Mamma Mia! Your Ultimate Guide to a Heartfelt, Handmade Mother’s Day
- Words by Peppermint
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, maybe you’re hesitant to wade into the blatant disposable consumerism of novelty mugs and cheap bath bombs. Maybe you’ve just forgotten to buy a present altogether. Never fear! Why not make her something handmade instead?!
After all, your mother may have been one of the first people to tell you that a gift made from the heart counts the most, so she has to at least pretend to appreciate the gesture! And if you follow our guide to the killer Mother’s Day combo, your mama will be feeling so thoughtfully appreciated, she won’t have to fake it!
HOUSE OF CARDS
To start with, you’ve got to make a killer card. A handmade card is an instant heart melter. And we’re not talking crayon scribbles anymore. The culmination of all human creativity is at your disposal via the desultory medium of the internet – there are card tutorials out there that will have your mum saying, “Woah, you made this?” Case in point – this amazing papercut art card Studio Flos created exclusively for Peppermint!
Also check out this incredible pop up card from The House That Lars Built. Once you were small enough that your mum could hold you in her hands (wait, how small are babies?) and now you are walking and talking around like a real person – isn’t that weird? Write in a few heartfelt words to showcase how well that literacy she taught you stuck and you’re off to a terrific start.
FLOWER POWER
Peppermint has previously posited the environmental pitfalls of that Mother’s Day staple – a beautiful bouquet of flowers – and we have the solution! A list of sustainable florists with green minds to match their green thumbs.
If you’re worried about rough winds shaking your darling buds of May, you can opt for the more permanent alternative of crafting some paper flowers. Lia Griffith is a paper flower extraordinaire and her website has tutorials for every possible plant under the sun, from Birds of Paradise to Venus Fly Traps. If your mothers has a favourite flower you could no doubt find it in there and make her a perfect paper replica to treasure forever. And if you can’t make it to a craft store to pick up some crepe paper in time, Handmade by Sarah Kim has a tutorial on how to make beautiful paper flowers from recycled materials you could find around your house and in your bin!
ADRIFT FOR GIFTS
A lot of Mother’s Day gifts are themed around “self-care”. Why is that, do you think? Are we trying to repay our mothers in kind for taking care of us? Are we attempting to combat the societal reality that women, particularly caregivers, tend to deprioritise themselves and their wellbeing in order to tend to those around them? Who’s to say! If you want your mum to relax and take some time for herself why not gift her some sweet me-made threads for kicking back in?
Peppermint’s Loungewear Set or Robe Jacket both make for some cuddly, comfy casual wear that will have your mum feeling stylish and serene. If that feels overly ambitious to whip up in a couple of days, you can go for a smaller project like a soothing lavender eye pillow or a spa’s worth of DIY zero-waste beauty products.
Even if you don’t pick up any of these sweet tricks to wow your mama, all you really have to do is drop her a line and let her know you’re thinking of her! Mum’s the word…
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
