Ethical Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day

Celebrate Mothers Day with your Mum on her special day, bearing gifts that are special yet don’t impact on the environment.
Mother’s Day might be considered a consumer driven day for many. That said, mothers around the world are arguably the most cherished people, which is why Mother’s Day should be celebrated as a recognition of love, right?

It doesn’t always have to be flowers and chocolates, there are other ways to show a little love for your Mother, in ways that don’t impact on the world’s resources.

Here are a few ideas that you could use to make your mum a great recycled gift. Get the kids involved and show that little hands make cherished gifts, too.

Ethical Mothers Day Gifts to Make

Sentimental Photo Frames – Get creative with hard board by constructing a photo frame. Select photos from your family, and put them on the hard board after calculating their proportions, cut a rectangular frame around them and cut it out. Super glue these photos on hard board and decorate the frame with glitter glue and a message to your mother.

Mason Jars Photo Vases – Are both sentimental and beautiful. Clean a Mason jar and superglue a photo of you and your mom together on the Mason jar. Cut a piece of paper which is the size of the photograph and tape it over the photography. Take some poster colour or oil paint and paint the Mason jar. Finish with some transparent enamel or varnish. Now un-tape the piece of paper and you will see the photograph of you and your mom. Fill the Mason jar with water and fill it with your mother’s favourite flowers.

52 Reasons “I Love You” Deck – If you have an old deck of cards lying around the house, make use of it. Sit down and think of all the reasons you love your mother, specifically 52 reasons and write them down. Take measurement of the middle pattern on the cards’ back. This is going to be the size on all the cards’ back. Cut out 104 pieces of paper of that size. Decorate the first paper piece with the words “Reasons I Love You”. Now take glue and paste those pieces on the back. Once you have done that, grab a pen and some sharpies and on each piece, write a reason that you love her. Write your reasons on all cards and then punch two holes on the same side of the card. Assemble all the cards in a numbered order and tie them with two ribbons or metal rings from an old file folder.

Recycled Brooch – So you know there is a broken pendant or a ring that your mother loved but it broke and it’s just now lying at the bottom of her jewellery box. Take it out, clean it thoroughly and polish it if needed. Now take a bottle cap and flatten it with a hammer. After that puncture two holes in the middle at 3 cm distance and pass a safety-pin through the holes. Secure the safety-pin by putting in some super glue and let it dry. Now take the superglue and put it all over the side of the cap that is empty. Press down the pendant or the ring piece and press it to hold it in place. Let the glue dry. Test if the piece is fixed properly. Gift the new brooch to your mother on Mother’s Day. Cute and thoughtful

Ethical Mothers Day Gifts to Buy
Although the above gifts are thoughtful and friendly to the environment, if you’re not a crafty person, why not buy an ethical gift for Mother’s Day, instead.  Here are some ideas:

1. What Daisy Did Satchel

What Daisy Did’s Carnival Collection satchels and bags are made from recycled and factory offcut leather, which may have otherwise gone to waste. Bags are made in India, in ethical conditions, where all tailors are paid a fair commission with living wage realistically achievable within normal working hours meaning they will never find themselves in poverty.  More here.

2. Woodfolk Peardrop Necklace

Woodfolk specialises in jewellery, accessories and homewares that are designed in Australia and humbly handmade both in Australia and by Nepali artisan families, throughout Nepal. The wood used is a Nepalese hardwood that has been grown sustainably. More here.

3. Ungalli Tee

Ungalli Clothing Co. design and produce a collection of t-shirts, sweaters, hats and tanks using 100% sustainable materials (recycled materials such as water bottles and scraps from cotton factory floors). $1 dollar the sale of items from the company’s charity lines , goes to charities dedicated to protecting natural habitats and/or wildlife.  More here.

4. Pea Sea Green Infinity Scarf

Australian based designer Susan, under her business name Pea Green Sea, re-purposes sari silk into beautiful infinity scarves and sells them via her online store. More here.

5. The Base Project Bracelets

The Base Project, partners with artisan cooperatives in Northern Namibia. Two Kunene based tribes Himba and Herero, create hand-cut unisex bracelets carved from discarded plastic pipes. More here.

Ethical gifts aside, remember, a hug or even a phone call, can go a long way, too. Too all the mamas out there, enjoy Mother’s Day with your loved ones.