Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing a few fun DIY gift basket ideas with you, starting with a primping and pampering Mother’s Day gift basket.

Putting together your own  DIY Mother’s Day gift basket for mom is a great way to not only save money but also to bundle smaller gifts that mom wants into a single larger gift. I love gift baskets. The excitement of digging through and finding all sorts of treats just for me is so much fun. The problem? Most store-bought pre-made gift baskets come with at least one or two items that really just don’t click. Like finding decaf coffee in an otherwise amazing coffee-themed basket.

Making your own Mother’s Day gift basket gives you complete control over the gifts that go into it. The money-saving factor comes into play when you select a variety of items from different stores. Grab items from dollar stores, use coupons and shop sales to fill the bulk of the basket. That way, even if you are buying a few things at full price, you’re still saving money.

Primping & Pampering DIY Mother’s Day Gift Basket Goodies

What you put into your primping & pampering DIY Mother’s Day gift basket depends entirely on your budget and your recipient. Think about the things SHE likes, but keep YOUR budget in mind. Below are a few items that you can include. I received some of these items for review. This post also includes affiliate links as well as links to help support the businesses of family and friends. These ideas are designed for either mixing and matching into a large basket or on their own for smaller baskets.

Mani/Pedi Pampering Gift Basket Ideas

If mom spends hours pouring over nail art ideas on Pinterest (who doesn’t love those!), help her set up her own little mani/pedi station with these thoughtful gifts.

• Nail files: you can grab these at the dollar store, or spend a few cents extra and head over to Ulta for some really sets one in her favorite color.  I personally love the 4-Way Nail Buffer type files because they file and shine nails in one tool.
• Nail polish remover
• Fun colors: give mom a few neutral colors if she’s more tame with her nails, but include some fun colors for her toes. It’s easier to get away with being a little crazy on our toenails. You can go with gel nail polish for longer-lasting color, or just grab a bunch of cute $1 polishes in different colors if she likes to mix things up.

• Nail Dryer: You don’t have to spend a fortune on this to get a decent one. I have a MelodySusie Portable nail fan that costs under $10 and works great for regular nail polish. The air isn’t hot, so you don’t have to worry about singing your fingers in it, always a happy bonus. Plus it doesn’t take up a ton of real estate in your bathroom. Also a plus since my cabinet is already packed. It runs on batteries, making it portable for those mom/daughter get-togethers. You can also buy a separate plug for it, but the batteries last long enough that I didn’t really see the need to do so.
• Nail wraps: Remember those super cute Pinterest nail art pictures we talked about earlier? Well, they take an awful lot of talent to pull off. I don’t exactly have a steady hand. Nail wraps are another way to get the trending nail art look without much skill. My cousin’s wife is  Jamberry rep, and they have the neatest stuff. These are my favorites (my cousin’s nails, not mine, as I bite mine pitfully).

Picture courtesy of my cousin, Jennifer Haas

• Callus Remover: If you want to go big here, I highly recommend the PediSpin from Vanity Planet. It’s absolutely amazing. Other low-tech and more budget-friendly options include things like the PedEgg or the Revlon Pedi-Expert.
• Finishing touches: add in little extras like cotton balls, those things that separate your toes, clippers and such. You can also include a gift certificate for a professional mani/pedi along with a promise to go with her. If you’re really good at painting nails yourself and can’t afford the certificate, make one up offering your own services.

Hair care basket

Since I have a crazy amount of hair on top of my head, I absolutely love getting products that help me take care of it. This is my hair on a good day. Usually it’s a lot poofier. Ignore those grey hairs peeking out, I’ve since dyed it a million times. It’s currently some shade of burgundy and just slightly shorter, since this was taken a while ago.

Whether your mom has crazy thick and long hair like mine or a tamer mane, every woman wants to take care of her hair properly. How do you make a hair care basket that isn’t boring, though? Check out a few of my favorite hair care products for a DIY gift basket:

