  Try bicycle parts, copper pipe, old keys, books, pop can tabs or even old shirts.

Upcycled Bicycle Parts Necklace via Lolly Jane

15. DIY Indoor Herb Garden

Give your mom a fresh and colourful  indoor herb garden.  It will add some beautiful greenery to her kitchen and a lovely fresh scent to the room.  And, well, this mason jar herb garden is just plain pretty to look at!

Mason Jar Herb Garden via Crafts Unleashed

No matter what your moms interests are, you can surely come up with something homemade that will help keep some materials from going to the landfill.  Put a little creative effort into it and set aside a little time for a DIY project, and your mom will have something special that will surely bring a smile to her face.

Source : onelittleproject.com
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