Mother's Day Celebration + Gorgeous Gift Ideas

Beautiful Mother's Day gifts for that trend setting Mom...or yourself!

Mother's Day is the day to celebrate our Moms and enjoy being a mom (if that's the case). Today's moms are young, fresh and even athletic. We've learned that it's "O.K." to carve out time for ourselves each day and to sparkle when we go out. Here are some super gifting ideas for her and or to enjoy for yourself!

Cate and Chloe CZ Jewelry

Cate & Chloe Jewelry makes a wonderful gift as you can mix and match earrings, bracelets and necklaces to make a lovely presentation set. Here I am wearing the Diana "Divine" Necklace based on jewelry owned by one of the most glamorous Moms in the world, Princess Diana. The sterling silver necklace has an extender so you can adjust the length. I paired this elegant necklace with the Eleanor "Shining Bright" Hoop Earrings.  These are CZ studded hoops with a dangling CZ stone with silver plated accents. See more lovely jewelry selections at CateandChloe.com

Cate & Chloe Diamond Earrings and Necklaces

Helen Ficalora Sterling Silver Charm Jewelry

Helen Ficalora MOM Charm in Sterling Silver

Sterling Silver Charms that you can mix or match to make your own personalized gift for Mom. They all easily fit on the fine sterling silver chain and look beautiful with a clean, simple appeal. See more jewelry selections at HelenFicalora.com

Add  extra charms to your Helen Ficalora necklace.

Shari Dixon Handcrafted Jewelry
These unique, organic pieces are handmade in the USA by jewelry artist and designer Shari Dixon. The pendants contain actual plants and flowers preserved in resin while the lockets can hold a little photo of a child for Mom. A keepsake and jewelry all in one! Visit ShariDixonInc.com. Shown below are her: 
Bamboo Oval Locket Adjustable Ring
Yellow Achillea on Olive Locket Bracelet
Thyme Seed Pack Pendant Necklace

Love Shawls Scarves + Jewelry

Love Shawl Glam Blush with 24k Gold Accents

Love Shawls are a lovely combination of a scarf and jewelry. Embellished with fresh water pearls, gems and gold or silver accents, these add instant polish and elegance for every outfit.
Love Shawls are handmade and absolutely lovely to wear as you can see. See all their current styles online at LoveShawls.com

Love Shawl Goddess-Bordeaux with silver accents and beads.

American Tourister Overnight Bag & Coco-Mat and Luxe Me Now Slippers 
Travel-Mom will love these! New, lighter flight ready American Tourister Bags are the Official Luggage of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland. The Atomosphera 2 Overnight Bag as a telescoping handle and two large wheels. It has multiple exterior pockets for easy last minute access. The interior is fully lined with cross straps and a large mesh zippered inner pocket. Weight? Only 6 lbs. and just the right size to fit in the smaller airline on flight boxes.

Coco-Mat & Luxe Me Now Slippers
Natural Fiber Slippers by Coco-Mat are made of organic cotton. Soft and lightweight, especially for summer travel. I've worn my Luxe Me Now slippers to Crystal Springs Spa and even to breakfast at the Hotel! They are the ultimate in glamour and Mom will feel like a movie star wearing them on vacation or at home.

Coco-Mat Natural Organic Cotton Slippers

Sublime Beauty Sampler - Travel Set
TSA Flight Friendly set of 9 of the most popular Sublime Beauty products for face and body:  Vitamin C Day Cream SPF 30, Retinol Serum, Collagen Serum and Mask, Hyaluronic Serum, Glycolic/Salicylic Serum, Luxurious Facial Oil, Cellulite Whisperer Body Gel and Lotion. Visit SublimeBeautyShops.com or order on Amazon.

Sublime Beauty Sampler

Posh Gardening Tools by Liberty of London
Does Mom like to garden? Here are some ideas for her flower bed and rose garden: Liberty of London Gardening Tools and Tote are lovely but you can find similar pieces at your local gardening section at most major stores. Add a canvas tote and a few seed packets for an extra special touch.

