Mother’s Day Gift Guide
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
If your mother is anything like mine, all she’ll want on Mother’s Day is a card. (Or a phone call!)
But alas, here I am sharing some material things that have caught my eye these past few months. And while it’s hard to encourage spending for a Hallmark holiday given the state of the world, I hope the ideas listed below, many of which relate to small, family-owned businesses, mostly provide inspiration.
In addition to the items below, here are a few more thoughts:
- Gift certificate to a local restaurant. (Celadon!)
- Donation to a local business you love. (Studio 4 Hot Yoga!)
- Care package assembled by a local shop. If you are local, The Vischer Ferry General Store will assemble a package for you (see below for an example). Call the store to customize. Blue Bird Home Decor, another local shop, will do the same and will ship as well.
As always, my perennial favorites can be found in the shop.
Dates + almond butter is always a winner as is Margaret Roach’s A Way to Garden.
Here are a few more ideas:
1. Pigeon Toe Spoon Rest. My mother sent me this spoon rest a few months ago, and I use it every day — how have I spent so many years cooking without one? It comes in a variety of colors, all of which are beautiful. If you don’t think the mother in your life is in need of a spoon rest, check out Pigeon Toe’s entire shop … it’s all so beautiful. I love this mini creamer.
2. Dot and Army bowl cover + bread bag. This would be such a lovely way to gift a loaf of bread:
3. I discovered Dot and Army via their cloth bowl covers, which are my favorite, but I have since become a fan of all Dot and Army things, namely their selection of less-waste goods. I love these reusable produce bags. Now more than ever it’s as important to arrive to the market not only with your reusable shopping bags but also with your produce bags.
4. House of Shan sweatshirt. My friend, Shannon Buth, designed this sweatshirt (and a whole line of other fun wares), and I’ve been living in it — it’s so soft and cozy. The blue is so pretty. Love the grey, too.
5. A box of tea + a jar of honey or maple syrup. Raise your hand if you’ve been drinking tea all day long! I love this peppermint tea. I actually prefer sweetening it with a teaspoon of maple syrup, but honey is a good match, too.
6. Breadtopia dried sourdough starter. EVERYBODY is baking bread. If you think the mother in your life is curious about dipping her toe into sourdough, a dry sourdough starter, which she can activate when she’s ready, would be such a nice gift. I’ve had great results with both Breadtopia’s dry and live sourdough starters.
7. With sourdough in mind, a beautiful Dot & Army flour sack towel would be a lovely gift. (Note: The below pictured towels are a slightly different (but very similar overall) size than the ones linked to.)
8. A cookie bouquet. My friend Kelly Trimarchi makes the most beautiful (and tasty!) cookies. Right now, too, she’s selling nurse appreciation kits and a whole bunch of other cute sets. (**Local pick-up only!**)
9. Burlap and Barrel Spices. One of you (thanks Hillary!) introduced me to Burlap and Barrel Spices earlier this year. B&B partners directly with smallholder farmers to source spices that have never been available in the US before and, in doing so, helps improve the livelihoods of their partner farmers. I have been using the new harvest turmeric and the royal cinnamon to make turmeric lattes (more on this soon!).
10. Nespresso Aeroccino. To make those turmeric lattes, I’ve been steaming cashew, almond, or oat milk with my Nespresso Aeroccino, and it’s such a treat to curl up to a warm, spiced, frothy milk-filled mug. (Note: You have to use full-fat milks to get a good froth; don’t buy this if you are looking to steam low-fat milks…you’ll be disappointed. I’ve been loving Elmhurst sweetened cashew and almond milks and Oatly oat milk.)
11. A new cookbook. These are two I’ve been loving: Susan Spungen’s Open Kitchen and Lukas Volger’s Start Simple. Find Susan’s recipe for grilled Romaine Caesar Salad (delicious!) here and Lukas’s recipe for roasted mushroom polenta bake (heaven!) here.
12. Or a new cooking memoir. I just ordered this: Phyllis Grant’s Everything is Under Control. Seems timely 😂😂😂
13. A Peasant Bread Kit, Mother’s Day Edition 💕💕💕 This set includes two 1-qt Pyrex bowls, a pink Dot and Army cloth bowl cover, a GIR spatula, a digital scale, a signed copy of Bread Toast Crumbs, and a Julia Child quotation notecard: “I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”
14. Neapolitan Pizza, delivered! How fun? I just ordered the starter pack. My neighbor did, too. A Zoom pizza party is in our future 🍕🍕🍕🍕
15. Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. My friend Jen Angelopoulos recently founded The Furies, an organic extra-virgin olive oil company. The olives are harvested by hand from olive trees in the Achaia region of Greece. The oil is never blended, and The Furies is committed to sustainability at all levels of production. Read more about the olive oil here. It is delicious.
