by Svetlana Konnikova

 Fresh flowers are always winners for any holidays, especially as a gift of Love and Appreciation for a fast approaching  Mother’s Day. These beautiful masterpieces of Nature are appreciated by many women even more than diamonds and other pretentious gifts.  Anyway, how many people will buy these expensive “rocks” now, in dull and gloom, uncertain and psychologically tiring economic time?!

For me there’s no better gifts than fresh and colorful flowers with gentle scent reminding me how magnificent and generous is our green Earth.  Flowers have always given to me the best feelings I know, and they remind me to be cheerful. Some women want to have different gifts to lift their spirits and feel cheerful.

I researched what kind od natural, inexpensive and useful products for women are available today on the market. As a result, here is my List of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas that you can buy online under from $13 to $60 and make dear women in your life happy with your attention, care and love.

1. Frida Kahlo Bars created by Painter Girl Chocolates to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Remember a movie about her? These delicious, dark, earthy chocolate bars (70% cocoa) feature a portrait of Frida and her famous motto, “Viva  La Vida” which means “Long Live Life.” So, with this great motto you’ll have the best wishes of long and, I have to add, a healthy life, too,  because good quality, dark chocolate is good for you, especially if it is spiced with dried chilies and cinnamon. This specialty food comes in a pack of six bars (5 oz) and packaged festively with ribbon and flowers. Price: $24

2. Fine & Raw Chocolate Bars Series made by Fine & Raw

You can choose three different flavors: 78% Ecuador cocoa, 78% & nibs, 83% & nibs, Raspberry (76% Ecuador cocoa) and Lucuma & Vanilla (75% Ecuador cocoa).

Ingredients: cocoa, virgin coconut oil, raw blue agave, cocoa butter, himalayan sea salt.  Price: $25.50

3. All Things Sweet by Bubble Letters NYC

Say something sweet, romantic or inspiring to your Mom, wife or daugther using these are offset printed, folded, luxurious white cards 3.5″ x 5″  8 blank notes come packaged in a clear acrylic box with 8 brown envelopes and 10 kiss stickers to seal your envelope with a sign of love and elegance. Price: 15.00  

4. Total Body Therapy Gift Set, a luxurious four items line for $47 by Mother’s Delight.  Liquid Herbal Body Cleanser, Body Massage Oil, Belly Butter and Tingling Tushie Spay. It is a real Mother’s Delight which is hand-blended and will help Moms to take good care and nourish their delicate skin.

  • a) Body Cleanser (4 oz), a herbal body wash infused with coconut, jojoba, olive, lavender and tea tree essential oils that clean, moistirize and revitalize your skin. Put this cleanser over your body, take a shower and your skin will get a fresh look and will feel soft and silky.

                                        b) Body Massage Oil (4 oz), a blend of coconut, almond, soy, nettle, horsetail, rosemary, sage, lavender, Indian hemp and tea tree essential oils.  This luxurious combination of natural oils is best to use for massage or after you take the shower. It will help to protect and hydrate a dry skin of your whole body, crying for nutrition, and is a great aid for relaxation and rejuvenation.

                                        c) Belly Butter (4 oz), an easily absorbing moisturizer not only for belly, but for a whole body. It is created as a blend of shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, lavender and tea tree essential oils to replenish and retain moisture in your skin and improve its elastity. The best use it after a shower or bathing by massaging Belly Butter gently into your skin.

                                       d) Tushie Spray (4 oz), all-natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, cooling and soothing mist. It contains a delicate balance of tea tree oil and witch hazel oils combined with aloe vera gel and lavender to ease discomfort of soreness or itching skin.

5. Mother’s Day collection of cookies by Elenis. Pamper your Mom with all nice and relaxing treats she can use in her special day. Do you think these are soaps? No, these are 13 hand-iced sugar cookies in a form of a bottle of oil, relaxing mask for tired eyes, refreshing pieces of cucumber, a cushy pillow and other shapes. You can choose from Mother’s Day collection gift sets with fancy cookies like “I love Mom,” “Happy Mother’s Day,” “Designer Handbags,” “Designer Shoes for Mom,” “Tea Time,” “Blue Ribbon,” “Spring Flowers,” and “Match Point.” One gift box cost $59. 

6. Bella Jardin Cards

These are the most popular cards from Bella Muse’s  garden and nature collection. They come with preprinted text: a) Butterfly Blue card reads: “Wake butterfly, it’s late. We’ve miles to go together.” It comes from a poem by Basho, a Japanese poet (1600s). Born in a prominent samurai family, Basho refected that word of nobility and became a wandere, studying Zen, history, and classical Chinese poetry. b) Home Card reads: “Home is the place”; c )Bird Song card reads: “Nesting a verb:to nest; the act of nesting”; d) Thank You Bee card reads: “Thank You”; e) Simpleness & Duty card reads: “For never anything can be amiss when simpleness and duty tender it.” It is a quote from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Price: $20

7. Morning Dew Stationary

Elegant design with gracious pink blossoms swaying in the light breeze and sparkling with tiny drops of morning dew adorn these folded cards. Send your Moms these beautiful folded note cards with green background that capture the beauty of nature. You can personalize each card when you order. There is a space for it. A fresh, green background of the card is juxtaposed with a dark violet band and is available personalized with your recipient name.

These cards measure 5.5″ x 4.25″ Made by Fubabee. Price: $13.

8. Herbal Salves First Aid Kit

A gift every woman will be happy to get for her kitchen green pharmacy.  This trio, especially “First Aid Salve, are packed with antiseptic, antibacterial and healing properties that help in emergency with any minor injury or bruises, cuts and scrapes.

My favorite is Calendula Salve which is an exceptionally effective for inflamed skin, skin ulcers and irritations, and for slow healing wounds. Calendula is an effective medicinal plant. It is strong and efficient, but gentle in the skin and can be used for baby (older than 2 years of age) skin care needs. This salve doesn;’t have any essential oils in its content which makes it an available aid for children and adults with sensitive skin.

Arnica Salve is good for overworked muscles, bruises, minor injuries and sprains.

Manufactured by MJ’s Herbal with all herbs, organic olive and essential oils, natural vitamin E,  pure beeswax to stabilize the salves and the highest grade (premium grade A) shea butter. Certified organic herbs used in salves are grown in the US or “grown without chemicals,” are infused in organic olive oil for three months with the moon phases for added energy and potency. Unprocessed beeswax comes fresh from New York State pesticide free land. Important to notice: these salves are packaged not in plastics, but in glass jars, so you should not be worried that essential oils used in these products will break down, and allow our bodies (like it happens in plastic jars!!!) to absorb toxins from plastic packaging, and poison your blood and body.

Price for Herbal Salves First Aid Kit: $39, but if you want to buy just one, for example, Calendula Salve cost only $13.

These products can be ordered directly from manufactures or from Local Labels made in NYC representing them and many other from New York area, http://www.locallabels.com/catalog

Copyright 2009.