Ideas for a special DIY advent for mum?

[FineandDandie]

A few months ago I found an empty Liberty advent calendar in a charity shop and I snapped it up so that I could fill it full of luxuries as a special advent gift for my mum.

Obviously I will put in small beauty gifts and chocolate and nuts and other things that you would expect, but what I am looking for from the mumsnet hive mind is ideas for other small, useful things that I might also want to consider. I don't want to buy her rubbish that she won't use but I do want to give her gorgeous little luxury moments that she will enjoy and appreciate throughout December.

I want to give her this gift for two reasons. The first is that she deserves it for being fabulous, but the second reason is that for the last two years, she has been a full-time granny-nanny to my daughter, and December coincides with my daughter's third birthday and therefore her starting full-time preschool. So, it's a special gift and I want to put a lot of effort into it.

Thank you all so much for your ideas and I hope this thread can be helpful for everyone!

What a lovey idea. If you have a bit of budget, maybe a pair of earrings or even a locket with a tiny photo of you and your dc in it as your 24th December item?

As your dd is coming up for three, you could probably get her to help you craft a cute Christmas decoration - maybe at your local pottery painting place?

Is there any hobby your mum especially enjoys? You may be able to tie in

Thank you! Love the toddler-made idea!

This is a lovely idea. How about a voucher for a beauty treatment so she can treat herself now she'll have some days to herself. Or a home made invitation to a day out somewhere with you and your daughter.

Tiny sewing set - I'm not a sewer unless I have to but quality threads and needles make such a difference .
I bought a few very sharp needles and some nice threads rather than keeping a random selection that frayed or tangled .
(OK , not stylish or beautiful but useful and make such a difference )

Does she have a hobby? Small cross stitch kit to make a decoration for the Christmas Tree?

Hobbycraft may have some other ideas, eg make your own candles

A Christmas cookie cutter and a recipe for making gingerbread all in a small bag

A nice nail varnish

Edited I have cross posted a bit, sorry

Personally made vouchers eg an evening out together etc.

Rex London is a good site to browse especially in the sale also Campus gifts/ Tempation gifts enjoy browsing I’m sure you will find some things she’d love. What a lovely idea. She’s a lucky Mum.

Thank you everyone, some great leads here and lots of ideas I hadn't thought of at all!

I just looked up the Liberty AC , it is very pretty , I love the pattern on the drawers .

You could fit a miniature of her favourite liqueur but I don't know if a tiny prosecco would fit .
Lipbalm? PawPaw are nice and you can get mini tubes in M&S or TKMaxx

If you look on eBay there's always things like perfume samples , PK Elasticiser , , soaps etc , things that people sell on , or from Business Class goody bags .
Worth a look

I used to do a Beauty Advent for my DD ( in a gift box , I had some wooden tag numbers 1-24 and re-used to box each night ) it is hard work finding small , useful things

East of India do lovely little porcelain trinkets. You could get her a ring dish or a little matchbox sized ornament. They’re stocked in virtually every gift shop in the UK if you want to avoid Amazon
Little snowman token

If the doors are big enough, how about a ‘Grandma’ or Christmas mug with a tea bag and an individual packet of biscuits for one day, or a coffee sachet with a kit-kat, hot chocolate with marshmallows etc…

Little notes or gift tags explaining some gifts may be sweet too. E.g ‘to help Nanna relax’ attached to a little bottle of posh bubble bath or even a pre-mix cocktail tin. Fluffy socks or warm gloves ‘to keep you toasty’… you get the gist. All the beauty counters will be on a mission to give out free samples nearer to Christmas too, you could group some of those together.

I was going to say the same

I love this idea, I have done homemade advent boxes for my daughters in the past, but I might steal you idea and do one for my Mum this year.
Boots do very good product offers in the £10 Tuesday deals, and now Superdrug also do a £5 Friday offer, so worth looking at those.
Whittards do lovely tea boxes/ coffee and hot chocolate.
Loving the idea of toddler personalized decorations too. If she enjoys reading, maybe a magnetic bookmark.

notonthehighstreet (sale on again at the moment) or etsy will do keyrings or necklaces from a childs drawing or thumbprint etc.

Depending on what she enjoys there will be small things that work for interests or her hobbies - cute tea pig if she loves tea, kitchen timer if she's a baker, Nice plant markers if she's a gardener. Whistle if she's a sunday referee - I do think every hobby has at least one small accessory...

Any jokes or things which will make her laugh? Granny pants/very not granny pants? Earplugs if her partner snores. toe separators if she always smudges her pedicure. Really OTT shower cap/swimming cap/washing up gloves?

B&M sell small really Christmassy things if you're down to the 'filler' days - little gingerbread houses to sit on her mug of hot chocolate, sweets she may love but are hard to get elsewhere (only place to get walnut whips around here!) etc

oh and budget depending Jo Malone and similar do tiny but very luxe bath oils, or the mini perfumes from there are great if not too spendy.

Nail care? Posh mini hand cream, file, gloves and a nice polish?

Oooooh what a great find op. I do love charity shop treasure!