16. Opinel Knives. I don’t own an Opinel knife I don’t love. From the kitchen knives to the classic folding knives to the table knives, each is beautifully crafted. This spreading knife “sparks joy” every time I use it. They also have a line of gardening tools, which I have yet to explore, but which look lovely.
17. A NYTimes Cooking subscription. I recently made Samantha Seneviratne’s double chocolate cookies, and oh my goodness, wow. You need a NYTimes Cooking subscription to access the recipe. For $40/year, you gain access to all of the recipes. (It might be worth it for the cookie recipe alone 🍪🍪🍪)
18. Chickpeas or other dried beans. Doesn’t the Nuts.com packaging just make you smile? When I could not find dried chickpeas in any of my stores last month, I checked nuts.com and sure enough, they were in stock. I ordered some cranberry beans and lupini beans while I was at it.
19. A Gift from me to you. You made it this far. Thank you, as always, for reading. Here are a selection of my favorite things. My friend Louise McManus, owner of the beautiful Vischer Ferry General Store, selected a number of goodies: V&A Garden Tool Set, Corkcicle Tumbler, Beekman 1802 Body Wash and Lotion, and a spring candle. And I’ve added a House of Shan sweatshirt (you pick size/color) and The Break Active rings (you pick size/color).
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment. Tell me this: what has been bringing you peace and happiness during these trying times? Or what are you missing most? Sending you all love 💗
Update: The giveaway is closed. The winner is Mary. I have emailed you.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
145 Comments on “Mother’s Day Gift Guide”
Lovely gift ideas! I’ve been indulging in wine (so much wine), baths, and taking time to read a book. Thanks for the opportunity!
Trying to be the mama I never before had time to be.
Cooking has definitely brought comfort during this time. I miss going out without masks and gloves.
Cooking and baking is definitely bringing me joy right now and helping me feel like it helps my kindergartener get some “science” in her day. Also my 7 month old who has no idea what’s happening right now and just wants to cuddle or chew on his toes! Being stuck inside is hard but we are both still working and we got a flour delivery yesterday so we are very lucky!
This is not a “brown-nose” job but I had purchased Bread, Toast, and Crumbs shortly before this started and have loved learning to bake bread. The most important ingredient is time. I’m loving it. I wish I had had your bread making kit as I started.
What I miss the most are the spontaneous trips to the grocery store. Planning ahead for a week or tow has been a challenge.
I’ve found joy in seeing (at a distance) family members who weren’t able to spend much ‘quality time’ together share an afternoon making crafts and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. I’ve spent more time cooking and baking (peasant bread!) and reading Margaret Roach’s gardening book for inspiration before digging up more of the yard. I’ve been counting my blessings. So many blessings…
Lots of walks around our little town and waving to people sounds silly but more people are waving back.
Baking always makes me feel better
I am quarantined with my mother-in-law. (there’s a joke in there somewhere) She has never been a cook and at 90 has no intention of taking it up. So fresh, warm, sliced bread with fresh tomatoes and melted cheese (the best thing ever from Weight Watchers) impresses the heck out of her. She loves to eat and though her diet is a bit limited she appreciates ‘presentation’ (which makes me laugh as to how a sprig of parsley or a twisted slice of orange can improve a dish). But it’s 24/7 and gone are the nights of ‘can we just have cereal?’ But it’s also quiet in the kitchen because there isn’t really a rush. And flaming revolutionary that I am, I now refuse to make Sunday ‘dinner’ — I’ll do that on Saturday (I need a title for this weekly event) and just as the Lord directed, “Sunday is for rest!” (and that means leftovers). MRS
I am really missing thrift shopping!
I’ve been cooking a lot and I love Open Kitchen and Start Simple. Great books. I’m also making lots of peasant loaves and giving them to my neighbors as a treat. Everyone is so happy when I leave a loaf on their doorstep. It’s the little things that get me through!
Soup, oh my goodness, cooking soup – many of them yours, Alexandra! Cabbage and Potato Soup, Lighter Broccoli Soup, Tomato Soup, Lentil Soup – and then Asparagus Soup, and Ribolita, and Potato Leek Soup, Ham and Pea Soup. Topping them with Croutons, chives from my garden, and a beautiful drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, and coarse salt. I’ve made your Peasant Bread, and your Kalamata Bread. And more! My kitchen is my sanctuary, and keeping me and my husband healthy with lots of vegetables in my soup!
Live streaming church services has been a comfort to me – especially over Easter. And being able to sing along with the hymns! Zoom meetings with family and friends.
What do I miss the most? Giggling with my adorable grandchildren, feeling their arms around my neck, reading them books, making them their favorite sloppy joes, and doing all the fun things we like to do together!
I have been cooking and baking during this very trying time. I am experimenting with different types of breads to keep me busy. This has given me a lot of joy because I make extras and deliver fresh baked breads to my neighbors!