• A great brush: Good hair care starts with a great hair brush. For me, it needs to detangle my knots and be easy to clean, since I shed like a German Shepherd in spring. I tried out MelodySusie’s Professional Portable Detangling Hair Brush and really like it. It super light and comes with its own cover, so mom can pop it in her purse. The cover has a built-in mirror. That’s not all, though: the brush has a slide-out slot for storing small hair ties (like coated rubber bands). The color is really fun, too. My favorite part, though, is the style of the bristles. They do a great job of working through knots in both wet and dry hair. Plus they feel like they’re giving me a massage when I’m brushing. Retails for $12.99 on Amazon, making it one of the higher-end hair brushes, but worth every penny.
• Really good shampoo and conditioner: If you’re going to add shampoo and conditioner to your mom’s DIY Mother’s Day hair care gift basket, go ahead and splurge a bit. Get her something fantastic for her hair that she may not have tried yet, or that she doesn’t normally get. Since I dye my hair, I’m currently loving StriVectin Hair Color Care Trio. The shampoo, conditioner and color vibrancy trio are perfect for keeping your hair color looking fabulous. The conditioner is my favorite. It’s like the little conditioner packets you get with hair dye. LOVE that stuff!
• Versatile and comfy hair ties and clips: If mom has long hair, you can never go wrong with colorful or classy hair ties  to hold it back as the weather gets warmer. My favorites are the Snappee hair ties that I reviewed for my summer hair care tips for thick hair. I’ll be honest, at $10.99 for 3, they’re not the least expensive option out there. They do last, though! I’ve had most of mine since last summer. I did lose a couple, sadly.
• Hair jewelry: hair jewelry ranges from fancy clips to headbands to little beads and baubles that you clip into your hair. They even sell Bedazzled kits for hair, did you know? I’ve never Bedazzled a thing in my life, but I might make an exception for my hair!
• Styling tools: Styling tools include everything from simple inexpensive curling irons to super fancy professional-grade flat irons, so you have a lot of wiggle room as far as budget goes here.
• Gift certificates: Toss in a gift certificate for your mom’s favorite stylist if you want, or, as with the nails, a handmade certificate good for one mom/daughter styling session.

Skin Care Treats

Pamper mom’s skin with a few great skin care treats for both her face and her body. My top picks:

• Moisturizers: Make sure mom doesn’t slack on moisturizing just because the harsh winter is over. Help her glow from head to toe with thick, rich body butters in her favorite scent and a really awesome facial moisturizer.  You don’t have to spend a fortune to help mom stay gorgeous. I learned that when I did my DG Body post. Dollar General has some pretty amazing finds! If mom loves Scentsy, you can actually buy Scentsy moisturizers in a few of her favorite scents!
• Bath Salts: Skip the stores on this one and make your own. I’m sure mom misses the days of handmade gifts anyway. Seriously, you can make amazing bath salts for like a zillionth of the price of store-bought ones. All you need is epsom salt and essential oil. My all-time favorite is my cold care bath salt. If you want something a little less mediciny, though, try my Lemon Lavender Milky Bath Salts that I made last year for Mother’s Day. They literally take less than 5 minutes to make.

• Bath Sponge or Mitt: Help mom exfolliate all that dry, dead winter skin (ewww) with a fab bath sponge or mitt. You can find them in the dollar store.
• Sugar Scrub: What’s that saying, you can’t throw something without coming across something? Well, whatever it is, you can’t throw a glance at Pinterest without coming across a sugar scrub recipe. They’re all the rage right now. Like bath salts, there’s no need to buy these babies when it takes 12 seconds to whip up your own.
• Sunscreen: The gift that says “I love you and I care about your skin.” Sure, it isn’t glamourous, but it’s meaningful! If the idea of tossing drugstore sunscreen into a gift basket doesn’t appeal to you, opt for something fancy like Hempz Yuzu & Starfruit sunscreen. Now there’s a gift that says “I love Yuzu!” HA! Laugh, it was funny.
• A summery bath robe: If mom’s still strutting around in 90+ degree weather in her fleece winter bath robe, upgrade her and cool her down with a breezy, comfy silky summer robe.
  
• Massage certificate: My favorite kind of gift certificate! Give mom a whole massage or just a facial, whatever fits your budget. I really want a hot stone massage. Anyone ever had one of those?

Little Extras that Fit All the Themes

A few other ideas that fit into a pampering gift basket include:

• Scented candles or scent diffusers (for bath time or relaxing!)
• Really good chocolate (because, hello, when doesn’t it fit?)
• Her favorite perfume or body spray
• Slippers
• A great book or an Amazon gift card so she can get a book to read during her pampering sessions
• Super plush towel

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Putting together a DIY gift basket for Mother’s Day can be a lot of fun! While a store-bought pre-made gift basket is probably more convenient on a time crunch, your own DIY version will have handpicked items that your mom will adore. Check back all through April for more DIY gift baskets and themed Mother’s Day gift ideas.

Do you have a favorite type of gift basket that you love giving for Mother’s Day? Tell me about it in the comments!