Pretty Gardening Tools from Liberty of London

Rose & Herb Wreath and Onion/Artichoke Dip Sets from Creekside Farms
Does Mom like to entertain? Send her this beautiful Rose and Herb Wreath to welcome her guests and this lovely Onion and Artichoke Dip Set to serve them! Dried flowers and herbs are hand arranged by artisans at Creekside Farms and ship anywhere in the US. The Dip Sets are a beautifully painted Red Onion and Artichoke and hold a LOT of dip. Visit Creekside Farms for more floral, herb wreaths and gift ideas. Best Picks Magazine readers receive 15% OFF with Coupon Code MOM15 on all Creekside Farms orders.

Floral-Herb Wreath and Dip Sets from Creekside Farms

Dixon Sun Hat from Pistil Designs
This is the perfect laid back beach to picnic hat sure to become one of Mom's favorites. The Dixon is a natural fiber woven hat made paper straw, so it's light and cool. Shown here in Sienna, it has a chin strap and the Pistil logo metal piece on the braided headband. The brim has thin wire in it to help keep its shape. See more from Pistil Designs online.

Dixon Sun Hat in Sienna by Pistil Designs

Honeysuckle Sport Tote by Fitmark
Mom will love taking this handy tote to the club, pool or spa as it is soft, light and full of soft lined pockets to hold everything. It even has a separate, removable antimicrobial wet bag plus a Fit-Hydrate pocket with insulated liner to hold your favorite sports bottle. Totally tricked out, Mom or you will have heads turning when you enter the club with this tote. See more from Fitmark Bags online.

Art & Sole is a spectacular selection of more than 150 fantasy art shoes from the Stuart Weitzman Collection. What Alexander McQueen is to fashion, Art & Sole is to dress shoes.  This book is a lovely presentation with its red cloth binding and gilded edged pages showcase approximately 150 breathtaking to whimsical shoes.  Author, Jane Gershon Weitzman is Executive V.P. of Stuart Weitzman and the first Vice President of retail. 208 pp/hardcover/Harper Collins.

Art & Sole Gift Book

Whatever gifts you choose, just be sure that's it's from the heart and beautiful. These select Mother's Day Gifts deliver on both points spectacularly!

Lead Photo: Winter Garden Dress by Cindy and Johnny, Tan Leather Ballet Flats by T & N (Sagar)
Eye Wear by Jack Eyes, NYC

Bold, Bright Nail Beauty: New Fall Colors Revlon Colorstay - Crabtree & Evelyn

Revlon ColorStay Longwear nail enamel in a new fall color, Delicious!

Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel
Just in for fall! I picked up this new color in Revlon's ColorStay line. DELICIOUS!!! It's so vibrant that it reminds me of a bright, red delicious apple.  So autumn. What I like best about the new formula and shade is that it really wears a long time and the finish stays so bright and shiny for at least two weeks. Even more impressive is the finish. It's more like the "gel nails" but no curing light is needed.  Just two coats! The brush is flat and the jar contains a mixing ball. It goes on so easy and dries quickly. My favorite nail enamel now!

Neocell Beauty Bursts for strong, healthy nails.

NeoCell Beauty Bursts Collagen Chews
I've also given my nails a beauty treatment from the INSIDE. I've been taking NeoCell Beauty Bursts for more than a month now. After only a week, I could see my nails changing. They were growing faster and thicker. That's due to two of these little tasty chews having 2,000 mgs of hydrolyzed collagen 1 & 3. They are easy to take along so I pop a few in my bag when I'm on the go. These chews come in Chocolate Mint (yum!) and a fruit punch flavor that's sort of like a cherry Star Burst. They also contain hyaluronic acid vitamin C. Not only do they make your nails stronger but the collagen is amazing for your skin. Win-win!

Crabtree and Evelyn's Gardeners Hand Therapy Treats: Hand Cream & Nail and Cuticle Therapy

Crabtree and Evelyn joins Pecksniffs (of Brighton actually) as one of my favorite London fragrance houses. Before doing my manicure, I used their very rich Gardeners Nail & Cuticle Therapy. It softens and conditions the cuticle and nail bed with panthenol and keratin. The Gardeners Hand Therapy is equally nourishing and is something I like to wear under my gardening gloves for an extra treat. Both smell heavenly and are part of a larger gift set I received.

