This Mother’s Day, why not treat the special women in your life to an at-home spa day? We’ve scoured the pages of Willow and Sage and found some of the most gift-worthy homemade bath and body recipes that are sure to surprise and delight her. These special indulgences are fragrant, relaxing, and finished off with artful packaging to make a beautiful presentation.

Here are 5 Homemade Mother’s Day Gift (and Packaging) Ideas:

1. Mood-Boosting Room Sprays

These room sprays are incredibly simple to make, either for yourself or as a gift. You only need four things to get started: water, alcohol, essential oils, and several small spray bottles. While bergamot, lavender, and chamomile are popular choices when it comes to mood-boosting fragrances, feel free to mix and match oils you already have on hand. And, because the smell of alcohol may overpower the essential oils, you can swap it out for something more subtle like witch hazel.

Uplifting Chamomile Blend

Chamomile is best known for its ability to help calm a stressed mind and soothe a tense body, and it has long been used to ease feelings of grief, anger, and sensitivity. Rosemary, on the other hand, is widely favored for its energizing qualities. Diffusing rosemary oil into the air can help clear the mind and promote vitality.

You Will Need

• 1-1/2 oz. vodka/witch hazel
• Spray bottle: 4-oz.
• 15 drops chamomile essential oil
• 15 drops rosemary essential oil
• 1-1/2 oz. distilled water

To Make

Pour the vodka/witch hazel into a small spray bottle. Add the essential oils and shake well. Add the water and shake again. Spritz around the house whenever you need a lift.

Download Willow and Sage Autumn 2017 to get Stephanie’s Sunny Lavender and Bergamot Brightening Blends! This issue is available exclusively from our publisher’s website and is on sale for $12.99 (at the time of original posting).

2. Bubble Tea Bath Bombs

Have you ever held a cup of tea in your hands and wished you could get lost in it? A good cup of tea can be a fully immersive experience — the taste, the smell, the feel of the mug in your hands — it’s a warm hug for your soul. And now, you can bring the delicious aromas of tea to mom with these fragrant bath bomb treats.

Tub Tea Blends

• Soothing Sereni(tea): chamomile tea, dried chamomile, dried lavender, a few drops of lavender essential oil
• Uplifting Activi(tea): green tea/Moroccan mint tea, dried mint, a few drops of peppermint essential oil
• Energizing Spontanei(tea): green tea, dried citrus zest, a few drops of citrus essential oils
• Comforting Familiari(tea): spice tea, cloves, patchouli oil

You Will Need

• Baking soda
• Citric acid
• Epsom salt
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Tea: green; chamomile; mint; spice blends (see above)
• Essential oils
• Dried citrus zest
• Dried flower & herbs

To Make

Estimate the amount of filling you need for the bags. Any extra can be stored in an airtight jar! Use three parts baking soda, three parts citric acid, and one part salt blend, which is two-thirds Epsom salt to one-third pink Himalayan salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add to tea bags, and store any leftover mixture in a sealed jar for future use.

You can find the tutorial for how Sherry made her fabric tea bags inside Willow and Sage Spring 2019, which is on sale now for only $5.99 (at the time of original posting.

If you don’t wish to make your own fabric tea bags, you could also empty and repurpose unused tea bags, try cotton, jute, or muslin drawstring bags, or purchase tub tea filters. If you choose to repurpose tea bags, make sure to stitch them closed or secure them with one or more staples to ensure the contents do not spill out.

3. Lavender Chamomile Bath Soak

Treat mom to a relaxing tub soak! Epsom salts are known for their relaxing qualities and high level of magnesium. Sea salt, chamomile powder, and baking soda also help to soothe and relax tired muscles.

This recipe makes four (4-oz) jars.

You Will Need

• 9.6 oz Epsom salt
• 3.2 oz. Dead Sea salt
• 2.4 oz baking soda
• 0.1 oz chamomile powder
• 3 ml. lavender essential oil
• 2 TB. Lavender buds
• Digital scale
• Plastic eye dropper
• Ball jar & lid sets: 4-oz (4)

To Make

Add Epsom salt, Dead Sea salt, baking soda, and chamomile powder to a large bowl, and mix (a wire whisk works well). Using a plastic eye dropper, drizzle the essential oil over salt mixture and gently mix together. Add the lavender buds and stir. Pour salts onto a cookie sheet and let dry. Pour the salt mixture into jars and fasten lids.

To Use

Add 1 – 2 tablespoons to bath water and soak.

This project originally appeared in the Autumn 2019 Issue of Willow and Sage.

4. Easy Floral Bath Bomb Packaging

If you don’t have time to make your own bath bombs, you can still make store-bought bath bombs extra special by dressing up the packaging!

For Mother’s Day, we went with a “floral and fresh flowers” theme, but feel free to customize this and use whatever materials that you might already have on-hand.

You Will Need:

• Bath bombs
• Fabric scraps: floral patterned (Alternatively, you could use vintage hankies, doilies, old or torn tablecloths, etc.)
• Twine
• Flower buds/greenery

To Wrap:
Place a bath bomb in the center of a fabric scrap and gather at the top, tightly. Secure with twine or ribbon. Add a flower or sprig of greenery. To gift, group together a few bath bombs in a jar, box, or gift basket.

Please note:  You may need to cut or tear your fabric down to “scrap” sizes, depending on what you have to work with.

5. Rosebud Bath Salts

Not only are these pretty little capsules beautiful to look at, but they’ll provide mom with some much-needed “me time” after a particularly long or cold day.

And making them couldn’t be easier.

You Will Need

• 2 oz (each) of Epsom salt and Dead Sea salts, combined
• 1 oz. whole or crushed dried rosebuds
• 1 cotton, jute, muslin, or burlap drawstring bag (optional)
• 3 glass test tubes with cork stoppers (make sure the opening is large enough to fit whole rosebuds; otherwise, you might need to tear or crush them to fit. We’ve found that an 18mm wide tube is big enough to accommodate this).
• Ribbon or twine and dried flowers for packaging

To Make

Combine salts with the dried rosebuds and stir until evenly blended. Add the salt mixture to the test tubes and seal tightly with cork stoppers. Wrap ribbon or twine around each tube and tie securely. Add a dried flower or sprig of greenery, if desired.

Bonus

We like packaging the tubes in a jute, cotton, or burlap bag, because these materials are porous and reusable. Cheesecloth would also work. This way, mom can add the rosebud salts into the bag before dropping them into a warm bath. The salts will dissolve, but the drain will be protected from loose petals, so there is no extra clean-up. 

This project originally appeared in the Winter 2015 Issue of Willow and Sage and our Rosebud Bath Salts DIY Kit has just about everything you need to recreate it!