Tuesday, 10 May 2016  • Gift Baskets,


We all love our moms and know they deserve more than a day to show them how much we appreciate them. Yet, every year when Mother's Day rolls around, that dreaded 'f' word looms over us - "Oh no, I forgot!" We've all been there. In fact, we took a little stroll around the Wine Country Gift Baskets office and asked our team members if they've ever been in this position. Unsurprisingly, they all said yes. So how did they manage to wiggle their way out of this? By getting creative.

Here are the top 5 creative ideas they came up with. Oh, and don't worry, your secret is safe with us.

Breakfast in Bed
An all-time classic that can easily be pulled together with a piece of paper, some flowers from the backyard, and the food already in the kitchen.

The first thing you need to do is open up the pantry and see what food you've got. You don't need to get fancy and create pancakes that look like hearts, although if you've got a heart shaped cookie cutter, it's something to think about. Even a bowl of cereal, when served up with love, is scrumptious.

Once you know what your options are, then build a menu. If you have access to a printer, you can easily find a template on your word processor, and add some original flare to it. Maybe even copy and paste an awesome picture of you and your mom together. Alternatively, grab some colored pencils, paints, or pens and create something of your very own.

And for the 'piece de resistance', scout the back or front yard for some flowers. You don't have to pick a bunch, even just one placed in a small glass or vase filled with water will give it that finishing touch. Now, all you need to do, is load everything up on a tray, and deliver it to the Queen of your life - mom.

Tip: If you're waking mom up, put the tray down before you do so. Otherwise, if startled, the tray might accidentally go flying.

DIY Sharpie Mug
DIY projects are a fun way to inject love into any gift, and turn timeless kid-art into a lifelong, useful keepsake. And what better gift to give than a cup of love, so she never runs low? For this project, you'll need to purchase a light-colored ceramic mug which you can find in just about any supermarket or convenience store. You'll also need some sharpie markers.

Now, you've got two options here. You can do it Jackson Pollack style and use your sharpie to draw directly on the mug, and see where the spirit of art takes you. You can also write a mother's day message, or maybe a short poem that expresses how much you love mom. Alternatively, you can get super crafty. In addition to the mug and the sharpie you will need a pencil, some tracing paper, and some carbon paper. Find the particular picture you want to recreate then use the tracing paper and pencil to trace over the picture or image that you like. Once you're done tracing your image, then set it aside.

Cut a small piece of carbon paper, and tape it onto the mug. Now cut out your traced image, and tape it over the tracing paper. With a pencil, gently go over the lines on the tracing paper again, ensuring you press just enough to make sure the carbon ink transfers onto the mugs surface. When you're done, carefully remove the tracing paper and carbon paper. The lines you traced should be lightly visible on the mug. Try not to touch them as they will likely smudge off. All you need to do now is trace over the carbon lines with your sharpie, and voila! You've successfully transferred your image.

Tip: Sharpie marker smudges when wet, so make sure you let it dry for at least 10 minutes before you touch the ink.

Sign Her Up.
Has mom been talking about signing up for a class at that new Pilates studio down the street? Or maybe you overheard that she's interested in an art class at the local studio. Wherever mom's interests lie, there is no better way to show her you love her than to give her the support she needs to achieve her own personal goals.

Local directories are an excellent way to find out what's available in your area. There is also a wealth of resources available online to point you in the right direction.

Tip: Read customer reviews, and if it's a place that has no reviews, it may be worth heading down and scoping out the place before you invest in your purchase.

An at-home spa day:
For busy moms, spas are like ice cream sundaes on a hot summer day. They are an excellent way for mom to kick back and relax, and a great way for you to show her how much you appreciate all the things she's done for you. But spa treatments at specialist locations can be super expensive and more often than not, require reservations far in advance. However, you can beat the bustle by creating a spa day at home, and all you'll need is to get a bottle of mom's favorite wine, or some chamomile tea if she prefers something warm to drink, a homemade sugar scrub, some candles, and potentially, some essential oils.

There are lots of different scents you can create when making a homemade sugar scrub, but let's look at what we'd need to make an oatmeal and honey sugar scrub as it's likely you've got all the ingredients in the cupboard. In a bowl, mix half a cup of oats, 1 cup of sugar, a quarter cup of honey, and a quarter cup of coconut oil. If you don't have coconut oil, then you can use olive oil. Once your scrub is all mixed nicely, scoop it out into a ramekin, tie a bow around it or place a small flower on top. Place it on the corner of the tub.

As for the candles, these need to be dotted around the bath tub, which will be filled with hot water and a few drops of mom's favorite essential oil scent. Lavender is a good choice, as it's known to be relaxing. Now all you need is to bring mom in, and if she protests that she's got too much work to do, just say "mom, you deserve a day to rest. I'll take care of it."

Tip: Epsom salts, which can be bought pretty cheaply from any department store, are a great alternative to essential oils. They don't have a scent, but are known to relax and relieve tensed or achy muscles.

A Wine Country Gift Basket, of course!
We have a wide selection of baskets created just for this occasion. Choose from dozens of hand-crafted options filled with all of mom's favorite nibbles and beverages, or even from one of our customer favorite spa gift baskets! No matter what your mom likes -- sweet or savory, red or white -- we have a little something for everyone.