C & E Gardeners Gift Set came to me in this lovely gardening tote. Gardening Tools by Liberty of London. Vintage Silk Scarf by Oscar de la Renta

 

Crabtree & Evelyn: Gardeners Set

Going on vacation?  Take this little hand pampering spa along with you!

Vacation time is just the right time for a little TLC.  We often spend a lot of time and effort maintaining our face and neck.  What about your hands?  This very useful Gardeners Set from Crabtree & Evelyn was a very special anniversary gift but would also make an excellent splurge for yourself!  This is true even if you're not into gardening.

These products are the most deliciously scented creams and scrubs, reminding me of another old revered English fragrance house, Pecksniff's of Brighton.


Here are the elements included in the Gardeners Set:

Hand Recovery - This smaller 0.9 oz tube holds a very concentrated exfoliant that scrubs away dead, dry surface skin cells.  It's oil based so it does not strip the skin of its natural moisture.  In fact the FIRST ingredient is Macadamia Seed Oil.

Hand Therapy - A very rich, yet light cream which features as its main ingredient, Macadamia Nut Oil.  Also includes extracts of Rosemary, Sage and Cucumber.

Hand Scrub with Pumice - This larger tube is more useful for lifting embedded dirt from the skin.  Remember, this is a gardener's gift set so effective soil removal is going to be essential.  The second ingredient is volcanic Pumice but it also contains a good amount of honey and aloe vera.  

Nail & Cuticle Therapy - One of the most welcome additions to the set is this special cream for nails and cuticles.  The main ingredients in this product are glycerin and shea butter.  A little goes a long way and the recommendation is to apply it after gently pushing the cuticles back with an orange stick.


Where to Buy?
You can order these wonderful products online from Crabtree & Evelyn or try Harmon's Beauty Supply Store which has begun carrying select items.

The lovely woven Crabtree & Evelyn tote can be used for garden tools or a trip to the beach! Scarf  by Oscar de la Renta. Garden Tools by Liberty of London

Spring Gardening Joys

Perk up your spring gardening with these lovely Liberty of London tools and Sunflower Tote!

There is something very therapeutic about working with good soil. Even the simple things that lead up to the actual planting such as composting and turning over the earth connects us to a simpler time. A time when we were tied to the earth in a very intimate way.

Getting a new set of gardening tools or just cleaning / repainting your old ones is a easy way to ignite your gardening passion. Pick up a pair of pretty brightly colored gardening gloves so you associate the activity with something lovely. The orange and yellow metal container pictured here can be used to store your things and the tote makes a good place to carry the tools which are sure to get a little muddy after use. One you empty everything out, use the tote bag as a waterproof pad. With a little foam added, you can lay it down on the ground to keep your knees dry and protected from the hard, damp ground.

Another idea you might consider is gardening in pots or containers. I have succulents planted in the strawberry pot pictured here but all sorts of herbs also do well. Place them on a sunny porch and harvest your ever-bearing strawberries and spices as needed!

Containers are also very popular now for tomatoes but you can make your own Topsy Turvy style planters. We did last year and planted both Rutgers and grape tomatoes in them. They were very clean and gave a fair amount of yield. We just got the largest hanging plastic planters we could find and poked 3 inch diameter holes in them. Next we filled with a mixture of compost, Miracle Grow Gardening Soil and about 1 tbsp of Magnesium or Epsom Salts. The only thing is with terracotta pottery, you'll need to water a bit more frequently because the sun's heat is conducted through the minerals within the clay. This can be a good thing for plants like strawberries that like a dryer, warmer soil.

If you are new to gardening, this is an easy way to ease into it. Planter gardening is becoming very popular because it reduces bending and stooping. You can also shift your pots and containers to sunnier or less windy spots as the season dictates. The rewards of fresh organic produce just steps outside of your door are perhaps the best inducement to invest in a little gardening savvy!