A More Special Bouquet for Mother's Day (Budget Friendly!)

Working from home leaves me with a lot less money for birthday and holiday gifts, which means I've got to get frugally creative when a special day rolls around. So, with Mother's Day less than a week away, I'll be posting a budget-friendly handmade gift idea a day that would be perfect for any special mom in your life. 

Today's gift idea is a twist on the traditional Mother's Day flower bouquet. Instead of popping into a grocery store or onto a retail florist website for a premade bouquet, how about creating something more personalized? 

• Step 1: Stop by your local florist and pick out a couple blooms that you know she prefers and are within your budget. Buy just enough flowers to make a special number, such as the number of grandchildren or number of children (or both) the honored lady has in her life. You can choose to buy all of the same flower, or have different flowers/colors for male and female children, or children and grandchildren.

• Step 2: Place the flowers in a vase or mason jar and create vase filler with any attractive long-stemmed foliage, wild flowers, or sticks from your back yard. If you have the funds, you can also purchase baby's breath or other filling foliage from your florist--or simply let your purchased blooms stand on their own. (You'll obviously need to put water in the vase too!) 

• Step 3: Create a pretty tag using cardboard, construction paper, scrap fabric, or any other suitable material you may have lying about the house. Write on the tag something to the effect of: "Mom's Growing Garden," "Grandma's Special Flowers," or "Thanks for helping us grow!" and list the name each flower represents. For example, our tag would read: "Thanks for helping us grow! We love you, Matt, Lisa, and Andrew." Punch a hole in the tag, pass a ribbon or piece of yarn through it and attach it to the vase.

And that's all you have to do to make a pretty, budget-friendly bouquet for Mother's Day! 

Tulips, daffodil, hyacinth &
wild brocollini flowers from our backyard.

If you live in an area where wild flowers are abundant, you might not even have to visit your local florist at all. I myself will be picking flowers or visiting Stony Point Florist. Stony Point Florist provided gorgeous flowers for my wedding three years back, and they always have created beautiful bouquets for any special occasion that we need flowers for. They are also very friendly and have been a neighborhood fixture for years--and it just feels good to support a local business!

Happy gifting!