How to create sustainable Mother’s Day gifts

Let's spread the love this Mother's Day to those close to us. Whether it be your mum, grandmother, aunt, sister, friend, or someone dear to you who has given you so much love. We want to share with you how we can gift something to our loved ones that are homemade and has been reused or recycled.

According to the British Retail Consortium around £45 million is spent on Mother's Day Cards with around 30 million cards sent, and around £55 million is spent on chocolates, with around 4 million people buying a box for their Mum.＊So, let’s change that by choosing more sustainable options.

＊Source: British Retail Consortium

At Frog Bikes we continuously talk about sustainability and how we can apply it in our daily lives. During lunch or coffee breaks we talk about so many fantastic ideas of ways of giving back, and we thought we'd share them with you.

We asked the Frog team the types of gifts that they had received on Mother's Day over the years, that they felt were extremely sentimental to them. Armed with a box of tissues we spoke to colleagues around the office gathering a list of thoughtful homemade presents and a few tears of joy. It’s always important to reflect on the happy memories and create more. These are some of the moments our team enjoyed:

Shelley Lawson, Strategy Director

Shelley’s daughter wanted to make something enjoyable for her mum, so she decided to roll her sleeves up and send her mum for a run (as you would). She was so adventurous in the kitchen and surprised Shelley when she returned with some delicious healthy Paleo balls. Shelley thoroughly enjoyed the scrumptious Paleo Balls (Protein/Energy balls) that her daughter had made for her on Mother’s Day. They had been made by blending healthy dates, pure cacao powder, raw coconut oil, and delicious peanut butter and shaped them into balls.

Shelley commented, “They are now a permanent addition to our freezer which make them perfect for a post-run or post-cycle snack!”

You can find a delicious vegan Energy Ball recipe here >>

Val Benyon, Head of Marketing
Val recalls the moment (17 years’ ago!) when she received her favourite Mother’s Day gift from her boys when they were at nursery. The little wrapped gift was a bit unusual as it was not meant to be opened - it contains a kiss from her boys. The little poem attached explains all:

This is a very special gift
That you can never see
The reason it’s so special is
It’s just for you from me.
Whenever you are happy,
Or even feeling blue,
You only have to hold this gift
And know I think of you.
You never can unwrap it,
Please leave the ribbon tied
Just hold the box close to your heart
It’s filled with love inside.

Taberna Sansom, Marketing Manager UK, Ireland, and ROW
Taberna adores jewellery and is always wearing all sorts of keepsakes. Her daughter used to watch her mum dressing up and putting on her rings and earrings. Whilst at school, she designed a beautiful, very colourful trinket dish hand-made from clay. And, on Mother’s Day, she surprised Taberna with this pretty gift which Taberna still has next to her bedside. It reminds her of her cheekiness as a little girl.

Amarjit Kaur Multani, Marketing Executive UK, Ireland, and ROW
Amarjit loves reading positive and motivational books. Her daughter always watches her mum with a book at night. On Mother’s Day, Amarjit noticed a gorgeous handmade personalised bookmark next to her bedside with a new book. There were so many positive words and sweet messages all over the bookmark with cute 3D stickers.

Amarjit commented, “It reminds me to take time out for myself and read every day but also that we can be great role models for our children.”

Sandrine Hughes, Marketing Executive, France, and Benelux
Sandrine absolutely loves plants and gardening and is always looking after the office plants to make sure they are happy and healthy. When her son came home from school he gifted her a beautiful surprise. He had made a pegboard for Sandrine’s gardening essentials. Sandrine was absolutely thrilled as she felt her son had really taken notice of what she would enjoy.

Sandrine commented, “I still have the pegboard and it sits inside my gardening shed, whilst it is a simple gift, it is a very thoughtful one and it makes me smile every day”.

Hopefully, we have got you warmed up with some great ideas of what you can create this Mother’s Day.

Still, need some Inspiration?

See all our wonderful ideas from the team at Frog Bikes.

Make some homemade soap

Regular soaps contain parabens but there are other kinds of soap bases that are kinder to the skin, including Aloe Vera, shea butter, glycerin, cocoa butter, and olive oil. As these recipes exclude lye, the type of soap-making method you can use is a ‘melt and pour.’

Click here to learn how to make your own soap >>

Memory Jar

You will need an empty jar, colouring felt tips, ribbons/string, and paper. Ask your child to recall some good moments that they have had with their loved one. They can write them down on strips of paper, fold them and place them In the jar. For the outside of the jar measure how much paper you need and make a personalised label to go all the way around. Once you know the measurements, decorate the outside with whatever message you want, and once finished wrap it with a pretty ribbon.

Click here to learn how to create your memory jar>>

Jigsaw

Create a jigsaw puzzle from a lovely photo. A custom jigsaw puzzle photo is super easy to make. Prior to making your puzzle, you will need to print out your favourite photo. Print out your image on a dry toner or laserjet printer so that there’s no smearing. Let them dry for several hours before using them to create your puzzle.

Click here to find out how you can create your photo puzzle >>>

DIY Seed Bombs

It’s absolutely vital that we get outside in the fresh air as much as possible. So, what better way to encourage the kids outdoors, with the prospect of making a seed bomb. They are great fun to make for both adults and kids alike. And the perfect gift to help brighten up the garden with a range of beautiful flowers.

Click here to see how to create your own seed bombs >>

Make a positive affirmations journal

This is something which will really make you smile every day. Grab some paper, scissors, glue, and get creative as you can. Create a book from card and paper and hole punch the ends and run some string through the holes, tying the ends. Inside the book, you can add some awesome prompts you need to make a gratitude journal.

Click here to have a look at some awesome prompts >>

We hope we have given you some inspiration, tag us in @frogbikes if you have created any fun gifts from this blog! Remember Mother's Day is about the love we put in everything and it's about making it fun.

Happy Mother's Day!