I’ve been enjoying the time with my teenagers, we don’t have any place to be, our dinner conversations have ranged from silly to thought provoking and back. We have had dance parties, put puzzles together, spent more time in the kitchen, watched movies and laughed a lot. It’s time that we would never have had so we are trying to make the best of it, it’s not always easy but it certainly is memorable.
We homeschool, so we’re home anyway, but it’s been superb to have our afternoons and evenings back. We do projects that I’ve not wanted to make eye contact with! We sew the non essentials, we bake the unnecessary, and we drive around unfamiliar neighborhoods…just for fun.
Thank you for these unique and thoughtful gift ideas! You always pick excellent tools and supplies, and I love these companies’ good intentions. Stay well!
My garden has kept me sane. Gardening friends have gifted me peonies, a Japanese Maple, bee balm, hostas, and more. While I am still waiting for my veggie seeds to come, I have put together and stained four standing raised beds. Existing garden beds have been weeded, covered in landscape fabric, and mulched.
We are enjoying slow food of many types. Our son has asked for a pot of pinto beans and green chile cheddar corn bread. So that will happen tomorrow. Every week I bake a fruit and nut loaf. A slice for breakfast with mascarpone cheese and a drizzle of local raw honey is a wonderful start to the day.
Really missing the sunshine and cheerful mood it brings. We live in the country, so cooking and staying home are pretty normal. On the few occasions I have ventured into the public, it is so sad to see the social avoidance occurring during this shut down. I am hopeful we do not forget how to tap into the happiness, smiles and kindness we used to share. Fortunately, my grandsons are next door. Every weekend there’s a sleepover with pancakes from scratch and pappy’s own maple syrup.
We have been biking everywhere (and nowhere). It’s been fun to avoid the car, and we really have nowhere to go in a hurry, and less traffic in the neighborhood anyway.
Thank you for all of your posts, I just love them. I’ve been grateful to have a break from my overscheduled kids sports and activities. Guilty!! I’m the one who scheduled all of it! It’s just so nice to be able to stay at home. Grateful to have a home to shelter in. Has definitely shifted my views of what’s important! Grateful that I’m an essential worker ( pharmacist) and even more grateful for the people providing direct patient care. One think I really miss is walking around my favorite nursery! They have the most amazing greenhouse and annuals. ❤️
I’ve been finding joy in nature! Planting all the things!
Grateful for the extra time spent with our 18 year old son who will be graduating from high school in a month. Pure joy. And missing terribly my 20 year old son who is in the Navy. They grew up too fast. Blessed with two awesome children.
Hi Alexandra!
I’ve gotten a lot of peace by studying 1Peter with the ladies from our church, remotely, of course, and listening to extra sermons to help put life in the right perspective. Happiness has been cooking steadily, and baking bread, most of which are your recipes! I had forgotten how much I love being in the kitchen. I’ve been able to share with neighbors and small group friends, which makes me feel good. I really miss going antiquing with my husband. He’s working from home, but it’s not the same as going out to do fun stuff. I also really miss my grandkids. We FaceTime nearly every day, but I’m not traveling to see them and they are growing up so fast!
Thank you for your fun and practical posts, you’ve brought some really great products to my attention! You have wonderful taste and I love all the antique wood you have in your kitchen photos!
Writing in my “isolation” journal, zoom book discussions with my grandson and lots of bread and cookie baking. Long walks and gardening to work off those extra calories.
Thanks for all these wonderful ideas for gifts!
Hi Ali!
I have been cooking through your book. Baking keeps me sane. I have been keeping one loaf and giving the second loaf to neighbors. I leave a loaf on their doorsteps. I love baking. I really miss spending time at the gym. I now have a home gym but I can’t wait until we can go back.
I love all these ideas! And I love your recipes too, I use them often. My peace and happiness these days comes from giving my firefighter-EMT partner a big hug when he gets home safely from all his shifts (don’t worry, he showers before leaving work!).
Love your blog and recipes and suggestions for sites to go to and order from. I will enjoy looking at all of your Mothers Day suggestions during this historic time in all of our lives. Especially when I can’t sleep!
Thank you!!!
Thank you for all of your posts!
The thing bringing me the most peace right now has been daily walks while listening to podcasts.
Bird watching, cooking and gardening bring me much comfort. Have tried to make a sourdough starter without much luck but a local baker has agreed to share hers so I am excited to try baking bread!
What a great post, so many good ideas for showing someone you care, without being over the top . . . or just for show. Love that. Now to decide . . .
I live in a very rural place, so am lucky to be able to get out and take long walks with the dog — it is good. I miss the luxury of deciding last minute what to keep and running to the store to grab extra ingredients that aren’t handy in my pantry.
I have been enjoying baking and watching my dvd’s that had been collecting dust 😱. I also have had the time to dust said dvd’s. I miss going physically shopping for my grandchildren and our large family get togethers. Be Safe!
What I miss most is the feeling that I know what will happen next.