O's Mother's Day Gift Guide
A few things we think are just great for mom.
For the Chocoholic
Travel the world without leaving home, thanks to François Pralus, a master French chocolatier who created this sampler of dark chocolates made with beans from Tanzania, Madagascar, and eight other cocoa-centric regions.
$45, Pralus Pyramide des 10 Tropiques; Shopping.com
Photos: Gisel Florez/Studio D
A Taste of Paris
These macaroons are one of Kate Spade designer
Deborah Lloyd's favorite things. "I'm good about not snacking at my desk," she says."But when I'm in Paris, it's an absolute disaster because there are so many wonderful things. The macaroons are almost too pretty to eat."
Sucré, $20 for box of 15; ShopSucre.com
Calling All Shoe Lovers
Because these sandals are handsewn, they require less adhesives and cements. Also, nontoxic vegetable-dyed leather is used in lieu of man-made products for uppers and linings. A small step for sandals, a giant leap for womankind.
Børn Crown; $99 per pair; BornShoes.com
Sack It To Her
It's 2009; why are we still using paper and plastic bags? This organic cotton tote is your chance to help mom make a world of difference.
The Oprah Store; $9.50; TheOprahStore.com
Color Infusion
Organically grown bamboo...it's not just for environmentally conscious pandas anymore. These woven bamboo nesting baskets will hold everything from keys and mail to lemons and limes.
Bambu; $18 for three;
Bambu.GreenFeet.com
The Easy Garden
Even city-slicker moms can have an herb garden. These biodegradable containers are made from renewable grain husks and come with soil, growing instructions, and seeds.
UncommonGoods; $16; UncommonGoods.com More gardening gifts she'll love
Vacation in a Pot
If you can't send your mom to the tropics, why not send the tropics to mom? R.F. Orchids has literally thousands of exotic varieties of orchids and will deliver a different one in full bloom four, six, or—if you really want to be a petal pusher—12 times a year.
R.F. Orchids; $285 for four-month subscription; RFOrchids.com
Mom's Best Friend
This 10-foot retractable leash actually has a flashlight built right into its handle for those nightly walks. All she needs now is batteries and a dog.
Intuition Dog Leash; $30; ShopIntuition.com
Taking Stock
This brilliant 1.5-quart stockpot allows you to cook in it, measure ingredients in it, freeze food in it, pour with ease, and seal for freshness. It's only a matter of time before it does your laundry and takes you dancing.
Reston Lloyd, $21; RestonLloyd.com
Kitchen Basics
The Vegetable Box, shaped like a mini produce crate, contains 14 tiny cookbooks (with titles like Carrots and Leeks and Corn and Tomatoes) and dozens of sumptuous recipes.
$35; Amazon.com
Mirror, Mirror
Any self-regarding woman will welcome a pocket mirror, brightly slipcased in leather, to check for mascara tracks, lettuce in teeth, and other facial pitfalls.
$19 each; BaekGaardLtd.com
Photo: Ben Goldstein/Studio D
Bring the Spa to Her
This is one of designer
Susana Monaco's favorite beauty products. "I have a facial every few weeks. It's relaxing," Monaco says. This little kit lets you partake at home.
Lisa Hoffman Spa Facial Packette; $35; LisaHoffmanBeauty.com
...Or the Salon!
Pour room-temperature water inside these disposable mitts and booties, and they turn toasty warm (they're lined with a mineral-and-salt solution that generates heat when it absorbs water). Slather on your favorite moisturizer, slip into them, and in 10 minutes you'll have silky hands and feet—without the price tag of a salon mani-pedi.
True Blue Spa Suddenly Sauna, $16 for four pairs; BathandBodyWorks.com
Photo: PangeaOrganics.com
Pamper, Relax, Repeat
Pangea Organics' gift packages come stocked with bar soaps, shower gels, and lotions and arrive in a stylish (really, skip the wrapping paper!) recycled box inlaid with spruce seeds—soak them, plant—and in two weeks a baby Spruce tree will appear, along with, we assume, softer skin.
Gift sets start at $30; PangeaOrganics.com More bath products we love
For the Decorator
Avant-garde jewelry, offbeat ceramics...some of the world's best-educated artists (alumni and faculty) supply the Rhode Island School of Design's store—where design insiders shop—relaunching this month in the institution's new Jose Rafael Moneo–designed Chace Center building.
Duck mirror, $70; "Frida" necklace, $48; RISDWorks.com Photo: Courtesy of Kirkland Designs. Brian Jones, Courtesy of RISD Museum of Art
Brighten Her Morning—Every Day
No chance this ladybug will fly away home, thanks to suction cups that keep the FM radio stuck to the shower wall. Press its shell to turn it on; let the auto shut-off preserve its batteries.
Brookstone, $35; Brookstone.com
You Ought to Be in Pictures
For those who like to do their bragging the modern way, here is a wallet-size digital photo album that includes a faux-leather case and a 2.4-inch screen. It even plays MP3s!
$50, Coby Electronics DP-240; Walmart.com
From the
May 2009 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
