4 Sustainable Mother’s Day Crafts

This Mother’s Day is certainly going to be one to remember. After all, we’ve never exactly had a quarantined Mother’s Day before. With the spas closed, traditional Mother’s Day gifts like massages, facials, and even gift certificates for mani/pedis are officially out. But that’s not the only reason Mother’s Day shopping this year is trickier than usual…

Most stores that are not considered essential are closed, online orders are backed up like crazy, and while there is always the option to shop small — a la Etsy artisans or other local businesses that may still be running solely online during these coronavirus times — giving mom a handmade gift is the most heartfelt and sustainable thing you can do.

Keep reading for 4 sustainable Mother’s Day crafts! 

Does your mom love taking long, hot baths? This Mother’s Day, make her some all-natural bath bombs that she can enjoy in the tub without having to worry about the ingredients.

Here are a few all-natural bath bomb DIY recipes we love: milk and honey bombs from Country Hill Cottage, meditation bath bombs from Sweet Nature’s Beauty, and Strawberry Milkshake bath bombs from Your Beauty Blog.

A herb garden is perhaps one of the easiest DIY sustainable Mother’s Day gifts you could make. It’s also one of the most practical, especially if your mother is constantly cooking something up in the kitchen. She’ll love the addition of freshly grown basil, thyme, rosemary, and whichever other herbs you decide to include.

To DIY a Mother’s Day herb garden, you will need at least four terra cotta pots or some other kind of planter. If you want to upcycle your planters, you can use old eggshells, sauce cans, or even milk cartons. You will also need herb seeds and soil.

Fill your planters with soil halfway to the top before sprinkling in seeds. Then, fill the planter the rest of the way with soil. Remind Mom to water at least 2-3 times a week! 

Does your mom love her backyard garden and all the visitors it attracts? Make a simple handmade butterfly feeder that Mom can enjoy for the entirety of spring and summer.

To make this DIY butterfly feeder — adapted from Angie’s List — you will need a mason jar with a sealable lead, kitchen sponge, hammer and a nail, string or rope, sugar, scissors, a saucepan, and flower stickers, decorative tape, or some other arts and crafts supplies to decorate the feeder with.

The most important part about making a butterfly feeder is making the butterfly food. After all, this is the part that attracts the butterflies in the first place! You’ll want to make the food by mixing 9 parts water with 1 part sugar. If you are using a mason jar for your butterfly feeder, you can use 9 tablespoons of water to one tablespoon of sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil in a saucepan on the stovetop, ensuring that all of the sugar is dissolved. Set this mixture aside while you craft the rest of the feeder.

Use a nail and hammer to make a small hole in the center of the mason jar’s lid. Next, slide a ½ inch strip of sponge through the hole in the lid. Half of the piece of sponge should be sticking out of the top.

Now, decorate your feeder. You can add flower stickers, construction paper, pom-poms, washi tape, or even paint it. Anything shaped like a flower or brightly colored will likely attract butterflies. Next, flip the mason jar upside down and tie the string or rope around the neck of the jar. Make a loop with the rest of your string or rope.

Fill the mason jar with the sugar-water solution. When you flip the butterfly feeder upside down, it should wet the sponge (but not drip) so that when butterflies come and land on the sponge, they can drink up the sugar-water. Make sure the lid is screwed on tightly and that the rope or string attached to the jar is secure.

Lastly, after you gift this butterfly feeder to Mom, make sure she hangs it up in a spot that’s about six inches higher than the tallest flowers around. That way, it won’t compete with the other flowers for some much-wanted butterfly time.

If you typically treat your mom each year to a spa gift certificate, there is no reason that the sustainable spa fun has to end just because of COVID. Instead of giving mom a gift certificate, you can DIY her very own facial mask.

A mom-approved favorite DIY face mask is one made from matcha green tea. After all, matcha is a type of Japanese tea full of antioxidants, vitamins, chlorophyll, catechins, and polyphenols that prevent unwanted wrinkles, fine lines, and sun damage. These antioxidants also detoxify the skin.

First, make sure you have a sustainable glass jar in which to put Mom’s DIY face mask once it’s ready. To make this face mask, you will need 1 tablespoon of matcha, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 2 tablespoons of Aloe vera gel. Combine all three ingredients in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon. Pour the mixture into the glass jar and add a label or simply write on the jar using a permanent mark “DIY Matcha Mask.” Alternatively, write “For Mom” or some other kind of cute Mother’s Day note.