Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts : Guess What I’m Giving My Mom?

My mom is pretty awesome.

See, she’s one of those people that’s really hard to buy for. She has just about everything she wants at this point. That’s what happens when you live (something)-ish years, and live it well.

What makes her pretty awesome, though, is that she always asks for homemade gifts. She’s very contented and pleased with something I put in a jar.

I’m willing to bet most of your mothers are like that, too. You just don’t know it yet.

So, today, I’m going to share what I made my mom for Mother’s Day.

We were at a natural foods store the other day and she asked me if I could help her find a good, clean, scented body spray. I told her to hush her mouth. And then I sneakily planned the gift.

Here’s her body spray recipe along with a few other scent combination ideas.

After that, you’ll find awesome crunchy gift ideas from here and around the ‘net that your moms will LOVE, because they came from your hands and your heart. (They’d also be excellent projects for you to work on with your kids to give their grandmothers. Now how adorable is THAT?)

Lightly Fragrant, Personalized Body Spray Recipe

First, here’s the base recipe:

Base Body Spray Recipe

• 1 c. distilled water
• 2 Tbsp. quality vodka (at least 80-proof) or witch hazel
• 20-30 drops essential oils
• 2 tsp vegetable glycerin (optional, but helps the scent stay)

Combine everything in a small spray bottle and shake well. Shake well before using, too.

Personalizing Your Essential Oils

Do you know your mom?

Like, really know her?

Because there are two things to keep in mind while doing this: What kind of scents she prefers, and what her personality is like.

Here’s the best part about this spray: Not only is it refreshing, light, and fragrant, but it’s also aromatherpeutic. So you can help her in a couple of different ways.

For my mother, I know she likes fresh and lightly woodsy scents, and she’s also intellectual and creative. So I chose essential oils that she’d both love to smell and would kick-start her brain.

Crunchy Mother’s Mind-Opening Blend

• 10 drops palmarosa essential oil (grassy and floral with a light citrusy note – good for creativity and lifting mind fog)
• 10 drops bergamot essential oil (fresh, woodsy, and slightly minty – good for concentration and clarity)
• 5 drops ginger essential oil (warm and spicy – good for memory retention and relieving stress and anxiety)

Here’s another great blend.

Simple Stress-Relieving Spring Blend

• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops pink grapefruit essential oil

In aromatherapy terms, that blend would be perfect for relieving stress, both energizing and relaxing, and it would be great for moms who have migraines.

Romantically Deep Blend

• 10 drops ylang-ylang essential oil
• 5 drops cinnamon essential oil
• 5 drops sweet orange essential oil

That one’s for the moms who are on the romantic side. Think: Danielle Steele. If your mother has ever indulged in tawdry romance books, she’d probably love this one.

Some of the best places to find information about aromatherapy, essential oils, and blending ideas:

• Aromatherapy Chart from Green Pergola it’s a PDF that I love to refer to often
• Lengthy List of EOs and their uses from Natural Holistic Health
• A fantastically thorough series on learning how to blend aromatherapy oils from Aromaweb

Caution: Once you start blending essential oils, you probably won’t ever stop. It’s addictive. Gratifying. In an obsessive kind of way.

And, of course, this body spray recipe isn’t only good as a gift – but it’s great for you too. Even if you don’t make it for your mom, be sure to bookmark it for yourself!

More Great Crunchy Homemade Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!

From Crunchy Betty

• 3 Simple Homemade Lip Balms
• Simple Handcrafted Cards – From the beautiful Lori at In Pursuit of Martha Points
• Fragrant, Nourishing Body Oils
• Luxurious Dusting Powder

8 More Homemade Gift Ideas from Around the Internet

• Frugal and Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts – including easy sugar scrub and bath salts – at Keeper of the Home
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – from Bridezilla Bakes
• Simple Lavender Salve – from Delighting in the Days
• Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam – from SimpleOrganic (I would LOVE this as a gift, people – get on that)
• How to Make Container Candles (and then How to Make Pressed Wildflower Containers) – from Chickens in the Road
• Handmade Salt Pouches for the Bath – from The Mother Huddle (adorable idea if you can sew!)
• Fleece T-shirt Blankets – from Wellness Mama (my sister made me one of these for Christmas two years ago, and it’s my favorite gift ever)
• Rose and Geranium Bath Bombs

Or, you could always order her a Detoxifying Facial Scrub/Mask from Crunchy Betty – and tell her it’ll be in the mail soon!

Want to Share Your Own Homemade Gift Ideas?

Do it right here in the comments. Feel free to post a link to your own tutorials/ideas – or your favorite ones from around the internet.

(I’d also like to know what you’re planning on doing for your mother this year. It’s never too early to start getting ideas for NEXT year!)