BYU NewsNet - Ways to brighten Mother’s Day with bought or homemade gifts

Pink storefront displays, pastel spring flowers and sweet perfume usher in Mother’s Day and students ponder what to give to the special ladies in their life.

Many stores have made shopping for mothers easier. Specialized packages and visual ideas make for quick, trouble-free access to popular gift solutions.

Area bookstores including Borders have multiple table displays filled with popular books catering to mothers who love to read.

Cosmetic packages are available at Nordstrom and other department stores. Kits are specifically designed for eyelashes, lips or mineral eye makeup selling for less than $30.

According to various area department stores, the popular perfume this season is Flower Bomb by Viktor Rolf. To complete the gift, a less than half-ounce fragrance atomizer allows for easy airline transport through security lines.

Flowers are always a popular choice for mothers far away. Provo Floral, at 1530 N. Freedom Blvd., allows customers to purchase flowers at their location and have them delivered nationally. This year, popular flowers are mixed arrangements full of spring color.

“Moms love everything,” said Tosh Metzger, Provo Floral owner. “Girlfriends are picky when it comes to flowers; moms just appreciate anything.”

Online photo books can be sent to mothers highlighting specific events. Web sites such as shutterfly.com allow members to upload their photos and create scrapbook-like pages. The books can be ordered and shipped anywhere.

A subscription to a favorite magazine would brighten any mother’s day. Some magazines offer two-for-one deals on yearlong subscriptions through Mother’s Day.

For those looking to spend time together with their mother, tickets to plays or movies allow the giver to appreciate the gift also. Mothers enjoy spending time with their children so an afternoon lunch or activity would allow that to happen.

“My mom likes to have an experience,” said Cami Slade, a business major from Mapleton. “She can go buy anything she wants, so it’s nice when I can give her something that we can do together.”

For more craft oriented students, many Web sites such as gifts.com/occasions/mothers-day or mothersdaycentral.com, have ideas and instructions for unique homemade gifts.

Marla Cluff, a mother of six young children, said she enjoys when her children provide breakfast in bed or a homemade gift.

“I love anything from the heart,” Cluff said. “Whether it’s a present made from church or school, I cherish them all.”

On mothersdaycentral.com, there are instructions for a flower card where the giver can write notes of appreciation on the back of each flower. It also has directions to make an ice candle that comes out in different shapes depending on where the ice cubes are placed prior to pouring the wax.

Some final ideas, from the same Web site, for creative inexpensive gifts include a candy flowerpot where the candy represents the flowers, decorative flip-flops or fun cookie decorating and shapes.

“My mom just wants to hear from all of her children,” said Holly Tippetts, an English major from Mapleton. “She wants to be together, eat sugar and calories; just do things that she normally does not do.”