Gift Guide: Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner, so I thought I'd try to be on top of things and do a little gift guide for the special occasion. This has also been a brainstorming tool for my own gift-giving, so Mom, you're banned from this blog for the next two weeks. Even though you admitted to opening and rewrapping your Christmas presents under the tree as a kid, I'm going to trust you to stop reading now. ;)

When thinking about Mother's Day gifts, I try to come up with something that will be both very personal and a special treat, meaning I think about what my mom really likes, but I'll give her the "splurge" version that she'd never buy for herself. When creating this list I thought of what I believe my own mom would enjoy or has enjoyed receiving in the past... 

1. Above is one of the best home decorating coffee table books in existence. Created by the makers of Domino Magazine, it is a great interior style guide for anyone who appreciates a beautifully unique home. My siblings and I actually gave this book to my mother a few years back and I think we would all agree that this is one of the biggest winners so far. Oftentimes, when my mom and I are chatting on the phone and the conversations turns to interior design, she'll ask me to grab my own copy of Domino and then she'll tell me what page to turn to so I can see her latest inspiration. Then we gaga over all the beautiful photos for a half-hour. That's how we bond long-distance. :) There are all kinds of attractive coffee table books on topics ranging from Southeast Asia to Standard Poodles, so I'm sure you'll find something to your mom's liking if this is what you decide to go for. image via

2. Bird baths were a constant fixture in the gardens of my mom's house growing up. I swear we had one in the backyard, one in the front yard and one along the driveway to view out the kitchen window - she loves them. In fact, I actually stole this idea from my mom because she recently gave one to our grandmother for her birthday (even though I'm pretty sure she already had one - it runs in the family). So if your mom already has a bird bath, you could like, totally get her another one. They come in all sizes and styles from modern to baroque, and over time can gather lots of moss and look all Secret Garden-like. And the birds are so cute and fun to watch splash around in the water! Unless, of course, you're one of those people who gets creeped out by birds (my god, there are seriously so many of y'all!). In that case, onto the next... image via

3. Have you heard of Tastebook yet? If not, you're probably about to shout "Bingo!" because it's the ideal gift for anyone who enjoys cooking (and according to Facebook, pretty much everyone "likes" cooking). Basically, it's a personalized cookbook you create online by selecting recipes from sources like Epicurious, the Food Network, Bon Appetit, etc., or you can add your own with personal notes and photos. For example, when my siblings and I put one together for our mom for Christmas, we selected a photo from a family trip to Costa Rica to go on the same page as a Latin American dish (which was most likely Mexican, whatever). You can then personalize the book further by choosing the text and photos for the cover and dedication page, and with a few more clicks of the mouse - you're done. At your doorstep in no time. image via

4. I've always wanted to be a recipient of a "Gift of the Month," so why wouldn't it work for a Mother's Day gift? I'll eventually be a mother and I'm sure I'll still wish for it. I'd choose the Coffee of the Month Club for my own mom because I really don't think there's any other ritual she enjoys more (yes she calls drinking coffee a ritual). In this case, every month she would receive two different kinds of freshly roasted coffee beans from small, specialty coffee roasters around the world. Cool, right? So much better than a "treat" from Starbucks. If your mom doesn't enjoy coffee, there are dozens of other clubs out there from cupcakes to flowers. And bacon. There's a bacon club. image via

5. I may be one of the few people left who still makes mix CDs, and I enjoy pushing my music on other people so much that I don't think I'll ever stop. It takes me a loooong time to make each mix because I always reorder the songs about twenty times until they seamlessly lead into one another and the mix flows in a perfect wave from beginning to end. Phew, that was a long sentence. So if I ever make you one, you better appreciate it. Pathetically, I've only ever burned copies of albums I already had for my mom (Metric turned out to be her very favorite; yes I have a cool mom), so this time around I'm actually going to make her a mix of carefully selected songs that I think she'll really love. And of course, I'll decorate the CD with colored sharpies, because that's the really fun part, don'tcha rememba? image via

6. As we all know, one of the tried and true Mother's Day gift ideas is something that will allow your mom to be pampered a bit. This can be anything from a gift certificate for a massage, to a homemade dinner made by you, to a luxurious, super-soft set of expensive pajamas that she wouldn't have thought twice about purchasing herself. This is the time to spoil your mom, because she deserves it! image via

7. Finally, a homemade card to top it all off is something I'm definitely going to do this year (and I think you should too). I can't remember the last time I actually made a homemade card, but I know how stupidly excited I get when I receive one. Even you self-declared uncreative people can manage to make something beautiful with the wonderful help of Pinterest. Just believe in yourself! image via

And that wraps up my Mother's Day gift guide! Without a doubt pun intended. :) 

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