Mother’s Day is fast approaching! Don’t let May 8th sneak up on you. If you’re looking to treat your loved one, here are a few beautiful DIY gifts fit for a queen.
DIY Coconut Coffee Scrub
Materials:
- Container/mason jar
- 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon of warm water
- ¼ cup of coffee grounds or two K-Cups
- Gift tag and ribbon (optional
Steps:
All you need is something to put it in such as a small mason jar but it is completely up to your preference. Next, add four tablespoons of coconut oil, one tablespoon of warm water, and one fourth of a cup of coffee grounds. Since I am a Keurig user, I pop two K-cups into the mix and it is the perfect amount. Lastly, if you wish to perfect the mix, you can place a label sticker on the jar “With love, …”. Or you could tie a ribbon around the lid of the jar, hole punch a plain gift tag/piece of square paper, and add a sweet note.
This exfoliant will not only slough off dead skin cells but the coconut oil provides healthy and luxurious moisturizing properties. Also, the scrub reduces the appearance of cellulite; caffeine can stimulate the dilation of cells while the scrubbing motion increases circulation in the area which plumps the skin. Coffee grounds are packed with thriving antioxidants leading to an increase in collagen production. It is simply an awakening and beautifying gift.
Recommended use: 2x a week, full body (be gentle on the face) with other light exfoliators/basic washes in between.
DIY Bath Bombs
Materials:
- 8 oz. of baking soda
- 4 oz. of citric acid (difficult to find! Suggested search at Ace Hardware, Walmart, or online at The Candlemakers Store)
- 4 oz. of cornstarch
- 4 oz. of fine grain Epsom salt
- ¾ teaspoons of water
- 2 teaspoons. lavender oil
- 2 tablespoons of lavender
- 1 teaspoons coconut oil
- 3 drops of food coloring
- Ice cube tray, Easter eggs, or plastic dome molds (snappable, plastic dome molds work best)
- Whisk
- Spoon
- 2 bowls
- Wax paper, paper bag, writing utensil, tissue paper, ribbon, twine, plastic container (optional)
Steps:
First, combine the cornstarch, Epsom salt, baking soda and citric acid in a bowl then mix. Then, in a separate bowl add the wet ingredients like the lavender oil, water, coconut oil and food coloring. Combine the dry and wet materials into one bowl. You should start to see the mixture take a clumpy form. You may want to switch to a spoon rather than a whisk at this point. Next, add the ingredients to the ice tray or plastic dome molds and press down firmly. (If the mix isn’t sticking enough, place the mix back into your bowl and add a tablespoon of water. Then, try again.) Let the mixture dry for 15 minutes then carefully remove them. You may want to place them on some wax paper while you prepare the gift packaging.
How you package the bath bombs are completely up to you! You can decorate a paper bag to hold them. You may want to wrap them in two sheets of tissue paper and wrap the top of the tissue with ribbon, or twine.You could also put the bath bombs into a plastic container to ensure they do not break.
All that’s left is for your mom to enjoy a fizzy, calming bath.
DIY Soy Candles:
Materials:
- Soy wax (A few recommended brands: ArtMinds™ at Michaels, Yaley at Sears, R&F at Blick
- Hot burner (stove top)
- Pouring pitcher or you may use a regular sauce pan but be sure that the pan you choose pours carefully.
- Clothing pins (to hold wick in place)
- Mason jars
- Fragrance oils (ArtMinds™ at Michaels, CandleScience Fragrances)
- Pretabbed wick (CandleScience Pretabbed Candle Wicks)
- Hot glue gun or super glue
- Thermometer
- Gift tag, ribbon, twine, sticker labels (optional)
Steps:
Place the soy wax chips of your choosing into a pitcher or pan. Using a stove top, heat the chips until melted, then remove from heat. The wax should be about 185 degrees fahrenheit but check with your thermometer. While the wax is melting, you can place the glue onto the wax tabs and place them into the jars. Use your clothes pin to clip the wick and balance the clothes pin on top of the the jar. Mix your fragrance into the wax (1 oz of fragrance will usually scent about 1 pound of wax). Once the mixture is ready, you may pour it into the containers. The wax will harden after about 30-60 minutes and then the clothes pin can be removed and the wicks can be trimmed to a suitable height for the jar. A good general measurement is about ½ an inch. If you wish to purchase labels, a personalized name or gift tag can be added.
Note: Measurements depend upon which jars you use.
DIY Decorated Picture Frames:
Materials:
- Flat picture frames in any sizes
- Craft paint
- Photos for frame
- Paint brushes (optional)
Steps:
Decorate as you wish! Some ideas are: colored fingerprints or words to describe your mom.
DIY Painted vase with flowers:
Materials:
- Flowers (You can pick wildflowers or purchase mom’s favorite from your local store)
- Vase
- Craft paint
- Paint brushes
Steps:
Thanks to Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, you can add the artistic flair of pointillism on the bottom of your vase. First balance the vase upside down onto a flat surface. Then, using your brush and chosen colors, paint as many dots as you can onto the bottom of the vase. Let dry and voila – you have a work of art to place your flowers in.
DIY Natural Lip Balm:
Materials:
- 1 small recycled jar from eye cream/lipbalm/Altoids/store sample container.
- 1 cup shaved beeswax (you can use a cheese grater or a knife)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vitamin E oil
- 2-3 drops tea tree oil
- 1 whisk
- Sauce pan
Steps:
Add the beeswax to the pan and heat until melted. Avoid burning by cooking it on low. Then add the coconut oil, tea tree oil and vitamin E oil. Once melted, the balm can be added to the containers. Let the lip balm harden over night.
These are just a few gestures for your lovely mother. Whatever DIY you choose, do it with love and it is sure to be the perfect gift. Happy Mother’s Day to all!