Most of the ordering deadlines for Mother’s Day gifts have passed, so that leaves buying something in a local store or making something yourself. Something about handmade gifts means much more to moms. That you spent time and effort making her something says volumes and might even put you in the “favorite kid” category.
Truffles
Truffles are easy to make and there are bunch of recipes. Here are some links to start you on a path to chocolate making. Make sure to use waxed paper as a liner for whatever box you put the truffles in.
Alternatives: Cookies, from scratch or the take and bake kind, brownies, cranberry and orange loaf, blueberry loaf, all these goodies come in prepared mixes. Most of them you just have to add water and an egg and throw them in the oven. Pretty hard to screw up.
Gift Coupon Books
I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t we do this in grade school? My mom never cashed in any of her coupons when I was a kid, but I think it would be different now. Coupons seem a little childish, but sometimes moms just want to spend a little time with their children. Coupons are a way of promising that time. There are so many great templates out now that didn’t exist when I was a kid. Consider doing this for your grandmother and fill out the coupons with fun things to do with her, like going to the movies or playing a card game.
Other Quick and Easy Ideas
- Fill a Ball jar with Epsom salts and a few drops of essential oil. Tie a ribbon and a card around the top. You could write something cute in the card like “A soothing treat, for your aching feet.” For those who don’t know, Epsom salts can be found at any drugstore for under $5, the Ball jar can be found in the canning aisle at the grocery store and essential oils can be found at craft stores, Bath and Body Works, health food stores and Whole Foods.
- HP has a wiki page called “Holiday Gifts in Under an Hour” that can easily be adapted for Mother’s Day. I like the idea of buying a bottle of wine and making a custom label with your mom’s name on it. A five minute project that would make your mom tickled pink.
- Have any other ideas? Share them in the comments. I’d love to know what you’re doing for your mom this Mother’s Day.
Now that everyone has jumped on the green train, it’s only natural to find more and more gift wrap that’s recycled. It’s not the cheapest, but it is one more way to save the planet. Here are a couple of my favorite designs and an added non-paper bonus for those who like to wrap in fabric.
1. The Barn Yard Hemp Wrap over at Paporganics is adorable! I love the little chicken and the cow. Perfect for a kid’s gift or a gift for a kid-at-heart. How earth friendly is this paper, you ask. Here are the specs from the website:
10% hemp/flax blend, 90% recycled post-consumer fiber
processed chlorine-free
vegetable-based ink
2. The Bubbly Recycled Gift Wrap is a FishLips design and is offered at the Green Field Paper Company is evervescent, to say the least. Makes me thirsty just looking at it. And they’re kicking some major booty when it comes to being earth friendly. The paper is 100% post-consumer recycled paper and the inks are soy-based.
3. Speaking of Fish Lips, check out their website. I’m having a hard time picking out my favorite, but I really like the snarky “You’re Welcome” gift wrap.
4. Paper Source always has a great selection and if you hop over to their PS green choices, you’ll find a decent number of recycled gift wraps. I like the Robots, the Mexican Tile, but my favorite is the Goldfish. Click here to check it out.
5. Maybe I have a thing for fish. Natural Elements Paper offers a Koi Fish Gift Wrap that is just plain cool. This company is crazy eco-friendly. I can’t even list all the ways their paper is green to the nth degree. Go read it for yourself here.
6. Lagniappe offers fabric gift bags in every shape and size imaginable. And at prices that won’t break the bank, you don’t have an excuse not to order a couple bags.
Flowers are probably the most popular gift brought or sent to a loved one in the hospital. But have you seen the prices of flowers lately?!? When my grandfather had his hip replaced, I looked online and couldn’t find anything under fifty dollars. I’m not a complete cheap skate, but nothing seemed worth the money these retailers were asking. Of course since I lived out of state, I didn’t really have a choice. Here are a list of ideas for last minute gift (as most hospital stays usually are) shopping that stays under a $25 budget.
- A handful of mylar balloons from the dollar store make an impressive display. For a bit more, add candy bars and tie them right above the balloon weights.
- Rather than bring flowers which will eventually die, buy a small house plant (on sale right now at most home improvement stores and nurseries for under five dollars) and a small planter. I’ve found several cute planters at the dollar store and local thrift store and the price can’t be beat.
- If you’re intent on bringing flowers, buying stems directly from a florist or even a couple bunches (my local store sells three bunches for $12) from the supermarket are always more economical than buying in the hospital gift shop. Don’t forget to pick up a vase or bring one from home. You can pick up a vase at the dollar store for just that, a dollar.
- Most patients have time to kill, pick up a bunch of magazines and a book of crosswords and put them in a gift bag. Don’t forget a pen or pencil!
- Put together a little basket of dominoes, a deck of cards, some dice, maybe some UNO cards and you’ve got at least an afternoon of games for one person or more. Throw in a few granola bars for a treat. The best part is that you can buy almost everything at the supermarket.
- Stop at a local craft store, like Michael’s, and check out the kid’s craft kits. Friendship bracelets, dream catchers, crochet or knitting projects, even a simple paint-by-number kit won’t be too messy for the hospital bed and can be completed in a short period of time.
- Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a huge fan of the Klutz books. This line of books includes most, if not all, the supplies you’ll need to finish a project, perfect for the bed-ridden patient. I’d recommend the following books:
- And one gift idea for spending more than $25. If money isn’t an issue, a wonderful resource for get well gifts is CareGifting. This is a company started by two women with an emphasis on natural products. Their philosophy, stated on their website, is to “choose all natural, pure and organic products to the greatest extent possible, realizing that when the body is working on healing it doesn’t need intrusion from products that can further strain the immune system.” I can’t agree more. After browsing through their products, I would like some of these collections as Christmas presents, as I don’t see myself in the hospital any time soon.
It’s been said that there are no new ideas, just recycled ones. I’m a big believer in this. I don’t claim to have anything new to say, I like to think I give gift reminders. I’ll be covering everything from gift selection to gift wrapping to wacky holidays that need to be commemorated with an equally wacky gift. Nothing is sacred here. And since I couldn’t possibly know about everything gift related, send me your ideas and comments.
While I will cover every major holiday, and a lot of minor ones, my favorite gift is the “just because” gift. I love to give gifts to people who aren’t expecting them. Because isn’t that what makes life great, something unexpected?
One more thing, when reading this blog, leave your cynicism at the door. I love weird, kitschy, out of the ordinary gift ideas. I got my brother a pack of Garbage Pail Kid cards for Easter. My husband thought it was a little out there, I didn’t think twice about it. So if you’re sarcastic and like to be uber-critical, this won’t be the blog for you. I moderate comments and won’t tolerate any negativity. Constructive criticism, however, is encouraged.
